Rocket Blog

Warming Up Our Green Thumbs

All this incredible weather we’ve had in California sure makes me want to get my fingers in the dirt and start planting things in the yard. It might be a tad bit premature since many of the trees are only just now losing most of their leaves, meaning we have plenty of winter looming ahead. Still, it’s hard to ignore wanting to plant when temperatures are almost 70 degrees outside.

A trip to your local garden center is probably worthwhile as there are many cold, hearty plants that can go in the ground now or outside in containers. Take a look at things like cyclamen that can handle when normal temperatures return.  Container gardening on your porch, deck or patio is a great idea right now because the shelter of these areas is enough to protect most plants from cold nights and damage from wind and rain.

Now is also a great time to start plants from seed. You don’t need a greenhouse, just a sunny area indoors that you can put some small containers and watch them grow. My mom used to do this all the time on the kitchen windowsill.  Not only is planting from seed a fun thing to do, it also saves you money and provides a great head start for things like tomatoes, peppers, melons, pumpkins etc.

Enjoy the weather while it lasts, and happy gardening!