I remember gardening in Malaysia and worrying about too much rain or dry spells affecting my plants. Then I moved to New York and was excited to experience gardening in four distinct season. I paid heed to changing weather and excited planted season appropriate vegetables and flowers. San Diego.....now this is a Gardeners Paradise. I am spoilt - I get to grow temperate and many of the tropical fruits, vegetable and flowers I grew up with. I seem to be able to 'stretch' the growing zones of plants, finding micro-climate within my garden to make it work. Sometimes, the tropical plants I grew did not take but I would try again and again. The strange thing that I notice is, while it is often difficult to establish a tropical plant in my San Diego Zone 8 climate, once it gets establish, it generally flourishes beautifully and often multiple either by being self sowing or sprouting baby plants. Cuttings also root easily.
We been at our Temecula home more especially towards the end of 2012. I had set out some tropical plants and herbs within the walled garden to test out plant viability. I planted vegetables in my planter boxes. Landscape some sections with succulent. It has been interesting. I was amazed by how vegetables like cucumber and tomatoes really take off in the heat of Temecula. How potatoes set in planter boxes became a matt of healthy tall green leaves within a week! Summer was wonderful.
As mentioned in my last post, this year Temecula was hit by a number of severe frost days this year. Plants that I had growing in pots outside for the last almost 2 years, succumbed to frost this year. Seeing my tomato plants go from robust "jungle" of leaves and fruits to limp frost bitten leaves overnight really brought home the fact that Temecula indeed has a winter season. These are pictures of my tomato plants in January 2013
Lush beautiful tomato bushes and then grey limb branches and leaves the next morning after a frosty night. What a difference a night can make.
The Pineapple had been growing in a pot for a year and a half in Temecula before I transplanted it to the planter box in the summer.The leaves took on a yellow hue from the frost. Thankfully, I noticed that it did not die down to the roots. I notice green at the base of the plant. Hopefully, it will survive the frost damage. I will keep you posted.
Sweet Basil plant turned brown overnight from the frost. There were some branches that were still green with basil leaves towards the center of the plant but for all intent and purpose, it is time for the compost pile.
Potato plant also limp from frost damage. The only plants that are still thriving were the broccoli raab and the spinach, fall and early winter vegetable.
Frosty ice still on spinach leaves in the morning but the spinach is unaffacted by it.
In the heat of summer, my heart longed for Papaya hence my tropical experiment of Papaya trees in my walled courtyard garden. My husband kept telling me about the danger of frost. I had to try.....As you can see frost wilted the leaves and flowers on the plant. When I last saw the plant it was still alive. The people at the local nursery told me that Papaya can be vaible locally in Temecula and they will come back as they do not die back totally. I think it depends on where it is planted. Will keep you posted.
Incidentally, do you see the weeds at base of Papaya plant that is unaffected by frost? How is that fair- frost should kill weeds at the very least to help gardeners and farmers.
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