Tom’s Trowel
by Tom Van Demark, neighbor on Normandie Ave.
Welcome to the first gardening column in the Maxwell Park Newsletter! If you don’t already know, you will soon realize that we live in a paradise for gardening and landscaping, similar to Tuscany and the Riviera, right here in the moderate and Mediterranean-like San Francisco Bay Area! Now to the point: It is spring and time to plan and plant!
Seeding by the Full Moon
The Old Farmer’s Almanac, first published in 1792, recommends planting seeds by the waxing and waning of the moon for stronger plants and higher rates of germination. A quick summary of Farmer’s Almanac advice:
Seed above-ground vegetables and all flowers in the week before the full moon. That would be May 5 to May 11. (Full moon is Monday, May 12.)
Seed below-ground vegetables the week following the full moon: May 13 to May 20.
If this rings the hocus-pocus bell in your mind, just take the hint and get your garden going!
If you are transplanting 2-inch or 4-inch tomatoes or other veggies from the nursery, the moon is a good guide for transplanting too. Of course, you won’t suffer any lunar repercussions if you follow your own schedule.
Note: If you see pot-bound roots (growing round and round the root ball), be sure to jostle the roots a bit with your fingers so they can break the habit of circular thinking and reach out farther into the soil.
Some very tiny seeds like arugula (a year-round and very bitter smallish green leaf) can be planted any time except deep wet-and-cold winter. Arugula will also seed itself if you have enough space and patience. Beware, you may also be seeding an arugula addiction – it’s regarded as the healthiest of all the green leaf veggies. The arugula wild variety has so far evaded seed industry efforts to breed sweeter and less nutritional varieties of lettuce and other greens.
Read the Farmer’s Almanac online.
Best Local Resources
American Soil and Stone in Richmond is the best and most economical source for soil amendments. Big winners come to mind: Clod Buster, a mix to help break down clay soils; Walt Whitman, a soil enhancer with chicken manure. Unlike commercial fertilizers like Miracle Gro, these soil amendments keep on building rich soil year after year. Available in bulk or fairly large and heavy bags.
Take a stroll through the amazing collection of rocks from small to extra large, even if you aren’t doing a rock garden. The whole place is a landscaper’s dream. Employees will lift and pack your purchase into your vehicle. There’s also an outside desk staffed by professionals minding the whole show.
Ace Garden Center, on Grand Avenue just beyond Safeway, is a well-stocked and near-by nursery. They carry first rate GreenAll soil amendments, and an excellent potting soil called Recipe 420. They give expert advice as well. Also worth a visit is Laurel Ace with a small but growing garden department.
Tom Van Demark has lived and gardened in Maxwell Park for more than 30 years. Send your questions, tips, ideas and thoughts to tvandemark108@gmail.com.
Tom in his garden. Photos by Barbara Hartford.