Today is a cool (I won't say cold as we're in the 50s and, as you can see from the previous blog post, I was recently in Canada where they considered our 20-something-degree weather quite balmy), gray drizzly day here in Southern California. But the last few weeks we've also had our share of freakishly hot weather. I say freakish because the 80-degree temps came in the middle of a number of other cool and rainy weeks, not because we won't get them; almost every year we get a freakishly hot week or two in January or February. They're caused by what's known as a Santa Ana condition, which is when hot winds come from the northeast deserts instead of from the ocean. But I digress. The hot dry weather in the middle of all the wet weather definitely had its effect on the garden. As you can see from this photo from one of my neighbors in the community garden, her tulips have decided that it is spring, baby.
This mix of wet and sunny winter weather this year has meant I that could be kind of a lazy gardener this season -- while looking like I'm doing a lot more than I am. Except for the occasional foray to harvest or cut back weeds, I'm quite simply not all that necessary. My lettuces (esp. the arugula) are going crazy. I'm able to go and pluck up carrots and radishes from seeds planted last fall for my salads and sandwiches. And I'm getting a lot of volunteers as well, and not just the lettuce I allowed to bolt. If you look at this photo of my garden taken last week, look toward the center at the green stakes -- those are to hold up small tomato plants that have volunteered from last year's crop.
Tomatoes magically erupting out of the ground on their own. I think you'll have to agree it's a definite sign that spring is on its way.
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