Falling Into Garden Prep - October
We are circling fall here in Southern California. We’ve just passed the peak heat for the year (hopefully) and monsoon season is wrapping up as well. This means that we are moving towards our rainy season! This is a time of harvest, a time of abundance, and a time of transition. Here in Southern California especially, where fall brings more optimum conditions for growth, plants thrive during this time, as do people and other animal relatives. This is a time for preparation, for prayer, and for reflection.
We give appreciations to the Tongva people, in whose lands we reside, and their wisdom and gracious sharing of knowledge and information. For more information on Tongva people and their lands, check out @california_native_plants, @madiposaa, and other dope Tongva and Chumash relatives.
Here in Yangna, Poison Oak Place, known as Los Angeles, we have 3 seasons that can sometimes bleed into 4:
Rainy season, from October-ish thru April-ish (includes fall, winter and spring)
Dry season, April-ish thru to June
Monsoon season, June thru September
It may not be as sunny as we are taught to love, but our plant relatives are quite grateful. There are a few ways we can move in alignment with this seasonal shift, and support our neighbors, plant and animal alike.
This is a great time to clear grass and other invasive species for planting! As the days get shorter and cooler, the hot sun gives Mama Earth a lil space. These cooler days are the perfect time to clear a patch of grass for fall crops or native plant species! The sun will do less damage to the bare ground while seedlings are sprouting. We never wanna leave the Earth bare if we can help it, so lightly mulching your freshly-cleared land with dead leaves, wood chips or other natural material. As long as the layer of mulch is thin, about an inch or so, your seeds should still have plenty of light and heat to sprout! You can also transplant seedlings into freshly cleared and mulched soil, to avoid the guessing game of when your seeds will sprout.
This is a lovely time to plant trees and other anchor plants, as well as native plant species like milkweed, poppies and yarrow! Native plants are extremely seasonal, and they move when Mama Earth moves (just like that). native plants rely on the upcoming fall rains for moisture, making this season prime time for spreading native seeds. There are so many plant relatives native to this area, that are critical for the health and well being of the surrounding plants, animals and environment. That includes us as well! Some of these necessary plants include Milkweed, Black Sage, and Sagebrush, as well as other showier plants like the California Fuschia or Hummingbird sage. Adding these plants to your garden, front yard or sidewalk strip can make a great addition to the community, bringing beauty, soil structure and pollenators to boost your other garden plants! I buy seeds from Nicholas Hummingbird at California_Native_Plants. Support hyperlocal businesses, and support Native Tongva and Chumash people on their own ancestral lands whenever possible.
This is also a great time to plant cool season crops, such as greens, onions, garlic and other root vegetables! Potatoes are usually grown in the spring, but down here in Southern California we can also get away with a crop of potatoes between October and March. Some folks swear by it! This is also the ideal time to plant collards, kales, arugulas and lettuces, beets, radishes, etc. Some places I go to buy crop seed include Ujamaa Seeds, Native Seed Search, TrueLove Seeds, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I also offer a few different types of seeds here in the apothecary. Support hyperlocal businesses, Black businesses, and buy Native whenever you can.
There is a season for everything. There is a season of life, and a season of death. a season to sow, and a season to reap. We have been in a season of harvest; we have been reaping what we have sown. And now it is time for the cycle to begin again; we must sow our seeds and pray they sprout.
