96 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



irrigation, for late winter and early spring use. ^aparagus roots 

 are in shape for planting. Potatoes, in places with only light frosts, 

 and beans, egg plant and tomatoes, in frostless places, are planted 

 for early crop. 



DECEMBER. 



The higher lands of the interior valley are usually ready for 

 the rainfall garden. Beets, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, 

 onions, peas, radishes, spinach and turnips are hardy, though some 

 roots sown at this time will in some places go to seed in the spring 

 instead of enlarging. Potatoes are planted on slopes, well out of 

 hard frosts. In northerly coast valleys the soil is often too cold 

 and we't to make seed sowing wise. In such places the growth gets 

 a poor start. This depends greatly, however, upon the character 

 of the rainy season for that particular year. 



JANUARY. 



On warmer, drier valley lands in regions of light rainfall or 

 on protected hillsides plantings of beets, cabbage, carrots, peas, tur- 

 nips, lettuce, radishes and onions are usually wise. In colder re- 

 gions lettuce and onions and radishes are hardy, and thrive if raised 

 out of the wet, and cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, celery, tomato 

 seed should go into seed beds to grow plants for later planting out. 

 Asparagus, horesradish and rhubarb roots can be planted out in 

 well-drained ground. It is the first great potato planting month for 

 regions of light rainfall or on warm, well-drained slopes in regions 

 of heavier rains. But on low valley lands in wet regions, January 

 is often stormy and cold for open-air work, as has just been said 

 of December. 



FEBRUARY. 



February is the great planting month, for everything but the 

 very tender plants, like beans, tomatoes, peppers, the squash family, 

 etc., can now proceed with assurance of adequate heat and moisture. 

 It is the month for the dilatory man who has missed his earliest 

 opportunities to fill the ground with seed of hardy vegetables, and 

 it is the time when plantings in small frosty and rainy valleys, which 

 have been deferred because the ground was too cold and wet to 

 start seeds and plants well, may be confidently made. Successions 

 and rotations are in order, as the fall-planted vegetables are cleared 

 away. Early small plantings of string-beans, melons and cucumbers 

 will often carry through or can be easily replanted if the frost 

 catches them. Potatoes are widely planted and will seldom be 



