Planning a Spring Garden in California? Consider the Drought

A spring garden in California should definitely be planned with the drought in mind. With a little bit of research and planning, however, you can plant some varieties that will thrive with less water and still enjoy your garden.
A new report from 2014 shows the Sierra snowpack at only 20% of usual. If that’s not bad enough, don’t forget that 2013 went down in history as our all-time driest year. There were only 6.13 inches of rain, which is less than one-third our annual average.
Let’s take a look at what NOT to plant:
Corn
Giant Pumpkins
Both require plenty of water, which means they’re not a good choice for the pending drought summer.
Here are my suggestions for what you might want to consider planting instead::
Patio hybrid tomatoes
bush cucumbers
Sweet Passion melon
Gold Coast okra
German Foxtail millet
Navajo Winter watermelons
Whippoorwill cowpeas
Blue-Speckled Tepary beans
White Sonora wheat
Buffalo gourds
Shelly Black 25 quinoa
Crops native to Mediterranean regions and Africa are a good choice for a spring garden in California during a drought. Basically, look for compact heat-tolerant plants with edible leaves, roots or fruit. Don’t plant any vine plants as they require lots of H2O.
I like to check out the mammoth 354-page The Whole Seed Catalog from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. You’ll find dozens of short articles about gardening and thousands of rare seed listings. For folks who just want the seeds, Baker Creek also published its free catalog. Both are available at www.rareseeds.com.
If you are in the market to buy or sell your home and garden in Montecito, please call me at 805.886.9378 or contact me via email at Cristal@montecito-estate.com. I’ve been in this industry for more than 20 years specializing in Montecito, Summerland and Santa Barbara real estate.