897tgigvib
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:tools
Is there anyone else in here from this part of the state?
Is there anyone else in here from this part of the state?
California, Lake County
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lesa
Garden Master
I'm not even close, but welcome! welcome!
digitS'
Garden Master
Marshall', I'm glad you are here, on TEG.
You should be hearing from a couple of gardeners in the higher areas of California in not too long. I'm not sure how close they are to your neck of the woods, tho'.
You probably have some idea of where Redding and Arcata are. I was just a little kid and becoming aware of the world in Grandma's Redding garden. Later, I lived a few years in Arcata, just over the hill. Between those times, I grew up in southern Oregon.
Steve
You should be hearing from a couple of gardeners in the higher areas of California in not too long. I'm not sure how close they are to your neck of the woods, tho'.
You probably have some idea of where Redding and Arcata are. I was just a little kid and becoming aware of the world in Grandma's Redding garden. Later, I lived a few years in Arcata, just over the hill. Between those times, I grew up in southern Oregon.
Steve
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897tgigvib
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I like the Arcata Trinity area. Haven't been that far up in a long time though. One time in high school there was a basketball tournament in Arcata and the band went up too. We drove up to the mountains in the snow and I froze my fingertips having fun in the snow. They thawed. But I played the sax with taped up fingers, lol! Eureka has a real cool redwood tree forest park and small zoo.
Here at Lake Pillsbury we're probably 30 or 40 miles from the Redwood forests, but I have one growing near my cabin a good 50 or more feet high.
Here at Lake Pillsbury we're probably 30 or 40 miles from the Redwood forests, but I have one growing near my cabin a good 50 or more feet high.
digitS'
Garden Master
I see that you have a zone 8 listed as your hardiness zone, Marshall.
Arcata is a zone 9, according to the USDA. Probably, many would think that you could grow just about anything where the zone numbers are so high. I did okay there in my garden for some standard sorts of thing - didn't try to grow watermelon
.
Those things that need a long season of warmth probably grow better for you than they would have for me. I didn't have sweet corn in Arcata but know a lot of people complained that some years, sweet corn just wouldn't ripen :/. The problem, of course, isn't winter cold; it's summer warmth!
The Weather Service keeps track of accumulated growing season warmth for us. I wish they'd put season normals somewhere but I can't find them . . . Some of the ag companies have that information and I found it here: AsgrowDeKalb (click).
If I type in the zip code for Arcata . . . I can see that there are only about 2,500 growing degree days to the season. That's fine but the variance shows that it may fall below 2,000 gdd some years. That's not fine!!
Steve
Arcata is a zone 9, according to the USDA. Probably, many would think that you could grow just about anything where the zone numbers are so high. I did okay there in my garden for some standard sorts of thing - didn't try to grow watermelon
.Those things that need a long season of warmth probably grow better for you than they would have for me. I didn't have sweet corn in Arcata but know a lot of people complained that some years, sweet corn just wouldn't ripen :/. The problem, of course, isn't winter cold
; it's summer warmth!The Weather Service keeps track of accumulated growing season warmth for us. I wish they'd put season normals somewhere but I can't find them . . . Some of the ag companies have that information and I found it here: AsgrowDeKalb (click).
If I type in the zip code for Arcata . . . I can see that there are only about 2,500 growing degree days to the season. That's fine but the variance shows that it may fall below 2,000 gdd some years. That's not fine!!
Steve
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897tgigvib
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The usda zone system is ok, but is not very perfect.
Though it may be barely zone 8 here, there are other limiting factors. Light. I'm on a slope in the lake basin that faces eastward. The sun sets kind of early here. Also surrounded by trees.
Being a basin with 6,000 foot mountains all around, the cold air sinks. On the other hand, the lake moderates temperatures. Last frost might be anywhere from Saint Patrick's day to Memorial day. ha, zone 8! But the season seems to end later than the lower valleys. It might not do a hard frost until december 1st. There was ice in my wheelbarrow this morning.
Though it may be barely zone 8 here, there are other limiting factors. Light. I'm on a slope in the lake basin that faces eastward. The sun sets kind of early here. Also surrounded by trees.
Being a basin with 6,000 foot mountains all around, the cold air sinks. On the other hand, the lake moderates temperatures. Last frost might be anywhere from Saint Patrick's day to Memorial day. ha, zone 8! But the season seems to end later than the lower valleys. It might not do a hard frost until december 1st. There was ice in my wheelbarrow this morning.
