Garden Jobs

Things to do in your garden this week.

Sow seeds. Plant seeds of winter vegetables--in flats or in the ground--and they’ll sprout faster than Jack’s beanstalk. Seeds of cool-season plants germinate quickly in the warmth and humidity of August and September.

In the ground, try beets, carrots, chard, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, radishes, spinach and any of the exotic greens (like those found in mesclun mixes).

It’s better to start broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower in flats, transplant them into nursery packs when they have their first true leaves and then into the garden when about 4 inches tall.

Plant a winter tomato. If you can find these varieties at nurseries, plant ‘Champion,’ ‘Celebrity’ and ‘Sweet 100’ tomatoes now, and they’ll ripen right through winter in the mild parts of the Los Angeles Basin and Orange County. The skin will be a little thick and each bush produces less, but who cares? You could have ripe tomatoes on Thanksgiving Day!

You can also sneak in last-minute plantings of summer crops including bush bean, cucumber and squash, even from seed.

Best bets in flowers. Most gardens have bare dirt showing, where plants perished in the heat. Summer bedding plants--begonia, impatiens, marigold or even zinnia--make the best temporary replacements. These will last until the first frost inland and may last longer on the coast, where gardeners have found that marigolds planted now bloom almost as well in winter as they do in summer.

It’s too early to plant cool-season plants. Several 100-degree-plus days still lie ahead.

Divide iris. If you have overcrowded clumps of bearded iris that hardly bloom, dig and divide them now. Toss out old, shriveled tubers and space the good ones in clumps of three about 12 to 18 inches apart. Within each clump, place tubers about six inches apart. Trim tops and roots to 6 inches long and plant so the top of the tuber is exposed.