For Early Tomatoes, the Time Is at Hand

Garden Jobs

Gardeners in warmer areas from Pasadena to Santa Ana can plant early varieties of tomatoes toward the end of the month. ‘Early Girl,’ the best known, will produce into August. Coastal gardeners can also try this but only if they have a warm, south-facing spot out of ocean breezes.

Continue planting winter crops including beet, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, curly endive, kale, head and leaf lettuce (and any other salad green), onion, pea, potato, radish, spinach, Swiss chard and turnip.

Fertilize citrus and avocados near the end of the month by sprinkling a granular fertilizer under the trees and a few feet beyond the outermost branches. Rains or irrigation will carry the fertilizer to the roots.

From the Los Angeles Times California Garden Calendar

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Garden Calendar

Lecture on the natural history of Southern California butterflies, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. today at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont. Fee: $7. For information, call (909) 625-8767, Ext. 250.

Class on constructing a trough for a trough garden, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont. Fee: $84. For information, call (909) 625-8767, Ext. 250.

A talk on African violets 10 a.m.-11 a.m., Saturday by Leonard Fe at Fullerton Arboretum, Associated Road at Yorba Linda Blvd. Fee: $7 for nonmembers; $5 for members. For information, call (714) 278-3579.

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Send garden announcements to Garden Events, Los Angeles Times, 202 W.1st St., Los Angeles, CA. 90012 or e-mail to garden @latimes.com at least three weeks before the event.