Any California gardeners?

[ShannonR]

I'm hoping there are a couple of somewhat local gardening friends here! To the California gardeners: What are you growing this year? What are your pest or disease problems? What are your gardening goals? I'm in the very northern part of the state and most of my expertise is anchored here, but I have knowledge on warmer and more humid growing regions too.
I can offer advice on most common garden crops and culinary herbs. Let's fix those horticultural woes, and share pictures of our beautiful gardens.
Pics of my own gardening efforts coming soon!

 

[ShannonR]

The garden is getting big. Aphid problem is all but disappeared, the predator bugs must have done the trick. There are a few squash bugs left, but I don't think the mantis eggs have hatched yet. I am rolling in squash and cukes, and have early pumpkins. I decided to ferment my burgundy okra, okra is yuck to me but I grew it to resupply old seedstock. Tomatoes are starting to ripen, I've only picked a few so far. The beans aren't doing that well for whatever reason, maybe next year will be better!

 

[ShannonR]

So. It's official!!!
I have chickens at my place now!!! I hadn't lived on the same property as the chickens since the fire in 2018. Except for a few stray chicks i kept inside and found other homes for.
These guys inhabit my garden, in a flimsy little fence made of step in T posts and construction fencing. They are too fat and lazy to destroy my garden, and are "temporary residents" until they are moved to their permanent home in my freezer in a couple of months. I've been wanting to do this since before I closed on the house!
In other news, the garden itself is getting big. Looks like the first cucumber will be soon, and I have tomatos starting to set and grow now. Still waiting on my eggplants to set fruit.

 

[Severne]

I’m in CA and growing EVERYTHING exept peppers and cold weather crops throigh the summer, even jicama and sweet potatoe.

 

[ShannonR]

I’ve never had bugs on my cucerbita, heard of it though....

I get squash bugs and aphids. So far I have the squash bugs under control this year, not so much with the aphids. I dust with diatomaceous earth once or twice a week. Problem is, it really reduces the pollinator population too. So I hand pollinate the squash

 

[ShannonR]

I tried to grow peppers but the dog got in that bed this year. I’m in the Redding area.

Howdy, neighbor!! I'm in Redding.

 

[Severne]

I hand pollinate all my squash too. Mainly because I save seed, sometimes I let it go wild though and get some funky looking thing later.

 

[ShannonR]

Squash crosses are so fun to grow!
I started squash seed this year from Burpee, supposed to be their pic-N-pic hybrid. One of the plants from their seed is clearly a Zephyr squash hybrid, and I was thrilled at their cross pollination problem.

 

[Severne]

I’ve never had unedible squas, exept occasionally a very spaghetti like squash that ain’t too good.

 

[Severne]

Not yet, but this year I think I might.