Many Southern Californians with a green thumb don’t know the full range of what they can grow in Pasadena in wintertime. With Pasadena’s mild winters, where the average low temperatures rarely dip below the mid-40s, most vegetables may be grown year-round.
A typical growing season in Pasadena CA is from around the end of May until mid-October and lasts 4.4 months long. The typical winter planting season — for starting crop seeds indoors — is the end of December through the end of February, planting seedlings or transplants from February to March, and starting seeds outdoors from January through March. With this in mind, we’ve listed some of the most popular plants to grow below.
Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum)
If you’re looking for a vegetable to raise which can add colors to your garden including orange, yellow, purple, brown, and white, bell peppers are a great option. This type of pepper offers a selection of diverging tastes including sweet, spicy, or hot, and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. In general, seeding is done indoors from the end of December through the first week of January, and seedlings or transplants are planted in March. Bell peppers bloom in the summer, with a considerably long growing season of 60 to 90 days, and are categorized as a warm-season crop. These colorful plants make the yards of Homes for sale in Pasadena vibrant and are a useful ingredient for many home-cooked dishes.
Celery (Apium graveolens)
Celery is a staple in most people’s kitchens because it’s incredibly useful to add to many meals and has a great taste on its own. There’s a huge benefit of growing your own celery at your home — no pesticides, unlike the produce you buy in stores. There are two types of celery those who own Pasadena real estate can grow in their garden: self-blanching and trenching. Self-blanching is the more popular and the easier choice because there are several time-consuming steps that need to happen to raise trenching celery.
Seeding should be done indoors and happen from the end of December through early January. Transplants and seedlings are best planted in March. To come to harvest, celery calls for 16 weeks of cool weather to reach what we usually consider the ideal growth. Celery is a hardy biennial, which means to go through an entire growth cycle, the celery would grow for 2 years, but we usually grow it as an annual, which grows to 12 to 18-inch stalks and has a deliciously refreshing taste.
Oregano (Origanum)
Oregano is a much-loved herb for many people because of its strong and zesty flavor, similar to thyme, which is sometimes used in its place when oregano is unavailable. Oregano is common in Italian dishes and many other flavorful recipes. Oregano seeds should be planted indoors at the end of December through mid-January and the transplants or seedlings in March. Because oregano is a hardy plant that blooms in the summer with pink-purple and white flowers making an attractive ground cover, it would be a beautiful addition to the gardens of homes for sale in Pasadena.
Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum)
One of the top reasons tomatoes are the #1 homegrown vegetable is because you can’t even compare a grocery store tomato to a home garden one. If you’re planting seeds indoors, it should be done in January and transplanted in March, and it’s recommended that transplants or “starter plants” are used as opposed to planting seeds. There are two types of tomatoes: determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, and there are several factors to consider when choosing the type(s) of tomato to grow on the property of one’s Pasadena real estate.
Determinate tomatoes are two- to three-foot-tall bush tomatoes which don’t require caging or staking. Most paste tomatoes are determinate. You'll find determinate tomatoes will have numerous ripe tomatoes but for a fairly brief amount of time. They generally don’t produce in the last part of the growing season, and they produce fruit earlier in the summer than indeterminate tomatoes.
Indeterminate tomatoes include the vining varieties which need staking and are ideal in large gardens. Production of the fruit is spread fairly evenly throughout the whole growing season, and most of the cherry and beefsteak tomatoes are indeterminate tomatoes. Indeterminate tomatoes are the largest kind of mid- to late-season “slicing” tomatoes that grow all summer until the first frost.
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea)
Broccoli is a cool-season, sun-loving crop which is incredibly healthy and called the “crown jewel of nutrition.” It’s popular with owners of Pasadena real estate because of the health benefits it adds to meals. It’s rich in minerals and vitamins and is a great source of iron, fiber, folic acid, Vitamin A, and potassium. Starting seeds indoors may be done the first half of January and planting transplants or seedlings is best done in February. It’s advised to grow broccoli in the chilly weather of fall or spring, although you do need to be patient because it can take time to mature.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Rosemary is a perennial evergreen shrub that has blue and purple flowers and can grow a few feet in height. Rosemary has a very distinct, fragrant smell, and is a flavorful herb often used to season stews, lamb, soups, and poultry. You’ll want to plant seeds indoors towards the end of December through the first week of January, and plant the transplants or seedlings in March. Any Pasadena real estate can benefit from the look of beautiful rosemary bushes, but it’s important to remember rosemary grows fast, requiring management to keep them from growing out of control.
Pasadena, California has a mild and pleasant climate, making it an ideal place to enjoy the fruits of a home-grown garden. If you’re interested in learning more about gardening in Pasadena or about Pasadena real estate for sale, please don’t hesitate to reach out to local agents Susan & Bradley Mohr for expert guidance. He and his team would love to show you real estate and Pasadena homes for sale.
