Castro Gardening: Planning Ahead For A Possibly Wet Winter

Castro Gardening: Planning Ahead For A Possibly Wet WinterPhotos: Brian Ray/Hoodline
Brian Ray
Published on November 04, 2015

Shorter days and a possibly wetter-than-normal winter are ahead. This can mean a lot of change for those of us with seasonal gardens and indoor plants. To prepare for the fall and winter, we headed to Hortica (566 Castro St.) and chatted with owner and local gardening expert David Gray, who you may remember from our spring/summer gardening story or our profile of Hortica from a year ago. Gray gave us advice and ideas for Castro residents' fall and winter gardening needs, whether they're novices or expert gardeners.

To start, Gray mentioned one of the definite changes that many of us are already seeing: shorter periods of light. While this may not affect outdoor, year-round plants, those of us with indoor plants should do some work to make them happy over the winter. "Move plants closer to windows so they have more time in the sun," Gray said. "You also want to avoid re-potting anything indoors during this time."

Gray added that it's good to start tapering off food and water with certain indoor plants. "Succulents should taper off of your watering regimen, and be given no plant food over the winter," he told us. "In general, reduce houseplant feeding."

Although it's time to cut down on water indoors, we may be getting a high amount of water outdoors this year, thanks to El Niño. Gray explained that a good amount of outdoor prep is necessary for plants, yards, and homes in general. "Make sure to clean out gutters, and prepare to collect sandbags," he said. "DPW gives them away for free, but they aren't ready with them yet. It's best to call 311 to connect with them and find out when and where to get them." KRON also has a guide to finding and using sandbags.

For outdoor plants, the rain can be both a blessing and a curse. "Turn the saucers over on all potted plants, or remove them entirely," Gray explained. "If they are left as-is, the plant will get too saturated, constantly sitting in water at the basin."

While potted plants need that precaution, the rain offers a great opportunity to do some easy soil and plant work. "Put compost on the top of the soil, and let the rain break it down and wash it into the ground," Gray said. "It's also a good time for slow-release organic fertilizer. Adding native flower seeds to the top of the soil can also produce some nice fall blooms. "The California poppy is perfect to start now."

The final benefit of the rain is easy and healthy watering for indoor plants. "Put out a bucket or something else to simply capture this excess rain. It makes the indoor plants happy."

Speaking of plants, Gray has recommendations for plants for both beginners seeking something fool-proof, and experts wanting a challenge. "Cyclamen is a low, flowering perennial," he told Hoodline. "It's very easy to care for, and I particularly like the Sterling Silver series." And for the challenge-seekers? "The daphne blooms in spring with beautiful, fragrant flowers. The variegated leaves have a lovely yellow edge as well. But they need extra special care and good drainage."

Gray encourages gardeners of all skill levels to stop by Hortica for more information on plants, gardening tips, and supplies. What are your fall/winter garden plans?