We tested our soil finally and found it was deficient in nutrients and terribly alkaline. Working on amendments now and will probably be planting in a few weeks.
Doing most of my tomatoes from seed this year. Also trying sugar snap peas from seed and they are rocking, currently 4 inches tall. Photos later…
We are in a townhouse this year, so I cannot plant a garden. But, we are putting decorative pots on the back patio, and so far we have 3 tomato plants, 3 jalapeno plants, mint, cilantro, basil, and oregano. The pot approach is working well so far, since as Lori mentioned, we are getting a surprise freeze last night and tonight - so I lugged them all inside until tomorrow!
We had a bit of snow and 30 degree weather last night. Very happy to not have planted anything yet.
Went with huge terracota pots on my end. My wife didn’t want me spoiling the backyard 
.
Shall see how it goes. Arugula grows like a freaking weed.
Booooo!
she said next year, if these plants are successful. ha
shots of the seedlings
snap peas
yellow pear tomato
So does mint! I’ve never done pots…but we have to grow tomatoes…it’s not an option! I hope they turn out
yeah have a mint plant too. growing like a champ.
Always plant mint alone in a pot. It snakes around and kills anything near it in a garden bed.
Tomatoes do well in clay or terra cotta pots. Charlie, you may need to water every day.
Have fun!
Agree with Nancy on the mint - be very, very careful where you put that stuff.
Out here in the hot and dry, I irrigate my 4 - 8x8 raised beds every day.
That arugula is great at this time of year, but will bolt early and become impossible to keep going if it is hot and dry where you are.
Watering every day.
I have the mint under control for now, I might actually cut it in half.
I regret putting the arugula in, it’s growing like a weed and even looks like one. Might just pull it out completely.
Watering everyday seems like a waste. If you have proper moisture control straw/newspaper over the top of your soil you shouldn’t be watering everyday. You would like to encourage the roots to dive deep and search for moisture, watering everyday doesn’t help that.
I am in the Sacramento area and have to believe there aren’t too many spots here in CA where it gets much hotter.
Tyler, I’m a bit north of you now (Arbuckle) but used to commercially raise vegetables in the Sacramento area. Believe me, the delta breezes can make Sacramento quite a bit cooler than places just a few miles away!
Since Charlie’s plants are in pots, I agree with keeping them watered daily during when it’s hot. Pots can only hold so much moisture in them and a hot day breezy day pulls that moisture out fast. I have some stuff in pots just a few feet from the traditional in-the-ground vegetables and the pots get daily watering when it’s hot while the others can get by with twice a week because their roots are well established and deep. One of the most important things to do with deeper rooted vegetables like tomatoes and melons is to loosen the soil as deep as possible before planting. I bought one of those deep spading forks this year and wish I would have got one years ago. You can use your weight to work the tines down into the soil, then rock the handles back and forth to loosen things up. Way easier than a shovel.
Good luck everyone with this year’s garden. It’s one of my favorite activities.
Instead of pulling it out completely, why don’t you start eating it so it doesn’t grow crazy? ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
I’ve also let the arugula just flower and I’ll collect the seeds for the next harvest.
I should learn to use the quote functions!
I agree on the pots, definitely watering every day is a must. I was referring to watering raised beds every day.
The delta breeze is the only saving grace during summer time, open the windows and crank the whole house fan to save a few bucks in the evening!
Our first spring at the new house and we are going all out - tomatoes, beets, kale, onions, bell peppers, squash, tons of herbs and MOST importantly:
pardon peppers! 
The previous owners of our house did two things right: a tiered retaining wall with planter beds in the sunniest part of the yard, and an incomplete drip system that runs right to where we wanted to plant. A half days worth of work yielded a complete drip system that covers the entire garden.
Not watering my pots at all…because it’s raining like crazy around here!! A little sun please.
For tomato-growing Berserkers in the Bay Area, the Tomatomania heirloom tomato seedling sale is this weekend at Cornerstone Sonoma in Carneros:
http://www.cornerstonesonoma.com/explore/projects/tomatomania-2014/