Garden

Notes on developing my urban/suburban yard space in San Jose, CA. Topically related to homesteading, permaculture, composting, community, wildlife habitat, and growing a food forest.

Highlights

Some highlights are playing at self sufficiency, gaining appreciation for land management and agriculture, designing a calming space, meditative physical activity, growing plants to provide shade and fragrance, growing fruit and vegetables not available in stores, identifying new volunteer plants, nurturing a rich ecosystem of diverse flora and fauna, providing a wildlife habitat. Observing visitors such as skunks, possums, cats, birds, squirrels, lizards, moths, butterflies, bees, mantises, and spiders.

Problems, and what’s working?

• Weeds – Endless invasive noxious weeds.
  Answers: Cardboard sheet mulching everywhere, plant groundcover that once established can outcompete and shade out weeds.
• Pests – Lost a tree to a beetle infestation. Aphid infestation on vegetables. Leaf miners on citrus. Ants eating through stems.
  Answers: Lacewings, ladybugs, soap solution spray, diatomaceous earth, and water blasting.
• Fungus and Disease – Lost 2 old trees to fungus (honey fungus and heart rot). Peach trees also suffer from leaf curl. Rust on dragonfruit.
  Answers: Planting resistant varieties, spray with copper seasonally, hot compost (PFRP), carefully source mulch and compost, clean tools with bleach solution.
• Elements – 2 trees fell from wind, a young tree got scorched from the summer sun. Drought.
  Answers: Tree braces help. Shade cloth helps protect from sun. Rainwater capture, plant drought tolerant varieties, mulch.
• Location – Had to remove a tree that was growing through the neighbors fence.
  Answers: Need to consider the mature size of the tree when planting.
• Time – This all takes a lot of time. Pruning, weeding, watering, inspecting, propagating…
  Answers: Automation, drip irrigation, robot mower, plant scanner, appropriate hand tools, and most importantly enjoyment of the process.

What’s growing?

Open to share my experience, seeds, cuttings, and divisions for propagation. Grateful for a neighbor who runs a plant library where I get seeds and seedlings of seasonal vegetable varieties. Some public libraries have a similar program.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of what’ I have’s growing. Doesn’t include nurse logs, compost piles, and bug hotels.

Common Name	Type of Plant*	CA Native*	Edible*	Mature Size*	Water Req*	Pests and Diseases*
Bamboo Striped Vivax	Bamboo	No	No	Varies	High	None
Bamboo Vivax	Bamboo	No	No	Varies	High	None
Oldhamii Bamboo	Bamboo	No	No	50-70 ft	Moderate	None
Dragon Fruit	Cactus	No	Yes	Varies	Low	Aphids, scale
Asparagus Fern	Fern	No	No	2-4 ft	Moderate	Aphids, mealybugs
Golden Polypody	Fern	No	No	6-12 in	Moderate	None
California Golden Poppies	Flowering Plant	Yes	No	12-18 in	Low	None
Hollyhock	Flowering Plant	No	No	3-8 ft	Moderate	Rust, aphids
Blue Oat Grass	Grass	No	No	2-3 ft	Low	None
Festuca Glauca ‘Elijah Blue’	Grass	No	No	8-12 in	Low	None
Lemongrass	Grass	No	Yes	2-4 ft	High	None
Muhly Grass Red	Grass	No	No	2-3 ft	Low	None
Water Reed	Grass	No	No	6-13 ft	High	None
Baby’s Tears	Groundcover	No	No	2-4 in	High	None
Creeping Rosemary	Groundcover	No	Yes	1-2 ft	Low	None
Dymondia Silver Carpet	Groundcover	No	No	1-3 in	Low	None
Lambs Ear	Groundcover	No	No	6-12 in	Low	None
Chamomile	Herb	No	Yes	12-24 in	Moderate	Aphids, caterpillars
Coyote Mint	Herb	Yes	No	1-2 ft	Low	None
Lemon Thyme	Herb	No	Yes	6-12 in	Low	None
Miners Lettuce	Herb	Yes	Yes	4-12 in	High	None
Roman Chamomile	Herb	No	Yes	6-12 in	Low	None
Sage	Herb	No	Yes	1-2 ft	Low	Sage pests
Spearmint	Herb	No	Yes	1-2 ft	Moderate	Mint rust, mint flea beetles
Spring Onion	Herb	No	Yes	1-3 ft	Moderate	Onion flies, thrips
Curly Spider Plant	Houseplant	No	No	8-12 in	Moderate	None
Black Chilli Pepper	Pepper Plant	No	Yes	Varies	Moderate	Aphids, mites
Margarita Bop	Perennial	Yes	No	1-3 ft	Low	None
Mediterranean Spurge	Perennial	No	No	2-4 ft	Low	None
Milkweed	Perennial	No	Yes	Varies	Low	Milkweed bugs, aphids
Perez’s Sea Lavender	Perennial	No	No	1-2 ft	Low	None
Purple Heart	Perennial	No	No	8-12 in	Low	None
Rhubarb	Perennial	No	Yes	3-6 ft	Moderate	Rhubarb curculio
Royal Robe	Perennial	No	No	2-4 ft	Low	None
Santa Barbara Daisy	Perennial	No	No	6-12 in	Low	None
Seaside Daisy	Perennial	Yes	No	1-2 ft	Low	None
Strawberry	Perennial	No	Yes	6-12 in	Moderate	Strawberry pests, gray mold
Woolly Blue Curls	Perennial	Yes	No	1-2 ft	Low	None
Yerba Buena Tea	Perennial	Yes	Yes	6-12 in	Low	None
Baby Sage	Shrub	No	Yes	2-3 ft	Low	Aphids, powdery mildew
Bladder Pod	Shrub	Yes	Yes	3-8 ft	Low	None
Blue Elderberry	Shrub	Yes	Yes	10-30 ft	Low	Aphids, powdery mildew
Blueberry	Shrub	No	Yes	Varies	High	Birds, aphids
California Native Rosemary	Shrub	Yes	Yes	3-6 ft	Low	Aphids, powdery mildew
Ceanothus Concha	Shrub	Yes	No	6-10 ft	Low	Aphids, spider mites
Coastal Buckwheat	Shrub	Yes	No	1-2 ft	Low	None
Cowboy Cologne	Shrub	Yes	No	3-6 ft	Low	None
Curry Leaf Plant	Shrub	No	Yes	6-15 ft	Moderate	None
Dog Rose	Shrub	No	Yes	6-10 ft	Moderate	Rose aphids, black spot
Golden Berries	Shrub	No	Yes	2-4 ft	Moderate	Aphids, whiteflies
Golden Currant	Shrub	Yes	Yes	3-6 ft	Moderate	Aphids, powdery mildew
Gooseberry	Shrub	No	Yes	2-4 ft	Moderate	Gooseberry sawfly, powdery mildew
Leptospermum scoparium	Shrub	No	No	6-12 ft	Low	None
Manzanita Dr Hurd	Shrub	Yes	No	6-8 ft	Low	None
Manzanita Howard McMinn	Shrub	Yes	No	4-6 ft	Low	None
Manzanita Louis Edmonds	Shrub	Yes	No	6-8 ft	Low	None
Manzanita Pt Reyes	Shrub	Yes	No	6-8 ft	Low	None
Missouri Pink Love Apple	Shrub	No	Yes	3-6 ft	Moderate	None
Raspberry	Shrub	No	Yes	3-6 ft	High
Redvein Abutilon	Shrub	No	No	6-8 ft	Moderate	Whiteflies, aphids
Rosemary	Shrub	No	Yes	2-6 ft	Low	Rosemary beetle, powdery mildew
Saltbush/Quail Bush	Shrub	Yes	No	3-6 ft	Low	None
Sarah Lavender	Shrub	No	No	2-3 ft	Low	None
White Sage	Shrub	Yes	No	3-4 ft	Low	None
Aloe	Succulent	No	Yes	Varies	Low	Mealybugs, scale
Jade	Succulent	No	No	2-3 ft	Low	Mealybugs, aphids
Nopales	Succulent	No	Yes	Varies	Low	Nopal beetles, aphids
Ponytail Palm	Succulent	No	No	6-15 ft	Low	None
20th Century Asian Pear Tree	Tree	No	Yes	15-30 ft	Moderate	Fire blight, aphids
Avocado Hass	Tree	No	Yes	30-40 ft	Moderate	Various pests
Benton Cherry	Tree	No	Yes	20-30 ft	Moderate	Birds, aphids
California Bay Tree	Tree	Yes	No	40-80 ft	Low	None
California Peppercorn Tree	Tree	No	No	25-40 ft	Low	None
Camphor	Tree	No	No	50-60 ft	Moderate	Scale insects
Canyon Live Oak	Tree	Yes	No	30-70 ft	Low	Oak root rot, oak gall wasp
Cherry Plum	Tree	No	Yes	15-25 ft	Moderate	Plum moth, brown rot
Chinese Elm	Tree	No	No	40-50 ft	Moderate	Elm leaf beetle, powdery mildew
Chinese Hackberry	Tree	No	No	30-40 ft	Moderate	Hackberry psyllids, leaf spot
Cider Gum	Tree	No	No	50-70 ft	Moderate	Eucalyptus longhorned borer, canker
Coast Live Oak	Tree	Yes	No	30-70 ft	Low	Oak root rot, oak gall wasp
Curly Willow Tree	Tree	No	No	30-40 ft	High	None
Date Palm	Tree	No	Yes	50-80 ft	High	None
Eureka Variegated Lemon	Tree	No	Yes	10-20 ft	Moderate	Citrus pests
Fig	Tree	No	Yes	Varies	Moderate	Fig rust, aphids
Fuyu Persimmon	Tree	No	Yes	15-20 ft	Moderate	Aphids, scale
Ginkgo	Tree	No	No	50-80 ft	Moderate	Ginkgo gall, aphids
Grapefruit	Tree	No	Yes	15-20 ft	Moderate	Citrus pests
Kumquat	Tree	No	Yes	10-15 ft	Moderate	Citrus pests, diseases
Latina Cherry Tree	Tree	No	Yes	25-35 ft	Moderate	Birds, aphids
Meyer Lemon	Tree	No	Yes	6-10 ft	Moderate	Citrus pests
Lemon Guava	Tree	No	Yes	15-25 ft	Moderate	Guava moth, aphids
Loquats	Tree	No	Yes	10-30 ft	Moderate	Loquat psyllids
Mandarin	Tree	No	Yes	10-15 ft	Moderate	Citrus pests
Norfolk Island Pine	Tree	No	No	50-80 ft	Moderate	None
Peach	Tree	No	Yes	15-25 ft	Moderate	Peach leaf curl
Pink Lady Apple	Tree	No	Yes	10-15 ft	Moderate	Apple pests
Pinus Pinea (Stone Pine)	Tree	No	No	40-60 ft	Low	Pine processionary
Plum	Tree	No	Yes	Varies	Moderate	Plum pests
Queensland Bottle Tree	Tree	No	No	30-50 ft	Low	None
Silver Coin Eucalyptus	Tree	No	No	20-30 ft	Low	None
Spice Zee Nectaplum	Tree	No	Yes	10-15 ft	Moderate	Plum aphids
Tropical Ash	Tree	No	No	30-40 ft	Moderate	Ash borers, fungal diseases
Glossy Privet	Tree/Shrub	No	No	20-30 ft	Moderate	Aphids, scale insects
Juniper	Tree/Shrub	No	No	Varies	Low	Cedar-apple rust, aphids
Pomegranate	Tree/Shrub	No	Yes	10-20 ft	Low	Pomegranate pests
Sargent Juniper	Tree/Shrub	No	No	3-6 ft	Low	None
Cherry Tomatoes	Vegetable	No	Yes	Varies	Moderate	Aphids, whiteflies
Lincoln Peas	Vegetable	No	Yes	2-4 ft	Moderate	Pea aphids
Merit Tree Collard	Vegetable	No	Yes	3-4 ft	Moderate	Cabbage worms, aphids
Purple Tree Collard	Vegetable	No	Yes	4-6 ft	Moderate	Cabbage worms
Monstera Deliciosa	Vine	No	No	10-30 ft	Moderate	None
Passiflora	Vine	No	Yes	Varies	Moderate	Passion vine pests
Passion Fruit	Vine	No	Yes	Varies	Moderate	Passion vine pests
Wisteria	Vine	No	No	Varies	Moderate	Japanese beetles, aphids