Your Free Garden Toolkit

Twelve printable guides built for California gardeners. Three are already picked for you. Add or remove any of them, enter your email, and they will land in your inbox in minutes.

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Starter pick
Worksheet
Know Your Microclimate

Map the unique sun, temperature, and moisture conditions in your specific garden. In Santa Cruz County, conditions vary dramatically within a few miles.

Inside this guide Hour-by-hour sun tracking across four time slots, because most vegetables need 6+ hours of direct sun and many coastal gardeners overestimate how much light they actually get.
Starter pick
Checklist
Beginner Garden Setup

The essentials that actually matter before you plant. Cuts through the noise and focuses on what works for Santa Cruz County and the Bay Area.

Garden tip Check soil pH before adding lime. A nearby redwood does not tell you what your vegetable bed needs; use a soil test and recommendations for the crops you plan to grow. Read the guidance.
Guide
Fire-Wise Gardening

Grow abundant food while creating defensible space that protects your home. Fire-wise gardening is about smart plant choices, thoughtful placement, and good habits.

Inside this guide Vegetable gardens with their high moisture and regular irrigation can serve as a "green break" between wildland and structures, making your food garden part of your fire strategy.
Reference
Companion Planting

Which plants help each other thrive and which to keep apart. Combinations that work best for Santa Cruz County gardens, organized by crop.

Garden tip Flowering herbs such as dill can provide food for beneficial insects. Plan combinations around mature plant size, sunlight and watering needs, and treat pest-control claims as specific to the plants and pests studied. Read the guidance.
Starter pick
Calendar
Seasonal Planting Calendar

Month-by-month reference with four categories per month: Plant, Prepare, Observe, and Skip. Know exactly what to do and what to avoid each month.

Garden tip Time indoor tomato sowing about 4 to 6 weeks before your expected outdoor planting window. Along the cool coast, that window may be May; check your garden's conditions before transplanting. Read the guidance.
Guide
Seed Starting

Everything you need to grow strong, healthy seedlings indoors. A head start on the season with access to more varieties than nurseries carry.

Garden tip Germination speed depends on the crop and growing-medium temperature. Warm-season seeds can benefit from gentle bottom heat in a cool room, but there is no single percentage improvement that applies to every setup. Read the guidance.
Chart
Vegetables by Season

40+ vegetables organized by season with specific varieties selected for coastal California conditions. Includes microclimate codes so you know what works where.

Inside this guide Each entry includes microclimate codes (C = Coastal, I = Inland, M = Mountain), difficulty ratings, and days-to-harvest so you can plan with confidence.
Guide
Gopher Control

What actually works for gopher control in Santa Cruz County. Includes what to skip so you do not waste money on methods that sound good but fail.

Inside this guide A single gopher creates 200+ mounds per year, and new gophers move into abandoned tunnels. The guide separates real solutions from expensive myths.
Selector
Tomato Variety Selector

Find the perfect tomatoes for your microclimate. Cool nights, coastal fog, and a short warm season mean variety selection matters more here than almost anywhere.

Inside this guide Includes "SF Fog," bred specifically for foggy conditions, alongside Stupice, a Czech heirloom with exceptional cold tolerance. Varieties organized by Coastal, Sunny Inland, and Cherry types.
Guide
Water-Wise Gardening

Grow more food with less water. Practical strategies for California's dry summers and periodic droughts that will reduce your water use and lower your bills.

Inside this guide Improving soil is the single most effective water-saving strategy. Adding 2-4 inches of compost annually increases water-holding capacity dramatically. Includes a section on dry farming.
Checklist
Seasonal Tasks

Print it, keep it in your garden, check off tasks as you go. Year-round maintenance calendar with timing based on Santa Cruz County's coastal climate.

Garden tip Use winter to plan your sowing dates. Start tomato seeds indoors about 4 to 6 weeks before transplanting, then wait for warm conditions and nights consistently above 50 degrees F before moving them outside. Read the guidance.
Reference
Garden Troubleshooting

Diagnose and fix 20 common garden problems. Each problem follows a consistent Cause, Solution, Prevention format for quick reference when something goes wrong.

Garden tip Yellowing older leaves can point to nitrogen deficiency, but watering, drainage and root problems can produce similar symptoms. Check the growing conditions before adding fertilizer. Read the guidance.

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