By Jennifer E. Beaver
Columnist
The title of this week’s column is adapted from one of my favorite books, Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. “First of all, it was October, a rare month for boys,” writes Bradbury in his prologue. The novel is full of light and shadow, cold and heat— all the things that also make up an October planting season in southern California. One brisk day last week, I made soup and chili and traded my sandals for boots. By Halloween, the Santa Ana winds will scorch jack o’ lanterns left grinning on front steps.
Despite these contrasts— or perhaps because of them— October is indeed a rare month for plants. It’s when we put finishing touches on winter vegetable gardens envied by those who live east of the Rockies. And it’s when we plant perennials and ornamental grasses so they develop strong root systems thanks to winter rain.
My raised bed will certainly include kale, a vegetable with a mysteriously ardent fan club. Whenever I mention this leafy cabbage relative, someone yells, “I love kale!” They must appreciate its immune-boosting power and its affinity for garlic in soups, sautés and salads. I’m also yearning for broccolini, a slender cross between broccoli and kale that shows up on menus swathed in olive oil or tossed with pasta. I’m hunting for broccolini plants because I’m too lazy to grow it from seed.
I’m a sucker for ornamental grasses and planted them along the new decomposed granite path that winds through my front yard. They’re part of the drought-tolerant palette favored by the Long Beach Water Department. On one side of the path, there’s Mexican feather grass, a two-foot-high confection of spring green and maize-y yellow; on the other, mop-top fescue with its foot-high blue-green leaves. What’s not to love? Ornamental grasses are idiot proof, resist bugs, wave in the breeze, and always look great as long as you chop them down once or twice a year. That’s my kind of plant.
Got fruit trees? Cleaning up dropped fruit will discourage insects as well as more serious predators: coyotes. In Wrigley, at least five cats have been killed by coyotes in the past two weeks. Coyotes are attracted by any kind of food, including fruit, pet food left outside, and stray animals. Animal Care Services has named Wrigley as a Wildlife Watch Designation and will be coming through the neighborhood to tell us how to discourage coyotes and keep pets safe.
Jennifer E. Beaver, a Wrigley resident, is a master gardener and author of Container Gardening for California.
