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Second Garden

A while ago, Bill DeWitt talked about how he was "shutting down" his
garden for the heat to the summer. Now Olin talks about planting corn.

I am still not used to the long growing season here on the
Mediterranean. I strongly sympathize with Bill about the summer heat.
But I always miss out on the late/summer/autumn/winter garden, because I
just did not come up gardening that way.

Basically, we will have very hot to hot, bone-dry weather (except for
heavy dew most evenings) until early October. By mid October hot, dusty
Hamsin winds end the summer and the rainy season begins. From November
we basically have weather that in New York State we would call spring -
wet, wet, wet, and chilly enough to need a jacket in the
morning/evening. There are usually a a few weeks in January/February
with a sprinkling of frost on the ground before sunrise, and a few snow
flurries, but they don't stick. Nothing like a killing frost. The rains
continue to March, sometimes April, then stop abruptly in another round
of Hamsin winds. Then summer begins in earnest.

Question: WHAT should I plant WHEN (and what should I plant NOW)?
2nd question: HOW do I figure out how much winter chill I have (to know
what fruit trees to plant)?

 I have access to polytunnels, row covers, and drip irrigation thanks to
Israeli agritech. How do I deploy these in a home garden? There is no
Israeli equivalent of a State Extension Agent - all advice is geared for
large kibbutz enterprises.

Every year I get the feeling I am missing the most productive part of
the year (especially for salad greens) by not  planning now.

Thanks!
Ben

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