Re: Central Coast California
Oakland, CA is across a large brackish bay from San Francisco. Generally USDA
zone 9, Sunset zone 16 and/or zone 17. We're subject to many mini climates, a
nasty frost/freeze every 10 to 20 years. Where I live, some years there is no
frost at all, generally, others a few nights down to 30 or 31F. Summers are
cool, rarely over 80, mostly in the high 60s to mid 70s. A few miles south or
east the temperatures can be 10 to 20 degrees warmer in the summer or 5 to 15
degrees colder in the winter. Rainfall is usually between 16 to 22 inches from
October through early May. This is all from memory so I could be a bit off. We
have light afternoon winds from the ocean in the summer to keep things cool.
Some summers there is fog in the morning burning off in the afternoons as a
general pattern, some years not so much. Generally the weather is incredibly
mild. Plants from all over the world grow here. BUT, the summers are not hot
enough for most stone fruit, beefsteak tomatoes, pomegranates and lots of the
tropicals to ripen properly. There isn't enough winter chill for many apples
and some other fruit.
That about sums it up.
Mary Manson wrote:
> >In this wonderful coastal area,where we can have killing frosts every 10
> >years, but where El Nino and La Nina have changed the rain patterns to such
> (snip)
> >Oddball plants constantly added for interest. bill grant
>
> Not being familiar with California - would you mind identifying your
> location
> a little more closely - and indicating if there is any fresh water (bays,
> rivers)
> close by that might also alter your climate ? How about the prevailing
> wind -
> from which direction ?
>
> Toni
> Seattle (which has both salt and fresh water doing *things* to pocket-
> gardens everywhere around here ..... and the wind is out of the S and W)
> tonihawr@email.msn.com
