Growing food in Long Beach
Long Beach has some of the friendliest growing conditions in the country. Neighborhoods close to the water, like Belmont Shore, Naples and the Peninsula, get a cool marine layer most mornings and stay mild all summer, which is great for lettuce, kale, chard, peas and herbs almost year-round. A few miles inland in Bixby Knolls, California Heights and El Dorado Park, summer afternoons run warmer, which tomatoes, peppers, squash and melons love.
We plan each garden around those differences. A coastal garden gets more greens, brassicas and heat-tolerant varieties that still ripen without a hot summer. An inland garden gets more shade cloth options and a drip schedule built for warmer July and August weeks.
Small lots, big harvests
Many Long Beach homes sit on narrow lots with limited backyard space. That is where raised beds shine. Two or three well-placed beds with vertical trellises can feed a household salad greens, herbs and tomatoes through most of the year. Corner and front yards in Craftsman neighborhoods make beautiful edible landscapes too, with tidy beds, flowering herbs and a dwarf citrus tree.
Water-smart gardens
Every garden we build includes drip irrigation on a timer. Drip puts water at the roots instead of on the sidewalk, which matters in a dry Southern California summer and keeps your water bill under control.