Hoophouse and vegetable gardens

Where the ranch grows its own.

The hoophouse and the outdoor vegetable beds are where the ranch feeds itself. The hoophouse gives tender starts a head start on the season and keeps crops going when the nights turn cold, while the raised beds outside carry the summer harvest. Here is how it all grows, season by season.

The hoophouse

A covered growing space that shelters seedlings, stretches the season on both ends, and keeps crops safe when the weather turns.

Outdoor beds

Raised vegetable beds in the open sun, planted, tended, and rotated through the warm months for the main harvest.

Garden to table

What grows here ends up in the kitchen. Fresh, close to home, and picked at its best.

Planting calendar

What to plant, and when, in Placerville.

Our garden sits in the Sierra foothills at about 1,900 feet (Placerville, 95667, USDA zones 8b to 9a). The average last frost is around April 11 and the first frost around November 14, so warm-season crops go in a little later than in the valley and fall crops go in a little earlier.

VegetableJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Cool-season spring crops

PeasSow outdoors Feb to Mar

SpinachSow outdoors Feb to Mar

OnionsStart seed Dec to Jan, plant starts or sets Feb to Mar

PotatoesPlant seed potatoes mid-Feb to Mar

LettuceStart indoors Feb, plant out or sow Mar to Apr

Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflowerStart indoors Jan to Feb, plant out Mar to mid-Apr

Beets and chardSow outdoors Mar to Apr

CarrotsSow outdoors Mar to Apr

Warm-season summer crops

TomatoesStart indoors Feb to Mar, plant out late Apr to MayWait until frost danger passes and nights stay above 50°F.

Peppers and eggplantStart indoors Feb to Mar, plant out in MayThey stall in cold soil, so give them warm nights.

Green beansSow outdoors May to Jun

Sweet cornSow outdoors May to Jun, in blocks for pollination

CucumbersSow outdoors May to Jun

Summer squash and zucchiniSow outdoors May to Jun

MelonsSow outdoors May to Jun

Winter squash and pumpkinsSow outdoors late May to Jun for a fall harvest

Fall and winter crops

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and kaleStart indoors Jun to Jul, plant out Aug to mid-Sep

Carrots, beets and turnipsSow outdoors Aug to Sep

PeasSow outdoors Aug to mid-Sep

Lettuce and spinachSow outdoors Sep to Oct

Fava beansSow outdoors Sep to Oct, also a good soil-building cover crop

Garlic and shallotsPlant cloves Oct to Nov, harvest early summer

In the hoophouse: spring crops can usually go in a few weeks earlier than the dates above, and lettuce, spinach, and other greens keep producing through much of the winter.

A guide, not a guarantee. Microclimates on the ridge and in the draws can differ by a couple of weeks, so check the forecast before setting out tender plants. Adapted from the UC Davis Sacramento-area planting guide, adjusted for foothill frost dates from NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals. For the full foothill chart, see the UC Master Gardeners of El Dorado County.

Photo gallery

In the hoophouse and garden beds

Photos are on the way. Check back soon to see it all up close.

On video

Watch the gardens grow.

Hoophouse overnight plant check

See the landscaping Read the ranch journal