← Growing Guide
Zone 9b · Anderson, CA
Shaggy Ink Farms
This is the farm itself - 3 acres in Anderson, Northern California. Hot summers, well water, a mixed laying flock, Heritage Plymouth Barred Rock breeding work, cut flowers, strawberries, a family vegetable garden, a giant pumpkin project, and an orchard coming together one fruit tree at a time. Everything here is specific to this property, this soil, and what we're actually building.
Climate Reality
The honest picture
- 3-acre family farm on the valley floor in Anderson — one of the hottest spots in California
- Triple-digit summers are the norm; the whole growing strategy is built around heat management
- Well water for all irrigation — no municipal hookup, so timing and efficiency matter a lot
- Mild winters with light frost, letting us grow through most of the year
- The mixed laying flock can help with pest pressure and fertility when rotated carefully
- Deer pressure from the surrounding foothills, especially at the garden edges
- Chickens are great for the soil but they will eat or scratch young transplants if not rotated carefully
What Grows Well
Vegetables
TomatoesPeppersEggplantCucumbersSummer squashPumpkinsWatermelonBeansOkraSweet potatoesBrassicas (fall/winter)GarlicOnions
Flowers
SunflowersZinniasCosmosMarigoldsDahlias
Fruit Trees
FigsPomegranatesApricotsPeachesPersimmonsAsian pearsCitrus
Berries & Vines
StrawberriesBlackberriesGrapes
Herbs
BasilDillCilantroOreganoThymeRosemaryLemon verbena
Cover Crops
Field peasVetchCloverBarleyRye
Seeds To Stock
- Sunflowers
- Okra
- Cowpeas
- Bush beans
- Pole beans
- Cucumbers
- Watermelon
- Pumpkins
- Winter squash
- Zucchini
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Basil
- Zinnias
- Cosmos
- Marigolds
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Carrots
- Beets
- Radishes
- Peas
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Garlic
- Onion
- Cover crop mix
Direct Sow Now
- Sunflowers
- Okra
- Cowpeas
- Bush beans
- Cucumbers
- Zinnias
- Cosmos
- Marigolds
Start In Trays Now
- Broccoli (for fall)
- Cabbage (for fall)
- Cauliflower (for fall)
- Kale (for fall)
- Collards (for fall)
- Fall herbs
Transplants To Buy
- Basil
- Peppers
- Eggplant
- Heat-tolerant flowers
- Sweet potato slips
This Week's Tasks
- Water early before the heat builds
- Mulch any bare soil — exposed ground bakes and dries out fast
- Shade new transplants for the first week
- Check drip emitters — clogged lines stress plants
- Start fall brassicas in trays, even if it still feels too hot
- Pull weeds before they set seed
- Prep strawberry beds for September planting
- Plan the next succession of sunflowers
Prepare Next
- Fall garden beds — clear summer crops and add compost
- Garlic order — place it early
- Onion planning for winter starts
- Strawberry patch expansion
- Compost system — build or improve it
- Cover crops for empty beds
Heat Notes
- Heat is the main challenge here, not frost
- Deep, infrequent watering trains roots downward and beats daily shallow watering
- Fall crops need to start in trays while it still feels too hot — trust the timing
- 30–50% shade cloth makes a real difference for fall transplants going in during lingering heat
Frost Notes
- Frost is light and usually shows up November through February
- Hard freezes are rare but possible — watch the forecast in cold snaps
- Citrus and basil are the most vulnerable; cover them when frost is called
Irrigation Notes
- Well water means we track every gallon — drip irrigation and heavy mulch are not optional
- Run drip before dawn to cut evaporation and give plants a full tank before the heat peaks
- Water deeply and infrequently — two to three long soaks a week trains roots deep where it stays cooler
- Check emitters weekly; hard valley water clogs drip lines and one blocked emitter can kill a plant in a heat wave
- Keep a log of pump run times and approximate gallons so water use is visible and improvable
Common Local Challenges
What trips people up here
- Extreme summer heat stalling fruit set on tomatoes and peppers
- Well water management during peak summer — irrigation has to be timed and efficient
- Deer pressure at the garden edges, especially evenings and early mornings
- Chickens will scratch and eat young transplants if rotated into garden beds too soon
- Spider mites in hot, dusty conditions
- Keeping fall brassica starts alive through September heat before transplanting
- Gophers and ground squirrels working under beds
Recommended Varieties
| Tomatoes | Heatmaster and Phoenix for main crop; Sun Gold cherry for season-long picking; Celebrity for reliable slicing and storage |
|---|---|
| Strawberries | Albion and Seascape (day-neutral, long season); Chandler for one big early flush |
| Sunflowers | ProCut series for cut flowers; Mammoth Grey Stripe for seed, height, and chicken treats at season end |
| Pumpkins | Howden for carving and fall sales; Dill's Atlantic Giant for the family pumpkin project |
| Cucumbers | Armenian and Lemon — both handle triple-digit heat better than standard slicers |
| Peppers | Shishito for easy picking; Jimmy Nardello for frying; Big Bertha for stuffing |
| Beans | Rattlesnake pole beans for heat tolerance; Provider bush beans for succession |
| Orchard | Blenheim apricot, Fuyu persimmon, Brown Turkey fig, pomegranate — all proven in Zone 9b |
Monthly Planning
Current month is highlighted. Click any month to see the plan.
Shaggy Ink Farms
JuneThis month
Plant Now
- Okra
- Cowpeas
- Armenian cucumbers
- Lemon cucumbers
- Beans (succession)
- Watermelon
- Sunflowers
- Zinnias
- Marigolds
Start In Trays
- Broccoli for fall
- Cabbage for fall
- Cauliflower for fall
Harvest
- Zucchini
- Beans
- Cucumbers
- Early tomatoes
- Herbs
- Beets
- Garlic (late month)
Prepare Next
- Start fall brassicas even though it's hot
- Order garlic for fall
- Plan the fall garden
- Switch to deep, infrequent watering
Deep Dive
Shaggy Ink Farms — Season by Season
Detailed planning for heat, water, seasonal timing, and the projects specific to this area.
About the Farm
- Shaggy Ink Farms is a 3-acre family property in Anderson, at the north end of the Sacramento Valley. The land is flat valley ground with good soil that rewards compost and consistent water.
- The farm runs without municipal water — everything comes from a well, which shapes every irrigation decision we make.
- Summer temperatures regularly hit 105–112°F. The whole growing strategy is designed around that reality, not around fighting it.
- We grow food for the family first — vegetables, fruit, berries, herbs — and we are building out the farm incrementally, season by season.
- The mixed laying flock, Barred Rock breeding work, strawberry patch, cut flowers, giant pumpkin project, and orchard are all active projects being developed in the open.
The Mixed Flock and Breeding Work
- The laying flock is mixed, and the Heritage Plymouth Barred Rock breeding program is being built separately and slowly.
- The flock can be rotated through sections of the garden on a schedule - they scratch, eat bugs and weeds, and add manure before the next bed goes in.
- Fresh chicken manure is too hot to use directly on plants. We compost all coop bedding and manure for several months before it goes near a growing bed.
- Layer manure with carbon - straw, dry leaves, spent garden plants - to keep the pile balanced and cooking properly.
- Finished chicken-manure compost is excellent worked into beds before heavy feeders like tomatoes, squash, and the pumpkin patch.
- Rotate chickens OUT of a section at least two weeks before transplanting anything. They will eat or scratch seedlings even when they seem settled.
Irrigation Planning
- Well water is the farm's resource constraint. We design irrigation to be efficient, not just adequate.
- All production beds run on drip — no overhead sprinklers in the vegetable garden during peak season. Drip reduces evaporation, keeps foliage dry, and puts water exactly where roots are.
- We water deeply two to three times a week in peak summer rather than a little every day. Deep watering trains roots downward where soil stays cooler.
- Timers run before dawn — water is in the soil and available before temperatures climb.
- Mulch is part of the irrigation system. Every bare inch of bed is mulched to hold moisture and protect soil life from the heat.
- Track pump run times. Knowing roughly how much water the farm uses in a week helps catch leaks, overshooting, and seasonal drift.
Managing Deer & Chicken Pressure
- Deer come in from the foothills, mostly evenings and early mornings. The most vulnerable areas are the edges of the property.
- Tall fencing (8 feet or effective double-fence) is the only reliable deer solution. Motion-activated deterrents help but are not enough on their own.
- The orchard is the most vulnerable deer target - young trees need protection before they establish.
- Chickens are both helpful and destructive. They will eat tomatoes, dig up seedling roots, and scratch out freshly planted rows if given access too soon.
- Keep chickens out of any bed with young transplants or freshly direct-sown seed. Rotate them in only after plants are well established and not attractive as scratch material.
- Temporary chicken wire panels around individual beds are the easiest way to let the flock forage nearby without losing plants.
Strawberry Patch Planning
- September is the time to plant or expand the strawberry patch here — the heat breaks and roots establish before winter.
- Albion and Seascape (day-neutral) produce across the long season; Chandler (June-bearer) gives one early, heavy flush.
- Plant in well-drained beds with the crown right at soil level — buried crowns rot, exposed crowns dry out.
- Mulch with straw to keep berries clean, hold moisture, and moderate soil temperature.
- Renovate the patch each year, let runners fill gaps, and replace the oldest plants every few seasons.
- Keep chickens out of the strawberry patch — they will eat ripe and green berries alike.
Sunflower Production
- Sunflowers love the Anderson heat and are one of the farm's most reliable crops.
- Direct-sow in succession every two to three weeks from April through July for continuous blooms and cut flowers through summer and fall.
- For cut flowers, grow single-stem ProCut types planted close (6 inches); for seed, pollinators, and chicken treats, grow Mammoth Grey Stripe with more room to branch.
- Sunflowers are heavy feeders and deep rooters — they tolerate heat but still need consistent water while getting established.
- Leave several heads to dry on the stalk at season's end — seeds go to the chickens, and some are saved for next year.
Giant Pumpkin Project
- The giant pumpkin project is a family effort, and it starts the season before with the soil.
- Prepare a deep, rich patch in fall — work in heavy compost and aged chicken manure, then cover-crop it through winter to protect and build the bed.
- Start Dill's Atlantic Giant seed indoors in April. Transplant one well-spaced plant with plenty of room to run — a giant pumpkin vine can cover 500 square feet.
- Provide huge amounts of water and feed. A fast-growing giant pumpkin can put on tens of pounds a day at peak and needs absolutely consistent moisture.
- Shade the developing fruit from direct afternoon sun to prevent splitting and sunscald, and protect the vine from our worst heat days.
- Bury vine nodes as the vine runs to grow secondary roots and improve the plant's water and nutrient access.
- Pick one fruit per plant early in the season and put all that energy into a single giant.
Orchard & Family Fruit
- The orchard is a long-term project — we are planting and establishing fruit trees season by season.
- Zone 9b is excellent for figs, pomegranates, apricots, peaches, Asian pears, persimmons, and citrus. All of these thrive in the heat.
- Young trees need reliable water through their first two or three summers to establish a deep root system. After that, established trees are more drought-tolerant.
- Protect young trees from deer — a simple wire cage or tube guard works while the trunk is vulnerable.
- The chickens should not have free access to the orchard when trees are young. They will damage bark and roots.
- Blenheim apricot, Fuyu persimmon, Brown Turkey fig, and pomegranate are reliable performers in this zone and worth planting early.
Build-in-Public Farm Plan
- Shaggy Ink Farms is being built and documented in the open. The goal is to share what actually works — and what doesn't — for a small family farm in the North Sacramento Valley.
- Each season we track what we plant, how it does, what we change, and why. That record is what makes the next year better.
- The current priorities are: getting the orchard established, expanding the strawberry patch, dialing in the chicken rotation system, and making the giant pumpkin project a real annual family event.
- We are not trying to be a large commercial operation. The goal is a productive, manageable family farm that feeds us well and teaches the kids how food actually grows.
- Following along means watching real decisions get made in real time — not a polished result after the fact.
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