DEAR TONY:  Does soaking vegetable seed in water hasten germination prior to planting, as is done where the growing season is not as extensive?    Also, I was wondering if you could give me some tips on growing eggplant. I have the smaller fruited variety and they have been very productive. Is eggplant a fruit?  Glenna …. California

DEAR GLENNA:  This procedure actually only hastens germination by about the same amount of time that the seed are soaked, and necessitates the planting of soaked seed that would otherwise not be so perishable. If properly irrigated after being sown, seed is naturally ‘soaked’ by moisture within the soil of the garden and will germinate as readily as previously soaked seed. 

I think that eggplant prefers warmer weather and is not very productive in the locally mild summer weather. Large fruited varieties may only produce very few fruit. However, Oh, and yes Glenna; eggplant are fruit, as they contain seed. Likewise, tomato, pepper and squash, for example, are also fruit. ‘Vegetables’ are vegetative plant parts without seed, such as beets (yum!), carrots (ick!) and cabbage.   Tony Tomeo

Are peas cool or warm season vegetables? They must either be planted in late winter to indulge in a short season prior to spring weather that quickly becomes uncomfortably warm, or in late summer after weather has cooled somewhat, but before it becomes uncomfortably cool. In the Santa ClaraValley, both autumn and spring are too brief for peas. Fortunately, it is too late to be concerned with planting additional phases of cool season or undecided vegetables and it is now time for warm season vegetables, which should be mature and beginning production as the cool season vegetables are finishing. 

Many warm season vegetables should be grown from vegetable seed, but it is more practical to obtain some as seedlings in cell packs or six packs. Because only a few individual plants of tomato, pepper and eggplant are needed, and because they take a bit of work to grow from seed, it is more practical to invest slightly more than a dollar for a six pack of small seedlings than to invest about the same in a package of superfluous seed. Of course, if you actually require thirty or so tomato plants, then it might be more practical to buy seed.

Because tomato, pepper and eggplant, as well as seed grown beans, cucumbers, squash and melons produce all season, they are only planted once at the beginning of the season. If they haven’t been planted yet, they should be soon. Melon and squash plants may be grown either from seed or seedlings. Only a few are necessary, but they just grow so easily from seed! Beans and cucumbers are grown from seed not only because it is so easy, but also because seedlings are too easily damaged during transplant and because more than just a few plants are usually desired.  

Like many of the cool season vegetables that only produce once instead of through the season, corn should be planted in small groups at subsequent times through the season. As the first groups finish production, subsequent groups will begin production. Because corn needs to be pollinated to set fruit, it may be more productive if planted in compact formation instead of in rows.