What to plant now?

One problem with gardening is the absolute information overload available about gardening. There are books, magazines, TV shows, newsletters, and websites dedicated to gardening. But rare is the book, or website, that gives a comprehensive overview of everything.

It's maddening.

There is such an amazing variety of flowers, herbs, vegetables, grasses, and trees, that I guess it's unrealistic to find one really great source that covers it all. I haven't.

I have several books (and then books specifically about container gardening), magazines and a collection of websites where I have to piece everything together. Grow from seed or seedling? What about watering and nutrient requirements? Soil types? How much shade? What kinds of pests are each plant attacked by (which is a whole 'nother world). Do the plants need support structures? What types work best? When to harvest? What about re-using soil? I don't want to hear about micro-climates!!

It's almost fall (thank goodness! the heat!!) so it's time to start thinking about what to plant. Mother Earth News has a decent site on what to plant when. The Gulf Coast section is here. But it's lacking in many ways. Anyone out there have a good guide for Zone 9?

So far, we have lots of seeds lined up: two kinds of broccoli, seven types of lettuce, three greens, cucumber, six kinds of carrots, kale, chard, and endive. I think that's enough to keep us busy.