For southern California gardeners, Charles B. Ledgerwood created the Southern California Vegetable Planting Month-by-Month Calendar. Planting seeds at optimal times increases the chances of a successful harvest especially for novice gardeners. The calendar also provides guidance for keeping a summer and winter garden. 

Charles Bennett Ledgerwood (1906-1999) came to Carlsbad in 1933, building a home on a bluff facing the Pacific Ocean. Known as 'Carlsbad's seed man,' he operated a seed store out of a room at the front of the house, dispensing seeds and gardening wisdom for 67 years. Source: Amazon in description of Ledgerwood’s book Gardening Grows on You.

I remember going to the Ledgerwood seed store in Carlsbad, Last night, I was rummaging through my seed box and found one of his seed packets. 

I recall driving to meet my Dad at Ledgerwood’s one day in October, almost twenty years ago. He drove south from San Clemente. An order of bareroot strawberries awaited us. We made our purchases, then drove just north of the seed store to a little fish shack where we ate lunch outside, perched on the bluff overlooking the sparkling Pacific. It’s a memory of my Dad I treasure.

The first paragraph of a lovely tribute to Charles Ledgerwood is here. Follow the link to read the remainder of the entry.

“Seed enthusiast Charles B. Ledgerwood (1906-1999) had a bulk seed business for over 50 years in Southern California, in the seaside village of Carlsbad. His home and store front were literally “a stone’s throw” from the ocean. He sold his seeds out of vintage 60 year old bread boxes in a one room store attached to the front of his home. Gardeners and farmers from all over Southern California, frequented his small stucco store with a simple "Seeds" sign above the door.

Learn more about Charles Ledgerwood from articles in the San Diego Reader article and the LA Times. Find a listing of Carlsbad library holdings here.

Thank you to Above the Hollow for their blog post and link to the calendar. (Link no longer active).

I refreshed this post from the original in 2012, adding some new links and photos. Just yesterday I drove by the location of Ledgerwood Seeds in Carlsbad—on Coast Highway—the ocean just across the street. And BTW, Harbor Fish Cafe, overlooking the ocean is still there. Such pleasant memories.