Ambitious Harvest
Grow Food in Santa Cruz & the Bay Area
Ambitious Harvest is here to teach you how to grow vegetables, work with California's microclimates, conserve water, and harvest abundantly, all year long. Come dig in!
Designed for home gardeners growing in Santa Cruz County and nearby Bay Area microclimates.
Why Local Gardening Knowledge Matters
Generic gardening advice wasn't written for our fog, our dry summers, or our mild winters that let us grow nearly year-round. What works in the Midwest or the Pacific Northwest often fails here. Ambitious Harvest is your guide to what actually works in Santa Cruz County and the greater Bay Area: the right varieties, timing, and water-wise techniques that make sense for California.
Plan your garden with real local data and tools
Ambitious Harvest combines live Santa Cruz County garden conditions, practical planning tools, and microclimate-specific guidance so you can make confident decisions all season long.
Garden Dashboard
Live local data pulled from trusted sources, showing current conditions across Santa Cruz County microclimates.
Your Garden Toolkit
Free printable calendars, checklists, selectors, and guides built specifically for Santa Cruz County gardens.
Garden Events
Plant sales, workshops,
volunteer days, and garden tours happening across Santa Cruz County.
Getting Started
Grow Guides
Gardening with Kids
Water-Wise Gardening
Fire-Wise Gardening
Microclimates
Seasonal Planting
Wildlife and Pest Management
Latest from the Garden
New guides and local tips. Updated weekly.
