Summer is not created equal. In parts of the Central Valley, blast-furnace heat parches people as well as gardens. In the Sierra foothills, temperatures waver between warm and icy cold. At higher elevations, it's even more unstable: Snow and hail fell on Donner Summit early this month. What's a gardener to do? Get in touch with your microclimate. In California, growing conditions can be all over the zonal map, even in one backyard, observed Claire Splan, author of the new "California Fruit and Vegetable Gardening" (Cool Springs Press, $22.99, 256 pages). "The challenge with the book was the wide variety of climates in California," said Splan, who lives and gardens in Alameda. "Trying to make...
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