Hello Icyboy ...

I also am in zone 11 but in Southern Nevada. How high is your elavation ?? My elavation is about 2,500 feet. Yep .. spring here is short and can get hot and windy real fast ... fall is a better time for planting.

The winter is fairly mellow ... in fact one gardener I know has kept tomatoes in a small improvised cold frame adjacent to his house ... all winter long he would simply open his window and pick some tomatoes.

The soil is what drives me nuts ... raised beds are very useful.

Good Day ...

I'm also at 2,560 ft elevation. Right now I'm loving my greens and radishes(I eat the leaves too). My best success was last spring when I sowed 10ft of spinach and I was able to harvest leaves for salads from April til' mid May when they started to bolt.