Even if the heat comes blasting into your corner of Southern
California, there's plenty to do. The biggest task at hand is
preparing for planting season: Map out your new trees and
shrubs, bulbs (which begin arriving in stores in September),
winter vegetables, perhaps some ground cover.  Some other ideas
for August:  Sow seed  View/Submit Comments for this story  Hot
weather germinates seeds quickly, so August is a surprisingly
good time to start seeds in pots or packs -- or even sow a few
things in the ground. Start them in small flats or pots, placed
in partial shade.  Try cool-season flowers such as calendula or
fall vegetables such as broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage and
cauliflower. Cole crops do best if transplanted as seedlings
because they can go a bit deeper in the ground, providing
support for crooked or weak stems. Don't plant seeds too deep,
and keep snails and slugs at bay by keeping your containers off
the ground.  If you're determined to sow seeds in the vegetable
garden, one trick is to dig