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July in the Garden
We’ve had a lovely long spring, but summer is inevitable. We are learning this again, as we do every year, in July, our historically hottest and driest month of the year. Keep things easy this month, on you and the garden. Work in the mornings, stay hydrated and ease off the pruning and fertilizing. […]
Read MoreJune in the Garden
June means hot and dry weather, with occasional drops in temperature. Daytime temperatures average around 92 degrees Fahrenheit daytime and 58 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Expect almost 14 hours of sunshine per day, but don’t expect rain: June is historically the third driest month of the year. Without adequate snowpack and rainfall this winter […]
Read MoreApril in the Garden
Sorry this is getting posted so late!! What happened? Perhaps it’s spring??? Hopefully you have done all of this and you just say “check,” “yep, did that,” and “already got it covered!” May tips will post in a couple of weeks. Peyton Spring in the garden! Expect flowers. And weeds. And baby birds. And aphids. […]
Read MoreSpring Planting
You hear it often that Autumn is the best season to plant in California. This is true, but you can plant in the spring. And how can we not be outside when the weather is so gorgeous? And really, we must do something besides battling weeds, right? There are many California native plants that […]
Read MoreFebruary in the Garden
Is it spring yet? Many days in February feel like spring. But we still might get a frost. Fog, rain, snow and even hail are not out of the picture. It’s a transition month. Enjoy it; summer will arrive soon enough. There’s plenty to do in the garden this month! PLANTING: You can transplant most […]
Read MoreJanuary in the Garden
Happy New Year! Hopefully this is a month of continuing snow, rain, fog and misty mornings. That’s just what our climate-adapted gardens want. Although growth slows down in the cold soils of winter, some growth continues, often only underground. Our winter and early-spring blooming shrubs, bulbs and perennials love all this frosty damp weather. […]
Read MoreDecember in the Garden
You’re probably way ahead of me and have taken care of all of these monthly tasks, right? On the other hand, relax. It’s gardening. Supposed to be enjoyable. Accomplish what you can in this busy season, appreciate the season, and delight in the pleasant surprises of the neglected garden. The photo of the veggies below […]
Read MoreOctober in the Garden
We’ve had a taste of autumn already in September this year, but October is really when sweater season starts. We can still have many warm, or even hot, days, these are balanced by the shorter days and cooler nights. If you are paying attention, you will notice more irrigation water run off and puddling. You […]
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Native Plants and the Vegetable Garden
What does vegetable gardening have to do with California native plants? Plenty, it turns out. When I first became interested in native plants, my philosophy was that it would be a good idea to use water, time and chemicals (if needed) on the edibles and use ornamental plants that wouldn’t need so much from me. […]
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Fragrance in the California Garden
First some basics: Fragrance will vary by season, air temperature and moisture content of the plants Experiment – create blends. It is generally better to have a dominant fragrance and many supportive fragrances Some plants that don’t smell powerful by themselves combine with others to make a great fragrance In our workshops, we snip and […]
Read MoreWhat Should I Be Doing in the Garden?
Garden Tips for February 2020 Wait out rainy days – should they actually return — by planning the garden year ahead and shopping online or in print catalogs for ornamental and edible seeds. On dry days, at our little farm, we are harvesting oranges, pomelo, limes, kale, collards, chard, lettuce, spinach and radish. The broccoli […]
Read MoreThe Book is Published!
Anyone who has moved from inland coast areas, or anyone who has read the books, blog posts and articles based on coastal-California gardening, soon discovers that it’s a different story once you try to establish a native-based garden in the Great Central or other inland valleys, or up into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
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