The Radish Patch

Flowers

Dahlias!... at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

There are so many plants to see and learn about at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens just outside of Fort Bragg, California. But this time I was mainly stalking dahlias! (Driving to the garden during the worst fire season California has almost ever had, the car was being lightly showered

Flowers

Summer Dahlias!

Last summer I visited Swan Island Dahlias in Canby, Oregon and walked through their gorgeous Dahlia beds for hours. (You can see the trip here.) Eventually I selected six of the many I loved and placed my order. Since the total for these six was $56.00, I thought I’

Vegetables

Peas Please!

With three little granddaughters to play with I have neglected writing about the garden! The last frost date for us in Northern California was April 15, seedlings I grew indoors under lights have all been planted out, and it’s full steam ahead in the garden! I planted peas a

Chickens

Adding Chickens to Your Flock - Part Two- Worm Problems!

Whenever you add chickens to your flock it’s important to quarantine new girls for a while before combining them. And I did……well, for a few days. I was worried about them working out the pecking order but I didn’t think about anything else. Everything changed one morning

Recipes

Renee's Garden Cookbook - Perfect for the Summer Garden!

The new cookbook from Renee’s Garden is a perfect fit for your summer garden! Not only is it full of delicious  recipes but includes tips on raising your vegetables as well. I was surprised to find out that planting radishes with beans can enhance the flavor of the beans

Chickens

Adding Chickens to your Flock - Part One

When a friend recently sold her home we took two of her little hens so she could still see them.  Raised by hand from chicks they are sweet, tame and tons of fun.  I had no idea hens raised from chicks were so different from hens brought home as pullets.

Travel

China Camp State Park

There’s a little beach full of history tucked away in San Rafael, on the shores of San Pablo Bay, that is a treasure waiting to be discovered.  A quick 45 minute drive from Santa Rosa, a turn at the Marin Civic Center off ramp, and a short trek out

Home

Christmas Napkins!

During winter when not much is going on in the garden many of my friends turn to indoor activities like sewing or knitting. This little project makes a nice gift or works well on your own table as well! To make 8 napkins purchase one yard each of two coordinating

Travel

Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade!

If you want to experience real small town charm and friendliness, don’t miss the Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade next year! Friends mentioned it to us a few years ago and we thought of going but forgot about it…until I saw it advertised this year and wrote myself a

Travel

Point Reyes Day Trip - PART 2

A few weeks ago we drove through the Point Reyes National seashore but ran out of time before we got out to the lighthouse.  This past weekend we drove back with friends to check it out….so worth the trip! Driving out along Hwy 1 south of Valley Ford (I

Travel

gin'gilli's Vintage Home in Geyserville...Oh Yes!

If you like vintage….I mean vintage anything…head to Geyserville now! Today, on a leisurely Sunday drive, we headed to Geyserville to take a look around and check out parking for the  Lighted Tractor Parade coming on November 29th. I remembered a little vintage shop I’d seen years

Travel

Point Reyes Day Trip

I love day trips. And a day trip led by friends that know where they’re going is a luxury! Ours friends, Don and Dee, recently took us out to explore Point Reyes National Seashore.  I can’t believe I’ve lived in Sonoma County, right next door to this

Crafts

Fall Container Re-Do

Fall is a great time to walk around the garden and clean,touch up or replace containers and plantings.  Sometimes by the end of summer a container planting is pretty much done and it’s time to remake it. I picked up this little set of bird nests last summer

Water

Water Wise Training from Master Gardeners

A few months back while attending a Master Gardener class on Hydrangeas, I learned that I could have one of their trained teams come to my  garden to teach us how to be more water efficient by replacing our lawn with drought tolerant plants. Last week I got a call

Flowers

Forcing Paperwhites for Indoor Bloom -Updated!

Nothing is sweeter than the fresh look and sweet scent of a bowl of Paperwhites blooming indoors in the dead of winter.  But, now is the time to plant if you want to have that exciting experience! Start by purchasing the largest bulbs you can find.  I got mine online

Travel

Yosemite Fall Colors!

Even a die hard gardener has to leave the flowers, veggies and chickens behind for a weekend now and then. Noticing a Facebook post about the fabulous fall colors in the high Sierras around Mono County and Yosemite National Park we took off early on Saturday morning and just five

Vegetables

The National Heirloom Exposition...Garden Paradise!

This September The National Heirloom Exposition was held in Santa Rosa, Calif. I wasn’t sure what to expect but since it was 10 minutes from home and  it was about gardening  I had to check it out! The exhibits covered all kinds of heirloom vegetables: The squashes were small

Garden

Fall in the Garden

Someone asked me recently, “so, is anything going on in your garden in the Fall?”. Well, I took a walk outside in the backyard this morning, camera in hand, to find out. And, I remembered why I love fall: The Second fig crop is coming on… Flowers are still blooming

Flowers

Swan Island Dahlias

I’m a little dahlia obsessed lately. The perfectly symmetrical, boldly colorful and long lasting flowers just thrill me….makes them so worth growing! So, when my dad and I headed to Butchart Gardens this summer I did a little pre-trip work and found out we would be close to

Flowers

Grow Your Own Babys Breath!

If you love making flower arrangements you’ll definitely want to grow your own Baby’s Breath (gypsophila) when you read how easy it is! I have had the “Happy Festival” plant pictured above for 10 years. It started out planted from a 4″ pot into a large raised bed.

Flowers

Butchart Gardens...100 Years of Beauty!

A plane flight, a ferry ride, a bus trip and we finally arrived at the world famous Butchart Gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia! It’s gorgeous and worth the effort to visit. As I planned to travel there with my dad in August, I thought ahead about what I should

Chickens

Chicken Treat /Wild Bird feeder

Watching the birds hang upside down on our big sunflower heads, working so hard to get at the seeds, made me wonder if chickens might like the sunflowers.  A little research showed me that they love them and they’re good for them! Tossing sunflowers heads into the pen didn’

Vegetables

Corn..."On Deck"..Big Flavor on Small Plants

My garden is not huge.  I plant vegetables in 4 raised beds that measure 2 feet by 8 feet and 3 beds that measure 2 feet by 4 feet. So, I didn’t think corn, which is usually huge, would be a good use of space. But then I noticed

Fruit

Blueberries...How to Keep the Birds Away!

Freeman and Melinda Barton became very, very, tired of carefully nurturing their blueberry plants only to have the birds eat them before they could harvest enough for a pie! So, Freeman got busy and planned his attack! Here’s how he outsmarted the birds in his back yard! The shade

Vegetables

Wild Boar Farms...What it takes to Great Tomatoes to Market

I thought I was going to the Wild Boar Tomato Event this weekend just to taste some cool tomatoes and actually see a blue tomato for the first time. But, I learned more, so much more. When I go to the farmers market I admit I don’t put much