CA Flower & Garden Show

I'll write a full post soon about the 1st annual California State Flower and Garden Show but I felt the need to post a confession. Yeah, remember how I said I was going to buy less plants this year and concentrate on hardscape and irrigation? Well, I continue to ignore that New Year's resolution. First it started with a two orders from Annie's Annuals and Perennials. I blame their catalog for my lack of willpower, it really is like garden porn. And then yesterday I went with my friend Chuck to the CA Flower and Garden show and I came across the Morningsun Herb Farm display. I knew they were going to be there, and I KNEW I was going to be bad- but I wasn't expecting to go home with a box of plants on Saturday, AND another box of plants on Sunday. Geez, am I weak or what? They just had an amazing selection of plants for a garden show. Every salvia you could possibly want (ahem..."I" could possibly want), a large selection of scented geraniums, not to mention tons of veggie and herb starts. In my defense, Kristi also had a hard time staying away from their booth (I'm happy to know I wasn't the only weak one).

The good part: if I hadn't spent so much time at their booth this weekend I probably wouldn't have heard about their 15th annual Open House coming up! The event is Saturday, May 8th from 9am until 5pm. Lots of free talks and demonstrations, crafts, you name it. Plus- all moms will get a complimentary dill plant! Alex and I are totally going- and you should too!

Here's the info (and you're welcome):

Morningsun Herb Farm

6137 Pleasants Valley Road

Vacaville CA 95688

http://www.morningsunherbfarm.com/

Hope to see you there!

Update: Folks want to know what I bought, so here it goes. Since I don't think it's possible to have too much Salvia- I picked up a Limelight, Tangerine Sage, Wendy's Wish, Black & Blue, and El Cielo Blue salvia. I also picked up a Black Lace Elderberry and Aloe Polyphylla. Since Alex gets to pick out one plant whenever I drag her to a nursery or garden function, she picked out a Polemonium Bressingham Purple, simply because it was one of the only plants there that had flowers on it. The colocasia in the picture belongs to Chuck!

Earth Day: How to Make a Difference in Your Own Backyard

Earth Day is April 22, 2010. With it being right around the corner, I know some of you are still looking for ways to make a difference! Well, how about making a difference in your own backyard? I just got my garden certified through the National Wildlife Federation's Certified Wildlife Habitat™ program. This is my pledge to maintain a healthy environment for wildlife in my little plot of land. After all, this land provides so much for me; it’s time for me to return the favor!

In order to become certified there are five elements for you to work on. Those are Food Sources, Water Sources, Places for Cover, Places to Raise Young, and Sustainable Gardening practices.

In the Food Source category you need at least 3 sources of food for wildlife. This can be covered by seeds from plants, twigs, foliage, berries, fruits, nuts, feeders (like for squirrels, hummingbirds or birds), etc. There is no shortage of food for wildlife on my property. With 24 fruit and nut tree’s we have a steady year round supply of food, and plenty to share with our furry and feathered friends!

The second category is Water Source. This one was a little more difficult for me as we try to minimize the water usage on our property- plus standing water in the spring and summer is a mosquito’s best friend! Thankfully we only needed one item to be certified and our bird bath covered that requirement! My next project will be to create a section in the garden that will provide water to our butterfly friends.
The third category is to create a cover for wildlife- whether it’s to hide from predators, or to hide out from the rain. This one was another easy one for us as we have lots of shrubs and evergreens on our property for wildlife to hide- not to mention our neighbor’s ivy that is spilling into our property is a huge haven for mice and rats! Hmmm…. I wonder if I could also count under the house since that’s where the skunks like to go?

The Fourth element is to provide areas for wildlife to raise their young. You need to have at least two to be certified. We have lots of mature trees on our property to provide locations for nests, and we also have a couple of birdhouses (although we have never had any birds in them). This year we have also started planting more milkweed plants in the garden to be a host plant for the Monarch butterflies.
The last area is sustainable gardening practices. You only need two to be certified, but you really should be doing MORE than two. This covers conserving water- by using drip systems, planting natives or other drought tolerant plants, using a rain barrel, using mulch, etc. It also means go organic- no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Reduce your lawn area so that you’re not polluting the air so much. Plant native plants to help your local pollinators. Instead of spraying to kill the bad bugs, try to encourage beneficial insects and create a happy balance in your garden.

So, give yourself a goal for this month and pick at least one area to concentrate on. And while you’re at it, set a goal to complete each area by the next Earth Day! To see how other Garden Bloggers are making a difference this Earth Day, check out Jan's blog at Thanks for Today, and join in the fun!

Seed GROW Project- Nasturtium!

Around our house our daughter Alex is in charge of planting the Nasturtium. The seeds are large enough for her little fingers to handle- plus they look like little brains! Some people start these seeds indoors, but Alex prefers to start them directly in the garden using her favorite tool- a stick. The rule of thumb around our house is when we start seeing Nasturtium popping up in the garden (from last year’s seeds), it’s warm enough for us to plant the seeds. Since Alex is too young to play with knives or nail clippers, she uses a large finger nail file for scarification. She takes each seed and just drags it one way along the file one time, then moves on to the next one. We then put all of the seeds in a bowl of warm water and wait until the next day to go plant them in the garden. If you're looking for other scarification methods, you should check out Fern's website since she's doing a little nifty experiment right now!
Having a toddler has required me to really chill out in the garden. She’s going to plant things where she wants to plant them- in the crack of a sidewalk, in random pots, or in the middle of an existing shrub. If I give her too much direction, she’ll get frustrated and not want to participate. I don’t mind nasturtium everywhere in the yard because they’re fun, colorful AND edible- so they’re the perfect seed for her to have freedom with!

Last weekend we had way too much rain to be out in the garden, but we will finally get to plant our seeds this weekend! In addition to the various seeds we harvested last year, Alex and I are participating in the GROW project, sponsored by Renee’s Garden. We are very excited to add Nasturtium ‘Spitfire’ to our garden this year- as we’re both little spitfires ourselves! If you've never tried growing nasturtium before- I highly recommend it! They add a nice nutty flavor to summer salads!

I’m growing Nasturtium “Spitfire” for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee’s Garden for the seeds.

We're Having Babies!

Ha! Yeah, that was my lame attempt at an April Fool’s joke. Been there, done that, we won’t be having anymore babies of the human form at our house. But we are having babies, just ones that will go really good in a dip, or chopped up and placed on a pizza. Yeah, we have artichoke babies!

Last week I was very excited when I noticed that I was finally starting to get artichokes on my plants. That excitement quickly dwindled when my husband ruined it by calling them something inappropriate. Still, now it’s fun to go check on the plants regularly to watch their progress.

I started these plants almost two years ago from seed. These are ‘Globe’ artichokes, and I actually never thought I’d be successful at starting them from seed. I started 6seeds, but only 5 successfully germinated. The first year they stayed in one gallon pots, and I put them into the ground late summer of last year. The four that I put in the front yard are doing great, but the one in the backyard is struggling. In the fall they all looked shabby. I have since learned that most people cut them way back at that point (I didn’t). Come winter we had a really hard frost that I was positive was going to wipe them out. For some odd reason when I checked on them in the morning they looked even better than they did the day before- quite perky, actually.

They have continued to do well this spring, and all I really do to care for them is a weekly (errr…mostly weekly…okay…it’s whenever I feel like it) feeding of fish emulsion and sea kelp. I have been told by several people that they are heavy feeders and heavy drinkers- so I’m doing my best to keep them happy, organically. Now that we have a pet rabbit I’ve been sprinkling some of her “droppings” around the plants too.
I planted the artichokes right on the front corner of our lot- next to the street. Whenever I’m out working in the yard I have people ask me what those funky looking blue plants are. They look at me funny when I say they are artichokes. Some folks seem to like them, but my more vocal neighbors do not (oh too bad- guess you’re not getting any). Up until now my husband has HATED where they are at. He thinks they look like weeds. Perhaps if I was a better “designer” I could have designed that section a little better so they don’t look like weeds, but oh well, right now they will have to mingle with some Loropetalum and California Poppies until I can figure out a better place for them. Now my husband is excited about them, mostly because he wants to eat them. And I do too!

My Ugly Garden

There has been some talk this weekend about ugly gardens, so I thought I'd share mine. First off, let me start by saying I love my garden. I love it the way it is now, and I love the picture I have of it in my head after I implement my gazillion items on my to-do list. Since I started expanding my edible plants into the front yard I've really started getting some negative comments from neighbors. But you know what? I don't like their yards either. The only difference between me and them is I'm nice enough not to go spew my opinion about the appearance of their yard to anyone that will listen. My garden will never be magazine perfect- I don't have the time or money to make that happen. So here it goes- here's my ugly garden today....



This is a section of my back corner garden. It has my ghetto bean teepee that is half full of fava beans right now. The raised beds have several tomato cages in them that I use to try and keep the dog from running through them when she's chasing cats or squirrels. Ignore the mismatched fences- that's what you get when you have one neighbor who is willing to get a new fence, and another who doesn't. The neighbor who doesn't is fearful that taking out the fence would kill her ivy. If only that's all it took.


These are not weeds. This is actually arugula that I allowed to go to flower. On purpose. I swear.

These are our worm bins. I can't see spending 50-100 bucks on a fancy worm bin when Rubbermaid bins work just fine. Sure, they look a little white trash, but if they get ruined, I won't be heartbroken. Besides, the worms seem happy.

Yeah, that's a shoe. I don't think you can walk ten feet in my backyard without either coming across a shoe, a dog toy, or a pile of dog crap. These are all signs that the backyard gets USED. I don't think that's a bad thing.

Yes, that's a dead tree. I could yank it out, but it's serving another purpose as a trellis for pea's right now.

This is the future garden site. Yeah- it takes over half of my front yard. No, I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with this space. I'm not a designer, all I know is I have a few ideas of what I do want in this space (seating area, mostly edibles) and a few ideas of what I don't want (lawn!). Right now I have zero dollars to finish this project, so my neighbors will just get to look at dirt for a while. Maybe I'll spread manure all over it when I get paid next month. That will smell lovely.
Or maybe I'll stick some of these lovely tomato cages in there? I had thought I would have at least a small section of the front yard ready for vegetables, so I kind of committed my other raised beds in the backyard to garlic and shallots, and now I left no room for my 25 tomato plants. Guess they'll have to go in the front, whether it's ready or not.

Still in the front yard, you can see where I've taken out some of the old cement curbing to try and play around with the space. This will be a future patio. That big window will eventually be french doors, leading from the kitchen to our new kitchen garden. And I have ZERO dollars to spend on this project, so it will stay like this for quite some time. This has become our dog's favorite nap spot while I'm working in the front yard.

This is our front corner. Again, you can see I'm still thinking about what to do with the space. There is still some of the old cement curbing in place, mixed with additional pieces that I tore out from other areas while I try to figure out what to do with the space. My husband is really hoping I figure it out soon, but as far as I see it- it could look a lot worse.

This is the gate to the side yard. Eventually I'm thinking I'll install steps here but I haven't decided what kind. Maybe an arbor of some sort. Or maybe I'll leave it like it is. For the next five years, I'm guessing it will stay like it is.

In the meantime, I think my garden could look a lot worse. And for now, I like it just the way it is.

SomeBUNNY to Love!

February is National Adopt a Rescued Bunny month and we’ve celebrated by adopting a bunny from our local SPCA shelter. For the Sacramento area it is not advisable to have rabbits housed outdoors since it gets way too hot in the summer and way too cold in the winter. Therefore, our new bunny has taken up residency in our home office!

Our new bunny, who we’ve named Belle Bunneh, is a 2 year old mini rex rabbit who was dropped off at the shelter because her owner’s kids no longer wanted to take care of her. As much as people think rabbits make great pets for kids, they actually don’t! Yet people buy their kids rabbits for Easter every year, and a large majority of them end up in shelters, or worse, released into the wild. Rabbits can be social, but they really don’t like being picked up, so the thrill of owning a bunny for a kid quickly wears off once they realize the rabbit is nothing like a cat or dog. Your interaction with them will usually be you lying on the ground and they hop all over you- no joke!

Here’s some interesting facts to consider before getting a pet bunny:

* Did you know you can train them to use a litter box? Generally it takes only a week to teach a rabbit how to use a litter box (filled with organic, natural matter- not cat litter). It’s also easier to litter box train an older bunny instead of a young bunny (another reason to adopt!).

* Rabbits can live with cats and dogs- they actually enjoy their interaction with them (provided they are well-behaved animals!). However, you should still never leave your bunny unsupervised with a dog or cat. It doesn't matter how sweet you think they are!

* Rabbits love toys! Actually- they need them or they will start looking for other things to chew! Fruit tree branches that have been able to dry for a month is one of their favorite things to snack on and play with. They also like things that make sounds, and balls that they can chase around.

* House rabbits can live to be over ten years old- provided they are fed a healthy diet of hay and fresh leafy greens and vegetables- DAILY! Fruit and pellets should be given to rabbits in limited quantities.

* Cages with wire bottoms are bad for their feet! Yes, I know it makes it easier to clean their cage, but if you litter box train them it doesn’t matter!

* Please spay or neuter your rabbits! Not only because of the whole “breed like rabbits” thing, but because they’ll live longer, be less aggressive, and easier to litter box train if they are! All rabbits at shelters are “fixed”, that’s included in your adoption fee (oh look- another reason to ADOPT a bunny!).

So, if you’ve read this post and are still considering adopting a bunny- here’s a few helpful links I’ve found to help you with your research:

PetFinder - great site for looking for animals in local shelters! You can view by location, breed, age, etc to find the perfect animals for you. I admit, I like to browse this site regularly just to see pictures of cute fuzzy animals!

SaveaBunny They have a great list of resources- including their own Yahoo Group, plus you can also find them on Twitter as @SaveaBunny !

Bunny Lovers Unite - this is a Flickr group that has TONS of cute bunny pictures! Sorry- not really a resource, unless you count putting a smile on your face!

Sacramento SPCA - this is where we adopted Belle from. They have a gorgeous facility, and the staff there were extremely helpful! They are also on Twitter at @SacramentoSPCA

House Rabbit Society - everything you need to know about taking care of your house rabbit! Tons of articles on how to litter box train your rabbit, introducing them to the other animals in your household, what to feed them, etc. You can find them on Twitter as @HouseRabbit

Disapproving Rabbits - another silly blog filled with a bunch of cuteness! Thanks Elayne for the link!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

No, it’s not Christmas. But to a gardener, well, it might as well be. Today is the start of the Spring/Summer growing season for me. I know, to most Americans today is Super Bowl Sunday, but to me, it’s really Super SOW Sunday. Every year my husband has a bunch of guys over to the house, and I’m not allowed in the TV room because I talk too much (no joke). Since I’ve got nothing else to do, I might as well start my seeds right?!

I also pick Super Bowl Sunday because it’s an easy date to remember. Since I’m a forgetful person, having a date to snap a gardening event to makes it easy to remember. I do fruit tree sprays on the holidays- Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentines Day. I plant my tomatoes on Farmer Fred’s birthday (April 28th). I plant my peppers out on my mom’s birthday (May 14th). I plant bare root tree’s on MY birthday (January 13th- you just missed it, I forgive you).

So, today while you are sitting on your butt watching football, think about how you might be able to enhance your experience and start this year’s vegetable garden. That way, when your team loses, it won’t feel like you just wasted your entire day!