Even though we live in a temperate climate, I’ve been noticing some subtle changes in the weather and critters here on the coast. I’ve been seeing wooly banded bears — a caterpillar that has some bizarre obsession with crossing roads, at least down in my neck of the woods. Their fuzzy black and orange presence […]
Julia Graham-Whitt
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Pests in the Garden
Given the title of this article, you might think I’m going to talk about tomato hornworms, spittle bugs or aphids. OK, I will mention aphids but I want to talk to some of the less talked about pests. Let’s start with my worst pest for the past couple years: deer. Bambi. Rats with antlers, as […]
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Get to Know Your Weeds
This week, I’m turning my focus to a problem that most gardeners are dealing with this month, thanks to the intermittent rain/sun/rain/warmth/rain/wind we’ve had over the past two months. You may have noticed that you have to mow the grass more often right now, but it’s not just the grass that’s growing like, well, a […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Plant This, Not That
I follow more than a few plant and picture pages on social media, and it’s always interesting to see folks wax poetic about some of our more aggressive invasive plants. Often, they (the people) are transplants to the area and these plants aren’t an issue where they come from, but there are also people who […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Winter Garden Checklist
The Pennsylvania rodent has decreed that we’ll have another five weeks of winter and in the Midwest, South and Northeast, I’m sure they believe this to be true. Meanwhile, out here on the North Coast, our promised rain seems to have disappeared. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to abandon the garden because there’s a […]
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A Gardener’s Resolutions
Now that it’s a new year, I’m sure some of you have made resolutions. It’s a thing that we humans like to do. It’s the start of a new time increment, so we get a do-over, I guess. Perhaps you’re resolving to lose those 20 COVID pounds or start exercising more. Call your mother every […]
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A Bevy of Blueberries
Now that we’re finally receiving some beneficial rain, it’s a good time of year to think about some new plants for your garden. Fall is an excellent time to plant shrubs, trees and other plants because the rain will usually provide enough moisture and the temperatures are cooler, both of which allow for strong root […]
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Bulb Planting Time
Now that we’ve harvested the fruits of our labor and cleaned up the garden — you have cleaned up the garden from spent plant debris and fallen apples, right? — it’s time to think ahead to what to plant. I know, I know, we’re just barely into autumn and here I am talking spring. But […]
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Seed Saving for a Pretty Spring and Summer Next Year
Just when we thought it was safe to go into other gardens … well, they are outdoors and as long as you keep your distance, going into gardens is still a great activity to keep the mind from wandering toward more unpleasant thoughts. Perhaps you’ve been on your daily walk or drive, and you’ve admired […]
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Drought Gardening
It’s no secret by now that Humboldt County (along with all of California and many other western states) is in trouble when it comes to general lack of rainfall. While the entire county is in a moderate drought, portions are in severe drought and some are even experiencing extreme drought. To find out drought conditions […]
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Transplanting your Seedlings
OK, so we started our seeds last month (or two weeks ago, or now, if you’re me) and we’re ready to transplant them into the garden or pots. How do you know when the little plants are ready to transplant? Leaves The leaves tell us when the plants are ready. For all seed-bearing plants, the […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Seed Season
At this time last year, Humboldt County was about to go into lockdown along with most of the state, country and, well, world. Toilet paper was being hoarded, and you couldn’t find a sanitizing wipe anywhere. And seeds! Garden seeds became a hot commodity as many people decided to spend their time sheltering in place […]