While our recent rains have been welcome from our drought-ridden perspective, they do make it more challenging to get out and actually, you know, garden. Walking on the wet ground can compact soil, and there’s nothing like weeding under a tree when a stiff wind blows, knocking huge droplets of water down the back of […]
Down and Dirty
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Mulch Much?
It’s that wonderful time of the year when leaves are falling, plants are decomposing and moisture is in the air. A perfect time for mulching! There is never a bad time for mulch, but with so much surplus organic matter available, it makes sense to harness those resources and use them to warm and protect […]
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Blowin’ in the Wind
The winter garden brings to mind rhododendrons, dwarf conifers and plants with colorful stemwork like red twig dogwoods. And while these plants form a strong framework from which the rest of the garden can shine, our gray Humboldt winters seem to call out for just a little more than those simpler shrubs can provide — […]
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Seed Saving Made Simple
This time of the year, the garden might at first glance look messy, unkempt. The plants are starting to dry out, turn brown and die. But look a little deeper and you see an abundance of seeds ready to harvest, and whether you are an old expert at seed stewardship or a new gardener with […]
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A Walk on the Dark Side
Many of us have been pressed into sedate suits and neutral colors by day jobs or a misplaced sense of propriety as we age, but if you’ve been squashing down your inner goth, Halloween’s the perfect time to indulge that irresistible pull toward everything dark, black and a little bit creepy — especially in the […]
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Growing Gorgeous Garlic
From Ancient Egypt to Humboldt County, garlic is one of those plants that you can find in almost every garden. It is one of the oldest cultivated crops, and all around the world people still rank garlic among their favorite foods. And it’s not just food —it’s medicine, too. Garlic is used as an antibiotic, […]
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All Hail the Heather
Whether planted in drifts or used singly in the foreground of a shrub planting, heathers are one of the easiest plants to succeed with on the North Coast. They tolerate harsh coastal winds, aren’t bothered by deer, and need only moderate amounts of water once established if they are well mulched and planted in drifts, […]
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Eat the Weeds!
Take a moment to ponder your relationship with the wild plants in your garden. Chickweed, thistle, pigweed, plantain. Cleavers, lemon balm, nettle. These not only provide forage for insects, birds, and animals, they also provide food for you. Most of the common vegetables we enjoy in our salads, such as lettuce, carrots, parsley and mustard, […]
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Fluffy and Fido in the Garden
Anyone with pets knows what integral parts of the family they become, yet Fluffy and Fido’s antics in the landscape — the digging, peeing and damaged plants — can try any gardener’s good nature. Here’s how to create a backyard refuge that all the members of your family can enjoy. Dogs in the garden The […]
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Wisdom of the Weeds
“Weeds are weeds only from our human egotistical point of view, because they grow where we do not want them. In nature, however, they play an important and interesting role. They resist conditions that cultivated plants cannot resist, such as drought, acid soil, lack of humus, mineral deficiencies, as well as a one-sidedness of minerals, […]
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Go Mediterranean
Colorful yet refined, Mediterranean garden design seems to touch on so much of what’s right in the gardening world today: an emphasis on tough, unthirsty plantings which thrive in our California climate, a nod to the importance of food and edible plants in the garden and an invitation to enjoy that Sunset-inspired indoor-outdoor lifestyle that […]
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Humboldt Homegrown Tomatoes
In a foggy, temperate climate, most of us know the drill: Start seeds indoors in early spring and use grow lights if you have ’em. Plant in fertile soil with plenty of space in mid-June. Trellis, water, prune and pray and maybe, just maybe, get some homegrown tomatoes before the rains come again in September, […]