Winter has finally arrived in Humboldt, after the sunshine and warmer temperatures in early January. We’ve had frosty nights, even on the coast, and now the normal rains have returned, at least for now. But it’s still time to get out in the garden, especially if you have fruit trees, ornamental flowering trees or roses. […]
Roses
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Particulars of Pruning
With the mercury hovering in the frost zone, here on the home farm we’re enjoying the rush of chilly temperatures. An essential but often overlooked element of successful home farming is the downtime of the winter months. We use this time to put up our feet and drink some hot homegrown tea by the fire. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: A Dead Crane Fly and a Strange Nursery
I grew up calling them “mosquito catchers.” Other folks know them as daddy longlegs (a name also used for Opiliones,a type of arachnid) or mosquito hawks. More properly they are known as crane flies, or family tipulidae of the order diptera — true flies. Resembling giant mosquitos, they inspire fear in some people. But unlike […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
January Gardening To-Do List
This is certainly the coldest winter I can remember since I’ve been in Humboldt County — so chilly that even plants I think of as being hardy are showing serious damage from frost. Though we have all of January’s usual tasks (pruning, pruning and — oh yeah, pruning!), we should give our plants a little […]