December 2023

With steady rains and the holiday season in full swing, I prefer this month to be one of relaxation.  I look forward to knowing that although many year-round gardening calendars exist, mine doesn’t have to include a December to-do list.  We accomplished a lot if you’ve followed along the past few months.  We’ve reflected and made notes on what to plant next season, cleaned up warm weather debris, layered compost, and sowed some winter veggies and flowers.  Sure, we could be ambitious and prune some fruit trees, but why?  There will be plenty of time come the first of the year.  Right now, it’s time to sit back and let the garden do its thing.

Across at our community gardens, it’s much of the same.  On the off chance that the sun peaks out of the clouds, you can guarantee a few of our gardeners who live under the redwoods will scurry out to their plots for a quick dose of vitamin D.  Otherwise, we are all mostly harvesting greens and relying on our stores of onions, potatoes, and winter squash to see us through this time while the garden nourishes itself and seedlings grow stronger.  

When the garden is in watch-and-wait mode, I like to focus on other creative ventures, and I know many of you do the same.  I find gardeners are often highly creative and have multiple hobbies that come into play at certain times of the year.  Some may take this time to write, make holiday crafts, or bake delicious treats.  I enjoy making swags from redwood or pine branches to display on my holiday table or front door.

Recently, my grandma discovered old holiday cards that a great-great aunt used to send out to close family and friends.  An avid gardener, she lived in Utah and couldn’t garden most of fall and winter.  Instead, she spent her days sketching and drawing her garden and wrote poetry to accompany the scenes.  During the holidays, she created personalized cards for close friends and family.  The cheer in her cards is uplifting, and I keep one pinned to my mirror for that reason.  I wonder if she ever pictured her messages reaching so far into the future.   Getting caught up in life can make me forget how meaningful handcrafted items are for the giver and receiver, so this year, I will follow her lead and send off a few notes of my own. 

What creative ventures will you endeavor this holiday season?  I hope whatever you do this month fills you with joy in a time that can often be stressful.  If you are overwhelmed, take a moment to be in your garden or nature.  Rainbows abound this month with all the rains, and the coast is far less crowded and pleasant this time of year.  Watch.  Listen.  Feel.  I guarantee you’ll come out invigorated and inspired.

From my garden to yours, I’m sending much love and relaxation this holiday season. 

Happy Gardening!

November 2023

As the summer veggies fade and drizzly fall mornings arrive, the ease of winter gardening is upon us.  Oddly enough, while the Russian River Valley boasts weather conducive to growing all year, I still see folks in my community gardens putting their beds to sleep for the winter.  The summer’s blood, sweat, and tears were enough for some, and the shovel and gloves must hibernate until spring.  Others often don’t know where to start or what to grow.  The fluidity of frost dates and a lack of hard and fast rules can create uncertainty on what to plant and when.  Being born and raised in Utah, I can relate.  Harsh seasons and rigid frost dates dictated everything.   After relocating to California in 2014, I embarked on a steep but enjoyable learning curve that forced me to garden less from rules and more by instinct.  Through trial and error, observation, and regular note-taking, a timeline emerged that helped me garden confidently in our climate. 

Over the years, I’ve learned not to be fooled by the warm afternoons of early November; otherwise, I’ll continue harvesting and inevitably get caught by a random rainstorm.  Water-logged detritus makes for a mushy cleanup, and the added work isn’t worth the extra days of harvesting.  Instead, come the first of November, I remove all plants intolerant of frost, and the newly cleared space will pave the way for cold-hardy crops. 

After removing the dead and dying summer plants, I put down a layer of compost to provide nutrients to the soil in the coming months.  While doing this, I try to limit disruptions from digging so the web of life that has gained footing over the last season stays intact.

Now, I evaluate my open space and, in the new blank spots, sprinkle seeds or put in the starts of what I enjoy eating.  My winter staples are kale, chard, arugula, collards, carrots, radishes, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, and onions.  In my experience, plants in the Brassica family (kale, Bok choy, collards, broccoli) have a fuller, sweeter flavor and often carry fewer pests in cooler temperatures.  If you happened to plant some of them over the summer, let 1-2 plants go to seed and forget about them.  Come late winter, the reward will be a second harvest. 

Ruby Red Strawflower

If you’re feeling ambitious, seed some flowers amongst your veggies to brighten the winter months.  Poppies, sweet peas, bachelor buttons, nasturtium, calendula, strawflower, and nigella prefer to be sowed directly and pop up as soon as they deem the weather worthy of their arrival.  I love walking in my garden on a cool winter morning and discovering new seedlings emerging. 

Finally, the garden will do the rest as the rains become steady.  It’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the holiday season.  Before you know it, your garden will have an abundance of greens to harvest for sautes, smoothies, soups, and salads.  Aren’t we lucky to live in the paradise of the Russian River Valley?  Let’s give our gardens a nod of Thanksgiving; after all, they are a steady companion helping us grow in more ways than one.  Happy Gardening!

October 2023

Despite my desire for just one more juicy tomato, I find without fail that October signals the wind-down of my garden.  Bittersweet are the dwindling harvests as the garden transitions into late fall and winter.  Gardening requires hard work, and while I’m always ready for the ease of a winter garden, the tastes of summer fruits and veggies still linger fresh in my mind. 

While wandering through my beds and relishing the crisp fall air, I inevitably start to reflect on the season’s successes and failures. I find myself noting how much I love the brightness of a particular pumpkin or excitement of a monarch resting on my vibrant Zinnias. But my eye also settles on the overabundance of certain varieties and the underperformance of others. As I notice and remember the small details, I make sure to have a notebook nearby to record them.  This tool has become a vital part of my garden’s success over the years. 

Before I would record my observations, a fog-like amnesia would settle through my mind. As seed catalogs pour into my mailbox like the winter rain, I’d simply slip on my rose-colored glasses and soon forget what truly transpired last season. I’d buy every variety that looked appealing, and with spring on my doorstep beckoning me to plant, I’d begin sowing anything and everything I’d purchased. The result was a bit haphazard, and I’d find myself repeating varieties that didn’t produce much or overplanting something my family doesn’t really eat. Now, I’m trying to be more purposeful.  Though I still cozy up to my seed catalogs on misty mornings and drool over each variety, I remember to consult my fall notes and musings before purchasing.  I make four categories, and I often start to laugh as I remember: 

What went well?  I add to the cart anything under that heading. 

What struggled?  Either skip those veggies altogether or plant only a couple under that category, knowing I might be babying some plants next season. 

Don’t Repeat!!!  This is by far the hardest one. Heed your advice and under no circumstance repeat anything in that category!  Take it from me.  One year, I second-guessed my notes on Costata Romanesco squash and paid for it.  I am still digging deep to see if even a glimmer of love remains.

At last comes one of my true delights as a gardener: What new varieties do I want to grow? I leave space in my gardening heart for a few (or a lot of) new varieties to test.  A great example was my hesitancy to plant the cucamelon, but it has revealed itself to be a staple in my garden. Remember to take notes on how they perform so you can find out if they will become an old favorite, or a “don’t repeat”.   

I hope this process will inspire you to keep your garden producing food you actually want to eat, a rainbow of flowers for stunning bouquets, and new varieties that keep your family coming back for more.  Happy gardening! 

New Sign!

Our new garden sign has arrived just in time for Spring! This is one of my favorite times of the year because it means meeting and welcoming new gardeners to our community. If you’re looking to join, we have a few plots open right now. Only 4 though, so head to the plot availability page to send a request.

I look forward to seeing you all at the gardens!!

A Lovely Day at the Gardens

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It’s that time of year again! The sun is out, the weather is warming and the ground is ready to be worked. Right now is a great time to plant cool weather crops such as, broccoli, kale, chard, carrots, spinach, peas, and onions. Sometimes it can be hard to know what to plant. Especially if you’re just getting acquainted to the area or even to gardening in general. Two great resources for this area are:

www.igrowsonoma.org

www.garden.org

With such a mild climate, there are endless possibilities on what to grow!

The Farmstand

Our original long term goal of the community gardens was to one day have a market. Now that we have the gardens running well, we decided to go for it and start The Farmstand. Every Sunday from 12-4, a few locals, community gardeners and whoever else wants to join in, sell our produce, handmade goods, and food. It’s been a great time connecting with our local community and meeting new people. Stop in and say hi!

Visit the Greenhouse

Come and visit my greenhouse to see what's been growing this winter.  I have many heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, herbs, and some flowers for sale.  Everything is grown organically.  Feel free to e-mail me at russianrivergardens@gmail.com to set up a time to pick your veggies!