One day it’s 72 and sunny and the next morning you wake up and there’s a nip in the air and you can hardly see your neighbor’s house through the morning dewy mist. Winter is upon us and our plants. What is Frost? Frost generally occurs after calm and clear nights, where there are few…
Hopefully you all had a successful summer harvest and are ready for Fall planting. One of the advantages of Southern California over the North and the East, is that our mild winters make it possible to plant and grow year-round. Fall is not only a time for garden maintenance and preparation of the soil for spring…
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates Medicinal Gardening For centuries, people have used a wide variety of plants to treat all types of illnesses. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that there are a large number of therapeutic plants and herbs available that you can use to treat…
The critical role that pollinators play in our planet is the reason why both scientists and the public are so concerned about their declines. Green Thumb has a great article about ways we can save our pollinators. As gardeners we are doing our part by planting and I know are all proud of our new…
Heat Wave As we brace ourselves for another heat wave we are all looking for ways to beat the heat. Cooking and eating hot food when it’s hotter than a jalapeño outside doesn’t excite any of us I’m sure. Want to find a way to get away from the heat? Step away from the stove and…
Phil Hof shared this informative article written by Stephen Scott about the very invasive bindweed that we have all experienced seeing in the garden. Click this link to read the article bindweed Happy Gardening! And Happy Weeding! Mary Church
The garden recently received this letter below in honor of one of our lovely garden members, Fayde MacCune and her husband, Charles. The members of the Conejo Valley Woodworkers Association created a sign to honor them, which we have showcased at the garden. THIS IS THE LETTER WE RECEIVED: Hello Tom and Jimmy, Attached are some…
I was double blessed with my grandmother’s gardening genes; and my mother’s healthy eating habits. Long before organic gardening was so popular, my grandmother was making her garden chemical free and my mother was feeding us an organic plant based heavy diet. Living on the Oregon coast my grandmother planted her vegetable garden in the…
To Prune or Not to Prune One of the joys of gardening is obviously watching our plants grow. Sometimes with tomatoes they show off by their growing power by turning into a tomato jungle. One year my plant swallowed up a trusty garden tool and it reappeared at the end of the season. Although it…
The Difference Between Heirlooms, GMO and Hybrids Have you wondered what is really means to be an heirloom, GMO or hybrid seed? There are some distinct differences that make all these plants very different. Heirloom plants are the only ones that truly breed, as they passing down traits from generation to generation. Hybrid can…
Organic Gardening A lot of us talk about organic this or that, but do we really know that it means? For a little help, right from the start, let’s look at what the dictionary has to say about the term organic: …of, related to, or derived from living organisms: being, composed of, or containing matter of…
Spring is in the Air… It’s that time again to start thinking and planning your spring garden. Maybe this year try planting something new or exotic to add to your table this summer. Or considering adding flowers in between plants for some color and pest control. I know I have gotten into the comfort zone…
The Month of Moons January 1st started with a full moon and if you happened to see it you most likely noticed how big and bright it was. This phenomenon is called a “Supermoon”, which means it becomes full on the same day it reaches its perigee, the point in the moon’s elliptical orbit when it…
2018 Gardener’s Goals A new year and it’s that time of year that we can all have a “do over” and why not carry this over into your gardening life? Every spring gives us the chance to start over with our garden. It’s a fresh start that we look forward to as we plan for…
Seems like Fall is trying to slowly creep it’s way in. Halloween is almost here and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It’s the time of year we all have Pumpkin on the brain. Sure they are fun to carve and put on your porch for the little trick or treaters, and who doesn’t love…