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Local Christmas Gifts for Humboldt County Gardeners
Hellebore photo courtesy of Skagit Gardens What’s that, my fellow Humboldtians? Time’s gotten away from you yet again, with no gifts purchased and only a short time until Christmas? Never fear, I’ve got you covered. I called up a variety of local shops to find out which gift they’d most recommend for the gardener on…
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EZ-Walls Plant Protector Extends the Season and Keeps Chickens Off New Plants
When I tell people I live in coastal California, they get this delightful image in their heads of sunshine, warmth, and many opportunities to suntan. Unfortunately for my vitamin D quota, I live at the other end of the state. It’s foggy, rainy, and doesn’t get all that warm, even in the middle of summer.…
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Lined Goatskin Gloves Keep Hands Warm For Winter Gardening
Us pro gardeners are pretty tough. Even so, every year I’m surprised at just how cold winter is. When you go out at 9 am to get a spot of pruning in, and find your breath catching in the cold, you start to appreciate all the little design elements in tools that keep you warm…
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Ditch the Sunhat: Sun Protection Tips You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
Hold up, don’t report me to the Melanoma Society just yet. You probably shouldn’t actually ditch your sun hat. But if you’re like me and have never been able to get into wearing hats while gardening, here are two odd things I do to get a bit more protection than the average “slather self in…
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Greenland Gardener Wall Garden Kit
If you’ve read Susan Morrison and Rebecca Sweet’s book Garden Up! about vertical gardening, you’ve seen the drool-worthy photos of succulent walls. You might have even thought about getting one of those flat wooden frames to make one of your own. The problem with so many of those succulent wall frames is they require patience,…
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H. Potter Wardian Case: A Study in Kitties
When H. Potter first sent me a Wardian case to try out, I was thinking of it as a pretty way of making small seasonal displays, and possibly a nice way of also rooting cuttings while having things look attractive. Little did I know that its highest and best use is as a kitten-safe decorating…
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Haven Brand Manure Tea Bags (With Gratuitous Kitty Photos)
Just two weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a package of NINE Manure Tea Bags from Annie Haven (@GreenSoil on Twitter). After enduring much teasing for my excited whooping, and days of terrible jokes from everyone I told, I got my parcel and ripped it open! About five minutes later, Mr. Orange saunters…
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Staying Warm While Winter Gardening
It’s gettin’ cold out there, yet in my coastal climate, we garden all year round. After getting frostbitten toes one particularly nasty winter, I did some research to figure out how I could work outside even when it is C-H-I-L-L-Y out there! I share my tips in this video: Things mentioned in the video: Toasti-Toes…
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The GroundHog Rake: A Video Review, and Why I Love it for Mulching
This time of year, I’m adding a fresh layer of bark mulch to many of my gardens to hold moisture in and keep the weeds down. Right now it’s especially easy to do because the plants are still small from winter dormancy, so I can spread it out without having to bend and wiggle to…
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Vinegar Weed Control that Actually Works
When I was in horticulture school, the old-skool dudes teaching pest control were all about the chemicals – they just didn’t believe organics could be as effective as the lethal stuff. Yet every so often, a hint of doubt would creep into their voices about safety. I’d hear, “well, this one’s actually pretty bad” or …
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Plants VS Zombies: An Addictive Gardening Video Game
I think of video games as mostly time-wasters and try to avoid them, but every so often one comes along that is so extremely fun that it’s hard to resist. Plants VS Zombies hits two of my favorite things – the ridiculous charm and kitsch of zombies combined with the over-the-top sunniness of plants. You…