The world of peppers is a vast, exciting one. I kid you not! Before I started growing vegetables I had no idea that there were so many great and unique peppers out there. When I […]
Category: Gardening How To
Using Compost in the Fall
Happy September, gardeners! It’s hard to think about fall gardening right now with all this heat rolling into town. That’s always the challenge of September. It seems there are so many varied tasks for the […]
The Beauty Of Biennials
There’s something truly beautiful to me about biennials. When I really think about annual flowers, they seem too simple, too easy. I mean, think about it. You start them from seed, they grow quickly and […]
A Guide To Summer Rose Care
I planted about 100 roses this past winter. It took months and months, through storms and heat, and hungry deer (and the tedious erecting of a deer fence), but this summer they finally took off […]
How To Keep Your Garden Growing Strong In The Summer Heat
It’s been a hot summer! Yesterday I tried to get some actual work done in my field, but each and every plant was looking so thirsty that I spent the whole day watering. It’s tough […]
It’s Time To Plant A Hedgerow
When extolling the virtues of organic farming and gardening, I always feel that it’s important to focus on the positive impacts we’re able to have on our soil and environment, rather than just reciting a […]
The Best Flowers To Grow This Summer
Late June in California is a funny time for summer flowers. The early spring-blooming bulbs like ranunculus and anemones are long gone, the peonies have just passed, and many of the heat-loving summer annuals are still small plants in the ground, far from flowering. Without careful planning and manipulating their season a bit, it’s a time that I’m likely to be without much blooming.
All About Melons
I’ll forever remember the first time I tasted a melon from California. I was visiting a big organic farm in a hot valley somewhere near Santa Cruz, and I almost declined the offer to try […]
Why You Should Build a Berm
Why You Should Build a Raised Berm For Woody Shrubs Most farmers start their operations on short-term land leases. I’m no exception, and for the first few years of B-Side Farm I grew mostly annual flowers […]
Compost Awareness Week 2017
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I celebrated compost week this year by having ten yards of rich, dense compost delivered to my farm. I apply it throughout the season with a […]
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