Category Archives: Propagation

Communal Blueberry Cuttings

Spent some time this afternoon pruning and puttering and watering (!) in the garden this afternoon.  After thinning out the blueberries, I selected 30+ cuttings and potted them up in these communal pots.  In the spring, once they (hopefully) show … Continue reading

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Wild Fruit, Maligned

Solanum nigrum, a small, weedy relative of the tomato and its kin, has volunteered in the garden proper, and some of the fruits are ripe. Small and seedy, it has a pleasant, lemony sort of tomato sweetness.  It’s a much … Continue reading

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Seeds of History: Hibaku, the A-Bombed Trees

A few years ago, I became aware of Hiroshi Sunairi’s Tree Project (see http://treeproject.blogspot.com/), a documentary film and accompanying effort to distribute seeds from trees that survived the bombing of Hiroshima.  There weren’t any seeds available at that time, but … Continue reading

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Lungless Salamander with Herbs

Signs of spring are everywhere.  The shiso and epazote self sowed as I hoped, and are popping up all over the place.  The almond and Felix Gillet quince are waking up, as are the pomegranates, grapes, kiwis, figs, nectarine, peach, … Continue reading

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Seed Stories

Seed Story the First I’ve been following the Bootjack Garden blog for a while, and this post about the making of a seed library inspired me to start one at the college. A generous interlibrary loan from Kate’s seed library … Continue reading

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Signs of Spring, Golden Currants and a DIY Greenhouse

Spent the whole day in the garden, puttering, pruning, and propagating. The rhubarb is waking up, another sign that spring is here, and the Nanking cherries I planted last year are blooming – pictured below is the one planted in … Continue reading

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Constantinople Quince!

I traveled to the Sierra Seed Cooperative’s seed exchange to pick up the Constantinople Quince I bought from the Felix Gillet Institute.  It’s a nice tree – well rooted, lively and healthy.  I put it in the ground in the … Continue reading

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Blue Honeysuckle and Red Currants

Good news – the Lonicera caerulea cuttings I acquired last spring are showing signs of life, and I think that both (zarnitsa and blue velvet) will be ready for planting out in the food forest in the spring. In other … Continue reading

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A Seed Library, Andean Vegetables, and How To Fold a Seed Bindle

At Bootjack Garden, a fantastic blog about a garden not so far from my own (~146 miles south and east, near Yosemite), Katie recently posted about the idea of seed libraries, and I was immediately inspired to see about getting … Continue reading

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Almonds and Guavas and Figs

It’s been quiet out in the garden and the food forest.  In the words of Ben Lee, a lot goes on but nothing happens.  This winter has been an unusual one, with weeks and weeks of clear, bitterly cold days … Continue reading

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