Tag Archives: fruit

Update – Elderberries on Acid

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Not much going on in the garden, and no precip for months.  Strange weather… A couple of months ago, I wrote about scarifying elderberry seeds with strong acid.  I checked the seeds this morning – they’ve been sequestered in the … Continue reading →

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Creep Year

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

The first year they sleep The second year they creep The third year they leap So goes the old saying about perennials. This has been the creep year (year 2) for a number of perennials in my garden.  Two that … Continue reading →

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The Great Rhubarb Divide

Posted on October 27, 2011 by

I’m especially fond of plants that are easily propagated, either by seed or division or cuttings.  Rhubarb (Rheum x hybridum) is just such a plant, and one of my fall chores – not every fall, mind you, but every 3 … Continue reading →

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Plum Gone Wild

Posted on October 20, 2011 by

This fruit is from either from a wild plum tree (Prunus americana), or else from an ordinary plum tree gone feral. More likely the latter, since California doesn’t appear to be in the natural range for wild plum. In any … Continue reading →

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Hügelkultur Fruit Tree Mound

Posted on October 12, 2011 by

In a previous post, I described preparing a future planting site by burying horse food.  This weekend, I created an actual, official hügelkultur mound, using a big old rotten log, as well as two other mounds, one filled with forest … Continue reading →

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Gardening With Safety Goggles

Posted on October 6, 2011 by

I’ve been gardening for a number of years, but I can’t recall another time when I had to wear nitrile gloves to sow seeds. As mentioned in the prior post, I am interested in germinating a whole bunch of elderberry … Continue reading →

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Elderberries and Acid

Posted on October 5, 2011 by

Sulfuric acid, that is. I collected a pint glass full of Sambucus cerulea berries the from a big old bush on the side of the road a couple of days ago, and this evening I processed them to extract the … Continue reading →

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All Today’s Peppers

Posted on September 18, 2011 by

The season is changing around here.  Nighttime temps in the fifties, slanted sunlight, and light breezes all herald the return of autumn. It’s been a terrible year for tomatoes, but the peppers seem happy to pick up the slack.  Pictured … Continue reading →

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Grape Juice the Color of a Jewel

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

This season has been terrible for most summer annuals – tomatoes, peppers, squash, and the like – but fantastic for the small fruits in the garden.  Blueberries, gooseberries, lingonberries, and currants have all been ridiculously productive, and I even harvested … Continue reading →

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Of Claimers and Disclaimers and Wild Plants

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

I’m reading Samuel Thayer’s excellent guide to edible wild plants, Nature’s Garden.  Not only is it a lovely book, full of wonderful photos and informative text, but the very first pages, consisting of a Warning followed by a Claimer (as … Continue reading →

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