Falls first rain

Tonight is the beginning of the rains here in Central California. All the plants are in need of a wee bit of water. Our last rainfall was in April so it has truly been a drought all summer. Don't forget to blow the leaves off the roof and clean out your gutters now to avoid doing this later in the season. Make a nice fire and enjoy the pitter patter on the rooftop.Thanks be to Jesus for the nourishing rain!

Green Bean Dreaming & Wine Tasting

Garden Patio:Green Beans and Vino.

Here's a recipe to enjoy using fresh green beans. Make ahead of time to blend the flavors.
1 tsp chopped cilantro
1tsp chopped parsley
1 cup fresh Green and or Wax beans, steam and drain, cut off the ends if you like, cut each bean in half, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp chopped red onion... lightly saute in olive oil, save the oil for the dressing...Add four pieces of bacon, crisped, drained and chopped1 small can Mandarin oranges, drained.Save the juice for the dressing. Mix all ingredients together in a handsome bowl and add some of the mandarin oranges' juice and olive oil until well coated. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Chill. Serve over Romaine lettuce. Add some edible flowers to dress up the plate such as marigolds. This goes well with a cheese like Gorgonzola. Serve with a fine Riesling wine on a hot summer's eve out on the patio. A perfect recipe for fun!

Bees and Haiku

Bees are the pollinators of our gardens. Lately the bee population has diminished all around California. Encourage them to visit by planting California blackberries ( Rubis ursinus) and herbs such as Lavender, Mints, Rosemay and Basil. Don't forget to add a Bee Balm plant ( Monarda didyma) This member of the Mint family can be used in the herb garden, smells very sweet, and takes full sun to half shade. You'll breathe yummy scents when you sit outside this Spring and the bee population will increase. Hurrah!

Heres's a Haiku poem written by James Hacket about bees.

"Loud frantic buzzing:
a bumblebee emptying
a web laced with dew "

And the answer to the best watering temperature for seedlings from my experiment is 70 degrees F........

Seeds to Sprouts

Great news! Last night I noticed that the marigold seeds I planted a week ago have germinated. My new trick is to place the newly planted seeds in a potting soil/sand mix on top of my fireplace hearth. The extra heat seems to cause earlier seed germination. This reminds me of an experiment I did when I took Ornamental Horticulture at Foothill College. The class was called "Nursery Practices" (or something very close) and I experimented with using different temperatures of water to water my seedlings. What do you think was the optimum temperature for rapid growth? I'll answer this next posting.

This is a picture of my grandson, Blake, getting ready to help his Nona and Popo sweep the deck