Freckled Californian ~ A California Gardening & Seasonal Living Blog
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Raspberry Primocanes and Floricanes

Raspberry Primocanes and Floricanes

by FreckledCalifornian | Sep 17, 2023 | Fruits & Vegetables, Gardening 101, Gardening Guides & Tips, How to Grow

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A Backyard Gardener’s Approach to Powdery Mildew

A Backyard Gardener’s Approach to Powdery Mildew

by FreckledCalifornian | Sep 3, 2023 | Gardening 101, Gardening Guides & Tips, Pest Control & Diseases

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Dahlia Growing Tips for Hot Climates

Dahlia Growing Tips for Hot Climates

by FreckledCalifornian | Aug 20, 2023 | Flowers, Gardening 101, Gardening Guides & Tips, How to Grow

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My Favorite Crops for Fall Seed Starting in SoCal

My Favorite Crops for Fall Seed Starting in SoCal

by FreckledCalifornian | Jul 30, 2023 | Gardening 101, Gardening Guides & Tips

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Grow Spring Bulbs in Containers

Grow Spring Bulbs in Containers

by FreckledCalifornian | Jul 9, 2023 | DIY & Projects, Flowers, Garden & Homestead, Gardening 101, Gardening Guides & Tips, How to Grow

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How to Deadhead Roses After Blooming

How to Deadhead Roses After Blooming

by FreckledCalifornian | Jun 18, 2023 | Flowers, Gardening 101, Gardening Guides & Tips, How to Grow

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Pros & Cons of Growing a Multi-Graft Fruit tree

Pros & Cons of Growing a Multi-Graft Fruit tree

by FreckledCalifornian | Jun 4, 2023 | Fruits & Vegetables, Gardening 101, Gardening Guides & Tips, How to Grow

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Planting a Strawberry Patch from Scratch (Bare Roots)

Planting a Strawberry Patch from Scratch (Bare Roots)

by FreckledCalifornian | May 19, 2023 | Fruits & Vegetables, Gardening 101, Gardening Guides & Tips, How to Grow

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Trying a Traditional Stuffed Artichoke (carciofi ripieni)

Trying a Traditional Stuffed Artichoke (carciofi ripieni)

by FreckledCalifornian | May 12, 2023 | Food, Meal Ideas

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Planting Asparagus Bare Roots in a Raised Bed

Planting Asparagus Bare Roots in a Raised Bed

by FreckledCalifornian | May 7, 2023 | Fruits & Vegetables, Gardening 101, Gardening Guides & Tips, How to Grow

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Meet Randi

Urban gardening is my jam. I’m Randi, California girl who obsessively gardens to grow food and flowers around my urban home. Seasonal, simple living is what inspires me~ I hope it will inspire you too. Join me in crafting a life and home connected to the garden Read More>>>>

For Growers & Gardeners from High Mowing Organic Seeds

freckledcalifornian

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Sep 24

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Saturday blooper 😂 and a basket of passion fruit! This morning I went around and picked up the ripe passion fruit from around the base of our trellis. I've always loved that this crop harvests itself by falling to the ground when ripe. The kitchen will end up smelling like ripe passion fruit for the next week, as I leave most of the fruit on the counter to ripen even further. It's both stifling and heavenly! Hope you're having a good weekend. 💜

freckledcalifornian

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Sep 17

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Fig season is officially over for us. While we enjoy figs chopped over granola for breakfast or as a sweet treat, there's really only one true reason we grow figs.... JAM! We like lots of different types of jam, but IMHO fig jam is right up there as one of the best 💯. We made some fig jam for our pantry, but also decided to try the viral "bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers with goat cheese and fig" from @thedailykale because we live for salty, sweet, spicy goodness 🤤 (and also grow a lot of jalapeños). Anyway, it was So. Stinking. Good. As far as a seasonal, garden to table appetizer goes....this was a winner! Are you a fig jam fan? What else would you make with garden-grown jalapeños and figs? #gardentotable #homemadejam #jalapeños #figseason #seasonalrecipes #gardenharvest

freckledcalifornian

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Sep 16

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The hummingbirds are supremely happy at the moment. If you look up "why are hummingbirds attracted to red" you'll actually see a lot of different ideas. Everything from the fact that they might see red colors better, to the idea that they evolved that way due to food availability. I honestly don't have the answer for you. What I CAN tell you is that now is a glorious time in the garden for some of my favorite California native hummingbird plants! Not all of them are red, but there does seem to be a majority. Pictured 📸 1. Monardella macrantha (foreground) 2. California fuschia (pink cultivar) 3. Closeup of California fuschia (epiloboum canum) 4. CA fuschia mixed in with 'gran canon' gambelia juncea 5. Bladderpod #californianativeplants #pollinatorlove #hummingbirdgarden #backyardhabitat #bloomcalifornia

freckledcalifornian

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Sep 14

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Some years I ask myself why I grow super hot peppers. Truthfully, we don't use them that often. On the other hand, I always regret it when I don't include them in the garden. At one point, Sam really loved making hot sauce from our habaneros and ghost peppers. In fact, we've even grown carolina reapers before (one of the hottest peppers in the world 🌎) just so he could make hot sauce. As it sometimes goes, Sam has been pretty busy these days and his interest in making hot sauce has kind of waned. But still, there's something really beautiful about the twisted shapes, colors, and glossy skin of super hot peppers that enamors me. The chocolate colored ghost peppers and habaneros are especially amazing because I find that they have a slight smoky flavor in their profile. In the past, we'd freeze them and throw a chocolate habanero in with a full pot of carnitas when needed. Oh man, is that delicious! This year though, I'm compiling a list of things to try making with our chocolate ghost peppers (bhut jolokia) aside from hot sauce. Here's what I'm thinking, and I'd love for you to chime in below 😊: 🌶Smoked Ghost pepper finishing salt 🌶Ghost pepper hot cocoa mix 🌶Ghost pepper chocolate cake or bark 🌶Smoked ghost pepper nut mix (maybe something sweet and salty and spicy?) What else am I missing?

freckledcalifornian

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Sep 10

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As we move into a new season, I wanted to share my overwintered eggplant with you. This beautiful plant was started from seed in Spring 2022 and was overwintered for 2023. Since many of us are talking about amending garden beds and transitioning the garden, I just wanted to share that some plants can overwinter wonderfully!  If you're in a climate with mild winters (or live in a colder climate and just really want to pamper an extra plant indoors), you could consider overwintering plants like peppers or eggplants----basically tender perennials. I'm not gonna lie, overwintering this eggplant did subtract from my usable garden space because I left it growing in this garden bed. Alternatively, you could move plants to a temporary pot or container for overwintering. It really depends on your specific climate and resources. But......overwintering has resulted in some fun plants for me. I had a luscious sugar rush peach pepper that lived for four years and was amazingly prolific! I've had many eggplants grow to be bushes and put off fruit very early and late into the seasons. Honestly, it's not necessary, but can provide some great opportunities! This variety is a 'Florida market' eggplant and it continues to be a great producer for me. I'm not sure what I will do with it this year. Would you keep it again? #perennialvegetables #growingfoodathome #organicgardening #backyardgardener #igrewthis #homegrown #gardeninginspiration #epicgardening #hugevegetables

freckledcalifornian

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Sep 8

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Gardener friends, I was totally peeping on the French Laundry gardens 😆👀. On our recent trip to Napa Valley we walked by the French Laundry gardens multiple times. PS: they are currently closed for renovations, but typically are open to the public. Anyway, in the time we were visiting, they literally planted out hundreds of brassicas! It was fun to walk by and see what changed each day as they turned the garden over for a new season. These are the things that catch my eye because we gardeners know that the garden is always moving, growing, changing. Gardens are ALIVE 💚🌱 I typically plant out my Fall and Winter transplants from mid-September thru October, so witnessing their changing seasons gave me the push I needed to come back and get started on mine! It's going to be a busy weekend in the garden. Hope you'll join me!
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