Under the Solano Sun

In our November blog, we revealed how Thomas Jefferson became the Founding Father of gardening innovation at his beloved Monticello. He was a grand experimenter, a disciplined scientist and an extraordinary gardener.

December 21, 2023, marks the winter solstice, the day of the year with the least amount of sunlight. Conversely, this day marks the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere; their longest day of the year.

Although I appreciate the rain, the grey, chilly, damp days of December and January were tedious this winter. From the warmth of my kitchen, I watched the Oxalis and other weeds sprouting, but the ground always seemed too wet and the temperatures too chilly to go outside and pull them.

Why do I keep trying to grow hard neck garlic? Well, it's because hard neck garlic is said to be more flavorful, and the cloves are bigger and easier to peel! Or it is for thescapes I think, or because they are different from what we can buy locally.

One of my favorite, easy-to-grow, flowering vines is the scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus). This fast-growing vine is both colorful and useful. Its bright scarlet red flowers attract hummingbirds while parts of the plant are also edible. The plant is easily propagated by saving seeds.