A garden center and apiary in The Sierra Nevada Foothills
Check out these short videos of how to handle your "10,000 bees in a box", when they arrive! The cut off date for ordering bees is February 10th. Pick up is in April, here at the nursery. Cost for 10,000 bees, plus queen (either Italian or Carnelian), is $180. Place payment when ordering.
Monica holds two "bare root" pomegranates that we have for sale. Pomegranates do quite nicely in the foothills, especially in a nice sunny spot. This are nice large plants that might even get some fruit this year! We have a small selection available, so don't miss out!
Just received 10 of these beautiful bare root Elberta Peach, the famous yellow freestone. Classic, rich peach flavor: high scoring in taste tests. Use fresh, canned or cooked. Plant now and likely get fruit in Spring, since these particular specimens are full of fruiting branches. Only 10 available.
It's that time of year when ones thoughts turn to spring and propagation. As we enter the time frame for starting seeds and clones indoors you might want to make sure you have the necessary supplies.
You can create a miniature greenhouse right inside your house for less than $20. You'll need one of our seed trays, greenhouse dome that fit's on top of that tray, and some type of media. What's "media"? Media is the stuff that the plant grows in. It could be rockwool cubes, oasis cubes, potting soil, coco coir, root riot cubes, perlite, sand, or any number of other types of media. The greenhouse dome will keep the moisture where it needs to be, in the "mini ecosystem" you created.
Light is important for growing indoors. Typically there is not enough natural light inside to start seeds or clones, so we place the greenhouse under lights. We have many different types of lighting setups that you can see here at the nursery. You don'y need high powered lights, just some specialized florescent types (T5 type) for plants. Growing under lights is fun, and during the long winter days hanging out with your seeds and clones in a well lit room will raise your spirits!
Finally, heat the seed tray! Bottom heat will improve the rate of germination and make for a better all around greenhouse ecosystem. You place a "heat mat" under the tray, and the gentle warmth rises and keeps the seed tray just warm enough to benefit the plants without overheating them. Be sure not to place your greenhouse in too sunny a window. It can get quite warm and can actually kill the plants inside.
This cool display takes houseplant gardening to a whole new level. I'm seeing more and more of these types of elaborate displays that not only include the classic houseplants, but placed into a whole world of their own, with mosses, lichens, and other aquatic plants. As more people find themselves without a yard to garden in, they will bring the garden into the house. Very cool, and a great hobby that allows you to enter a magical world of your own creation, rain or shine. Watch for this trend to grow, as I believe it has staying power. Something for nurseries and garden shops to consider.
Yes, these are living plants. Lithops, Namibian and South African plants that have evolved to look like stones.
The challenge is on to grow the largest (by size) pumpkin on the Divide. Register at the Golden Gecko Garden Center and pick up your special “Atlantic Giant” pumpkin seeds. Contest to be held in Early October at the Fall Harvest Festival. Prizes for first, second and third place will be awarded.
Those who ordered bees, and anyone just interested, should watch this tutorial on just what to do with those 10,000 bees!
During spring, when plants emerge from dormancy, is the time to support that growth with a gentle organic fertilizer. We use EB Stone All-Purpose Fertilizer for all our plants. Inside the bag mixed in just the right amounts are Blood Meal, Feather Meal, Bone Meal, Dried Chicken Manure, Bat Guano, Alfalfa Meal, Kelp Meal, Potassium Sulfate, Humic Acids and soil microbes including mycorrhizal fungi.
It's a dry fertilizer that should be mixed into the soil prior to planting, as well as a top dressing, and then watered in. The fertilizer comes in 4lb., 15lb., 30 lb., and 50lb. bags.
There is way too much fertilizer being sold out there these days. You don't need all the different specialty fertilizers that seem to be sold everywhere. Just use this one product, and your set.
CDFA approved for organics!
In 1881 James Harvey Logan, a horticulturalist is Santa Cruz, California created the Loganberry. He unsatisfied with the existing varieties of blackberries and tried crossing two varieties of blackberries to produce a superior cultivar. He happened to plant them next to plants of an old variety of red raspberry, 'Red Antwerp', all of which flowered and fruited together. Logan then gathered and planted the seed from his cross-bred plants. His 50 seedlings produced plants similar to the blackberry parent 'Aughinbaugh', but larger and more vigorous. One was the Loganberry; the others included the 'Mammoth' blackberry.
Loganberries are so high in vitamin C that during the 20th century they were used by The Royal Navy to prevent scurvy onboard naval ships. You can get the same benefit by growing them in your garden. Typically loganberries are quite thorny, but we have “thornless” loganberries available! Buy them bare root now.
We are down to our last 16 jars of honey for 2016. The bees will be resting during the winter, and won't release their 2017 spring honey until at least mid-spring! Hopefully, next year we will be able to harvest even more liquid gold.
Join us on October 22nd, for our annual Fall Harvest Festival here at the nursery. We are having a scarecrow contest open to all. For a $10 entrance fee we give you a bale of straw and a stake to hold the scarecrow in the bale. You build the scarecrow here at the nursery. There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. place. Gift certificates in the value of $100, $50, and $25!
There will also be judging of the largest pumpkin on The Divide. People signed up when they received their Atlantic Giant seed in Spring. Lets see who wins.
There will be guests showing how to raise bees, throw pottery, fall and winter garden, Alpaca goods (as well as a real alpaca), and much more. Let's celebrate a great year and harvest, rain or shine. We will have vendors with food available.
For more info call, 530-333-2394 or email at trey@thegoldengecko.com
To say we are excited is an understatement. We recently bottled up 150 pint sized jars of golden honey. It's the best tasting honey I have ever had. The bees travel up to 5 miles from here, gathering the nectar and pollen from wildflowers. They bring it back and create their masterpiece..
The honey is available here at the store, or let us know and we can ship to you.
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We have now completed our two beginning beekeeping classes, and they we're quite a success. People are excited about working with the bees and we may have some new beekeepers as a result.
Here at The Golden Gecko we are starting our beekeeping supply business, "Bee Friendly Beekeeping Supplies". To start out we will offer the basics to get people up and running as beekeepers. Both brood and super boxes, frames, smokers, pollen patties, etc. will available both here at the store, or online for shipping.
If you have questions about beekeeping be sure to give us a call, or e-mail. We will get you an answer pronto.
Blueberries are in and ready for planting! This year we have 9 different types available. They are potted and cost 9.99 ea. We have Bluecrop, Blueray, Legacy, Misty, O'Neal, Reveille, Southmoon, Sunshine Blue, and Top Hat. By two different varieties for more pollination, and more berries. We even plant the two per container for space savings. Here is a link to a great video from our grower on how to grow blueberries in container's.
I am talking fruit trees, vines, and bushes. It seems so often the gifts we are told are "in" this year turn out to be just so much fluff. How about the timeless gift of hope and joy? It's said that if you really want to make a statement about the future, plant a tree. We have all sorts of fun and useful fruit trees and bushes to give this year. Have a beer maker in the family? Why not give hops this year? Hops are fast and easy to grow, providing a beautiful vine to shade the patio, and wonderfully fragrant flowers to make beer with.
Speaking of vines, we have a hardy kiwi vine that will withstand the coldest of foothill and mountain temperatures. Need a cold tolerant blueberry? We have several varieties to chose from. Blueberries are fantastic container plants, so you can place them anywhere they can receive a days sunshine.
Sure to please anyone who likes apples, "Honeycrisp" is the hot topic theses days. Its sweetness, firmness, and tartness make it an ideal apple for eating raw. It has much larger cells than most apples, which rupture when bitten to fill the mouth with juice. The Honeycrisp also retains its pigment well and boasts a relatively long shelf life when stored in cool, dry conditions.
All our fruit trees and bushes come in containers so you don't have to plant them right away. Some of these varieties are very popular and will sell out, so don't delay. Get what you want, store right outside, and plant before spring. If you have never planted a fruit tree we can fill you in on the right way to do it for our area.
Our line of all-natural skin care products grows with the addition of our three lip-balm's. Made from our bees wax, and all natural ingredients. When you use these they will keep those lips from cracking, and you'll be supporting the bees and our efforts to combat bee decline in our area. Available in two flavors, Peppermint and Honey Coco, as well as one unscented. These are made with care here in Garden Valley by Guinevere's Garden, our neighbor. $3.50 ea.
Here is the latest harvest from our small farm behind the nursery. The peppers are really coming along strong. Jalapeno, Padrone, Fresno Chili, and more. Rattlesnake and purple beans are ready. "Rattlesnake Beans" are a tender, refreshing edible podded bean. Beautiful, 7 inch long, purple striped green beans appear on tall plants in summer. When pods are left on the plant to mature and dry, they reveal auburn and brown speckled seeds that are scrumptious in warming winter soups and stews. "Purple Podded Beans", are a delicious heirloom discovered in the Ozark mountains by Henry Fields in the 1930’s and is still requested by many old-timers of this region. The pods are bright purple, stringless, and tender.
Zucchini and cucumbers (both slicing and pickling) are also available. All organically grown right here!
Lots of peppers and beans today
Purple and Rattlesnake beans.
Organic vegetables from our farm are starting to come with more frequently. Tomatoes are still a week out, but as you can see we have loads of other summer fruits. Pickling and slicing cucumbers, garlic, "Gold Bar" squash, "Black Beauty" zucchini, and peppers. In peppers we have "Black Hungarian", "Gypsy", "Jalapeno", "Padrone" , and "Fresno Chili". Potatoes and "Rattlesnake" beans round out today selection. Oh, and lots of picked daily Basil!
Remember, we are closed on Mondays!
Please make note of our summer hours.
Tuesday - Friday 10am to 5pm
Saturday - Sunday 10am to 3pm
Closed on Mondays.