Heritage Farm Florals

09/23/2026

What would you store up?

09/21/2026

Sounds like a great event!

Onion Pro-Tip: How NOT to grow onion bulbs in this area. Onions can be grown from seed, transplants and sets. Sets are the small bags of small, immature onion bulbs commonly available at stores this time of year. Sets are NOT a good way to grow onion bulbs in this area. They are usually the wrong kind of onion for this region and often bolt and go to seed before they form bulbs. The are often “long day-length onions” and need 14-16 hours of daylight before they begin to form bulbs, and since we’re not quite far enough north to get those long daylight hours in the summer, the onions often fail to form suitable sized bulbs before bolting. They ARE a good method for growing a crop of green onions and they are also big enough for young children to plant as an introduction to gardening. But they can be disappointing as a method of growing a nice onion bulb for the kitchen. For this region, we suggest sticking with “intermediate day-length” seed or transplants, available in season at local nurseries or through the mail.

If you’d like to learn more, come to our Awesome Allium Day on Saturday, October 24, from 9:30-12:30 at the Loomis Demo Garden, 6050 Library Drive. We’ll be giving table talks on growing onions, garlic and other alliums. Plus we have a workshop on braiding garlic. This is the place where you can learn the best methods for peeling garlic as well. We’ll have a presentation on ornamental onions (they’re gorgeous AND deer resistant!). We’ll have a plant station to show you how to grow your own onions and we have free give-aways of Egyptian Walking Onions, while they last. There will also be craft tables where you can make herbal wreathes (while supplies last) and other crafts. Who knew onions and garlic could be this fun! See you there!



Photo credit: L. Meyerpeter. Giant onion held in hand with a wrist watch.

08/04/2026

Compost Tea Workshop: Using off-the-shelf organic ingredients. The only fertilizer or pest control we use.

08/03/2026

Had to make some statement pieces for an upcoming wedding, for the altar area. The previous week, I helped another designer for an outdoor wedding and learned from that experience. The tall arrangements blew over in the wind. OUCH!

Jim built me some low/wide bases with clamps to attach piping. He added handholds on the side to help move them. The center pipe had wire wrapped around it to hold the flowers.

04/16/2026

What IF Pests & plant diseases are Nature's way of dealing with sick plants, to get rid of them?

The quest becomes how do we increase the health of our plants?

Turns out healthy plants aren't attractive to pests; they can't use them for food. The higher nutrient density in healthy plants is indigestible to pests, so they move on.

I have mentioned before that we are a "proof of concept" farm. We are taking a different framework in agriculture and seeing what that means. You can find lots of theories online, but how do you back them up? Is there any "proof in the pudding"?

Basically, we are trialing a developing approach to agriculture, here on our small farm called "regenerative agriculture". And asking, does it really make any difference?

Does it change the pest & disease pressures that other local farms and gardens experience? Do the quality of the products grown on the farm using the Regen Ag approach (fruits, vegetables, blooms) show any identifiable difference?

WHAT IS THE PROCESS?

While we have always used organic principles in our landscaping and home food gardens, we took a deeper dive into the problems of industrial agriculture. Organic farming essentially says, "No artificial chemical pest controls".

Level 1: No artificial chemical pest control equals Organic. Eliminate the toxic chemical load poured onto crops that our animals or we eat. This led to the next step.

Level 2: If we strip nutrients/minerals and send them off-farm, we eventually exhaust the soil. We need to replenish the soil. Sustainable Farming.

Level 3: Regenerative Agriculture looks to the principles nature has developed over the last million years. Instead of fighting nature (pests/disease), look at how nature works the system for positive outcomes.

Research conducted over the last 20-30 years has begun to filter into the educational system, giving us better tools for agriculture. With the advent of Blogs, YouTube, podcasts, and webinars, we no longer have to wait for a book to be published to get the information.

Unlike historical studies in agriculture, most traditional research at the university level has been funded by agri-corporations since the 1980's.

We are now able to step outside the corporate model whose underlying interests are more along the line of 'how do I create products I can use to make more money'. A product that can be patented.

Instead, identify the principles that nature demonstrates.

Luckily, today's new scientific technologies allow researchers to conduct in-depth studies at the microcellular level, which we've never been able to do before. In essence, giving them the ability to validate nature's processes.

If you want to learn more, check out HeritageFarmFlorals.com, where I explore how to create healthy plants.

John Kempf podcasts: AEA brings in many different researchers & farmers who are implementing sustainable ag principles.

An excellent overview: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/podcast-extra-market-differentiation-through-regenerative-agriculture-john-kempf-keynote/
https://advancingecoag.com/podcasts/

Jennie Love is a Regenerative Ag Flower Farmer who has brought in excellent speakers on her podcast: No-Till Flowers
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/regenerative-flower-farming-with-jennie-love-a/id1545850888?i=1000684925080

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-no-till-flowers-podcast/id1545850888

04/15/2026

Gopher protected bed; an 80’ long basket to protect my dahlias and other plants.

We do have 10 rolls left for purchasing. 6’ wide, 1/2”by 1/2” grids; life span 25 YEARS!
$4/linear foot
Cotati, CA