Posts under ‘Oakland’

After all the drama with hauling and drilling and casters and dirt, it was time for what is, every time, the least dramatic, easiest part of the process.
The tomatoes. I planted them.

With four seedlings, it seemed reasonable to put two in each wine barrel, but that left room for other things. I still had some [...]

I will admit that though I completely expected to have to drill holes in the wine barrels, the thought of installing casters is not one that particularly occurred to me in the initial planning stages of the whole patio garden deal.
But as I stood on the BART platform in San Francisco one night with my [...]

I have rebelled against the issue of putting drainage material in the bottom of containers since I started gardening in Iowa. From day one of this adventure, I took one look at the bags of pea gravel and thought, Haul a bunch of rocks home from the store just to line the bottom of some [...]

Every year, it arrives before I know it. My Mom celebrates her birthday on May 4, usually Mother’s Day comes a few days or even a week after that, and somewhere right in the middle, my blog celebrates another anniversary.
Today, this blog turns four. And I’m not going to lie to you…it makes me choke [...]

One of the last gardens my friend Michelle and I visited on last weekend’s Bay-Friendly Garden Tour was one of my very favorites. You, good readers, know my preference for all things edible, so this shall come as no surprise: It was a kitchen garden, but one designed, beautifully, by Leslie Bennett and Garden Fare [...]

I must admit that I really did not roll in a particularly punk rock fashion on Official Garden Tour Day. I might as well just be upfront and honest about that. I forewent the combat boots for perfectly Berkeley-esque sandals, and left the bourbon at home.
I had a beer at lunch, though, people. Don’t think [...]

There is no question that I should, by now, have dirt in my wine barrels. I should have them fully prepped, and I should be ready for Pilar’s seedlings to show up, since she swears they’re almost big enough to send home with me. In fact, I should probably already be growing lettuce. Or herbs. [...]

This is just a taste from today’s Bay-Friendly Gardens tour. More to come!
Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in Green Thumb Sunday every week. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

My weekends usually involve fun in at least six variations. I cannot help myself with the overscheduling and the racing from one Thing That I Like To Do to another to another and, well, it’s all very exhausting. Often these activities are the kind that leave my more staid and settled [...]

Remember those wine half-barrels I picked up in February? I happen to know that my source has them available again at the low, low price of $20 per half-barrel and $40 per full barrel. Interested? Send me an email to genie <at> theinadvertentgardener <dot> com and I’ll pass along your information to the barrel dealer.