Geesh, time flies! I can’t believe that July 1st rang in the one-year anniversary of us moving to the new homestead. Then, we officially “revealed” our new garden space here almost 4 months ago now, and SO much has changed in that time. Most of our spring crops have come and gone, and the garden is booming and blooming with summer vibes now. So, come along to see what’s new and growing!
This post features an updated garden tour video that shows the current state of the garden, snippets from spring, exciting wildlife developments (like, we have dozens of wild baby California quail here right now!!!), and highlights some of our favorite flowers and veggie varieties.
Other than the video, I’m basically using this post as a photo-dump for all my favorite garden photos from the last few months. It’s a great way for us to journal and document our first growing season in the new garden, and I hope you enjoy looking through them too!
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I had to start with a few of my favorite images first (I mean, we can’t wait until the end of the post for baby quail and sunflowers, now can we?!) and then added the rest of the photos in somewhat chronological order.
Summer garden vibes with onions, tomatoes, pole beans, sunflowers and more.
Peeking through the statice border to a jungle of artichokes, cosmos and sunflowers. The red and yellow “Evening Colors” sunflower is my favorite this year!
The youngest group of baby quail (we have three different age groups right now!), just over a week old here.
The “middles” (middle-aged of three baby quail groups), all ten still trying to huddle under Mama – but getting too big, fast!
We celebrated Aaron’s 40th birthday in June, and got all cleaned up (a rarity!) for the occasion.
Male quail watching over his covey from the fence.
The garden in spring. Our snap peas did wonderful this year!
The lettuce also kicked butt, despite our few extreme temperature swings (we had to bust out the shade cloth AND frost cloth a few times this spring).
A very springy harvest of snap peas, radishes, swiss chard, kohlrabi, and a few blueberries.
First carrots of spring!
We had quite a few Gopher snake friends appear in April-May, and this big fella (or lady) was at least 5 or 6 feet long!
Me, Bear, and our newest fruit tree additions to the orchard: a Santa Rosa plum, Santa Barbara peach, and Double Delight nectarine.
Late spring in the garden. Love those trailing nasturtiums! They faded out pretty quickly though.
Wow, are you still here? Lol! That’s all I have for our summer garden update. Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below, or just pop in to say hello! We appreciate you tuning in today.
Deanna Talerico (aka DeannaCat) is a garden educator and writer with over 15 years experience in organic gardening. She is a retired Senior Environmental Health Specialist, and holds a M.A. in Environmental Studies and B.S. in Sustainability and Natural Resources.
Hi Gulhan, thank you so much for following along and I think the mounding flower you are referring to is Tangerine Gem marigold. Hope that helps and thanks for checking out the video/photo tour!
Haha, thanks for your interest Mariangela! We actually don’t have any plans just yet on paper, but in August at some point, we will be starting a variety of leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, and various other brassicas but all the varieties are still to be determined. We will keep you updated though as we get closer to that time and thanks for following along.
I am blown away by the sheer beauty and productivity of your garden! It’s a dream! 😍 I’m in zone 7B, and we’re in the 100s regularly by July so everything I’ve been growing is dying out. 😩 It’s also very dry. Can you tell me your average spring and summer temps?? Living near a coast, do you get a lot of rain? I have used your blog, newsletter, and media for a lot of inspiration this year. Thank you so much for sharing what you do!
Hi Brandi, thanks for following along and glad to hear you find inspiration in what we do. We are on the Central Coast of California and the climate is pretty temperate. Our average spring/summer temperature lows are in the high 40’s F to low 50’s F and average highs in the low to high 70’s. We get most of our yearly rain over a few months in the winter and our summers can be quite foggy. Depending on what plants are dying out on you, since your weather is quite hot, your summer garden plants should now be mostly tomatoes, squash, eggplant, peppers and other plants that enjoy the sun and heat. You likely can’t grow chard, kale, beets, carrots, or those types of crops right now, but it should be possible during the fall and spring months. Hope that helps and have fun in the garden!
Greetings Aaron and Deanna! What the two of you have accomplished on your property in the past year is miraculous! I’ve been along for the ride, but seeing these photos with everything fully developed just blows my mind.🤯. I count myself fortunate to have come across your blog a few years ago and look forward to what the future holds. Best regards!
Your garden is such an inspiration! We live up in Chico so it’s much hotter here. Our garden right now is dominated with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. We also have the zucchini, cucumbers, potatoes, and watermelon. We are having to put some shade netting to protect the tomatoes from sun-scald.
My question is, with the flowers, such as zinnias, marigolds, bachelors button etc…do you direct seed? Which veggies do you start seeds indoors?
Hi Tricia, I grew up in Chico and that is where Deanna and I met so we are very familiar with the summertime heat! We start most of our veggies and flowers indoors on a heat mat and grow them under lights until we harden them off and transplant into our garden. Beans, peas, root veggies including radishes, beets, carrots all are direct sown outside in the raised beds. In Chico, it is likely too hot for most tender seedlings right now so if you want to add something into the garden mid summer, it is best to start them indoors and transplant them out once they are a more established plant. Check out our article: Start Seeds Indoors or Direct Sow (Plant) Seeds Outdoors? for more in depth information on the process. Hope that helps and have fun growing!
WOW!!! Amazing!!! Thanks for the photo dump! Will watch the tour later today when it’s too hot to be out in our own garden! Those zinnias are awesome!!!
You guys are such an inspiration! Love everything you guys educate us on, it’s really taught me and my partner so much. Your Instagram and website has shown us how to improve our existing garden, and livestock ( while listening to stickfigure 🥰). I can always reference to your work. Much appreciation from Ohio!
Wow, the photos were simply gorgeous! It gave me such pleasure seeing your stunning garden and wildlife (and the both of you and your kitties!). Thank you so much for the inspiration and enjoyment.
So so so beautiful! (I had pretty much seen everything in your Instagram stories already, but it’s just so nice to look at, I scrolled through the entire tour again, haha!) 🌻 I would really love to know how many hours of work you put into gardening each week 🙂
Happy gardening and lots of love
Maisy
Hello Maisy, thank you so much for following along on IG and for watching the tour. We actually spend a lot more time enjoying, looking at, and harvesting the garden than we do actually working in it. Maybe a few hours a week? We will occasionally deadhead the spend flower blooms if we feel like it, however, most of the “work” is optional, and doesn’t necessarily “need” to be done. Once all the plants are in the beds, they do pretty well on their own as long as they are getting watered (which we have automated). It actually takes more time or work getting ready for our spring/summer and fall/winter seasons or plantings with starting/raising seedlings, amending the raised beds, re-applying mulch to the top of the beds etc. So in all, most of the work is done in between seasons and once we have everything planted out, most of the “work” is already done. Hope that helps and thanks again for following along!
I love your garden. I saw some rows of water lines but didn’t see how you watered your flower beds and barrels etc.. Could you show how you set up your watering system?
32 Comments
Gulhan
I love following your garden in IG! I learn so much. Everything looks gorgeous. 😍
What is that orange mounding flower? I have been trying to catch a close up in your stories for months but still couldn’t identify it 😅
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Gulhan, thank you so much for following along and I think the mounding flower you are referring to is Tangerine Gem marigold. Hope that helps and thanks for checking out the video/photo tour!
Mariangela
Loved all the photos and inspiration! Wondering what seedlings you are starting for your fall? Can we get a sneak peak at your plans??
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Haha, thanks for your interest Mariangela! We actually don’t have any plans just yet on paper, but in August at some point, we will be starting a variety of leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, and various other brassicas but all the varieties are still to be determined. We will keep you updated though as we get closer to that time and thanks for following along.
Brandi
I am blown away by the sheer beauty and productivity of your garden! It’s a dream! 😍 I’m in zone 7B, and we’re in the 100s regularly by July so everything I’ve been growing is dying out. 😩 It’s also very dry. Can you tell me your average spring and summer temps?? Living near a coast, do you get a lot of rain? I have used your blog, newsletter, and media for a lot of inspiration this year. Thank you so much for sharing what you do!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Brandi, thanks for following along and glad to hear you find inspiration in what we do. We are on the Central Coast of California and the climate is pretty temperate. Our average spring/summer temperature lows are in the high 40’s F to low 50’s F and average highs in the low to high 70’s. We get most of our yearly rain over a few months in the winter and our summers can be quite foggy. Depending on what plants are dying out on you, since your weather is quite hot, your summer garden plants should now be mostly tomatoes, squash, eggplant, peppers and other plants that enjoy the sun and heat. You likely can’t grow chard, kale, beets, carrots, or those types of crops right now, but it should be possible during the fall and spring months. Hope that helps and have fun in the garden!
Gina
Greetings Aaron and Deanna! What the two of you have accomplished on your property in the past year is miraculous! I’ve been along for the ride, but seeing these photos with everything fully developed just blows my mind.🤯. I count myself fortunate to have come across your blog a few years ago and look forward to what the future holds. Best regards!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much for the kind words Gina and for following along through the years, we very much appreciate your support!
Robbie Ridenour
How do you keep the weeds down. It looks so pristine.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Robbie, check out our articles on How to Kill or Remove Grass (& Grow Food Not Lawns!) and our Homestead Update: Starting the New Garden where you can see the process we go about to create a garden space. Hope that helps and good luck!
Tricia Berkow
Your garden is such an inspiration! We live up in Chico so it’s much hotter here. Our garden right now is dominated with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. We also have the zucchini, cucumbers, potatoes, and watermelon. We are having to put some shade netting to protect the tomatoes from sun-scald.
My question is, with the flowers, such as zinnias, marigolds, bachelors button etc…do you direct seed? Which veggies do you start seeds indoors?
Thanks again! Love your videos and blogs!
Tricia
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Tricia, I grew up in Chico and that is where Deanna and I met so we are very familiar with the summertime heat! We start most of our veggies and flowers indoors on a heat mat and grow them under lights until we harden them off and transplant into our garden. Beans, peas, root veggies including radishes, beets, carrots all are direct sown outside in the raised beds. In Chico, it is likely too hot for most tender seedlings right now so if you want to add something into the garden mid summer, it is best to start them indoors and transplant them out once they are a more established plant. Check out our article: Start Seeds Indoors or Direct Sow (Plant) Seeds Outdoors? for more in depth information on the process. Hope that helps and have fun growing!
Anna
WOW!!! Amazing!!! Thanks for the photo dump! Will watch the tour later today when it’s too hot to be out in our own garden! Those zinnias are awesome!!!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much Anna and we are loving some of the zinnia varieties! Good luck in the heat and enjoy the outdoors when you can.
Haley
You guys are such an inspiration! Love everything you guys educate us on, it’s really taught me and my partner so much. Your Instagram and website has shown us how to improve our existing garden, and livestock ( while listening to stickfigure 🥰). I can always reference to your work. Much appreciation from Ohio!
DeannaCat
Thank you so much, and thanks for the reminder to turn on my Sunday tunes… it’s too quiet in here! 😉
Mindy
Wow, the photos were simply gorgeous! It gave me such pleasure seeing your stunning garden and wildlife (and the both of you and your kitties!). Thank you so much for the inspiration and enjoyment.
DeannaCat
Hey Mindy! Thank you so much for wandering the garden with us. Have a beautiful week ahead.
Maisy
So so so beautiful! (I had pretty much seen everything in your Instagram stories already, but it’s just so nice to look at, I scrolled through the entire tour again, haha!) 🌻 I would really love to know how many hours of work you put into gardening each week 🙂
Happy gardening and lots of love
Maisy
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hello Maisy, thank you so much for following along on IG and for watching the tour. We actually spend a lot more time enjoying, looking at, and harvesting the garden than we do actually working in it. Maybe a few hours a week? We will occasionally deadhead the spend flower blooms if we feel like it, however, most of the “work” is optional, and doesn’t necessarily “need” to be done. Once all the plants are in the beds, they do pretty well on their own as long as they are getting watered (which we have automated). It actually takes more time or work getting ready for our spring/summer and fall/winter seasons or plantings with starting/raising seedlings, amending the raised beds, re-applying mulch to the top of the beds etc. So in all, most of the work is done in between seasons and once we have everything planted out, most of the “work” is already done. Hope that helps and thanks again for following along!
Maryann
I love your garden. I saw some rows of water lines but didn’t see how you watered your flower beds and barrels etc.. Could you show how you set up your watering system?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Maryann, we have a few in depth articles on our various irrigation systems we have set up, one is about How to Install Drip Irrigation in Raised Garden Beds (Drip Tape) and another is on How to Set Up Drip Irrigation for Pots, Wine Barrels, Containers. Hope that helps and thanks for following along.