Happy New Gardening Year!
2026 marks our 37th year in business. My, how time flies! We are looking forward to continuing to be your organic plant supplier and we thank you for your patronage.
With all this warm weather we have been having it hasn’t felt much like winter. Some plants are confused and think it is spring already. Anything can happen with two more months of winter still ahead. What we most need is rain. Even if you don’t have anything currently planted in your garden or landscape beds, put a soaker hose out to provide much needed moisture so when you do plant they will have a better chance of surviving.
This is an excellent time to plant/re-plant these “cool weather” crops: asparagus, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kales, lettuce, mustard greens, spinach and Swiss chard. The cool season veggies provide the most diverse and largest selection to grow. Take advantage of growing some before warm weather arrives and everyone’s attention turns to peppers and tomatoes. And yes, here at Gabriel Valley Farms we are already starting to plant some.
The featured plant for this month is Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima). This large, woody shrub tolerates full to mostly full sun, average to low moisture. The numerous white, fragrant flowers are an excellent nectar source for bees and the red berries that follow are favored by birds. Many authorities claim the plant is invasive, but I have one that has been planted for well over 5 years and it has stayed put. A real harbinger of spring and a delight to see when other perennials are still asleep.
