The Old Folks Home

[RedwoodCoastChick]

When we lived up North, we would go to there to escape the heat. We went to the Ferndale car show quite a bit back then.

"Victorian" Ferndale is so quaint and pretty! And they have quite an ambitious community theater that tackles big musicals like "Sweeney Todd". Best of all, the county fairground is there - LOVE our old-fashioned, livestock-oriented county fair! Big on local arts & crafts, baking & canning, agriculture in general. And a nice local history museum with focus on the area's dairy history, the "Buttercream Palaces" (fancy Victorians) built with profits from supplying butter to San Francisco, Gold Rush towns, etc. back in the day. Still lots of dairy operations there, lovely Jersey cows out on that emerald green grass.

 

[RedwoodCoastChick]

Any of the kids that stop by can pack up food and take it home. We have neighbors we also supply with eggs that have helped us with things we couldn't do alone.

And that is exactly what REAL community looks like! So happy for you! We need more of that, everywhere.

 

[RedwoodCoastChick]

Those big hornworms grow really well here we found out.

And chickens love eating them! My Mom said one of her favorite childhood chores was picking hornworms off their tomato plants and tossing them to the chickens, watching them squabble over and run off with the fat green pests.

Hornworms were a big problem when I lived in SoCal but I haven't seen a single one up here on the damp, cool north coast. (Instead I'm battling fungus and whiteflies, bleah.) None of my best-growing tomato varieties from down there are happy at all here, especially outdoors; I'm having to learn from other local gardeners, nursery people and the botanical garden staff what tomatoes can actually ripen AND taste good here. So far, Sungold and Chocolate Sprinkles cherry types, Dark Star and Stupice slicers. Haven't tried the classic canning varieties yet though I see lots of starts for them in the nurseries.

Good time of year to research and plan next year's gardens while hunkered down indoors, warm & cozy while winter starts doing its thing!

 

[ronott1]

And chickens love eating them! My Mom said one of her favorite childhood chores was picking hornworms off their tomato plants and tossing them to the chickens, watching them squabble over and run off with the fat green pests.

Hornworms were a big problem when I lived in SoCal but I haven't seen a single one up here on the damp, cool north coast. (Instead I'm battling fungus and whiteflies, bleah.) None of my best-growing tomato varieties from down there are happy at all here, especially outdoors; I'm having to learn from other local gardeners, nursery people and the botanical garden staff what tomatoes can actually ripen AND taste good here. So far, Sungold and Chocolate Sprinkles cherry types, Dark Star and Stupice slicers. Haven't tried the classic canning varieties yet though I see lots of starts for them in the nurseries.

Good time of year to research and plan next year's gardens while hunkered down indoors, warm & cozy while winter starts doing its thing!

I hope you find some garden plants that work!

 

[ronott1]

"Victorian" Ferndale is so quaint and pretty! And they have quite an ambitious community theater that tackles big musicals like "Sweeney Todd". Best of all, the county fairground is there - LOVE our old-fashioned, livestock-oriented county fair! Big on local arts & crafts, baking & canning, agriculture in general. And a nice local history museum with focus on the area's dairy history, the "Buttercream Palaces" (fancy Victorians) built with profits from supplying butter to San Francisco, Gold Rush towns, etc. back in the day. Still lots of dairy operations there, lovely Jersey cows out on that emerald green grass.

Ferndale is beautiful!

Is the Cheese factory(place where they culture cheese, not the restaurant) still there?

 

[LaurenRitz]

1) Fix the mower
2) Downspouts/water catchment
3) Woodchips

 

[CapricornFarm]

Welcome to the thread.

1) Fix the mower
2) Downspouts/water catchment
3) Woodchips

 

[pertnear09]

Ferndale is beautiful!

Is the Cheese factory(place where they culture cheese, not the restaurant) still there?

Isn't Ferndale the place where Mary Hartman Mary Hartman lived?

 

[getaclue]

Welcome to the thread, LaurenRitz.

 

[bruceha2000]

I like living where we are because of the great Old Folks we are surrounded by.