Baby fuyu persimmon. One of the places we will visit on the Biodynamic tours of our ranch on Saturday, June 23, is the orchard our son Jesse planted. Monocropping is a sure way to bring sterility to a ranch; allowing a diversity of native plants to flourish and raising a variety of crops offers food… Read more »
One or two calyxes are open on the flower heads, signally it is time to harvest for the dried lavender (so it will not “shatter” in a bouquet.) This morning two events! The lavender harvest for the lavender we dry has begun, 6:00 am. This year the dried lot number will be Natalie… Read more »
Preparing for the Open House One of the reasons we have our Open House each year at Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields is to tell you how we apply Biodynamic farming principles on our ranch. We love to explain how we plant a diversity of plants, what we have learned that has worked, and what… Read more »
A native bumble bee visits the lavender this morning. The bees tell us when the lavender is ready to be harvested, and they are beginning to speak! They notice when the first calyxes open and pollen is available. This is the time that we harvest the lavender to be dried as it will not “shatter”… Read more »
Join the Discussion: Holistic Health Talk Radio for Women, Wed., June 13, 9:30 am., Tomorrow morning I will be a guest on Holistic Health Talk Radio for Women at 9:30 am PDT/12:30 pm EDT, the topic: The Spirituality of Biodynamic Farming. The link has call in instructions. Please consider joining the discussion! View Our… Read more »
Tomorrow morning I will be a guest on Holistic Health Talk Radio for Women at 9:30 am PDT/12:30 pm EDT, the topic: The Spirituality of Biodynamic Farming. The link has call in instructions. Please consider joining the discussion! View Our Lavender Products
Honey bees are drawn to the Buckeye , which is just finishing its bloom, and yet, the pollen is toxic to the bee. The bees take the pollen back to the hive and feed it to the developing bees. The result is wingless bees: if too many are wingless, they cannot forage, and the hive… Read more »
Mistakes: Butterfly Capers
If you look closely, you can see several monarchs in this butterfly bush in our garden. Butterfly bushes are touted as good plants to draw pollinators, but there are better, more balanced alternatives. I am not sure you would call it a big mistake, but upon attending the Geography of Hope seminar at the native… Read more »
Mr. Quail. The Mrs. is in front of him, her head obscured by the blurry grape leaf. The goats heard the alarm cry this morning before I did: Te-te-te-te! Te-te-te-te! They stopped, and a quail couple trotted through the fence and into the vineyard. We won’t hurt you, I said softly, but nevertheless, they ran into… Read more »
Last year when the wild turkey was brooding eggs by the lavender labyrinth, Ramon told us not to even think of the turkey when the dogs were around. He said they would see our thoughts and go after her. She lived to hatch and raise a rafter of turkeys and she is at it again this… Read more »
© 2026 Patricia Damery.
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