Below are some gardening resources I use. I am not receiving any gifts or payments from any of them in exchange for being listed here. I genuinely find them useful.
Peat-free, organic soil products available in Sonoma County
Seacoast organic and biodynamic compost and potting soil. Available at Cloverdale nursery and these other locations in Northern California. Thank you master gardener Debbie Platt for writing in about this great resource!
If any readers know of other PEAT-FREE, organic garden soil products in Sonoma County, please comment or write in to my contact page to let me know. Thanks!
Some Favorite Sonoma County Nurseries
Check nursery hours first and save yourself the trouble I often have of finding myself at a closed gate on the one day of the week a nursery is closed. 🙂
Also, please consider going peat-free in your garden and in your houseplants, and ask your favorite nurseries and soil product suppliers for peat-free options. More about peat-free gardening here.
Harmony Farm Supply Forestville and Petaluma CA
www.harmonyfarm.com
My favorite nursery of all. Bare root fruit trees in winter, roses, trees, shrubs, perennials, annual flowers, large selection of vegetable seedlings, farm supplies, quality tools, houseplants, irrigation supplies, bulk seeds, fertilizers, water tanks, trellis. An ample selection of useful gardening books as well.
California Flora Nursery 2990 Somers Street • Fulton, CA
https://www.calfloranursery.com/
What’s not to love here? A charming, tucked away nursery dedicated to native and habitat plants. Very helpful staff. The place to look for butterfly garden plants or native trees to withstand the next drought, or that variety of ceanothus you’re looking for, or just some really cool native plants you didn’t know about.
Emerisa Gardens 555 Irwin Lane, Santa Rosa CA
http://www.emerisa.com/
We bought our original lavender plants at Emerisa for our Grosso lavender patch. It’s a great retail and commercial nursery run by a dedicated family. They specialize “in four-inch plants emphasizing hardy and unusual perennials, herbs, certified organic vegetables, ornamental grasses and succulents.” Very helpful staff.
Urban Tree Farm Fulton CA
www.urbantreefarm.com
Huge place with mostly trees and shrubs, some perennials. Sometimes requires help from staff to get plants in a go-cart. Not a quick trip, but essential if you are looking for a hard-to-find tree or a quantity of trees for landscaping. Wear your walking shoes and bring a truck…unless you are one of the rare gardeners who can leave with no more than three perennials.
Kings Nursery Santa Rosa CA
kingsflowernursery.com
A charming nursery with a wide variety of cacti, succulents, roses, citrus, Japanese maples, perennials, shade plants, ceramic pots, vegetables starts. Oh yeah, and houseplants too! Don’t miss the large section in the back. It’s just fun to go there.
Cottage Gardens Petaluma CA
http://www.cottagegardensofpet.com/
Hidden away up a hill off of Petaluma Blvd N, it’s a fun destination with plenty of urban landscaping trees, shrubs, perennials, roses, clematis, and citrus. Carries the strong metal trellises that I like in a variety of sizes. I use them for vegetables like peas and beans and they last for many years.
Occidental Arts and Ecology Center Occidental CA
oaec.org
Great vegetable seedling sales, often with unique selections not available elsewhere. Ecologically-oriented. Inspiring garden tours. Not open to public except during plant sale days. We got our tree collards and yacon at one of their plant sales many years (decades?) ago.
Hidden Forest Nursery and Botanical Reserve (formerly Sonoma Horticultural Society) Sebastopol CA hiddenforestnursery.com
Locals know and love this magical seven and a half acre nursery and appreciate the decades of love and attention poured into it by some truly dedicated gardeners. To save it from being developed, it recently became a nonprofit and botanical reserve. See the story in the About menu on their site. Enjoy the “diverse plantings in multiple habitats, including redwood groves, a pond, a wetland, and a creek.” This is a place worth going to as a destination in itself. You’ll almost need a treasure map to find it. Be respectful and drive slow through the quiet, secluded rural neighborhood to get there. Once at the nursery, give yourself plenty of time to explore the paths, the pond, the little surprise sanctuaries you find along your way. I believe they now ask for a small donation to help support the nonprofit when you visit. Well worth it! A dream garden and nursery.
Cloverdale Nursery 216 S. Cloverdale Blvd. Cloverdale CA
http://www.cloverdalenursery.info/plants#/california-natives
A small but charming nursery with a skillfully chosen selection of plants from natives to succulents, trees to vines, perennials and annuals–along with an interesting gift shop. It’s a good reason to visit Cloverdale (if you don’t already live there). Take it in along with a stop for a great cuppa at Plank Coffee. Get inspired at Bolt fabric & quilting store and then pick up a snack for the road from Dahlia & Sage Community Market. Can you tell I like Cloverdale? 🙂 Update: Debbie Platt, a SoCo Master Gardener related the good news that this nursery also carries peat-free products: Seacoast Compost and Potting Soil. Thanks for this great resource Debbie!!! 🌟
Botany Zhi 311 D Street Santa Rosa
https://www.botanyzhi.com/
If you wish to avoid a houseplant addiction, don’t go here. It’s fabulous. Am I glad I discovered it? Definitely. It’s like being transported into another world.
Annie’s Annuals and Perennials Richmond CA
https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/lists/?list=california-native-plants
Ok, not a SoCo nursery, but they do mail order and have some great California Natives if you can’t find them somewhere closer.
Community Gardening Resources
There are so many terrific gardening resources in Sonoma County. Here are a few of my favorites.
Home Gardener Produce Exchange at the Sebastopol Grange
“The Sebastopol Grange Swaps Abundance. Since 2019 the Grange has hosted a seasonal produce exchange/produce donation where community members share their surplus produce with other home gardeners or donate it to those in need.”
Sonoma County Master Gardeners
What food can you grow right now? Find out here: Year-round Food Gardening
What garden tasks could you be doing now? Food Gardening Tasks and Tips by Month
Seeds–especially heirloom
In recent years, I’ve been trying to use mostly heirloom seeds in the vegetable garden, so that I can save them for the next year, and maybe even have some to share. Here are some favorite seed companies.
Community Seed Exchange Local! Sonoma County
https://www.communityseedexchange.org/
“We are an all-volunteer group of local gardeners and seed savers. We are creating and maintaining a grassroots community seed library that supports Sonoma County gardeners with free, locally grown, open-pollinated, pesticide- and GMO-free seeds!”
Renee’s Garden Felton, CA USA
https://www.reneesgarden.com/
Has many heirloom varieties.
The Theodore Payne Foundation Sun Valley CA USA
https://store.theodorepayne.org/collections/seeds-1
Online store for wildflower seeds and native plants. Excellent resource.
Territorial Seed Co. Oregon USA
https://territorialseed.com/pages/open-pollinated-heirlooms
You can filter by their heirloom seed selection.
Seed Savers Decorah, Iowa USA
https://seedsavers.org/ They also have exceptional educational info on their website on how to save seeds from various vegetables. So helpful!
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Mansfield MO USA
https://www.rareseeds.com/store
Johnny’s Selected Seeds Maine, USA
Their heirloom vegetable selection here.
Favorite Gardening Books
My shelves have been overflowing with gardening books over the years–on organic gardening, permaculture, French Intensive, ponds, rainwater harvesting, pruning, antique roses, wildlife, chickens & ducks, garden sheds, path materials, general landscaping, and various special focus books like on lavender or salvias. There were so many that some had to go during my Marie Kondo clean-out. Here are a handful of my keepers. There may be more recent editions.
The Sunset Western Garden Book
The bible of plants for gardens from Colorado westward all the way to Hawaii. It’s the most often consulted gardening book on my shelf. (Who am I kidding, it’s almost always next to my chair.) Now in 9th edition. If I could only have one garden book, it would be this one. Worth it whether you are a new or seasoned gardener, or whether you are into food gardening or landscaping.
The back of the Western Garden book has a valuable section called “A Practical Guide to Gardening” which covers just about any topic a gardener wants to know about: composting, seeding, propagation, pruning, diseases, pests, tools, water conservation, wildlife, fire-resistant landscape, frost and cold protection…. so much! They also produce Western Garden Problem Solver and a Western Landscaping books.
Rodales Basic Organic Gardening, A Beginners Guide to Starting a Healthy Garden, Deborah Martin
I don’t have this particular edition, but Rodales is an old name in gardening books and this would be a great book for beginning gardeners.
The Compete Gardener, Monty Don
I only discovered the British gardener Monty Don about two years ago while happening upon the show Gardener’s World on BBC. Besides being the main presenter of GW, he’s personally written several excellent books. If you get Britbox through Amazon or Apple TV, you can see it there. Of course, our soils and climate are different here in the western U.S. (and some of us have rampant gophers) but there is much to be learned from him and others on the show. I started pruning my tomatoes in cordons after watching him (to save room in my raised beds). Also, his frequent reference to peat-free soil products and Arit Anderson’s segments on peatlands influenced me to go peat-free in the garden. You can find Mr. Don’s books, as well as Tips and Advice on his website here.
Edible Landscaping, Rosalind Creasy
Ever notice how most gardens are flowers plus landscaping OR a vegetable garden? Why? Vegetables can be pretty. Get inspired.
Golden Gate Gardening, by Pam Peirce
Great resource especially for those gardening in the fog-zone of the California Bay Area. Lots of great info.
Northern California Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide, by Katherine Grace Endicott
Helpful when you are thinking: “What should I be doing now?”
Pruning and Training by Christopher Brickell and David Joyce
This book sits by my reading chair all winter during dormant pruning season for frequent reference.
Gardening Without Work: for the aging, the busy and the indolent, by Ruth Stout ~ Thank you Ruth Stout!
Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture, Rosemary Morrow
I prefer her book to the others I’ve read about permaculture.
Plantopedia–The Definitive Guide to Houseplants by Lauren Camilleri & Sophia Kaplan
At about 400 pages, this is a great reference book for houseplants, and with tantalizing photos.
Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal: A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health, and Vitality by Rosemary Gladstar. She’s written a great many books. I recommend them all. 🙂
The Backyard Beekeeper, by Kim Flottum
Keeping Food Fresh, Claude Aubert
The Beginners Guide to Preserving Food at Home: Easy Instructions for Canning, Freezing, Drying, Brining, and Root Cellaring Your Favorite Fruits, Herbs, and Vegetables by Janet Chadwick
Home Cheese Making, Ricki Carroll
100 Old Roses for the American Garden, Clair G. Martin
The-Compulsive-Gardener–see what’s happening in my garden
