Archives | Curbstone Valley

Inside the Hives After the Swarm

by Clare | Apr 24, 2012 | Farm Blog, Honeybees

Last week two of the hives in our apiary swarmed. The Lavender colony swarmed on Sunday afternoon, followed 24 hours later by the Salvia colony. Both hives had been split this spring prior to the swarms, Lavender was split as recently as two weeks ago, but after...

April Garden Update: Native Garden

by Clare | Apr 20, 2012 | Farm Blog, Flora and Fauna, Native Plants, Natives

Walking through the garden, it’s clear that April is when Spring really arrives here. I can’t allow California Native Plant Week to slip by without a brief look at the native plants in our gardens this week. There are of course the usual suspects, like...

Can You Hear That Buzzing Sound?

by Clare | Apr 16, 2012 | Farm Blog, Honeybees

I said that twice this weekend. Saturday morning we started working on the new native garden in front of the house. A little after noon, as we were struggling to wrestle the fountain rock into position, I suddenly heard a distinctly loud buzzing sound. Then I...

Beyond the Sink Hole: A New Garden Plan

by Clare | Apr 13, 2012 | Farm Blog, Garden

Last October the area immediately in front of the house was excavated to repair a rapidly widening sink hole. There used to be a large deck on the front of the house, which was in violation of county building codes, because the original builder constructed it directly...

Orb Weaver Spiderlings

by Clare | Apr 9, 2012 | Beneficial Insects, Farm Blog, Garden

As life returns to the gardens this spring, it’s not just the plants that are stirring. At a turn in our driveway there is a large volcanic rock, no doubt put there by the previous owners, to prevent vehicles from cutting the corner. Typical of lava rock,...