Arbutus marina ‘Strawberry Tree’I remember my step-grandmother would add the big smooshy (almost flavorless) berries to her jams when she was short on raspberries or wanted to mass produce jams to give to her vast and uncountable relatives back in Texas. When she passed away I found dozens of jars of arbutus strawberry preserves waiting…

Drought gardening loves Ollas. Ollas are clay vessels which once buried up to their neck and filled with water, release water slowly to surrounding roots. This is ancient alien technology folks! Kidding aside, I have used Ollas in our raised beds at Ploughshares and witnessed how effective they are first hand. Check out this video.

Plant these for late season edible harvest late November and Early December (except Asparagus, that’s a whole different world of biennial fun and perennial gardening, but you have to get started sometime!) Asparagus: Mary Washington Asparagus Beets: bulls blood beets Beets: Chiogga Beets Beets: Golden Detroit Beets Broccoli: Chinese Early Jade Broccoli Broccoli: Green Magic…

Biodegradable rice hull pots for indoor and outdoor use

September Gardening News crafty succulent projects Fall garden tips Agave attenuata, Yellow Lantana, Leptinella, Portularcaria and Monkey Flower Low water needs plants and drought tolerant container gardening can be gorgeous fun when you learn how to choose the right plants for the right container.   Join Ploughshares staff September for a hands on workshop creating your…

Volunteers from Berkeley Hass School of Business will be working on our garden August 18th and 19th. Sorry to say we will be closed these days.

Hand crafted succulent planters in eclectic pots, these are not your mass produced delicate Home Despot bowls, these are home-town!

(LAST BLAST OF BASIL TOO!) Beets: Chiogga Beets Beets: Golden Detroit Beets Beets: Ruby Queen Beets Chard: Orange Fantasia Swiss Chard Chard: Ruby Red Chard Collards: Champion Collards Herb: Chives Herb: Epazote (makes beans taste BUENO!) Herb: Genovese Basil Herb: Greek Oregano Herb: Italian Parsley Herb: Italian Pesto Basil Herb: Kentucky Colonel Mint Herb: Peppermint…

Passiflora edulis ‘Frederic’ is back in stock. This super easy to grow vine offers beautiful little flowers and amazingly delicious fruit. The flavor is out of this world tropical-voyage-to-lost-islands FANTASTIC. Despite the tropical flavor and lush foliage this selection of edible passion flower vine doesn’t give a damn about our cool winters or even a…

Calycanthus occidentalis or ‘Spice Bush’ is native to the west coast from Washington to the Bay Area.Spice Bush is named for the wonderful scent of its leaves which are reminiscent of oak barrels soaked in burgundy.  The bark and branches give off a powerful camphor scent as well.  All things considered this small tree or…

Native to Europe, northern Asia and Northwestern Africa, Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) has a very long history of medicinal use.  The fibers were a common source of material for crafting textiles. Tiny ‘hypodermic needles’ on the leaves (invisible to the eye) inject histamine chemicals which create a stinging sensation.  Live nettle can be very painful…

Seventeenth century astrological botanist Nicholas Culpeper asserted that Valerian was ‘under the influence of Mercury’ and therefore ‘hath a warming faculty’.  Whether you believe in astrological botany or not this wonderful herbaceous plant has been cultivated for thousands of years as a medicine offering a sedative effect against anxiety and insomnia.  Cats dig it too,…

Selenicereus undatus also commonly known as Pitahaya or Dragon Fruit is the most highly cultivated cactus in the world. Like Aloe vera, it has been cultivated so long that the original plant has been lost to history. This is an easy to grow cactus in the East Bay, grow as a houseplant or in a…

August Happenings New Pottery Amazing Succulents small decorative planters and pots orange is a healing color size matters we have a great selection of succulents for these bowls Aeonium Sunburst , put this in your bowl and …. Rock Purslane Flower cause bees ROCK this we have tiny angry cacti tiny pots for tiny angry…

It appears that the Delta variant of Covid is driving up ER visits to the point that hospitals will soon be overwhelmed in the Bay Area. Ploughshares Nursery is part of Alameda Point Collaborative. A.P.C. serves a community of ‘at risk’ people and we want to do everything possible to prevent spread of contagion from…

A dwarf Acacia with charm and debonair. Grows 1′ high and up to 6′ wide with a draping habit which lends itself to hanging over walls and pots in a very attractive way. Requires very little water and grow in full sun or part shade in the East Bay climate. 5 gallon $39.99 You rang?

::Happenings::Drought gardening workshops and helping pollinators. How to succeed with butterfly specific natives. Fritillary Fourth Sale Fritillary 4th of JulySALE All butterfly specific plants 15% off for the 4th of July Weekend Sale Saturday July 3rd and Sunday July 4th.  To celebrate our Fritillary Fourth of July each visitor can take home a free cutting of…