Plant Resources for Solano County
Solano County Local Nurseries
A special note on Coronavirus (COVID-19): Many nurseries have changed the way they operate in response to health guidelines. Where applicable, we have provided information on how these local outlets are conducting business — but check with them for updates.
Biota Gardens Nursery at Harmony Organics (Benicia) – Harmony Organics will serve as a distribution site for Biota’s plants. This partner blog offers more information.
El Rancho Nursery (Vacaville) – The largest family-owned and operated nursery in Solano County growing a wide array of plants available for delivery.
Grow a Pear Nursery (Vallejo) – A pop-up nursery from the owners of Dog Island Farm open on select days and by appointment.
Ongoing plant sales. Now offering online gardening courses. More here.
Lemuria Nursery (Dixon) – The largest wholesale grower of plants in Solano County, open to the public. Nursery owners and operators since 1939. Fruit tree availability here.
Remains open 8 am-4 pm Monday-Saturday. Check on plant availability.
Loma Vista Farm (Vallejo) – This education-based farm sells plants that do well locally, including many natives, perrenials and herbs. Sales support the farm’s educational programs.
No plant sales at this time. More here.
Mid City Nursery (American Canyon) – A great source for gardening and plant information in Napa County and Solano County.
Open with temporary adjustments to hours and days of operation. More here.
Morningsun Herb Farm (Vacaville) – Offering a wide variety of Herb and Perennial Plants for sale online AND at the nursery.
Remains open with some important social distancing rules in place. Senior hours from 7-9 am Wednesdays (those 55 and over also get a 10% discount on Wednesdays). More here.
Sweet Pea’s Nursery and Pet Boutique (Vacaville) – Organic succulent nursery with organic soil, flowers, herbs, vegetables and seeds. Also carries local farm products and a pet boutique carrying pet foods, bathing products & supplies.
Information Resources
Sustainable Solano Seed Plot Definition
The design concept of the Solano Sustainable Landscaping Initiative is based on a standard model plot of a permaculture food forest called “Seed Plot”. We hired a professional permaculture designer to develop a model plot based on plants that thrive in the Bay Area, native or well-adapted to Mediterranean climate (resulting in moderate water use), high-yield and multiple functions of each plant to ensure creation of a vigorous healthy ecosystem providing food, supporting natural habitat and building up soil. [Click here for full description of Seed Plot ]
Vegetable Gardening
Watch these video tutorials on planting your spring fruits and vegetables!
Find guidance on what to plant and when in your annual vegetable garden here.
Master Gardener
The Master Gardener Volunteer program is a great place for sourcing and learning about plants.
Seasonal Planting & No-Till Gardening Resources
Watch the video on the right with Rachel Brinkerhoff of Dog Island Farm and Grow a Pear Nursery and find Rachel’s additional resources here!
Container Gardening
Click on the links below for PDF documents on each topic.
Big Gardens in Small Spaces: The Adventure of Container Gardening Presentation
Pests and Problems:
Suggested Reference Books and Sites
*Resources provided by Lori Caldwell of CompostGal
Sustainable Practices for Waterwise Gardening
Click on the links below for PDFs on each topic:
- Irrigation schedule for dry season
- Rainwater harvesting calculations
- Soil amendment chart
- Sheet mulching how-to
- Succulent care sheet
- Native plant handout
- Suggested reference books and sites
*Resources provided by Lori Caldwell of CompostGal
Regrow Your Vegetable Scraps, Save Your Seeds and Other Resources
View this document to learn:
- Easy vegetables and herbs to regrow
- How to make vegetable stock
- How to save tomato, citrus and strawberry seeds
- Making a newspaper pot
Download a seed packet template
Watch this video on making a newspaper pot
*Resources provided by Mallory Traughber of Living Classroom
Fruit Tree Planting and Pruning Resources
Click on the links below for PDF documents and other resources on each topic.
- Backyard Orchard Culture
- Selecting Varieties and Rootstocks
- Fruit and Nut Harvest Chart
- Planting and Pruning Tips
- Examples of High-Density Planting
- Fruit Tree Pruning Presentation
- Backyard Fruit Tree Basics video
- Where to find Dave Wilson fruit trees in Northern California
- Blog on backyard orchard trees and new varieties for 2021
*Resources provided by Kristina Fink of Lemuria Nursery
Permaculture Yard Conversion Resources
Click on the links below.
- Fifth floor balcony apartment tour: Balcony Permaculture – YouTube
Ollas
- Make your own: Make Your Own Ollas | The Suburban Farm (suburbanfarmonline.com)
- Wine bottle ollas: Some Particulars on the Wine Bottle Ollas | The Jones Garden Blog
Bokashi
- A brief overview: Bokashi Composting – Step by Step Guide for a Simple Kitchen Compost (the-compost-gardener.com)
- More in-depth introduction: Bokashi Composting Beginner’s Guide – YouTube
- Ways to use bokashi: What to do with your bokashi pre-compost. (bokashiliving.com)
- Make a bucket: How to Make an Inexpensive Bokashi Bucket (thespruce.com)
Seed/Plant Sources
- Quail Seeds: QUAIL SEEDS – Home
- Native Seeds Search: native seeds search – Native-Seeds-Search
- Strictly Medicinal Seeds: Strictly Medicinal Seeds | Organic growers of medicinal herb seeds, medicinal herb plants, organic vegetable seeds and organic garden seeds
- Adaptive Seeds: Adaptive Seeds – Diverse, Open-pollinated, and Organic Seed
- Grand Prismatic Seeds: Grand Prismatic Seed — Secure
- Annie’s Annuals: Annie’s Annuals and Perennials – Retail and Online Nursery, Buy Plants and Flowers
*Resources provided by Elizabeth Crachiolo
Gardening 101
Click on the links below for PDFs on each topic:
- Gardening 101 Presentation
- Basic Gardening Terms
- Integrated Pest Management & Beneficial Insects
- 10 Most Wanted Bugs in Your Garden
- Suggested reference books and sites
*Resources provided by Lori Caldwell of CompostGal
Videos
Permaculture Talk with John Valenzuela
Hear permaculture expert John Valenzuela’s talk on permaculture, from it’s history to how it works in today’s garden from our Virtual Demonstration Food Forest Tour and Talk.
A Forest Garden
Learn more about the approach of a food forest garden in this short film from Thomas Regnault highlighting agroforestry expert Martin Crawford’s work to transform a field into a forest garden. The film is part of National Geographic’s Short Film Showcase and shared with permission of the filmmaker.
Elements of a Food Forest Garden
Learn what goes into creating a food forest garden in this series of short informative videos covering Design, Swale & Berm, Healthy Soil & Sheet Mulching, Planting Fruit Trees, Food Forest Layers, and Irrigation. You can watch the full series below or find individual videos here.
Vegetable Gardening
Watch these video tutorials on planting your spring fruits and vegetables!
Seasonal Planting for Raised Beds & Benefits of No-Till Gardening
Learn how to get the most out of your raised beds and build healthy soil in this talk from Rachel Brinkerhoff of Dog Island Farm and Grow a Pear Nursery.
Container Gardening
Join Lori Caldwell of CompostGal as she covers the basics of container gardening in this talk.
Perennial Edible Gardening
CompostGal’s Lori Caldwell walks us through how to grow perennial fruits and vegetables in your home garden.
Regrow Your Vegetable Scraps, Save Your Seeds and Other Resources
Join Mallory Traughber of Living Classroom as she talks about ways to reuse your kitchen scraps to grow in the garden.
Permaculture Yard Conversion
Permaculture Designer Elizabeth Crachiolo discusses how she used the skills from her Permaculture Design Certificate course work at her home.
Winter Fruit Tree Care
Lemuria Nursery’s Kristina Fink covers winter care for deciduous fruit trees from bare-root planting to pruning.
Kids in the Garden
Cali Ground Troops’ John Davenport gives this interactive workshop on how to get kids outdoors and into the garden! Learn about craft and scavenger hunt ideas that are sure to create learning opportunities for all. Find the materials needed here!
Gardening 101
Join Lori Caldwell of CompostGal for this talk on how to get started in the garden!