Maison de Rêve and the Temecula Valley Gardener

06/12/2016

Operation fresh dried herbs and potpourri....maiden voyage. Once my citrus trees start cranking I think this little puppy will save a lot of waste. Plus grapes will be ready to harvest any day so I need to get comfy for my upcoming raisin marathon.

06/04/2016

Remember to BREATHE.....and lots of extra watering this next couple
Of days.

05/14/2016

Bye Monsanto! Spring has sprung at the Cass Family Farm. Our chicks spent their first night outside.....our Organic seeds we planted weeks ago have started to emerge. So many of our beautiful bulbs from years past are just waiting to burst. This Hollyhock is going going to pop any moment! The suspense is killing me. This little gem re-Seeds every spring. My grandfather used to call me HollyHock so when I planted these seeds 6 years ago I said a sweet prayer to him. 🙏🏻.

*****Be responsible and vote with your purchase of NON GMO seeds.

04/26/2016

Marley helping getting our spring veggies in just in time! We received over 150 varieties of delicious non-GMO seeds. So today we refreshed our depleted soil and planted. Can't wait to watch them grow. She loves to help with her own little wheel barrow.

What have you planted so far?

04/17/2016

Say hello to our new chicken babies below. We ended up with Barred Rock and White Plymouth Rocks. The Barreds are the black and white ones. I'm very excited because in the past we have had mostly Rhode Island reds. I found them to be mean , great layers but they loved to peck their own eggs. Both of these breeds are known for being docile and friendly as well as good layers. The chicken coop rehab turned out adorable as well. We planted some non toxic vines around it to help shade the chickens once they move in on hot days. I'll post photos once they take off.

I would love to see pictures of your chickens!! They are so much fun Little ones really enjoy feeding them and collecting eggs daily. Happy Sunday Ya'all. 🐔

04/16/2016

Super excited! Today is the day.......we are repairing and painting our chicken coop and renewing our flock. I get 8 new chicks today. My husband is thrilled I'm sure but as every smart husband knows "if Mommas happy, everyone's happy!"

We are pulling all the good out litter out to amend the garden. 3 yards of soil come Monday to add to our depleted garden beds. Our chickens and garden work in unison. Our chickens help keep our bugs at bay by cleaning it out for us every round. We cut them loose in the garden to eat their version of popcorn every season.

Then once every year we pull all the goodies out of the coop and transfer it into the garden We practice a type of coop cleaning system called THE DEEP LITTER METHOD. With the deep litter method you just keep adding a bit of pine shavings weekly . Most people would assume the coop smells. Nope! And it's so much easier for us busy homesteaders. So the layers actually over time begin to create their own healthy microbes. The good bacteria eats the bad bacteria. This also helps keep lice and mites out of your coop. Think of it as a healthy little Eco system. Then once a year we pull it out and into the garden beds it goes where we let it compost a little longer before planting.

It's important to leave a couple inches in the bottom of the coop of the old stuff. This will help the new batch start brewing. This method is awesome, easy and just plain healthy for our chicken babies. So off to my little homestead I go!

07/06/2015

Sorry guys. I have been on a pregnancy hiatus. Only a couple more weeks to go and then my gardening benders will continue!! Oh how I LONG for a cold glass of Chardonnay and my garden! For now I can't tie my own shoes. Hehe. Some of you have messaged me specific questions. Please continue to do this!!! It helps me tick the time away. Cheers to all your gardening endeavors.

03/20/2015

OH it was a glorious day here at The Cass Family Farm....Or as we elequently call it here our Maison De Reve (Dream Home) . I love this because it means so many differnt things to every person. For...

03/17/2015

It's that time of the year again! Happy reading……………

SO Lets just start out by saying I have never been a fan of roses. At one of my nursery jobs in the 90's I used to spend days on end pruning and cussing thier mere exsistance. Things change w...

03/13/2015

This beautiful artichoke reared its beautiful head this week. Look at the little baby workng its way up to the bottom right! SO each of my "Chokes" give us about 15 artichokes each per seaso...

03/12/2015

Rookie move #1!! Can’t wait to get to #100! It will happen and it won’t take long. Peace and happy reading.

This mint in the arrows above came under the fence and through the bottom of pot that sits next to the white bench you see in the background! Crazy little bastards!!!! I murdere...