https://www.facebook.com/839142489285802/

Leah Willow

Northern California, Zone 9. Suburban Gardener, Plant Collector & Home Baker. I grow vegetables, flowers & all types of succulents.

Indoors it’s all about the jungle plants.

10/29/2026

Romanticizing Autumn (as one should). ✨

I’ve been seeing Christmas start making appearancea in stores about a month ago. While I absolutely love winter and its warmth and cheer, we are trying to savor autumn over here. In California, it feels like a short season because it starts off warm.

From growing our own pumpkins, to pumpkin recipes. Going to the pumpkin patches and reading fall books with the kiddos. It’s such a warming season. Where the sun shines bright and the days start cooling down.

I’m still trying to enjoy the last of the flowers. They are reminding me that some things bloom later than others. My zinnias and cosmos are still happily blooming.

Soon it will be Merry & Bright, but for now enjoying the warm joys of Autumn.🍂

10/27/2026

October Flowers ✨

Even though it’s cooling down, a lot of my flowers only recently really started blooming. I had started my zinnia and cosmos seeds a bit later in the season. And now I feel lucky to get so much enjoyment into the cooler months.

They won’t last long once it really cools down and if we get any frost. But for now, taking in all the last colors before winter truly arrives.

From different types of salvias, cosmos, zinnia s and even butterfly peas. There are so many more for the pollinators to enjoy. That’s the best part. Is ensuring the different honey bees and native bees have some food.

10/24/2026

Autumn Veggie Garden Shop ✨

It’s that time of year, that I get to grow cool season veggies. To ⁠ Green Acres Nursery & Supply we had to go. Not everyone knows you can grow a lot during winter. It’s also a time to stock up on seeds and tulips bulbs need to go in the ground.

I need to put some tulip bulbs, snowdrop bulbs in ground, and poppy seeds for spring. I do still need to buy some garlic and onion starts. As for seeds I’ll probably need some more Spinach and Arugula.

Out of the veggies I bought I’ll list below.

- Bright Lights Swiss Chard
- Savoy Cabbage
- Merlot Cabbage ( purple Napa)
- Rainbow carrots
- Red Acre cabbage

Always look up what your growing zone is, and what you can start planting for that month to get a head start.

10/21/2026

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

- 1 small pumpkin or half a medium size
- 2 large carrots or 1 large sweet potato
- 1 large onion of your choice
- 1 whole garlic head
- 4 cups of stock of your choice. Add cream or water if needed
- 1/4 tsp clove powder
- 1.5 tsp of cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp of olive oil for roasting
-salt and pepper by taste

Making roasted pumpkin soup is a favorite for this perfect time of year. Everything is just starting to cool down. We are experiencing cold mornings and warm afternoons. Making our way into the rainy seasons.

Today we actually had our first drizzle and thunderstorm at night. There is nothing better than cozying up to a warm bowl of soup, with this overcast weather.

🍁

10/18/2026

Adding Some Pumpkins to the Garden.

This year I only grew two varieties of pumpkin. Now I’m wishing I grew more. I just need to figure out how to trail the vines up new places. But what I was able to grow I was grateful for.

While I like Jarrahdale and Musquee de Provence, I wanted to grow Cinderella pumpkins as well. All are heirloom varieties perfectly for cooking.

My goal this year was to decorate with varieties I bought. But also to buy pumpkins I want to save seeds from to grow next year. The list has quite grown. They even include Japanese pumpkins.

But for now, at least I can decorate the garden patio with these fun varieties.

10/08/2026

Autumn Pumpkin Harvest 🍂✨

Last year I bought a Jarrahdale pumpkin and saved the seeds. This was my third time growing pumpkins. I was on a mission to find seeds for varieties I wanted to eat and decorate with. Not just ones I liked looking at. And I found out there were too many I liked. I settled for two varieties this year.

The Jarrahdale being an Australian variety. All of them came out sage green. Because they grew vertically they kept their shape nicely. The other variety I grew was a French one called Musquee de Provence. I have one more growing in the vine.

My sweet basil is getting close to its last leg. But I’m waiting until I pull my tomatoes out to remove them as well. Enjoying fresh bunches from the garden. But soon I’ll have to harvest all and just make pesto to share and freeze for the winter.

My peppers were definitely ready and waiting to be cut. There was a second flowering so more hot peppers are on the way. The ones I harvested I’ll pickle.

10/05/2026

It’s beginning to feel like Autumn.

We finally get mornings that seem cool. But here in Northern Californian, it takes time for it to really cool down and feel like autumn. That doesn’t stop me from wanting to be surrounded by pumpkins. My friend invited us to join her Bishop's Pumpkin Farm where the kids had a blast.

So far we decorated our dining area and our backyard with pumpkins. And I still have 4 pumpkins to harvest from our own small pumpkin patch.

So far we have made pumpkin muffins, roasted seeds. I need to process pumpkin and make some more fall recipes. It’s hard wanting to cut them open. They really liven up the space.

This week I’ll be harvesting three of our Jarrahdale pumpkins for a fun painting project with the kids.

10/01/2026

Gulf Fritillary 🐛🧡

About four years ago, my eldest and I hatched some Fritillaries. It inspired me to get cuttings of the plant that host them. And that would be passiflora or passion fruit. At the moment we are growing three varieties.

The Fritillary found our garden almost as quickly as I planted the passion fruit. It wasn’t long before we found caterpillars. We found a big box at our local Nursery, and started our project.

Learning up close about these little critters has been fun for the boys. Seeing the chrysalis hang. And waking up to a beautiful flying bug was their highlight.

They are considered a medium sized butterfly. The best part is, they leave the rest of my plants alone and only eat from the host plant. And they came into garden pretty regularly. If you want to try this out, getting a passionfruit vine is the way to go.

09/29/2026

Harvesting from our Vertical Pumpkin Patch.

I grew some pumpkin last year on the ground. And in a small suburban backyard, it practically took over. After some inspiration, I decided to try growing my pumpkin patch vertically this year in two spots. And it did not disappoint.

It was everyone’s favorite part of the garden. My kids absolutely loved watching how fast it grew over the summer. The squash blossoms attract so many pollinators. Another plus.

It however is finally time for a harvest. I did have three recently take fruit ok the Jarrahdale variety. So I left three alone and decided to harvest only the 4 that were ready.

I also grew a Musquee de Provence. This whole time I thought I had only one. And just yesterday I found a basketball sized one hiding in my ivy. I hadn’t noticed it growing secretly in the back. So, more excitement to be shared. More pumpkin harvesting to come.

If you have no space but want pumpkins, vertical is the way to go. Just make sure to prune the side shoots when needed.

🍁

Address

6128 San Juan Avenue
Citrus Heights, CA
95610

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Leah Willow posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.