After much discussion and agonizing decisions, we have embarked on big changes here at my Sierra Foothill Garden! In this day of slow economy, we’ve had to look into turning our property into more of a money making operation, so I’m announcing that we have joined up with FTD flowers wholesale division and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Department of Agribusiness, to begin growing roses on a large scale, right here on our mountain.

This is what the growers are envisioning

Seeing that we are in the middle of a huge population of deer, a 10 foot chain link fence is being constructed starting today.  I’m so excited now that we’ve made the decision.  Everyone knows how much I love of roses and now I’ll be able to really get into the technical side of hybridizing that I’ve always dreamed about.

My dream!

The down side, of course, is that we’ll have to clear a lot, if not most of our land to make way for the greenhouses and growing fields. The bulldozers have started terracing the slope below the house, and one advantage is that the paths we’ve built will be wide enough for trucks to go in and out.

The land being cleared

I’m afraid the focus of my blog will turn from growing a relatively wild garden to reporting on the progress of the different varieties of bare roots going in and their development. They were delivered last week and we have a mountain to plant! Oh and my first unique hybridized rose will be called the “Sierra Foothill” rose. Yea!

In keeping with our organic practices, we are using farm animals for the plowing

I hope you’ll all join me and support me as we ‘switch gears’ and begin this new venture,…I’m sure I’ll need lots of advice, and the fact that we have begun it on this significant date, means even more to us as you know!

Joke!  Okay this is a joke…my sister’s the one who knew as soon as she read this…she knows me well.
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