We have more new arrivals this week to help you get ready for Easter. Add some spring color to your home and garden!

• The bunnies are multiplying! A new shipment of cast concrete bunnies, ducks and birdbaths arrived yesterday at the Lazy K.
  
  
• Many azaleas are in gorgeous full bloom right now. It’s a great time to see the different varieties in all their glory.
  
  
• Easter grass needs to be planted now to be ready for Easter. We have annual rye grass (germinates in 7-10 days) and wheatgrass (germinates in 3-4 days). Easy to grow on your own, or we have some already started for you.
  
  
• Color! Spring color for the garden is arriving daily.
  
  
• We have blooming gifts in every size.
  

Stop by soon for best selection. Easter is Sunday, April 4th. We’ll be open Easter Sunday from 9:00am to 2:30pm.

Ginger McMahon from Suncatcher Harvest, shares some of the characteristics of the many varieties of tomatoes she grows for us. Ginger will offer hints on how to achieve a successful and abundant harvest.

It is the beginning of the tomato season and it's easy to get a little overwhelmed with all the different types of tomatoes. Here are some descriptions of the different categories most tomatoes fall into that you will see at Orchard Nursery. On average, we have about 75 - 90 different varieties of tomatoes in stock.
 
Beefsteak:
Large and fleshy tomatoes that can have 6 inch diameters. Small pulp cavities make them ideal slicing tomatoes. Rich deep tomato flavor with pronounced sweetness.
 
Cherry:
Almost spherical with tender, thin skin. Varies from large grape to ping-pong ball size. Juicy with tiny seeds. Rich, sweet flavor profile. Colors can be orange, red, yellow, and white.
 
Common:
Medium - sized with brightly colored skin and flesh. Generally attached to the vine. Sweet tomato flavor. Medium sized pulp cavities and seeds.
 
Grape:
Elongated, bantam- sized, usually under one inch in length. Grown in clusters like grapes. Red, shiny skin. Juicy with concentrated sweetness.
 
Green:
Unripe tomatoes, generally medium to large varieties. Tart and mildly acidic, these tomatoes require cooking. Most often they are dredged in cornmeal and pan-fried.
 
Heirloom:
Can have odd shapes, some deeply fluted. Intriguing colors, some variegated in two or more colors. Rich, sweet homegrown tomato taste with relatively low acidity and abundant juice. There are many different interpretations of what an heirloom tomato is, but most authorities agree that heirlooms, by definition, must be open-pollinated. They may also be open-pollinated varieties that were bred and stabilized using classic breeding practices. It is currently generally agreed that no genetically modified organisms can be considered heirloom cultivars.
 
Roma, Plum:
Elongated shape with meaty, thick flesh and few seeds. Generally red, but yellow varieties exist. Less acidity and sweetness. Great for sauces and drying.
 
Teardrop, Pear:
Small , teardrop-shaped, usually under 1 inch long. Juicy texture of cherry tomato but milder flavor profile. Colors can be orange, red, and yellow.
 
Tomatoes need sun, warm weather and uniform deep moisture. Feed once to get plants started, then once a month after fruit set. Provide stakes or cages to support vines.
 
In many descriptions of tomatoes you will see the words "indeterminate" and "determinate." This is what they mean: Determinate types are bushier, need little or no staking and tend to set their flowers then develop all the fruit at about the same time. Many commercial varieties are of this type for efficient harvesting.

Indeterminate types are more vine-like and need training, either stake, trellis or cage. Blooms and fruit are continually produced throughout the growing season. Many favorites of the backyard farmer are of this type.
 
With so many to choose from, you can enjoy eating them raw out of your hand, in a salad or sandwiches, or cook them: sauté, roast, simmer, boil, etc. Have fun and good eating!

For the Easter parade, a summer wedding, maybe a day at the races, or a fabulous wine country picnic--for any event, or maybe just for fun, we have some amazing hats.

Check out all the styles and colors, appearing now at The Lazy K.

There is no better way to enhance a perfect meal, than to use fresh herbs from your garden. With the possibilities of having many different herbs, you can easily flavor many dishes from salads to desserts. One fun way to have herbs is in pots, especially a strawberry pot. That will be like a living spice rack.

Here is a variety of herbs that we commonly carry as they are available applicable to their seasons.

When we celebrate Easter, I am reminded of how my mother used to color eggs naturally with onion skins, turmeric, red cabbage and other vegetable scraps. The eggs were softly colored and really beautiful. My favorite was always red cabbage, which turns the eggs teal blue! Coloring eggs naturally is a great way to teach kids to be good stewards of their environment. Every part of the egg is used, even the shells. Grind them up and scatter about an inch deep into the soil around your houseplants and gardens. The shells have much-needed natural nutrients!

Now there’s no real “recipe,” but here’s how I do it. You can make the dyes ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator
 
Natural Easter Egg Coloring

• In a saucepan, place as many papery outer skins of yellow and/or red onions that you have. Cover with an inch of water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook until the skins have colored the water, about 10-20 minutes.
• Use this same method for cabbage (just chunk it up). Beets, spinach, etc., even coffee grounds can be used in this manner.
• Strain, and add a teaspoon of vinegar to the dye--this sets the dye.
• To make turmeric colored eggs, place two tablespoons of turmeric in 1½ cups water. Stir and place in pan. Cook until it starts to boil. Remove, let it cool but don’t strain. Add a teaspoon or so of vinegar. Place eggs in dye, stirring to coat. When you remove the eggs, gently wipe off the turmeric with a soft cloth or run them very quickly under running water.
• Depending upon how long they sit in the dye, the eggs made with yellow onions skins will be pale yellow to dark amber. Red onion skins produce eggs that are brick/brown red. Red cabbage is the winner; it makes beautiful teal blue eggs! Turmeric makes the eggs more brilliantly yellow than the marigolds my dad used to plant in our tiny front lawn.

Our thanks to Ron Wilson of Natorp’s Garden Stores in Ohio and Kentucky for this wonderful article.

It’s that time of year…Diablo Magazine’s Best of the East Bay contest. Click here to vote for your favorite plant nursery, florist, gift shop and other favorite businesses.