To a small but intent audience, 61 winning raffle tickets were drawn Wednesday, October 29th. Vardy Shtein (Vardy’s Jewelers), creator of the Diamond Pendant Grand Prize, was on hand to pull the Grand Prize winning ticket himself. A local landscaper was the winner! One lucky person in the audience, Kim, won an outdoor Holiday print from Create a View entitled "Santa’s Toy Workshop." Total value of the 61 prizes was a whopping
$17, 271.51. Congratulations to all the winners! 

Yamagami’s Nursery wishes to specially thank the following generous, non-nursery related Friends of Yamagami’s Nursery who sponsored raffle prizes:

• Vardy’s Jewelers – Grand Prize Diamond Pendant
• Sushi Kuni – 2 Dinners for 2 (Yum!)
• Whole Foods Market in Cupertino – A Cooking Class for 2
• Bobbi’s Coffee Shop – Breakfast for Four 
  

And, we thank the following Horticultural Friends of Yamagami’s Nursery for their generous donations as well:

• Four Winds Growers - # 10 Meyer Lemon
• Generation Growers - #24 Weeping Atlas Cedar
• Lorena Gorsche – Rose Garden Consultation
• Wayne Kikuchi – Garden Consultation
• Dominique Lala – Garden Consultation
• Monrovia - #15 Buttermint Camellia
• Joyce Okumura – Garden Consultation
• Alan Tagami – Japanese Maple Pruning 

Note: Out of respect for their privacy, Yamagami’s has decided not to publish the identities of the winners. We will post a list of the winners and their prizes in the nursery.  

For the very freshest organic produce, grow your own. You don’t need a farm to do it. Container growing of fruits, vegetables and herbs is becoming more popular every year for a variety of reasons. It’s not just for the freshness, it’s also because it’s the best way to know exactly what you are eating (and NOT eating). Not having to dig in clay soil, or deal with the mess, or hassle with drainage issues are more great reasons. Having fresh herbs to cut when you need them is very handy. Buying those wilted bunches at the market when you only need a tablespoon is a waste. Plus, children will often be more inclined to try foods that they have had a hand in growing! 

For these reasons, Yamagami’s Nursery is pleased to introduce pre-planted container gardens of Herbs, Salad Greens and combinations from Cole Canyon Farms, a California Certified Organic Grower. These beautiful container gardens are ready to start harvesting! They are the ultimate in convenience and freshness and all organic. They’re pretty enough to grace your outdoor entertaining area. We are working on a trade-in program with Cole Canyon Farm, whereby when you are done harvesting, you can bring back your empty container for credit on your next one! 

If you are more interested in building your own edible container garden, you are in luck! Pamela Mason from Cole Canyon farms will be here on Saturday,  November 8 at 10 AM to show you how they do it!  There is a $20 fee that is rebated back as a coupon for merchandise. We have a limited number of seats, so pre-paid reservations are recommended.

We were astonished and thrilled by the entries at our Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off! All were lovingly grown by local gardeners, most of whom attended one of our Giant Pumpkin Growing Classes with Giant Pumpkin Kahuna, Stuart Shim. Based on the size of our own Mighty Mabel, we did not anticipate truly GIANT pumpkins but that’s what we got. Nedra Lettunich’s ‘Tatiana Windbeam’ was far and away the largest, but all the entries (but one) out-weighed our Mabel. We know how well Alan cared for them, so we think the big difference was not being able to root the vine tips since they weren’t in the ground. 

We heard growing stories from everyone. Nedra tells us that Tatiana’s 25 foot vines beat her up as she tended them. She also lost a few pairs of sneakers to the mud on the hillside of her pumpkin patch. For all her valiant efforts, Nedra won the grand prize of a Gourmet Four Course Dinner for 4 prepared by the professional chefs at Whole Foods Market in Cupertino! At least one course will feature a pumpkin dish; talk about eating the fruits of her labors! 

The smallest entry, the Blackhurst Family’s ‘Scarlet’, had perhaps the best story. She was attacked by a squirrel early in her development and bears the perfect scar (hence her name) of squirrel jaws now 10 times larger than life. She was a survivor! Taylor Collins and his siblings tended 350.6 lb ‘Jackie’ under the watchful eye of their grandmother who had attended Stuart’s class. Proud 13 year old Joey Gadd with his 274.6 lb ‘Pumpkinzilla’ was the first entry to arrive. 

All the pumpkins had a fascinating story. Just as amazing were the stories of how the growers got their pumpkins here for the weighing! Think Egyptian slaves building the pyramids! For example, Tatiana required 7 grown men and a strong net.  All in all, an amazing effort and achievement by all the growers! We can’t wait to see what happens next year. Yes, Stuart will be back with free seed to teach gardeners of all ages how to succeed with Giant Pumpkins! You can do it! 

Here are the results:

Joey Gadd  “Pumpkinzilla”  274.6 lbs Saratoga

Roland Dow   “Mighty Max”  294.3 lbs Los Altos

*Nedra Lettunich  “Tatiana Windbeam”  825 lbs  Los Gatos

Miles Leung  “Georgie”   210 lbs  San Carlos

Randall Story  “Mr. Peanut”   234.6 lbs Sunnyvale

Dave Woolley  “Sasquash”   350.7 lbs Saratoga

The Blackhursts  “Scarlet”   65.4 lbs Santa Clara

Taylor Collins “Jackie”   350.6  San Jose

Julie Silvas  “Roxy” (a beautiful red)  106 lbs San Jose

Yamagami’s Nursery “Mighty Mabel”  70.4 lbs Cupertino 

Yamagami’s Nursery wishes to thank Kellogg’s Garden Products for sponsoring Stuart’s appearance and Whole Foods Market in Cupertino for providing the Grand Prize.

Mums the Word for Fall color!

'California' mums are a collection of named varieties in the old fashioned forms seen usually at florists or in collector's gardens. "Football" mums, "spider" mums and other exotic forms in beautiful colors are included in the collection. These are the mums you want for cutting!

'Yosemite Falls' blooms feature a central large ball-shaped flower with trailing florets, all in pinks and lavenders. 'Half Moon Bay' is a spider mum in a dusky bronze with pink and orange hues.  'Sutter's Mill' is a large pale golden "incurve" or football mum. 'Mt. Whitney' is a large white snowball blossom. 'Rodeo Drive' buds begin to open like those of a common cushion mum but keep going until they end up a mound of ruby in the center surrounded by a petalled skirt.

Chrysanthemums have been treasured for thousands of years as "The Flower of Happiness." Add some traditional happiness to your garden with 'California' mums. These hardy garden perennials can be selectively pruned to give you the exhibition sized blossoms seen in traditional Asian art. Come to Yamagami's Nursery for the best garden color and everything you'll need to succeed...the first time!

Christmas is coming right up, along with all the hustle and bustle that is involved. Yamagami’s can help! Pre-order your fresh cut Noble fir before November 23rd, and receive a 10% discount. You can even arrange for tree set up and delivery! Delivery dates are on a first come, first served basis, so get your order in NOW! Come in to place your order or give us a call at (408) 252-3347. Let Yamagami’s Nursery reduce your holiday stress and enjoy a lush, long lasting Noble Fir.

Recipes from the garden by Rosalind Creasy 

We ran out of Rosalind’s latest book, Recipes from the garden, during her appearance here on October 4th. We just got them back in stock! For those of you who weren’t able to pick one up and have it autographed--good news! Rosalind has graciously agreed to make a trip in to autograph a few more copies. To get your own personally autographed copy, purchase one before November 21st.  You can come in or even just call us at (408) 252-3347 to purchase your book(s) and leave the message you would like inscribed. You will be able to pick up your personally autographed copy after November 22.

Even if you didn’t attend Rosalind’s talk, you will love this book! Every glorious page of Recipes from the garden offers mouth-watering photographs of some amazing food. Rosalind knows how to make the most of an edible landscape!  Recipes from the garden features fresh ingredients anyone can grow and 200 recipes anyone can prepare. Salads, soups, entrees, side dishes, desserts and even beverage recipes are included. The photographs are so gorgeous you’ll have a hard time not drooling when you read it! It is a great gift idea for your gardening friends. 

Saturday, November 8th at 10 AM: Garden Talk and Demonstration: How to build an Edible Garden in a Container with Pamela Mason of Cole Canyon Farm.

Watch as Pamela takes apart one of her pre-planted gardens then reassembles it to show you how to create your own. Pamela uses all organic plants and products to create her Herb Gardens, Salad Bowls and Theme Gardens. Fee: $20.00. Space is limited so pre-paid registration is recommended. $20 fee is rebated back as a coupon good for merchandise.

Yamagami’s Nursery will be closed Thanksgiving Day,

Thursday, November 27th.  

Friday, November 28th: Yamagami’s Cut Christmas tree lot opens.

Come choose your fresh cut Noble Fir!