Welcome to the Sunshine Club!
There's something magical about growing your own flowers from seed. You watch tiny promises unfold into blooms that fill your garden with color, fragrance, and life. This year, City Farmers Nursery is bringing you the Sunshine Club, a quarterly seed giveaway featuring four classic varieties that thrive in San Diego's unique climate.
Every quarter, we'll share seeds for one special flower, along with everything you need to know to grow it successfully. From cottage-garden sweet peas that scramble up fences to cheerful marigolds that protect your veggies, each variety has been chosen because it grows beautifully here and brings something special to your garden.
This Quarter's Seeds: Sweet Peas
Sweet peas are the quintessential cottage garden flower. They're romantic, fragrant, and perfect for filling small vases throughout your home. These climbing beauties can reach 6-10 feet tall, creating living walls of color and scent. Give them something to climb, soak the seeds overnight, and direct sow in our chilly months (Jan-Mar).
Plant about ¾-1 inch deep and 5 inches apart along a sunny fenceline or tucked among other plants in well-draining soil.
The secret to abundant blooms? Pinch off the tops when plants are young to encourage bushier growth, keep them deadheaded throughout the season, and give them plenty of water during our hot summer months. A monthly feeding with all-purpose fertilizer keeps them happy. With this care, they'll reward you with flowers from mid-spring clear through summer. When they finally fade at season's end, harvest those seed pods and tuck them away. You'll be ready to grow again next year.
Coming Soon
Spring Quarter: Marigolds (the hardworking annual that suppresses pests, attracts beneficial insects, and brings bold color to your veggie garden)
Summer Quarter: Gaillardia or Blanket Flower (a tough-as-nails perennial that thrives in our heat with minimal water and attracts butterflies by the dozen)
Fall Quarter: Hollyhocks (the old-fashioned favorite with towering stalks of blooms that have graced gardens for centuries)
Remember to collect all four quarterly packets! Each one brings its own beauty and purpose to your garden. Stop by City Farmers Nursery Wednesday through Sunday, 9am-5pm, and ask our team about the Sunshine Club. We're here to help your garden thrive.
Family owned since 1972, City Farmers Nursery carries on Farmer Bill's legacy of free advice, quality plants, and community support. Visit us at 3110 Euclid Ave in City Heights.