Nash Ranch

06/09/2026

Now we're officially off to the races! This is about where we got last year before the squirrels and deer started their rampage, but so far they seem less insistent on terrorizing the sprouts.

05/26/2026

Lots of work getting done this weekend, thanks to both sides of the family coming in and putting in the hours. We have hay going down, rows for pumpkins being put in, spreading lime to raise the soil pH, and the first irrigation for the long-season squash.

The pumpkin patch always feels so far away until there's water flowing (and you're also doing hay, there's 200 kids' birthday parties to attend, and all of your equipment breaks).

05/09/2026

We're a little late due to the rain and incessant mechanical breakdowns, but we're finally breaking ground on Pumpkin Patch 2026, our 36th edition. The silver lining is that the soil is absolutely perfect and the cover crop had some extra time to go nuts.

After the cover crop is mowed and plowed in, we'll plane it all smooth and put in the rows for irrigation. Hopefully, we'll have it all ready by the beginning of June to start planting. I did make a few minor modifications to the varieties this year to incorporate some newer, more awesome genetics. We'll see how they do but the samples were really cool.

It feels like a bigger task than normal this year, but I swear I'll beat these old tractors into shape in time. They may be a little worn, but they are fuel efficient by modern standards, and that's kind of a big deal right now.

04/05/2026

We're at the Sheraton at the Sundial Bridge for our annual pop-up petting zoo with all of our fuzzy friends. There's a few very new critters this year, too! We'll be here until 3.

12/28/2025

What a change a day can make. Just amazing crystal clear sky, fresh new snow on the mountains, and then the treat of the day, a couple thousand geese coming into the corn maze field to feed. So many geese shoulder to shoulder feeding at once like that sounded like the hum of a beehive.

12/24/2025

So, with that epic rain Sunday, we collected pretty much a full season of water in the Nash Ranch Pond, about 12 foot rise in elevation, amounts to about 200 acre feet. The pond was about half volume and we had collected about 2 or 3 feet elevation with rains to date. Then on one day, FULL ! I've never seen this happen in one rain storm before.

12/23/2025

12/23/2025

So, yesterday we had some pretty epic rain, due in part to the "atmospheric river" hitting the north state, but for us specifically, we had a "convergence line" parked over us almost all day creating epic rain all afternoon and evening. The convergence line extended from south Redding at a diagonal line over Bechelli Lane, to Old Alturas Road at Shastaview, on out to Bella Vista. Our rain guage stopped measuring at 5", but the Weather Undergound stations near us were recording 7.5" to 9" for the day. Branstetter Lane area in redding recorded 7.4" and 6.5", Bechelli and Harnel 8", Bella Vista 5.7". Meanwhile, Foothill Highschool got just 2" and to the north, Gold Hills area got just 2.1". This "convergence line" is pretty typical out here and it seems to always be in the same general area. Mike Kruger has a good post today explaining this phenomina. Some times it helps us when we need some moisture for field work or planting, other times it's not a help when we have hay down and ours is soaked wet while others just down the road are a slight sprinkle or dry. Anyway, there you go . . .

12/17/2025

I promised the folks over at the Dignity Connected Living food bank that I'd use my social media to spread the word about holiday donations. The food banks are always in need and the holidays can just be so especially hard on some people. This time of the year, it's especially important to give back where we all can. So take this as an invitation to donate food, time or even just some positivity to community service groups and those in need.

12/10/2025

We've restocked some of the squash varieties at the produce tent: Butternuts, various blue squash, and Georgia Roaster (smaller banana). Picking the last of the squash in the field today.