Episode 06: The French Bee Nursery
In this episode of the Small Business Voice, Jeanette Forni is joined by returning co-host Justin Duncan, who shares news about completing his three-book erotic romantic comedy trilogy and earning a Best Performance nomination at the State Theater's 48-Hour Film Festival for a short horror film shot in a single weekend.
The featured guest is Michelle Machado, founder of the French Bee Nursery at 3730 North Duncan Road in Linden — a quaint, fountain-centered nursery named after Michelle's French grandmother, whose warmth and hospitality inspired the whole feel of the place. The property sits alongside a leased orchard where sheep are brought in seasonally for natural, pesticide-free weed control.
Michelle's story starts with an overflow problem. A lifelong gardener who donated plants to the Linden Garden Club for years, she found herself with a greenhouse full of extras when the pandemic hit. She set up a fold-up table, a cash box, and a clipboard at the roadside — and that little community of plant lovers eventually grew into a full nursery.
Today the French Bee carries locally grown, Central Valley-appropriate plants, specialty soils for azaleas, camellias, succulents, and raised beds, and the standout Edna's Best organic potting mix by EB Stone — a soil so rich that cup mushrooms spontaneously sprouted in Jeanette's potato boxes. Michelle also does custom event potting for weddings and anniversaries, and stays open on Linden Cherry Festival Day (May 16th), holding plants for customers who don't want to leave them in a hot car.
Call ahead at 209-323-0526 or stop by 3730 North Duncan Road in Linden.
Guest Michelle Machado