Gifts from the Garden
Garden-made gifts take time, but if you start now they'll be ready in time for the holidays.
Multicolored carrots include Yellowstone, Cosmic Purple and Scarlet Nantes
Yes, Virginia, There is a Winter Garden
So many people are shocked to discover that you can grow food in winter. In many places, where the ground freezes, it is more challenging but still possible. In warm-winter climates like Los Angeles, it's a piece of cake. Folks flock to Hollywood from other parts of the country, for stardom, yes, but mainly for the weather. If you've never grown a winter garden, let's start now. It's December, and for colder locations it's too late to plant, so take…
Where's Gardenerd? In a Hinau tree (Elaeocarpus dentatus) at a local park.
Where’s Gardenerd: Spring in New Zealand!
Imagine our joy when we saw the first photos documenting Where's Gardenerd popping up in New Zealand last week. Perfect timing because it's spring in the Southern Hemisphere, and gardens are going gangbusters there. David Scully took the challenge and ran with it. He took Gardenerd to local parks and rivers to share with us armchair travelers the flora and fauna of New Zealand. He posted his adventures on Instagram through his feed @David_Suclly. Check this out: Apparently a Dragon…
Pruning Bulbs and Grasses
Time to do some Fall cleaning to help support the coming months
In progress. Hauling in the mammoth raised beds.
Design: Tall Beds for Deep Roots
We recently completed a new garden installation in Sherman Oaks, CA, where a homeowner wanted tall raised beds to remind her of her garden in Oregon. Stately, tall beds with plenty of root space for veggies to grow big and strong. Gardenerd was happy to oblige. The space was already mapped out with a foundation of decomposed granite. So we knew drainage would be great. Located near the family pool, the garden would be out of the way enough to…
Parsnips, carrots, a purple sweet potato and Yukon potato
Thanksgiving Dishes from the Garden
In a pinch about what to make this Thanksgiving? Let Gardenerd help you. We've got a stash of recipes using all your favorite fall-harvest crops. Revisit a few Gardenerd Gazettes and you'll have more than enough for your Thanksgiving table. When it comes to Thanksgiving dishes it's really about the sides. Roasted veggies, garlicky greens, new potatoes, sweet potatoes! Check out these recipes to fill your menu with color and home-grown goodness. Root Vegetable Jambalaya – okay, not at all…
Save the Tomatoes?
Tomatoes need temperatures above 70 degrees to set fruit.
Proven Winners plants came to the door one day.
Proven Winners Winner
Not to brag or anything, but apparently that's what I am: a Proven Winners winner. I won 8 plants from Proven Winners and a set of Corona pruners at the Garden Writers Association Symposium back in September. Rather than ship the plants in spring (which is what they usually do) I convinced Team Proven Winner that perennials are best planted in Southern California in the fall. They were game. So last week I opened the door to find a box…
The new raised beds are still in a little bit of shade, but in the sunniest part of the yard. Surrounded by fruit trees and native plants.
Design: Front Yard Veggie Garden
We've been hard at work helping people get rid of their lawns in favor of edible front yard landscapes instead. Our latest garden is located inland where temperatures are high in summer, but large trees create a lot of shade; two conditions less than ideal for growing food. This new front yard veggie garden works around all that. The homeowners, both rabbis, wanted to incorporate as many of the Seven Mystic Fruits of Israel into their garden as would fit.…
What to Plant with Onions
Tuck green onions in between other crops, grow shallots next to your chard.