Read more about the article Fall Planting is Here!
Once those eggs hatch, the worm grows from tiny (above) to fat and juicy. They'll destroy your plants in a day.

Fall Planting is Here!

Continue ReadingFall Planting is Here!

It's still hot here in Los Angeles, but there have been a few cooler days that we took advantage of to plant out our fall brassicas. If you're ready for fall planting, now is a good time. Seeds will germinate more quickly in warmer weather (if you keep the seed bed moist) and you'll be picking salad greens in no time. Here's what's growin' on right now in our Test Garden. Potatoes, onions, brassicas, spinach, celery and more: Seedlings grown…

Salad Leaf Basil
Salad Leaf Basil

Recipe: Almond or Hemp Seed Pesto (Vegan)

Continue ReadingRecipe: Almond or Hemp Seed Pesto (Vegan)

It's wonderful to return from Italy to find the garden bursting with basil. This is cause for celebration! It's time to make more pesto to freeze for later use. Since one does not return from Italy thinner than one was before one left, we opted to make a vegan version of pesto using almonds or hemp seeds as the "cheese." We found a recipe from the Cafe Gratitude cookbook and whipped up a few batches. It's pretty easy, all you…

Read more about the article Field Trip: Villa Vignamaggio, Italy
Fresh olives ready to be picked next week.

Field Trip: Villa Vignamaggio, Italy

Continue ReadingField Trip: Villa Vignamaggio, Italy

We took a little break from gardening here in the states to visit the Chianti region in Italy for a friend's wedding last week. Little did we know we would be staying in a magnificent villa complete with organic vegetable garden. Meet Villa Vignamaggio. Villa Vignamaggio is everything a hopeless romantic could wish for: stately mansion, spectacular hilltop views, olive trees and grape vines everywhere, manicured gardens suitable for royalty. But while everyone else was busy fawning over all that…

Some home grown, some pilfered. All beautiful.
Some home grown, some pilfered. All beautiful.

Wordless Wednesday: Harvest 2015

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: Harvest 2015

These are never really wordless, but you get the idea. Today is a celebration of a season passing, and a season's passion. Harvest time is satisfying, beautiful and temporary. Next we start fall crops. Here is a little of both. And what's next? Fall! What are you pulling from your garden these days? Post your haul / stash / treasures here.

One of several Pomegranate trees on the property.
One of several Pomegranate trees on the property.

Field Trip: Arlington Gardens, Pasadena

Continue ReadingField Trip: Arlington Gardens, Pasadena

During the Garden Writers Association Symposium in September, bus loads of eager gardenerds stepped off to visit Arlington Gardens, an historic site in Pasadena, CA. It is "Pasadena's only designated public garden designed to demonstrate sustainable water-wise gardening in a Mediterranean climate." Boy, did it live up to that claim. In the middle of our drought, this garden was lush and thriving. Enjoy these photos, and then plan your visit. Walking around to the different "rooms" in the garden, we…

Read more about the article Ask Gardenerd: Preventing Bugs Next Year

Ask Gardenerd: Preventing Bugs Next Year

Continue ReadingAsk Gardenerd: Preventing Bugs Next Year

As we start over with a fall garden in warm-winter climates, or put the garden away in more temperate regions, the question arises once again: "How can I prevent bugs that were problematic this year in my fruit and vegetable garden ie. aphids, sawflies, stink bugs from overwintering and becoming a problem next year?"  - Fern Fried Well, Fern, it's all about interrupting the life cycle and creating competition when it comes to pests. It's also about boosting the vitality…

Purple Opal basil
Renee's Purple Opal basil

Basil Trial: Our Favorite Basils

Continue ReadingBasil Trial: Our Favorite Basils

This summer we tested four new basil varieties against four of our favorites. That was a lot of basil! It was a grueling process (ha-ha) and as a result, we have many pints of pesto in the freezer for winter use. Basil is a hot weather crop, so its planting season is over, but you can use this trial to help guide you as seed catalogs begin to fill you mailbox. So many choices, here's what worked for us: Tested…

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