Blog - Page 112 of 215

An Entirely Flattering Open Letter To Steve Martin

(Fellow gardenerd, forgive my use of this platform to express what appears to be unrelated subject matter, but it's something I have to do. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming shortly.) An Entirely Flattering Open Letter to Steve Martin Dear Mr. Martin (may I call you Steve?), Dear Steve, I sit here at my desk having just read the news of Robin Williams’s untimely death and I am struck with the irrational thought that maybe, just maybe, if…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 12, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

Little Free Library

Free Community Library

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 8, 2014
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

Prune rosemary after it finishes flowering

Summer Pruning

These Dog Days of summer are challenging. It's too hot to plant or work in the garden, but garden is starting to look ragged as plants near the end of their life cycle. What to do? It's time for a little clean up. Summer pruning helps in so many ways. It clears away dead or diseased plant material. It keeps home-orchard fruit trees in check. It refreshes the garden with a snip or two, here and there. Best of all,…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 6, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Summer party lights hang from a giant Brazilian Pepper tree

Summer Garden Party Recipes

It's hot, and nobody wants to turn on the oven. This is the time for a magical, outdoor, sunset-lit summer garden party. These parties are the stuff of summer. How many childhood memories do we all have from outdoor summer gatherings. We caught fireflies in Mason jars on hot August nights in upstate New York. We watched the sun set over the Pacific ocean and gathered under 100 year old trees at long tables in Malibu. Barbecues take center stage,…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 5, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

5 Foods Killing the Planet

5 Foods impacting our environment

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 1, 2014
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

The New Drought Landscape

Water, water, everywhere...well, not so much anymore. States like California and Texas are suffering severe drought conditions and gardeners are rising to the occasion by swapping out thirsty lawns for drought tolerant plant material. A new phrase, "drought shaming" is making the rounds--ratting on neighbors who water between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., let their irrigation run down the sidewalk, or wash their cars in the street or driveway. I fully admit I'm one of those tattlers. I've got the…

Post author:Christy
Post published:July 30, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

One of many carrot seed heads

Saving Carrot Seeds

Carrots are fun to grow at home and if you're lucky, some of them will bolt to seed at the end of the season. Then, if you grew an heirloom or open pollinated variety, you can save those carrot seeds. Saving carrot seeds is considered a job for more advanced gardeners, because the threat of cross pollination is high. Short growing seasons also complicate things (you may need to harvest roots in fall for replanting in spring in order to…

Post author:Christy
Post published:July 29, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

Ratatouille, RatItalian Style

RatItalian Style, italian version of Ratatouille

Post author:Christy
Post published:July 25, 2014
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

Ratatoulle, RatItalian-Style

Ratatouille, RatItalian-Style

When I saw that Smitten Kitchen recreated the ratatouille recipe from Pixar's animated film of the same name, I couldn't resist making it. But there's one caveat: I don't care for peppers, which traditionally show up in this dish. So I changed it up a bit, substituted tomatoes for peppers and Voila! (or rather, Eccola!) it's now an Italian recipe. Now, if you're a Francophile, don't hate me. I've actually eaten ratatouille in a restaurant that was made with tomatoes…

Post author:Christy
Post published:July 24, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Invasive fruit flies plotting their attack

Homemade Fruit Fly Traps

They're everywhere! Tiny, annoying fruit flies, that is. They're trying to get into our tomatoes, peaches, nectarines, and plums. They're even breeding in our compost bucket. What to do? Break out the big guns. The lowly fruit fly has a very short reproductive cycle. The female Drosophila melanogaster (common fruit or vinegar fly) lays eggs about 5 at a time, which hatch and become adults in 4-19 days depending on the ambient temperature. Adults can live for up to 3…

Post author:Christy
Post published:July 24, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:8 Comments