A question came in this week from a Gardenerd student:
"I'm sharing a Biostack [compost] bin with my neighbors in my apt complex and the question was raised on whether or not it's acceptable to put whole fruit, apples, oranges, etc. into the bin. I'm trying to keep the bin simple for people so I am hesitant to tell people to cut up their fruit to help accelerate the composting, but my neighbor thinks they should be. Can you tell me what the ...
Recently I finished teaching another round of classes at Santa Monica College's Continuing Education Program, during which the students planted a few seeds in plastic pots to take home with them. They planted either carrots, green onions or radishes (small plants that would do well in 6" pots). They eagerly awaited for the first signs of sprouting and enthusiastically reported back in the third or fourth week of class, "I have carrot sprouts!" I love seeing ...
This is my second year growing quinoa, and it occurred to me that I hadn't documented the process yet. So - without further delay...
How to grow quinoa:
The first thing you need to know is that while quinoa seed heads are covered in saponin (a natural soap that keeps birds from eating them), the seeds that you plant are somehow going to be completely appetizing to birds in ...
Sometimes you have to think inside the box to think outside the box. This week's tip sheds new light on a different way to compost.
One of the great delights about gardening is growing something for the first time. Each season, we plant new varieties or a veggie we've never grown before to see what it's like. In our test garden so far, we've planted and enjoyed asparagus (3 years ago), brown mustard seeds , quinoa (details forthcoming), garbanzo beans (stayed for a blog on that) and popping ...
If there's an inherent addition in my family, it's popcorn. Start at the top of the bowl and eat until you hit bottom. That's how it goes. My father went so far as to buy the top of the line popper, special popcorn salt, and yes, even figured out to how keep buttered pop corn fresh until the next morning (hair of the dog).
As part of an effort to grow more compost crops we decided to try ...
Time to start thinking about your fall garden. This week's tip will help get you started.
My first experience making lavender ice cream several years ago did not end well. As mentioned in a previous blog entry, I somehow released all the camphor in the blossoms and ended up with Vicks Vapo-Rub ice cream. Since then I've vowed to attempt another batch, but it wasn't until our trip to Ojai in June that I discovered what to do differently. In case you missed that trip to the U-Pick day at
When a gigantic bouquet of Swiss Chard appeared on the porch the other day, an image of the jam-packed fridge came to mind. This was going to require some thinking. It was time to pull out the big guns, and by "big guns" I mean that it was time to ask the Gardenerd Community for help.
I put a call out in the last Weekly Update and got a couple of good recipes from fellow chard lovers. ...
Use these watering techniques to keep your plants happy this summer.