What's Growin' On Archives - Page 100 of 142

Bells and Kale--a lovely combination

Field Trip: Natural Bridges Farm

While up in Santa Cruz, we visited an amazing farm near the ocean. The reason why it's so amazing goes beyond its glorious rows of dahlias, kale and salad greens. It's the farm's mission to give homeless people a new life. Natural Bridges Farm is a certified organic, U-pick farm with a CSA component for local residents. It is run by the Homeless Garden Project, which offers "job training, a safe and beautiful community space, and delicious, local, organic produce."…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 17, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumbers

Growing Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumbers

They look like tiny watermelons, but taste like cucumbers. What the heck are they? That's what most people say when they lay eyes on a Mexican Sour Gherkin cucumber. It's an heirloom variety that keeps gardeners from getting bored. We first saw them at the Culver City Garden Show, where fellow gardenerd Elizabeth Camp was showing them off. One look and we knew they were a garden must. We grew them this summer in our Test Garden, so here's the…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 11, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:19 Comments

Garlic Party Package winners get all this!

It’s a Garlic Planting Party – Win a Party Prize Package!

This is exciting. The folks at Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply (PVF) have asked Gardenerd to participate in their Garlic Planting Party this week, and you reap the benefits. One lucky Gardenerd reader will win a Garlic Party Prize Package (details below) to enhance your garlic growing experience this fall. But first, a little about the subject at hand. Here in Southern California, we typically grow softneck varieties, though I know someone who grows hardnecks because he didn't know…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 10, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:190 Comments

Big Mushrooms Everywhere!

The latest post from Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter is ready for your perusal on Patch.com. Check out a new mushroom vendor at the Farmers' Market and find out how you can win a box of fruits, vegetables and mushrooms: Smiling New Vendor Holds Mushroom Contest at Mar Vista Farmers' Market

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 8, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Summer Tomatoes at the Santa Cruz Farmers' Market

Field Trip: Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market

It's harvest time, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate the recent Harvest Moon than to feature one of the best farmers' markets in California. A visit to Santa Cruz led to the discovery of this beautiful experience, where most of the vendors were organic farmers, and the selection was tremendous. Take a gander: There were several items for sale that we just don't have here: I would love to be able to buy brown rice and…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 3, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Two-Book Review: Any Size, Anywhere Edible Gardening & Baker Creek Vegan Cookbook

With fall coming on, it's time to crack open a new gardening book or two. I recently finished reading these new additions to my library and wanted to share my findings: First, William Moss' Any Size, Anywhere Edible Gardening, which focuses on growing in containers, community gardens, and in small spaces. Moss' personality comes through in the book, and his lyrical narration really gives the reader a sense of the rich, cultural gardening experience he had growing up in South…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 2, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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The ladies investigated the flat first, but wouldn't eat.

Chicken Forage Mix: The Feeding

Awhile back, we started planting a special blend of legumes, grasses and greens from Peaceful Valley Farm for our hens to forage, and we wrote about it in June. The day of truth came when the mix had grown tall enough to give to the ladies. Would the chickens like it? Would they eat it? Would they ignore it? Here's what we found out: The seed mix didn't germinate as thickly as we would have liked. But that didn't stop…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 19, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments

Heirloom Expo 2012 - Giant Pile of Squash

Heirloom Expo 2012 Review

Last year when the first Heirloom Expo took place, I was not able to attend but swore that I would next year, come what may. Fast forward to year two, and it was looking like I wasn't going to be able to go again. Curses. Then the free media passes showed up in the mail. I had no choice. Heirloom Expo 2012 went beyond expectation. Not only was it a gardener's heaven, but every lecture, every seed company, every food…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 18, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Margo and Dan’s BioIntensive Farm

When I spent three days learning the ways of GROW BIOINTENSIVE (GB) with John Jeavons and his team at Ecology Action in Willits, CA in 2009, two of my instructors were Margo and Dan Royer-Miller. They were completing several years of training and were about to move to their own farm to implement the GB methods in a real-life situation. Some of you may remember that Dan was my inspiration for building my own solar food dryer. Here is Dan's…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 13, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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My History Through Plants

Plants can take you down memory lane. This week, my dear gardening friend and Master Gardener, Sarah Spitz, shares some of her plants and the memories they spark. Here's Sarah: For almost thirty years, I have lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment, converted into a Santa Monica condo, where I put in some French doors off the bedroom and created a step-down brick patio with a lot of containers. It’s a tricky space; everything needs to be lifted up for…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 12, 2012
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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