Lumpy Tangerines are Good Eating
Right now at the Farmers' Market, tasty citrus abounds. Here's the latest post about Golden Nugget Tangerines on Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter:
New Tools – Christmas in…April
The tell-tale credit card statement reveals that yours truly has been shopping for gardening tools. It's spring - can you blame me?
While up north at the San Francisco Garden Show I stumbled upon the Lee Valley Tools booth. Oh dear, be still my
heart. Before I knew it, my hands were wrapped around a Clarington Forge digging
fork. Sturdy, rugged, hand-made, and for those of us who appreciate a good tool when we see one, beautiful. It was the easiest sale of the day. It ...
Gardenerd is Mar Vista’s Bounty Hunter
Gardenerd's Christy Wilhelmi became a columnist for Mar Vista Patch.com this week writing the weekly Farmer's Market report, Mar
Vista's Bounty Hunter. If you love the Mar Vista Farmer's Market like we do, you can sign up on Patch.com to get the latest news about what's fresh at the Farmer's Market delivered right to your
inbox.
This week's story is all about the strawberries. Even if you don't live in the Los Angeles area, you'll find some great tips about ...
Growing Kale – Ironman of the Garden
There's a thing that happens when someone discovers kale for the first time. They become addicted to it. Well, maybe not addicted, but if their experience is anything like mine was, they can't get
enough of it. My intro to kale was with Esalen's Raw Kale Salad and I've been growing kale ever since.
What kind of kale is best? It depends upon your preference. Many people like the color and texture of Italian kale, also known as Lacinato (laa-chee-nah-toe) or Dinosaur kale, and because it
is not ...
The Truth about Seed Balls
You've seen the news clips about seed balls being dispensed from gum ball machines and tossed lazily amongst the weeds in vacant lots, but what ever happens to them? Do they indeed sprout and
blossom into beautiful wildflowers? Do they spruce up a desolate parkway in the midst of bustling city life?
I needed to find out for myself. So I bought two packages of seed balls for the Test Garden.
One set of seed balls was designed for hummingbirds, with larkspur, ...
Field Trip – San Francisco Garden Show
Question: What's more fun than planting your spring garden?
Answer: Going to a garden show filled with gardeners and garden gear to get new ideas about what to plant in your spring garden.
I ventured up to San Francisco last week to take in a convention-center-full of ideas and gardening joys. To my delight, there was a clear focus on edible landscaping and home food-gardening that
offered fresh insight for home growers. A few favorites jumped out, so let's get right to it:
...
Romantic Notions of Roasted Vegetables
In my early years of cooking, I found that my attempts at roasting vegetables ended with deflated, soggy lumps that once resembled fresh veggies. Perhaps that is why I still hold romantic notions
about serving amazingly caramelized, oven-roasted, Mediterranean fare cooked to perfection at elegant parties.
Well, it may not have been an elegant party - just a thrown-together dinner for two based on this romantic notion - but success was finally achieved in the roasted vegetable department.
First, the old stand-by - baked/roasted home grown potatoes: ...
Keeping Cucurbits “Cloche” By
Maybe I'm a little anxious. Maybe I'm just ahead of the game. Really, though, I think I'm just excited about the coming of spring to the point that I can't hold it in any longer. See, I planted
squash and cucumbers - I KNOW, I know... it's early... I can't help it. It may still be blustery and chilly out there, but I've got a plan to make everything alright:
Cloches - home made cloches - will keep my cucurbits happy until the weather warms up.
...
Dream Center Garden Progress
In September 2009, I started working on a project for the Dream Center in
downtown Los Angeles. It's been a long road, gathering grant money and donated supplies, but the Dream Garden is shaping up to be a fine reality for the residents of the Dream Center.
Today a team of about 15 people planted the first batch of transplants into the garden. The excitement was palpable as we placed plants in each bed, according to a diagram I made ...
Phytoremediation Update – Sad News
I'm supposed to be a garden guru with a bountiful garden year-round, right? When crops fail or disease sets in, my husband is thoughtful enough to remind me that a true gardener's approach to
gardening is experimentation, and more specifically trial and error. So in the spirit of true gardening, I present my latest error.
You may remember that I spent the winter growing milk thistle and
chicory in my community garden plot to remove some excess zinc from the soil. Included in the results from the initial soil ...