What’s Growin’ On

Read more about the article Revisiting the Huntington Ranch
Edible landscapes of a different sort have taken over the Ranch

Revisiting the Huntington Ranch

Continue ReadingRevisiting the Huntington Ranch

Back in 2010 we attended the grand opening of the Huntington Ranch, a secret garden of sorts outside the normal sites to see at the Huntington Library and Gardens. In its infancy, the Huntington Ranch promised to bring back the original use (and nostalgia) of the early days of the Huntington, when fruit orchards and vegetable gardens were in center focus on the property. Now, 5 years later, the Ranch is all grown up. Unrecognizable from its early installation days.…

Read more about the article Growing and Harvesting Ground Cherries
Tiny tomatillo-like fruits are oddly sweet and savory at the same time.

Growing and Harvesting Ground Cherries

Continue ReadingGrowing and Harvesting Ground Cherries

It's always great to discover you can grow something in  your climate that you didn't think was possible before. This is true of ground cherries for me. Until this spring, they were a mystery to me, relegated to northern climates, or so I thought. Then a friend sent seeds from Canada and I couldn't resist the opportunity to see how they would do in a completely different latitude. Ground cherries, otherwise known as Physalis, are in the nightshade family and…

Read more about the article Soil Food Web Intensive – Part 2
Compost ingredients

Soil Food Web Intensive – Part 2

Continue ReadingSoil Food Web Intensive – Part 2

In our last episode, we shared the wonders of Dr. Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web Intensive course. Today, we'll continue with more tidbits and tricks that will help you build better compost (and compost tea) for a healthier garden. In my opinion, every gardener should have a compost bin. It's not only the best way to reduce what goes in the garbage, it's the best way to improve your soil for all eternity. What is compost? I've said it before,…

Read more about the article Soil Food Web Intensive – Part 1
Soil Food Web

Soil Food Web Intensive – Part 1

Continue ReadingSoil Food Web Intensive – Part 1

I've just returned from spending 5 glorious days with Dr. Elaine Ingham, the soil microbiologist who coined the term "Soil Food Web." It was, indeed, intense. Even though I'd been circling this information since 2009 when I saw Jeff Lowenfels speak about the Soil Food Web and his then upcoming book, Teaming with Microbes, at the San Fransisco Garden Show, there's nothing like getting it from the source. Dr. Elaine Ingham has been solving soil issues around the world, soil…

Read more about the article Growing Turban Squash
Female flowers create a fruit that's flat on one side.

Growing Turban Squash

Continue ReadingGrowing Turban Squash

Turban squash, also known as Turk's Cap, is a winter squash that is so alluring it steals focus from pumpkins any day. We pilfered one from the Heirloom Expo last year, saved the seeds, and grew them out this spring. Not knowing how the squash was grown (whether it was grown the proper distance from other squash varieties of the same species to prevent cross pollination or not), we took our chances to see what we would get. So far,…

Read more about the article Design: Balcony Garden Joy
She'll guide cucumbers and pole beans up the trellis this summer.

Design: Balcony Garden Joy

Continue ReadingDesign: Balcony Garden Joy

Small space gardening is our specialty here at Gardenerd. We like making the most of tiny gardens, and our latest project was no exception. Using pre-fab products, we turned a plain old balcony into a farm-for-one in Hermosa Beach, CA. You can do this too. Here's how: The Balcony The client's balcony was tiny, to say the least. 2 outdoor seats and some pots with succulents took up much of the space. The client was so excited about growing some…

Read more about the article Growing Jerusalem Artichokes

Growing Jerusalem Artichokes

Continue ReadingGrowing Jerusalem Artichokes

Back in December, we planted a handful of Jerusalem artichokes (a.k.a. sunchokes) that had sprouted in the refrigerator. Having never grown them before, it was an experiment (as is much of what we do here at Gardenerd). We knew them to be invasive, so we opted to plant the tubers in a dilapidated container to keep them as contained as possible but still connected to the soil. The bottom was missing on the container, so there was still a chance…

Read more about the article Recipe: Caramel Blackberry Goat Milk Ice Cream
The finished product will be delicious and refreshing.

Recipe: Caramel Blackberry Goat Milk Ice Cream

Continue ReadingRecipe: Caramel Blackberry Goat Milk Ice Cream

Here's one for anyone who can't do cow. We recently discovered a raw goat milk vendor at our local farmers' market and decided that it was time to experiment with goat milk ice cream. Since blackberries are in season, it seemed like the perfect combination. Most recipes include a list of ingredients with eggs and cow's cream for a custard-style base. Since the whole point is to avoid cow's milk, we sought out a recipe using only goat milk...and found…

Read more about the article Harvesting Wheat
Grains and chaff waiting for winnowing.

Harvesting Wheat

Continue ReadingHarvesting Wheat

We grew White Sonora Wheat over winter, and now that it's May in Southern California, it is time to harvest. Our 4x4 foot raised bed was filled with tall, slender wheat sheaths that turned progressively more golden brown. The seed heads began to nod, and that's when we knew it was time. Here's how to harvest your own patch of heirloom wheat: Admittedly, 4x4 isn't very much room for growing wheat. Ideally we'd have 100 square feet for the task.…

Read more about the article Wordless Wednesday: Mid-Spring Garden Flourish
Tiny watermelons set fruit (shot through the crook of a watermelon leaf)

Wordless Wednesday: Mid-Spring Garden Flourish

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: Mid-Spring Garden Flourish

It's too pretty out there, we had to share. Enjoy these photos from the Gardenerd Test Garden in mid-spring as the garden flourishes. That's our mid-spring garden flourish. What's growin' on in your garden this week? Share what's flowering, fruiting and sprouting here.

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