What's Growin' On Archives - Page 80 of 142

Thornless boysenberries climb a trellis behind strawberries.

Starter Garden for Family

A family in Manhattan Beach called us saying they were "accidentally" growing pumpkins in a plastic storage container, and they wanted a real garden instead. In truth, they had great instincts and those pumpkins were growing like crazy on their back yard patio. It was also true that they needed more space to grow food. They had several fruit trees successfully growing in the ground, but they had blueberries, grapes, boysenberries, and tomatoes growing in pots; many of which were…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 19, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Quartered kumquats (say that 10 times fast)

Recipe: Andrew’s Kumquat Marmalade

The kumquat tree was planted for the husband. Yours truly doesn't care for them. To be honest, the husband uses them as an appetite suppressant (the sourness makes one not want to eat anything afterward; it has the same effect as brushing one's teeth). So, now that the kumquats are going gangbusters, the husband decided to make some marmalade for his toast. He's a bit of an experimenter, the husband. Never one to follow a recipe to the letter. So…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 6, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

Radish seeds are medium sized, so you won't need a very small screen.

Harvesting Radish Seeds

Locally adapted seed is an important ally in the garden. Seeds you save and plant again become more adapted to your climate, water conditions, soil, etc. Each time you save seed and then grow it out properly, that seed improves. Here are tips for harvesting radish seeds. Last winter we ran out of Purple Plum radish seed, so when we spotted one of our large roots bolting to seed at the end of the season, we seized the opportunity. Technically,…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 5, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments

Blackberries

Earth Day Wordless Wednesday: Spring’s Abundance

We're preparing for the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase this week, so enjoy this Wordless Wednesday for Earth Day: photos of spring's abundance in our Test Garden and stop by on Westminster this Saturday if you're in Los Angeles. Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 22, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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The original carrot plush toy

Where’s Gardenerd?

And now for something completely different... At least a year ago my PR assistant, Mel, gave me a carrot plush toy. It's the cutest thing ever. It also spawned an idea we couldn't pass up. What if we sent this plush toy around the world so people could photograph it in their gardens? What if gardenerds all over the planet could then post their photos to Twitter or Instagram for all of us to share? But we couldn't send him...Gardenerd...out…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 21, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On Where’s Gardenerd?
Post comments:18 Comments

Under the dome of the Education Center

Field Trip: Huntington’s New Education & Visitor Center

The Huntington Library and Gardens unveiled its new Education and Visitor Center on April 4th. Sadly we couldn't attend that day, but we finally made a pilgrimage to see the site this past weekend to take it all in. First impressions: it's going to be amazing when everything grows in. In the meantime, the sheer scale of the project is impressive right now. The old Huntington entrance, with its long walk through an established tree canopy, is gone. In its…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 15, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Interplanting Corn

You've probably heard of the Three Sisters Garden, where you plant corn, beans, and squash together for a symbiotic relationship that takes up less space for all three crops. But interplanting can work with other crops too. This year, we decided to experiment with interplanting corn in with a sweet potato bed that won't give up the ghost. Each year, despite pulling what we think is all the sweet potatoes, the crop keeps coming back, rendering a 4x4 bed unavailable…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 14, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:21 Comments

Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase is FREE!

7th Annual Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase

It's garden tour time, folks, and this year Gardenerd HQ is on the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase. We'll be opening up the backyard vegetable garden for all to see. We'll be sharing helpful tips and tidbits on how to grow just about anything edible in a small space. The Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase is on Saturday, April 25th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This self-guided tour offers over 50 homes to inspire you toward a more sustainable…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 8, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Always room for the homeowners' cute pelican watering can.

Bye, Bye Turf!

It's time to highlight another turf removal project we've just completed. This one is primarily non-edible, but we were excited to transform another front lawn into a water catchment basin, and make it a home for native and drought-tolerant plants. The family wanted colorful plants that gave them a little privacy while taking advantage of the city's rebate program, which covered the cost of plants and hardscape materials. Let's take a look: Before The homeowner wanted a path next to…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 7, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:7 Comments

Perennial milkweeds grow back year after year. They provide habitat for traveling Monarch butterflies.

Native Milkweed Only, Please.

I've been hearing it for awhile, especially from the native plant enthusiasts and experts among us: pull out non-native milkweeds, it's making our Monarchs sick. What? Aren't we supposed to be growing milkweed for Monarch butterflies, you ask. The answer is yes, but it's more complicated than that. Nobody ever really explained to me why we need to stop growing non-native milkweeds, just that we need to stop. But finally something came across my desk to explain it succinctly. Recent…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 1, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:5 Comments