What's Growin' On Archives - Page 87 of 142

Chicken sentinel stands watch

Mini Garden for Maximum Yield

Picture this: a large back yard with plenty of space for a garden. Then factor in this: mature trees all over the place, leaving little space for full-sun exposure. Not to mention roots--lots of tree roots, a network of thatchy root-hairs making it impossible to cultivate a vegetable patch. That's what we were dealing with in this Valley Village garden. The solution: a mini raised bed garden for maximum yield. The client had tried growing vegetables in this space before,…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 3, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Spring Garden Abundance

Today in the garden...

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 21, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:1 Comment

One of the smaller radishes we harvested next to a cherry tomato for perspective.

Harvesting Bora King Radishes

A while ago, we reported that we were planting a new radish in the garden for spring: Bora King. It's a winter radish that claims to be purple on the inside as well as the outside. We were so excited to try them out, and this week the big day came: harvesting Bora King radishes. Winter radishes grow larger than spring radishes. Quite a lot larger. Bora Kings can grow up to 8 inches long without getting tough. On Sunday…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 20, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:1 Comment

Spring Foraging

Today's guest post comes from Erika Woodhouse (Great name!...any Emma fans out there?) She's a blogger and gardener who is slowly trying to turn both her thumbs green. She won't stop until her beets win a blue ribbon at the Fair. Take it away Erika! Sometimes nature can provide better food than the most green-thumbed nurturer. If you’ve ever come across a wild strawberry, you know what I’m talking about. The tiny, warm berries burst with more intense flavor than…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 14, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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March Against Monsanto 2014

Recently Vermont became the first state to pass a GMO labeling law. That means that genetically engineered ingredients must be labeled as such on packaged foods sold in Vermont beginning July 1, 2016. It's a landmark victory against Monsanto and Big Food, and IMHO the start of something big. Vermont now has the right to know. Shouldn't everyone? (March with me on May 24th if you answered yes!) However, word on the street this week is that the Grocery Manufacturers…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 13, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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A transplant from a relative's yard.

Loquat Season

Loquat. That word raises the brow of many non-gardeners everywhere, and even some gardeners. Aside from sounding like a short kumquat, loquats are unusual fruits because you don't often them at farmers' markets, and never see them in grocery stores. Why? They don't travel well. At all. The photo above shows loquats that traveled to a produce exchange in a box and home from that exchange on a bicycle. The total distance was under 5 miles. Imagine what 1,500 miles…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 7, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Founder of Linear City's rooftop garden

Rooftop Garden in L.A.

A lot of people don't have space to garden, and in many places the rooftop is the only option. If you live where it snows, the local architecture is built to support the weight of snow, so a hundred pounds of wet soil per square foot won't collapse a roof. Sadly in Los Angeles, many of our building roofs (or rooves, for those of an elder age) weren't built to hold weather. A light-weight like yours truly can make an…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 6, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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White eggs dyed for Easter (with 1 of our colored eggs mixed in). Can you tell which one?

Dying Colored Easter Eggs

Dying colored Easter eggs. Isn't that redundant? Well, yes, but let me explain. We have chickens who lay colored eggs (peach, blue, green and chocolate brown). Most commercially available Easter egg coloring kits recommend using white eggs. As gardenerds, we needed to know what would happen if we tried dying our colored eggs. Let us explore the process. We had guests staying for the holiday and the 6 year old in the group was eager to experiment along with us.…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 29, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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YouTube: How to Clean Pruning Shears

Our latest instructional video is live on YouTube. It walks you through the process of properly cleaning, oiling and sharpening your pruning shears. Taking care of your garden tools is as important as watering your plants. If cleaned and sharpened regularly, a good set of pruning shears will last for years. One of the best investments a gardener can make is on quality tools that last a lifetime. My own pruning shears (seen in the video) are 16 years old.…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 28, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

A volunteer tomato sprouted from under our compost storage tub.

Volunteers: Nature’s Helpers

This time of year, we have a lot of sprouts popping up in odd places. We didn't plant them, they are "volunteers." Volunteers are a godsend in filling in spaces around the yard with spring flowers, extra lettuces, and even the best tomatoes you'll ever grow. We call them "Nature's slap in the face" because they do better than most of the plants we've cultivated on purpose. They don't need much help from us, and so they tend to be…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 16, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:4 Comments

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