What's Growin' On Archives - Page 87 of 141

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
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A loquat tree with cages of cotton hanging about

Native Garden Tour- Part 2: The coolest thing ever

Plants are interesting. Birds are interesting. Put them together and you get a Xerces Society Certified Pollinator Habitat. Last week on the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour, we started off with a jaw dropping experience in Beverly Hills that was worthy of its own blog post. It was the coolest thing ever. For those who missed the first installment of this tour, read up and come back. Okay, now onward. The first stop on the tour lent mystery before…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 15, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Subscribe to Gardenerd's YouTube channel here.

YouTube: How to Plant Tomatoes

It's tomato season, and we've got ours in the ground already. It may be early for some, but we're experiencing 80 degree days this week, so we took a chance and were so bold as to plant tomatoes (18 of them). Crossing our fingers to avoid early blight (and late blight...and rats, etc.) Maybe this will be a great tomato year. For those who missed the recent newsletter with step by step instructions for planting tomatoes, or for those who…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 9, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Dendromecon Hartfordii and it's cousin, Dendromecon rigida are sunny additions to any California native garden.

Native Garden Tour – Part 1: Great Plants for Pollinators

I was gifted two tickets to the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour this past weekend and set out with my co-chair for the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase to see what native plants people are growing in Los Angeles right now. We came away with a few new favorites and some terrific experiences. Native plants, no matter where you live, are great plants for pollinators. They support wildlife of all kinds with food and shelter, and more importantly, they…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 8, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Climate Change Round Up (AKA Things I Care About)

#Climate Change was trending on Twitter yesterday. As gardenerds, we don't need Twitter to point out the changes in seasonal behavior. We can spot when things are off. Things are definitely off. Mudslides, more intense icy winters, more frequent flooding, bigger storms--these are all the signs that our planet is out of balance. Signs now point to the notion that we're beyond help, the window has closed, it's too late and there's nothing we can do. The talk now is…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 2, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Grow plants under grow lights through winter. Start seeds too.

Keys to Lighting Your Indoor Gardening System

Today's guest post is from Chris Wimmer, an urban hydroponic hobbyist who uses hydroponics to maximize his 400 square foot yard and extend the short Chicago growing season. Chris blogs about how to start growing with hydroponics at HealthSmartLiving. Today he's offering his advice for growing with indoor lighting. Take it away Chris! Keys to Lighting Your Indoor Gardening System Indoor gardening is a great way to grow vegetables, herbs, and other flowering plants year round. One of the biggest…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 1, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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First blackberries of the season

Spring Gardens are Waking Up

A friend up north in Canada, Niki Jabbour, posted on Twitter this morning that she's expecting 2 feet of snow tonight. Here in Southern California our spring gardens are waking up and we're planting warm season crops already. Take heart, northern gardeners, this is what you can expect in your own gardens soon: A container lemon tree props up nicotiana with a background of trumpet vine. Flowers are blooming and bees are buzzing at Gardenerd HQ. Some fruit trees are…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 26, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Hearty lentil soup with collard greens

Recipe: Lentil Soup with Collard Greens

We cook from the garden around here. Whatever is coming in from "out there" determines the meal of the day. Since collard greens are finishing up, we needed to find a recipe to showcase them. Enter Sandy's Great Lentil Soup with Collard Greens. The recipe comes from a cookbook that's been in my collection for many years: Simply Natural: All-time Favorite Recipes from Kitchens of North America's Best Natural Foods Restaurants, by Les Sussman and Sally Bordwell. (BTW - it's…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 25, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Fresh Christmas Limas are incredibly delicious.

Recipe: Garlicky Fresh Christmas Lima Beans with Thyme

I've grown Christmas Lima Beans for several years and have come to love this prolific plant. The first time, we planted in spring and it grew and produced for a year and a half (and it would have kept going if we didn't have to pull it out). This time, after a year of constant production, we had to make way for new crops. Sad but true. After harvesting all the dried pods, the plant was still full of green…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 12, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Blueberries (dwarf varieties) with strawberries and herbs around a tree.

Mini Orchard & Garden for Mom and Dog

Spring is just around the corner, but in the Valley it's already here. Southern California continues to have unseasonably high temperatures and one new gardener wanted to take advantage of it with a new mini orchard and garden for her Sherman Oaks home. The homeowner wanted to grow what she eats: mostly fruit and veggies. So we set her up with a mini orchard of 6 fruit trees and two raised beds, plus a few planters for herbs and berries.…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 11, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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