What's Growin' On Archives - Page 92 of 142

Tiny eggs on the undersides of milkweed leaves

Milkweed and Monarchs

Perhaps the most important part of any vegetable garden is the habitat surrounding the garden itself. Having a place where good bugs can thrive can be the difference between a successful garden, or one full of pests. Milkweed plays an important role in keeping one species happy: the Monarch butterfly. Monarchs are amazing for a number of reasons. First, they only lay their eggs on milkweed plants, because that is the single food of their young larvae. Second, most monarchs…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 17, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Home Sprouting: Fenugreek for Health

Despite being called a "granola head" throughout college, I've never grown sprouts, mostly because I resented the fact that they found their way into places they didn't belong...like veggie tacos. However, it's important to try new things every once in awhile, so I took the opportunity to try sprouting this summer. Botanical Interests Seeds sent me a freebie: a giant packet of fenugreek seeds complete with instructions for how to sprout them. Fenugreek seeds are known for their dense nutrient…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 11, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

A sign welcomes guests to the garden.

Field Trip: Quebec City Rooftop Garden – Les Jardins des Lauberiviere

One last stop on our tour of Quebec City's gardens: an impressive rooftop garden that anyone can replicate, at least in part. Les Jardins des Lauberiviere is a project that sits on top of a former hotel, and is now Quebec City's largest homeless shelter. Not only does this shelter provide a home for its residents, but the 6,000 square foot rooftop garden produces 1.5 tons of vegetables each year. The project was installed by Les Urbainculteurs, a non-profit organization…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 10, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Tomatoes, peppers, onion and cilantro are simple ingredients to this simple salsa

Recipe: Summer Salsa

Last month's Westside Produce Exchange was amazing. The haul was beyond belief. Each person left with a bag filled with summer produce that rivaled any farmers' market. I brought poblano peppers and in exchange I received tomatoes, peppers, peaches, zucchini, onions, basil and more. All handed out in abundance, all for free. If you've never heard of a produce exchange, check out our previous blog post about it. It's a great way to distribute your excess to friends and to…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 4, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

Rouge Vif e’Etampes much like the one we grew this year

When Life Gives You Destruction: The Pumpkin Massacre

Each year, we grow our own pumpkins for Halloween and winter pumpkin puree-based desserts. Most years it goes well, but this year's results left much to be desired. It all started out so good... We planted Rouge Vif e’Etampes (AKA Cinderella's Carriage) and despite our gloomy overcast summer dishing out gobs of powdery mildew, they thrived. We had three pumpkins in one cluster growing gangbusters. Then, well past the point of pollination infancy, one 5" small pumpkin withered and fell…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 3, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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A Simple Guide To Digging A Sustainable Garden Pond

This week we have a guest blogger talking about a subject we haven't covered here at Gardenerd: ponds. Ricky Peterson is a nature lover who likes to walk in the woods and generally spend time outdoors. He loves his garden and, unlike some of us, like sharing it with lots of wildlife. Ricky works for Swallow Aquatics, selling pond supplies to keep home ponds aerated and healthy. He's here to share his knowledge about DIY pond construction. Take it away…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 28, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Field Trip: Quebec City Community Gardens

Community gardens are glorious to me. The diversity of each member, the variety of aesthetic design choices, and the ingenuity of cramming as much as possible into one plot is inspiring. During my trip to Quebec City, we visited one such garden that keeps flooding my memory. Here's a tour: The garden was established in 1982, which makes it Quebec City's oldest and largest community garden. The residents came together to create an organic garden where they could grow healthy…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 27, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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A different kind of butterfly garden

Field Trip: Quebec City Gardens – Roger Van den Hende Botanical Gardens

You are about to be transported to a place of lush beauty, where rainfall is abundant but the growing season is short (only 4 months). Given these circumstances, the Roger Van den Hende Botanical Gardens in Quebec City celebrate every moment with color, fragrance and texture. At first glance you wouldn't know it was a garden. The entrance presents a metal and glass building that looks more like a laboratory than a botanical garden. Indeed, inside were rows of plants…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 21, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

Field Trip: Apricot Lane Farms

I had the pleasure of not only visiting Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, CA last week, I spent 2 hours working in their amazing vegetable garden. It was the kind of experience that gives one hope for a brighter future. Apricot Lane Farms is 130 acres of glorious symbiosis. Established in 2011, this new biodynamic farm is taking sustainability to the highest level. And <<inner child squealing with glee>> they have Hairy Coos (Scottish Highland long-haired cows--AKA walking teddy bears…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 14, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Saving Poppy Seeds

If you've ever considered saving seeds, but have been too afraid to try, start by saving ornamental poppy seeds. Why? Saving poppy seeds is practically labor-free, is incredibly easy, and can be done in about a minute. We grew a beautiful variety this year that came unannounced in the mail from Botanical Interests Seeds. It's called Lauren's Grape. I'm never one to turn down a gift, especially if it's purple or burgundy. This poppy inspires instant happiness. Now the flowers…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 13, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments