April and May are remembered most for showers and flowers, but the best part of all that spring activity is the garden tours. Now's your chance to get out and see what's growin' on, to get ideas for your own garden, and to see how other gardeners are doing it. Garden tours lend great perspective and "fill the well" for those of us who do this for a living. They differ from flower shows and expos in one major way--they're…
Last week I was cleaning up my community garden plot to ready it for new crops and I came upon several small piles of mystery eggs. I had never seen anything like it before and didn't know whether they were from beneficial insects or not. So I left them. Here's what they looked like: Had I been diligent and done the research right away, I would have found out immediately (thank you Google images) that they were...ready for it? SLUG…
Our rainy season appears to be coming to a close here in Los Angeles, but before we turn on the irrigation, there's still a little bit of water in our rain barrels. It's hard to get every last drop out from the bottom, so we've employed a little ingenuity to help us along. Fountain pumps come in handy to extract the last bit of water out from your rain barrels. They can also help pump water uphill to your plants.…
Nature plays a mean trick on gardeners here in Southern California. By the time the tomatoes are ripe and the chiles are ready to pick, the salsa garden is missing an important ingredient: cilantro. Our delicate friend has long since bolted to seed, and like the hawk and wolf in Ladyhawke, never the twain shall meet. But now there is a simple way to preserve the fresh flavor of cilantro. It's like making pesto, but without the cheese and nuts.…
You've most likely heard of companion planting, so interplanting won't be entirely unfamiliar to you. It's basically the idea of planting two or three different plants together to take advantage of available space, and to benefit the plants involved. For example - by alternating plantings of lettuces and kale in rows, you can take advantage of slow-growing kale by using the space in between to grow a quick crop of lettuces. Another example is radishes and artichokes or squash. You…
It's a mouthful of a title, but basically Pasta al Cavolo Broccolo e Romanesco is pasta with Romanesco broccoli and a delightful Italian sprouting broccoli otherwise known as Spigarello or Cavolo Broccolo a Getti di Napoli. I made up this recipe based on what was in the fridge. Spigarello is grown for the leaves more than for the heading flowers. You can use it as a substitute for kale, collards or spinach in cooked dishes like this. Our recipe starts…
Wisteria blooms each March in Southern California, though last year it bloomed in February (well hello, climate change). Each year we look forward to fragrant blossoms hanging delicately from the pergola overhead and we don't seem to mind the beautiful mess they make as the purple petals fall to the ground. Bees love wisteria and dance around each dangling cluster of blossoms gathering nectar for this season's honey stores. But before we wax rhapsodic any further, let's get something straight:…
Spring may have arrived, but we're still seeing winter root veggies and greens at the Farmers' Market and in the garden. We tried this new recipe from Vegetarian Times' Eat to Beat Inflammation ebook to use up some of our home grown carrots and collard greens. The recipe involves cooking veggies separately, but all in all it was easy to put together in under an hour. It calls for rutabaga, but we substituted parsnips because we had them on hand…
Now that Gardening for Geeks is on the shelves, it's time to celebrate with a chance to "Meet the Author" and talk dirt (soil, that is). Here are some upcoming events where you can bring your copy to be signed or chat with fellow gardenerds about your spring garden escapades. Gardening for Geeks Launch Party - April 7, 2013 - 4-6 p.m. Where: Ilan Dei Studio Shop, 1650 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice CA, 90291 Ilan Dei has graciously agreed to…
Spring is just around the corner, and those who can grow fall crops are just starting to swap out winter's harvest for spring seedlings. Here's what we're harvesting this time of year: Lettuces Broccoli Romanesco Cavolo Broccolo a Getti di Napoli - Spigarello to many of you Spinach Arugula Kale Peas Root veggies - carrots, parsnips, beets, etc. There are a few nibbles here and there on lettuce leaves, and more aphids than we'd care to admit, but that's just…