What's Growin' On Archives - Page 96 of 141

Colorful watermelon radishes enliven this salad

Recipe: Watermelon Radish & Goat Cheese Salad

Just to be clear, it's not a watermelon and a radish in this salad, it's two Watermelon Radishes. If you haven't grown them, put them on your list of "musts" for this season. Watermelon radishes look boring on the outside; their whitish-green exterior doesn't lend much excitement to a dish. Cut them open, however, and you'll find jewel pink centers that make other vegetables jealous. There's a trick to growing watermelon radishes though: you have to let them get large--about…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 12, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

The "thermal" in active batch thermal composting

Active Batch Composting

What the heck is "Active Batch Composting" anyway? You're about to find out, but first let's look at another term: Cold composting. Cold composting, though the name is a bit of a misnomer, is what most gardeners do. We have a compost bin or pile, and over time we add our kitchen scraps and garden waste, some leaves and shredded office paper, tissues, paper towels, etc. We water it and wait. The temperature may climb to 100-120°F but that's about…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 6, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:4 Comments

Linda's husband, Richard's recording studio overlooks a slope of rosemary, fruit trees and artichokes.

Field Trip: Permaculture / Biodynamic Garden

Field trips are always fun because you get to see concepts in practice. Visiting Linda Gibbs' garden was no exception. I stopped by her Malibu home last week for a look at her Permaculture/biodynamic garden as she prepared for spring. Linda's property sits at the edge of a gulch and overlooks the ocean. Lush green views and ocean breezes lend themselves to a peaceful garden experience. Over winter, wild fennel, borage and grasses volunteer to cover the hillside to attract…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 5, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:1 Comment

New bed, ready for compost and plants

Turning Cover Crops

Let us depart from conventional wisdom of turning cover crops into the soil beneath. Let us instead take a lesson from John Jeavons' GROW BIOINTENSIVE method and use the cover crops as compost materials elsewhere. Buy why, you cry? Why can't I just turn my cover crop over into the soil, cover it with finished compost or manure, water it and wait? It's that last part...the waiting. You've already waited for the cover crop to grow, then flower, so why…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 28, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Purple, orange and yellow carrots await you

Grow Rainbow Carrots

You can enjoy a rainbow of colors in your meals if you grow carrots. What? You mean they're not just orange? Let us explore. They may take awhile to grow, but carrots can be one of the most satisfying crops to harvest. That's mainly because you never know what you're really getting until you pull them out from the earth. But what if you discovered this when you did: Purple, orange and yellow carrots await you Funky shapes and colors…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 26, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:5 Comments

Completed garden with cool season crops planted. We left room for warm season crops, which will be planted next month.

Family’s New Vegetable Garden

A student from my Santa Monica College gardening course hired me to design a vegetable garden - a few raised beds so his family could grow tomatoes, salad greens and more. The family had moved into their house recently and were overhauling the landscaping to make it low-maintenance. The homeowners enjoyed colorful, artistic surroundings, but they wanted a clean palette to start with. Old weedy lawns, ill-placed concrete borders and invasive plant materials all had to go. I wanted their…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 20, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

U-pins hold netting in place to keep curious hens from crawling out underneath.

Wider Pastures: New Chicken Run

We were lucky. Our chickens never really discovered the garden. They simply stayed within bounds to peck and scratch the day away. Until last week. Their eyes have been opened and all the world is suddenly their oyster. I think not. Time for a new, larger chicken run to contain the birds but let them feel as though the have free range of the yard. Taking note from Omlet's chicken fence, we set out for the hardware store for stakes…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 19, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:5 Comments

Kale Salad ready for scarfing.

Recipe: Northern Spy Kale Salad

For winter gardeners, kale is a staple crop that we have the pleasure of harvesting all season long. It grows well in spring in cooler climates, so for those covered in snow, you have that to look forward to. While there is no shortage of kale recipes to try, the goal, in fact, is to try as many as possible. Salads, soups, stews and main dishes; the possibilities are endless. This week we made the Northern Spy Kale Salad from…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 13, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

The Edible Landscape by Emily Tepe

Book Review: The Edible Landscape

Last month I received a copy of Emily Tepe's new book, The Edible Landscape, and since I don't write reviews without reading the thing cover to cover (and I'm a slow reader), I'm just getting around to it now. The promise of the book, from the cover and my expectations at least, is an instructional guide to creating an edible landscape with fruits, vegetables and flowers. As I read through it, I realized there is very little in the way…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 12, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:7 Comments

Gardening for Geeks by Christy Wilhelmi

Announcing Gardening For Geeks Book!

I've been chomping at the bit to post this, and now that everything is in place the time has come. drumroll please... That's right, I've written a book and it's coming out in April. Back in July, 2012, Adams Media approached me to write a gardening book for them and I couldn't say no. It was a chance to put all the juicy tips and tidbits from years of growing, teaching, and blogging in one place. It's full of practical…

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 5, 2013
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments