One of the wonderful and often surprising things about being a blogger is that every once in a while companies send you free stuff. They hope
that you’ll review their product and spread the word. Let it be known, if it isn’t already, that I never promote things that I don’t completely believe in, and I don’t get paid to wax rhapsodic
about them.
That said, I was delighted to find …
Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company holds a place in the heart of many an organic vegetable gardener. Their gorgeous seed catalogs are the industry standard of “garden-porn”, with beautiful pictures of
hundreds of varieties many eyes have never seen before.
While away on a writing retreat, I stopped by their West Coast store, the Seed Bank. It is aptly named because it is located inside an old bank. A corner building in the center of town proudly
displays Heirloom Seeds in the two-story bank windows. You can’t miss it.
…
There’s a point at which every garden hits autopilot. With a little planning and adequate irrigation it can happen while you’re on vacation. During my trip to Italy my garden took off, and when I got
back it was time to harvest the first fruits of the season. (My apologies to those still covered in snow out there. Your time is coming 
)
Some may recall that our community garden plot was going through some hard times last year – excessive zinc in the soil, nematodes – things were just …
Maybe I’m a little anxious. Maybe I’m just ahead of the game. Really, though, I think I’m just excited about the coming of spring to the point that I can’t hold it in any longer. See, I planted
squash and cucumbers – I KNOW, I know… it’s early… I can’t help it. It may still be blustery and chilly out there, but I’ve got a plan to make everything alright:
Cloches – home made cloches – will keep my cucurbits happy until the weather warms up.
…
This being the beginning of the holiday season, and the first day of Hanukkah, it felt only fitting to unveil the all-new 2011 Spring/Summer Organic Seed Collection from the
Gardenerd Store. Read about the great choices for your spring garden (makes a great gift or stocking stuffer!) and see why we chose them for your garden.
Who needs gold coins when you can have gardener’s gold like this instead:
This past Saturday, August 7, was our very first Summer Potluck and Seed Exchange.
Yes, Woolly School Gardens needs your vote, and I’ll tell you about that in just a minute, but first a little story:
On Tuesday, June 1st, I had the opportunity to help install two Woolly School Gardens at two neighboring schools in downtown Los Angeles. Together with a team of Woolly gardeners, we filled Pockets
with soil and planted food gardens for students to enjoy. We planted herbs like sage, chives (which some of the kids pronounced chee-vess), thyme, basil, rosemary and …
Oh sure, I’ve got plenty of growing space in my raised beds, but sometimes that’s just not enough. Sometimes you have to take over the
place.
I feel like a warrior — or maybe a gold rush prospector; I’ve just made a minor land-grab in my own
back yard.
Let me e’splain: I met up with Conor Fitzpatrick on the last day of Tomatomania, where I …