Gardenerd.com on LA Times.com Today
Just caught sight of a post on the LA Times Blog in the Home Section about our upcoming Fall Garden Planning Workshop. Check it out here:
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Pumpkins on the Early Side
Believe it or not, our pumpkins have finished up already this year. The vine has dried up and those bright orange globes are littered about the garden, just waiting for fall holiday celebrations. But we had a good reason to put them to use right away in the middle of summer - curiosity.
You may recall an earlier post where I talked about the crazy pumpkins taking over the yard: Houston, we have some Squash!
What I didn't mention is that, even though I hand pollinated all of those pumpkins, only 1 of them actually came out ...
Home Made Mozzarella
Since the garden is pretty much doing its own thing these days, we tend for focus more on the bounty of the harvest than the growing of plants (which is just as exciting anyway).
What’s Working…and Not Working
This season has been an interesting one. I've had luck this year with plants I've tried (and failed) to grow for the past 11 years. At the same time, I've…
First Summer Harvest
Even though we've been harvesting squash for awhile now (see "Zucchini Anyone?"), it doesn't really feel like a summer harvest until the tomatoes start showing up. This week, it's official! They're red and ready to start pickin' at the Gardenerd test garden.
Although, to say that they're red would be discriminatory. These heirloom tomatoes are ripening in nearly every color of the rainbow. Red is almost passe with all the delectable heirloom options out there.
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Zucchini Anyone?
Often when people leave for vacation, they experience a pleasant surprise of a thriving garden when they return (as long as it's being watered while they're gone). My clients often report that just a week away produces a huge growth spurt in their gardens. I've had this experience myself.
Recently though, I'd like to say that I went away on vacation, but the truth is I just got lazy and didn't check in on the zucchini for a few days. Oops...
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Huntington Revisited
As a guilty pleasure, or let's say...a business expense, I renewed my long-lost membership to the Huntington Library and Gardens this spring. I haven't been in years (since gas prices went up - it's a bit of a drive to get there from where I live). In fact, I hadn't been back since the Huntington opened their Chinese and Children's' Gardens. I was really looking forward to seeing the "new to me" installations, and sauntering through the rose garden and other old stomping grounds.
Let me tell you, it didn't disappoint. My first stop was the Shakespeare Garden, which ...
Squash Bonanza
It appears that the zucchini and Bennings Green Tint patty pan squash have officially kicked into high gear - and it's not even summer yet! This is a crucial time - when one needs to visit the garden every day, lest there be a monster squash discovered after a few days away from the garden. So far, so good. We're catching the summer squash early and picking them young. Now to find recipes...
I have a favorite recipe for zucchini, but you
might want to save it for when your sick of zucchini, because when
you're done with this ...
Late Spring Harvest
With a tiny bit of rain drizzling down this morning, I harvested a few things from the garden. It's very exciting on a number of levels.
The first requires a little story: I didn't plant eggplant this year - I planted it last year. It was attacked by flea beetles early on and in fall when the time came to clear the raised bed, I decided to leave the plants because they were showing signs of new growth. So they overwintered, and when spring came they had grown to a very respectable size. Then they flowered and set ...
Tomato Seedling Sale in El Camino
This just came to me via one of my clients. If you happen to still need tomato seedlings now is your chance to get them cheap in the Los Angeles area:Hi All,
Continue ReadingTomato Seedling Sale in El Camino