Cilantro seed is ready to harvest for growing out again or grinding into coriander.
Wordless Wednesday: Celebrating Freedom
Since we're celebrating the 4th of July week, we can't help but express gratitude for the freedom we share as gardeners.
Yellow crookneck squash is off an running. It is always the first to peter out as the heat comes on, but for now it's working.
Wordless Wednesday: Community Garden Bounty
Things are really going off in our community garden plot, so we wanted to capture it before its beauty wanes. We've already spotted the first cucumber beetles so that means we'll probably lose some squash plants to bacterial wilt. Fingers crossed, and enjoy it while it lasts, right? 3 types of pumpkins sprawl through one raised bed. We plant each type at the point of a triangle in a 4x4 bed in our community garden. Room enough to grow and…
Malaga radishes grace the garden with our favorite color.
Wordless Wednesday: Spring Growth
May rains (an oddity in Los Angeles) have kept the garden happy and cool this month. It's time to plant while the gettin's good. Here's a little inspiration to help you along the way. Malaga radishes grace the garden with our favorite color. Mittens inspects our Red Fife wheat from within. She loves to snack on it instead of her cat grass. Harvesting the last parsnips from winter. Time to make Root Vegetables Stewed in Oil and Butter. Brad's Atomic…
Highland cows are part of the ecosystem here.
Wordless Wednesday: Field Trip to Apricot Lane Farms
We recently visited Apricot Lane Farms, the focus of the new documentary The Biggest Little Farm, which opens May 10th in theaters. On press day, we took a tour of the 200 acre farm and saw the magnificent biodynamic ecosystem in action. Listen to our Podcast with the farm's owners, John and Molly Chester. Here are some highlights from our tour:
Blackberries are setting fruit. They don't need any help from us. Just keep digging up the runners that come up 15 feet away from the mother plant.
Wordless Wednesday: New Life
Easter, Passover, and Earth Day all came together this year to celebrate new life. The garden bursts forth with sprouts, flowers, and the promise of an abundant harvest.
Winnetka Purple artichokes are in full swing as our second plant produces fruit (it's really a flower bud, but hey...)
Wordless Wednesday: April Bliss
Planting time is finally here, and we're celebrating spring to its fullest. Out with the old, in with the new! Celebrate April bliss with us. Here's a look at what we're growing this week.
Magenta tree spinach (Chenopodium giganteum) spotted at the Santa Monica Main Street Community Garden. It's both edible and beautiful!
Wordless Wednesday: Spring Delights
Spring delights are already abundant here in Los Angeles. Step outside and you're greeted with the fragrance of wisteria overhead, or the wild Painted Lady butterfly migration all around. Loquats are ripening, artichokes are sending up buds, and the SuperBloom is showcasing southern California like never before. Here are some photos to inspire you on the first day of spring. Loquats are ready! These delicate fruits don't store or ship well, so grow your own! Wisteria buds open, scenting the…
Black Magic kale sprouts under grow lights.
Wordless Wednesday: Start Your Engines!
The time has come to plant your garden, whether indoors or out. Start seeds, amend soils, and bring dreams into reality this month. Soon you'll taste the rewards of today's toil. But it's not really toil, it's a labor of love. May this Wordless Wednesday inspire your gardening activities this week. Barry's Crazy Cherry tomato sprouts under grow lights. Black Magic kale sprouts under grow lights. It's bred to be durable in hot weather. Using the link helps Gardenerd make…
Our pomegranate tree leafed out this week. So exciting!
Wordless Wednesday: Signs of Spring
With recent rain storms, the garden is going gangbusters. Signs of spring are everywhere. Here's some inspiration for what is to come regardless of whether you're gardening now, or your garden is knee deep under snow. A bee with full pollen pockets inspects a bok choy flower. Our pomegranate tree leafed out this week. So exciting! We cut down our cover crop, chopped it up, and covered it with compost. It will be ready to plant 3 weeks later. It's…
The harvest needs washing right away. It took about an hour to process this batch. We soak lettuces and other greens, rinse off roots, and trim stems from brassicas and roots. The chickens get some of it, we get the rest.
Wordless Wednesday: Winter Garden Harvest
The beauty of a fall or winter garden is that it grows almost without care. Cooler temperatures and rain lend themselves to a stress-free garden. There are virtually no bugs, you don't have to water as often, and some veggies (brassicas and root crops in particular) become sweeter with a frost. True, they do need protection from cold snaps in cooler climates. But now we reap the benefits of a winter garden--it's harvest time! If it's too cold for a…