Happy Holidays

It is a warm, and sunny day. I have planted some carrot and green onion seeds. Hopefully the weather will be nice to the seeds so that they will germinate well. The broccoli looks beautiful. The lettuces and cabbage are holding up to the crazy weather patterns.
Last month, I bought a Improved Meyer lemon tree for $64.It looks very healthy in a 7 gallon pot. I wanted something nice in the patio and I thought a dwarf fruit tree would be fantastic. I know it won't get all the sunshine it needs but a lot of citrus trees here don't get all the 6-8 hours it needs. Well, I hope to take great care of it. It had about 20 lemons on it before I harvested half of it.

So glad to be back from camping in Death Valley. Beautiful and awesome scenery out there. The off-roading can be fun but my Subaru is getting too old. Trips are hard because I know I need to water my garden. I ask people to do it for me but that can go either. The way one waters....can either be beneficial or detrimental.

Brussel Sprouts

Where is Flat Stanley?

The brussels sprouts looked ready to be harvested today. I got about 20 little heads off the stalk and cleaned out the other 4 plants. I came home, cleaned them thoroughly, and boiled them for 5 minutes. Then I shocked them in cold water. My parents came over for dinner. We had baked sweet potato, salmon, and brussels sprouts with Korean chili paste. It was a lovely dinner.

It rained again today

Are the gardeners getting lucky with the weather? I harvested the lone kohlrabi for dinner. All the seedlings looked like they were adjusting well. I planted the rest of the leek and the white eggplant seedlings. I am running out of space. The sweet peas are finally blooming. I thought I planted a color other than pink. Oh!

Dear Rain

It rained early this morning.  I am so happy about the cool weather since I planted all the kohlrabi and the broccolini last week. I had a feeling we were going to have a cool spell. I am going to check on the seedlings this afternoon. I went hunting for some gardening tools this past week. I got a weeder and a cultivator like tool from Spear and Jackon for a great price at the West Valley Nursery. This place is another great place you have to visit. They have a great selection plants. My husband was nice enough mulch the whole garden for us.

Windy and cool weather

Ok, what is wrong with the weather? For a few days, it was over 80 degrees and now it is back in the sixties. All the winter crops are loving it. I planted the kohlrabi and the leeks. I am going crazy myself. I don't know how the tomatoes are going to turn out.

Last Day of April

It was another hot day. Yesterday was a little cooler with more wind. I was at the L.A. River Day Event at the Rio de Los Angeles State Park. It seemed like a wonderful event except I had to leave early. Mud was there with his plugs of all varieties. He took this instagram. See the plugs? Well I am so excited to share them with my fellow gardeners. There were leeks, lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, herbs, lavender, and more. I was excited about the buddleia in three different colors. I came home and watered and organized my bunch.
Can't wait until tomorrow!

what kind of weather is this?

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were really warm days even near the coast. My garden is really coming about. I had to water more than I wanted to The snails are loving it. I got some of that Sluggo knock-off for the organic garden that is made by the same company. Why pay more when you can get some generic brand that work equally as well but lower in price?
I have my spring break this week. I will spend a lot of time in my garden. It is also my husband's 40th birthday. Yikes, I am so stressed. I am really. The leek seedlings are a pain to transplant when they are so little, I have to find a better way to get them out without them falling apart on me.

Windy...and rain expected

Yesterday, I repotted the blueberry plants I bought a Costco of all places. I am not the type to buy plants at Costco but I didn't want to spend $25 on a plant at a nursery again. I have two varieties in pots at this time. The trio from Costco was such a great deal that I could not pass up having three different types. I have the "Misty" and O'Neal currently. Misty is the heavy producer for me. The other one was saved from a dark corner of a nursery in the San Fernando Valley. It was not cheap. The "Misty" was bought from the San Gabriel Nursery. I love that place. It has been my local nursery for over 20 years. Back to my blueberries...I got my coffee grounds from my local Starbucks. I got about 10lbs to cover my 3 black nursery pots. I have been using my own coffee grounds ever since and it works great for me. I don't have to treat my soil. The blueberries seem to like it. I just didn't have enough saved up for the new plants so I had to call Starbucks. I use Dr. Earth's acidic fertilizer when I have to.

 I just want to take my plants with me if I relocate.
 Update....a few years later....the three Costco bought blueberry plants....
Two did not make it. One is still small. Buy your plants at a reputable nursery. Buy a big blueberry bush. Buy something for your zone. Spend the money. You will be rewarded!

I had a crazy day!

My soybean seedlings are too leggy. They will be composted. My tomatillos seedlings are okay. I am going to plant my leek seedlings next week. I don't know what my plans are for the summer planting.
The brussel sprouts are looking fabulous!

What a suprise!

I saw this ranunculus. The color is so amazing. It was so small, I didn't think it was going to bloom yet.

As it got sunnier, it started to bloom even more.

This is the crazy bunny grass. It develops furry tips as it grows. I had to yank two bunches of it. It is invasive. It spread like any other grass.

Have you ever seen a white poppy? This one is growing in a field of orange California poppies and cilantro. My daughter is so proud of it.

It is finally April!

After the rain

 I can't wait to harvest! The rain has worked wonders for the lettuce.

    This can make a beautiful bouquet.

The fava bean flowers are so pretty.

They seem so common in the garden but they always seem to surprise me. I usually pull them out before they develop their pods. This time I will wait for them.

Leeks with the beets

The leeks have taken a very long time since I started them indoors.  Leeks are surprisingly flavorful.

I turned the soil and pulled out

most of the junk that was growing there.

I replanted the buckwheat.

 The false garlic is just a pain in the rear!

The brussel sprouts seedlings are finally doing their magic. The girls hate the bitterness but I love them dipped in spicy Korean chili pepper paste. You lightly steam the brussel sprouts before you serve them.

Why do I garden?

Why do you garden? I love the feel of the rich dirt and all the worms in my soil. Growing your own food is good for your health and your wallet. Spending money on herbs can be ridiculous. You use so little of what you buy. I also like seeing all the plants growing and producing fruit.

When I am driving to work in the morning, I think about what my garden might look like that day since I don't get to visit it every day. It makes me calm in the middle of all the traffic. I can garden without thinking too much. Thinking too much can be hazardous.

Rain Rain...thank you but...

Wow, I think we got a year's worth of rain in a day. Seriously. In spring of 2005, it rained like this except the rain poured for days. Why would I remember March of 2005? I almost bought a house with a little garden in Pasadena. The rain exposed a lot of structural damages to the house. After the inspection, I happily paid the guy and rescinded our offer to buy the house. Ok, I made a good decision. I am happy to live in an apartment. I like having a garden plot in a place where I can greet people. I get to see what they are growing. The advice sometimes flows and everybody has some. I do have some but I only share it when someone asks or if you get on my nerves with the know it all attitude.

Okay Rain..please be gentle to my seedlings

OMG....it is raining literally cats and dogs in Santa Monica this morning. The LA Marathon is also going on and people are getting soaked out there. Our pine tree that we used two years ago is getting a good wash. It needs to be planted but it sits on our patio stressed out. We have a few cymbidiums that I had for over a decade still blooming here and there. They are nearly at the end of their life due to my lack of time to pamper them.
It is gray, cold, and rainy out. Yesterday I had a chance to check on my plants at the garden plot. They all seem to have that I love this cloudy day look. My peas might have rotted in the mulch. Who knows? My mustard greens all seem to have germinated fine. The seed packet said that it had a very low germination rate. Well... it looks like all have germinated. We rode our bikes to Third Street and passed by the Santa Monica Community Garden on Main Street. Then we decided to eat dinner at Urth Caffe. As we approached a pole to park our bikes and trailer, there was a whizzing sound. One of the tires had a puncture. So we ate in frustration and decided to put the bikes on the bus. At 7:50pm, we all hopped on the No.1 BIG BLUE BUS back to our place with the bike trailer and all. It was a lovely sight.

Radiation?

Well, I live near the coast of Southern California. My community garden plot is about 3 miles from the beach. There was some rain today and my garden enjoyed it. Who knows how much radiation is in our food anyway? Am I worried? Yes...I have two little girls who eat all the herbs right out of the garden without the occasional rinse. Anyway, my youngest ate the cilantro right off the bat as she walked into the plot and I didn't stop her. This is life as we know it.

Getting ready for spring...what will I plant?

Sometimes, I wish the weather was more consistent and predictable.  It will take a few months to get the edamame, tomato, and other summer seedlings to be mature enough to plant in May or June. I usually like the old fashion way of sowing my seeds in the dirt and waiting for the seedling to merge from the soil.
Wait...I forgot. There are way to many snails, cutworms, and other pests that will in a few minutes eat and destroy a whole section of my small plot. Yikes. I just have to figure out what I want to do. I only have a few weeks or less to start my seedlings.

Ok...gardening involves cooking

When you grow your own food, you must at least try to use it in your cooking. I have met people who grow lovely things yet choose not to eat their harvest. Don't give it to me then. Is there something wrong with it? Sometimes you get overwhelmed with the bounty that the garden provides but if you grow it you should at least eat it because you put a lot of love into growing that food.

My garden looked liked this...

This was a few months after I started gardening in this community garden. I was so ambitious, I must have had more than 30 different vegetables growing at one time. My plot is only 15x15.
One problem that you can encounter in a community garden is having a neighbor who lets his plot go. We are also dealing with a constant barrage of false garlic seedlings and nut grass. We grow food, not too much food. You also have to rotate crops in the small space. I tried it all...intensive gardening...only 6 months gardening...companion planting...summer gardening. Snails are a big problem here.

This is a school garden bed behind my class. There are five of these plastic lumber garden beds that are filled with soil. The kids love planting seeds and smelling the flowers. It is still a garden in progress.

This is my garden...

Spring is coming and I am so happy to see my garden flourish in Southern California. My garden is located in a community garden called Ocean View Farms.  Please vote for our garden at http://www.deloachcommunitygardens.com/. We also love Solano Gardens as well!

Do you see my cauliflower? I had already harvested a few heads. I am letting this one go just for all the insects out there. It has been unseasonably warm in Los Angeles the past few weeks. All the winter crops are confused.

This is the front of our plot. Right now I have an abundance of swiss chard in a rainbow of colors. The lettuce is looking lush and full. I also have brussel sprouts taking their sweet time just barely showing anything. In the front, I planted pineapple sage, lipstick sage, rosemary, and other drought tolerant plants. They seem to love that section of the garden. The horse manure mulch keeps the soil moist and fertilized. The smell is great too.
The gopher deterring plant seems to be working.
I recently planted carrots seeds. The snow peas were pulled out.

This is one of my favorites. Since I want to take it with me if I have to relocate myself, the plant is in a black nursery pot. Can you guess what it is? The lavender plant behind it is not helping right? Well, it is a blueberry plant. I enrich the soil with acidic fertilizer and use my coffee grinds to make the soil just so perfect for this heavy fruiting blueberry bush. I have buckwheat growing next to it as well. The other blueberry bush is quite young so it is not as productive as this one.