Last Sunday of April

Oh my how this month has flown! No real April showers at all.  It was overcast in the morning for a few hours today. The cress is just taking off. It looks like cress carpet in the garden. As a ground cover it is great. Edible! It tasted peppery and very sharp. It is great with a good vinaigrette. I only planted a few seedling but they are very invasive. You need to really like it a lot to grow it because it is like mint. It will just spread across your garden especially when you keep your soil moist and if the weather is cool. Once you pull the plant out, it does not grow back because it does not create a extensive root system like the the different varieties of mint. I am really hating all the mint in the garden now. The 4 different types have like all just created a monster root system. Pull out and dig! Throw out the roots....don't compost. They just don't die!

I moved this rose bush last week and disturbed the roots. It had a lot of flower buds on it. Luckily, I did not cause too much shock because it bloomed and the crimson petals looked beautiful .

 This is the where the first tomato plant went in today. I dug a really deep hole and added organic fertilizer. Then my daughter had the honor of putting in the plant and filling it up. We took off all the extra leaves and buried the plant at least 18 inches deep. It was ready to go in the ground. The Sungold plant become extremely leggy and unstable. Then we watered it deeply and put a couple of old tomato cages over it. The lemon verbena is taking over as well. The leaves are lush and so pretty.

The David Austin roses are all blooming. I didn't want to make too many cuttings but I had to take some to a fellow gardener's house today. It is such joy to see and smell all the roses. My plot is small and yes I have limited space but the roses bring such delight to the girls when they get a whiff of the heavenly fragrance. I like giving them away as well. I wish I had them earlier in my gardening career. I just need to find a permanent place for them because certain roses can grow in containers and some just won't.

 

Worms and more worms. My fellow gardener above my plot has a worm bin and he gave me a handful for my worm bin last year. I do have a lot of worms. I am so afraid to put in shovel into the soil. I might just slice some worms in many pieces accidentally. You know when you have a lot of worms it means that your soil is in top shape. Worms make your soil airy and they just leave all their casting to fertilize the plants. You should read more about worms because I could just go on and on about them. I used to keep a worm bin in my apartment for many years.

 

My favorite garden tool is the Korean ho-mi. I am the proud owner of four. 3 are not made in Korea but this one is. I found it yesterday at this nursery in Tarzana. They always have some old interesting garden tools stashed away in their garden center. One of the guys actually asked me if the ho-mi was made in North Korea. It would have not gotten sold to them if that was the case. Weird question. Anyway, a practical tool for any gardener. The handle is a little aged but I had to get it. My cousins bought a couple for me from Korea but they were not made in Korea. Not that special. This one is!

Missing my peas!

Last Sunday when I pulled out the pea plant, I didn't know the weather was going to cool down dramatically. My garden neighbor asked me if I wanted some her peas and I said "No". My pea plant was still vigorous when I composted it. Feeling a little guilty for being a little hasty. This was my last crop of peas. Sweet and crunchy just eating it plain and simple.

The blueberry bush is in full production. This past Thursday, I was at the garden watering late, I noticed a lot of ripe berries but did not pick any to take home. Instead I just ate it right there. When I used to live in Brooklyn, we used to head out Long Island in the summer. In the woods, I must have tasted my first wild blueberries and raspberries. I loved going berry picking. There were a lot of raspberries than blueberries but as a child nothing is more fun than foraging for wild treats.

I have 5 lacinato kale plants. Last night I made kale chips for dinner. Oh my! They make the best kale chips because the leaves are flat and not curly. When you tear them into pieces, they just toast better in the oven. My friend told me she massages her kale before eating it and I said "What the heck is that?" I found out that if you massage them with dressing/olive oil and salt instead of just tossing it, the kale is relaxed and the oil gets evenly coated on the front and back. My kale salads look better too. You need to get you hands in the salad bowl and just work it. Who knew? I don't watch cooking shows.

The weather is back to its crazy old self! It is suppose to be in the 80's in certain places or even higher. No marine layer. I am waiting for the zucchini seeds to sprout. I still have a few red carrots in the ground. Even though the garden is near the coast, I still have to think about planting my garden with seasonal crops. Just because it is cooler out here you can still get away with planting lettuces and other greens until all the cilantro starts to bolt.

Does it feel like summer?

It was an amazing day to garden. The sun was in full force and I hoped the on-shore flow would move in. From the distance, I saw the faint marine layer. I spent most of the morning planting new roses in my independent project. It was hard to figure out the color scheme and what roses to let go. In the end, I planted 4 old David Austin rose bushes. Well, they have living in the nursery pots for many years. As I was about the thin out the leaves of the other rose bushes, I almost took the life of this ladybug as I was stepping on the lemon balm.The lemon balm smells great and it is looking lush. It is on the border so I sometimes can't help not stepping on it. The humidity level was so low yesterday, I made sure I watered the garden deeply today.

 
 My garlic chives are in full bloom. The lacinato kale is tall enough so the bottom munchers don't get to the leaves on top. My leeks are taking off. I can't wait until they are thick enough to harvest. I cut the borage plant back, pulled all the lettuce out, planted zucchini seeds, and pruned the side of the rosemary bush. The last pea plant came out. Hot dry weather and snap peas just don't like each other.

There was so much kale that I had to put my harvest in a cloth shopping bag. I usually pick my kale early in the morning or late in the day. The taste is different. You should not pick certain vegetables in the heat of the day. I guess I will be making kale chips for dinner. My work at the garden was finished finally around 3:30am. I started at 9:45am. Feels great to weed and take care of things I usually can't during the work week.

The Winds Are Back

Wow, the winds were fierce today. The winds were strong at school and also near the coast. I saw a lot of dust clouds and debris as usual. Yesterday, I thoroughly watered all the roses and the garden. The bare root roses need to be watered deeply. People ask me if I will put my roses in the ground. Eventually I will.

Just shy of 150 pounds, the produce harvested at the Mott Street urban farm was donated to Downtown Women's Shelter and the Westside foodbank yesterday. 

 

This is Charles Rennie Mackintosh by David Austin. This is a very pretty lilac-pink colored rose that has a peony-like look to them. It used to look like a sad little rose bush when I got it last year. It looked scraggly. I pruned and gave it a good dose of rose fertilizer. Now the rose plant looks so amazing. It started to bloom a week ago.

 

The next rose is Claire Austin I think. The label was partially missing when I got it. It looks like a Claire Austin judging from the description in the David Austin catalogue. The rose is so white. It has a lot of petals but less than the one above. You should have a white rose in your garden. The fragrance is not one of my favorites but you get used to it.

Keeping myself busy

I bet thes roses smell better than the plumbing behind the building

 Our plumbing went downhill Friday night.   

More like up into the tub. I had to wait for my  landlord last night to do a temporary fix. It got cleaned out yesterday. I needed to get out of the gloom and doom of Santa Monica. I drove to Koreatown, picked up some food and headed out to Pasadena to work at JMHS with the girls. I planted 10 bare root roses. I think it was 10. It was intermittently sunny so I tried to do the best with the David Austin roses. The roses need to get potted or put in the ground. There are still more waiting to be planted. A lot more. It was a good gardening day.

Today, I picked kale and donated some produce to one of our fellow gardener who does the pick up for the local food bank.

There is a surprise for me every day!

 David Austin's Golden Celebration in full bloom. I saw this big mass of yellow petals dangling from the side of the rose bush. I just wanted to take it home and put it in a pretty vase. Self -control!

What a delicious surprise! 

 Ok, I will eat it later. The blueberries are starting to ripen little by little. I only have three blueberrry bushes. I finally put them in the ground after much thought. They seemed so unhappy in the big nursery pot. Plus they like acidic soil and a good amount of space.

Something else that is blue in my garden...borage is pretty this time around because it is so short. Short is the word. The last borage plant was almost 4 feet tall and it was really just taking over. The flowers taste like cucumber and the girls love snacking on those while they are playing. A borage plant will reseed itself and when it get too big, you can yank it out. Tomato hornworms don't seem to like borage. It's a little prickly as well. I have gotten scratched a few times.

A rose in my independent project in bloom today

 

My garden plot on the left side. It is full of kale and red lettuce.

Blooming chives, leeks, cress, and thyme are doing great.

 I have a rosemary topiary at the corner.

The other side is waiting to be planted with tomatoes. I am trying to nurture a sad looking dill plant.

 Lastly, this is my school garden plot. My students love visiting the garden as much as they can. Today we saw our principal waving to us from her car in the morning. The garden was built next to my classroom of 8 years. Then my classroom was removed. The raised garden beds were donated to other schools while the school was redone with asphalt. Permanent concrete garden beds were built. It is pretty shallow though. We found tools inside the soil that the construction workers forgot like a saw blade. Yikes! I think I removed all the dangerous items.

Time to rest

I think I am done with the lettuce growing. The weather has been so unseasonably warm, people are starting to put their basil and tomatoes in. Well, I still think it is too early because the weather will rear its ugly head. I did put the peppers in at the school garden because it is so warm out in North Hollywood. The school garden bed is made of concrete and the asphalt it is sitting on gets a lot of heat. Some person threw some dog doo into the garden bed in a tissue! Really people do this? I am not composting that kind of poop....in kind words. 

This rose is a L.D. Braithwaite from David Austin. It is extremely thorny and I am afraid of hurting myself and others at the garden. I have pruned it heavily. It probably hates me more than my Felco No. 2. Most David Austin roses are full of scary thorns just like any rose bush you see out there. The Squire is one of those scary ones. I put that one in a corner of my plot. Sister Elizabeth might look gentle but it has a lot of little thorns as well. It was in full bloom yesterday. I did not have my camera with me. I didn't pick the blooms either. I am waiting for the roses to all bloom. I wish I had a huge garden!

How much kale can you pick in such a small space? Kale galore is what I have to call it. Kale salad, braised kale, kale chips- as I write I have some in my oven baking away into crispness. Luckily, I have about 12 kale plants and that is plenty for a family of four. You have to have a couple of varieties. Curly kale is a must. Lacinato kale is great for making kale chips. My favorite is kale with dried cranberries, sliced toasted almonds with my so called mom's best lemon dressing.
Kale is something I hated to eat but then one day my palate just changed for the better.

The Winds are Here!

The wind started to blow today. I was expecting it yesterday. The community garden plot got mulched with horse manure and the roses were thoroughly watered. The winds were expected all weekend but I felt the force of it at work today. Work is almost 20 miles away one way. The palm fronds were scattered like trash on the road. Seriously, the wind was just blowing dust and debris all around the school. I am going to clean up the trash in a few days around the school garden. The sweetpeas looked so sad being knocked back and forth by the wind. Just waiting for the family to come home from swimming class.
Another 45 pounds of vegetables harvested at the urban farm on Mott Street in Boyle Heights. It was donated to the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles.

No April showers yet!

Has it been a while? I have been just using Instagram @picklesandkimchi and I totally forgot about my blog. Lettuce, radicchio, and other salad greens are coming out of the garden. The kale is doing well still. My David Austin roses are just about to bloom. I pulled the snap pea out yesterday and weeded all the false garlic and others. The months are flying. There is so little time but so much to do in the garden. If you have a garden, I am happy to work with you!

My Meyer lemon tree did great on my patio. The wind snapped a branch that was heavily laden with fruit. I used organic fertilizer instead of a synthetic one the nursery man had suggested. The fruit was much bigger and juicer. Time to repot to a bigger pot. I am very proud of my tree. I made lemon bars, lemonade, and used the lemon in my salad dressing.

 

 

I went to a farm in South Korea and made kimchi. It was my first experience with making it from the beginning. Amazing process and labor intensive. Almost all the ingredients were grown at this farm. That is how they do it. The chili pepper, the radish, the green onions, and garlic all get mixed up. Kimchi is so amazing. When it is first made, the taste is unbelievable. Delicious!

Yum, all done. The ladies there crouch for hours stuffing the kimchi with the chili, radish, garlic, and secret ingredients specific to each family mixture. My arms were burning. At the end, all the kimchi was boxed and shipped to Seoul. I remember seeing my grandmother make it with raw oysters in the 1970's. Now they use plum sauce to sweeten things up. More natural I suppose but they still all use shrimp paste.

This is my uncle's kimchi making session. I don't know how many radishes were shredded. My relatives stayed the weekend at his house and started 4am in the morning. My parents were there to help.






The school garden looks good. The butterfly bush is just looking so healthy. The sweetpeas are beginning to bloom. The school trash is driving me nuts. I pruned all the rose bushes at school because the school gardeners told me there are more important things to take care of. What? The fourth cherry tree died. The school gardener nicked the base of the tree with his weedwhacker or whatever it is called. One tree is striving to live. So sad. We planted five cherry trees last year. I pulled the dead trees out and it broke my heart! Kids run around and shake the gingko trees at the base, they squish butterflies, step on ants, and pull off flowers. What are these children doing?I am trying to change all that. Slowly....






It is not easy telling the children all the time what they need to do. Someone has to start somewhere. That is the reason why I teach kinder. They need to start young. By the time they get to 5th grade, it is too late.
We are always talking about the environment. Plants are a big part of our lives. WE NEED TO RECYCLE, REDUCE, and REUSE. Is there another one? I love it when my kids ask me if the trash they are holding can be out into the 3 R's.


Changing the subject, this is the best $10 investment ever. I have flies living in the soil of my potted plants at school. The flies have been so good to my octopus plant. Instead of using chemicals to kill the pests, this plant is doing the job perfectly.