Category Archives: Blog

Crustless Quiche – Farmers’ Market Style

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Christy

Adventures in cooking start with a trip to the Mar Vista Farmers’ Market to round up the ingredients. Read all about it on Mar Vista Patch:

Crustless Quiche, Farmers’ Market Style

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Volunteer Tomatoes – Nature’s Slap in the Face

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Christy

There is either a great blessing or a humbling cruelty to the fact that volunteer tomatoes grow bigger, faster and stronger than cultivated varieties. By volunteer, I mean the little sprouts that
pushed out of the soil all on their own, not planted by me, not planted in rich garden soil, and not necessarily in full sun or even near any source of water. Yet despite these conditions, nature
prevails.

I have two, possibly three volunteer tomatoes that popped up in the most unwitting locations. Observe specimen number 1:
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Earwigs Don’t Wear Wigs

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Christy

We get a lot of pest control questions at Ask Gardenerd. Here’s one now:

“Hey Christy, Love your blog – thanks for all the great tips and pics!  I live in Culver City and a year ago I turned my whole back yard into a garden with raised beds. I’m loving it but
have noticed lately I have TONS of earwigs. I think they’re eating all my veggies, and strawberries for that matter. Any tips on getting rid of them?  Everything I read says to put out cardboard
so they will congregate …
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Potash Deficiency

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Christy

A new question dropped into the Ask Gardenerd inbox this week: 


“Lovin’ [your] podcast since 2009!  My soil test recommends 15-0-15 for potash deficiency. Organic sources would be….what?  Wood ash,
greensand, kelp meal?  Do you have preference?  I’m told wood ash (easiest and free) leaches out faster and has other elements too, ones I don’t need to supplement like calcium and
magnesium. Just wondering what you think…”

First of all – thanks for …

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Lumpy Tangerines are Good Eating

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Christy

Right now at the Farmers’ Market, tasty citrus abounds.  Here’s the latest post about Golden Nugget Tangerines on Mar Vista’s Bounty Hunter:

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Growing Grains in Small Spaces

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Christy

A great question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:

“I am looking to purchase a variety of grain seeds. Not bulk, not for production? Yet. My goal is start growing and saving seeds from planter pots, as my yard is xeriscaped and I am in the
process of trying to sell my home. This way once I move I should have seeds for planting a small scale grain garden for personal use. Where can I find open-pollinated grain seeds that are not
planting a whole flappin’ acre at a time?”
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New Tools – Christmas in…April

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Christy

The tell-tale credit card statement reveals that yours truly has been shopping for gardening tools. It’s spring – can you blame me? 

While up north at the San Francisco Garden Show I stumbled upon the Lee Valley Tools booth. Oh dear, be still my
heart. Before I knew it, my hands were wrapped around a Clarington Forge digging
fork. Sturdy, rugged, hand-made, and for those of us who appreciate a good tool when we see one, beautiful. It was the easiest sale of the day. It …
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Gardenerd is Mar Vista’s Bounty Hunter

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Christy

Gardenerd’s Christy Wilhelmi became a columnist for Mar Vista Patch.com this week writing the weekly Farmer’s Market report, Mar
Vista’s Bounty Hunter. If you love the Mar Vista Farmer’s Market like we do, you can sign up on Patch.com to get the latest news about what’s fresh at the Farmer’s Market delivered right to your
inbox.

This week’s story is all about the strawberries. Even if you don’t live in the Los Angeles area, you’ll find some great tips about …
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Growing Kale – Ironman of the Garden

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Christy

There’s a thing that happens when someone discovers kale for the first time. They become addicted to it. Well, maybe not addicted, but if their experience is anything like mine was, they can’t get
enough of it. My intro to kale was with Esalen’s Raw Kale Salad  and I’ve been growing kale ever since.

What kind of kale is best?  It depends upon your preference. Many people like the color and texture of Italian kale, also known as Lacinato (laa-chee-nah-toe) or Dinosaur kale, and because it
is not …
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The Truth about Seed Balls

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Christy

You’ve seen the news clips about seed balls being dispensed from gum ball machines and tossed lazily amongst the weeds in vacant lots, but what ever happens to them?  Do they indeed sprout and
blossom into beautiful wildflowers?  Do they spruce up a desolate parkway in the midst of bustling city life? 

I needed to find out for myself. So I bought two packages of seed balls for the Test Garden.

One set of seed balls was designed for hummingbirds, with larkspur, …
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