Category Archives: Blog

Growing Christmas Lima Beans

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Christy

At the end of the LA Garden show earlier
this spring, my booth neighbor and fellow Gardenerd, Nysha Dalgren of Ardenwoods Edibles let me choose a plant or two to take
home. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to try something new, and a the tiny tendrils of a Christmas Lima Bean plant were calling out to me.

When I got home, I tucked the plant in behind a …
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My First Chile Relleno

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Christy

It might seem crazy to grow something in the garden specifically for one dish, but when it comes down to it, there’s something to be said for seeing a meal
through from start – as in seedling – to finish. This is the case of our poblano peppers.

We grew poblanos for one reason and one reason only – to make chile rellenos. Not that I even knew how to make them, but it was about time to learn.
…
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Harlequin Bugs – Not Funny!

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Christy

They look kind of funny, maybe even cute, but harlequin bugs are no laughing matter. If left to their own devices, they’ll mutilate a plant
within an inch of its life. They like brassicas – a lot – and this year they found my kale.   

The Harlequin Bug (murgantia histrionica) is a True bug, and a stink bug – which you only find out when you squish them. They are black and orange and are often …
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Posted in What's Growin' On | Tagged | 10 Comments

Preserving Leeks – High and Dry

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Christy

Now that summer has come to a close (not that you could tell with all the hot weather we’ve been having lately), harvest season is upon us.
As part of our harvest plan, we built a solar food dryer in order to alleviate some
congestion in the freezer.

We’ve over our heads in leeks right now. The fridge is full, and the freezer is already full of batches …
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Rock Dust for a Rockin’ Garden

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Christy

I love it when I get questions to which I don’t know the answer. It gives me a chance to learn more too:

“Hi, I have read of the benefits of using rock dust in the soil and wanted to know your experience or opinion about using it. Also, do you know of a source in the LA area?  Thanks,
Alan”

Alan, I’ll be honest – I’ve never used rock dust in my garden, but I’ve done a …
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Posted in Sage Advice | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Growing Garbanzo Beans (that’s chickpeas to you, darling)

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Christy

You’ll find them in Indian food, hearty soups, and as a ubiquitous staple of the salad bar at Soup Plantation, but you might not know how good they really are until you’ve cooked them yourself.
Garbanzo beans, also known as chick peas, are usually undercooked when you buy them canned, and certainly don’t hold a lot of flavor on their own (kind of like tofu), but they are a great base for
many dishes and very satisfying to grow.

We experimented with growing garbanzo beans in our test …
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Building a Solar Food Dryer

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Christy

Okay, so you’ve got a ton of leeks and you’ve already made a gigantic batch of potato and leek soup that’s completely filled up the freezer.
Now what do you do with the rest of the leeks (about 10 pounds or so)?  One options is to dehydrate them. Dried fruits and vegetables require no freezer space, no refrigerator space, and
no electricity to keep them at the ready for use in the kitchen. In fact, it …
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The Green of Mexico

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Christy

We recently took some time off this summer to vacation in Michoacan, Mexico. The goal was to relax deeply and to see what the areas of
indigenous Mexico had to offer. We were enveloped by the beauty of the land during this rainy season, and felt like we saw the real Mexico, rather than the tourist versions.

Our home base was in Lake Zirahuen, a small town around one of the purest lakes in the world. It rained …
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Compost Queries

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Christy

A question came in this week from a Gardenerd student:

“I’m sharing a Biostack [compost] bin with my neighbors in my apt complex and the question was raised on whether or not it’s acceptable to put whole fruit, apples, oranges, etc. into the bin. I’m
trying to keep the bin simple for people so I am hesitant to tell people to cut up their fruit to help accelerate the composting, but my neighbor thinks they should be. Can you tell me what the
…
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Pure Joy in the Garden

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Christy

Recently I finished teaching another round of classes at Santa Monica College’s Continuing Education Program, during which the students
planted a few seeds in plastic pots to take home with them. They planted either carrots, green onions or radishes (small plants that would do well in 6″ pots). They eagerly awaited for the
first signs of sprouting and enthusiastically reported back in the third or fourth week of class, “I have carrot sprouts!”  I love seeing …
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