Category Archives: Blog

U-Pick Lavender

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Christy

Our adventure in Ojai continue with the opening day of “u-pick” season at a local lavender farm. New Oak Ranch hung balloons out on the road
sign, inviting folks to come and pick a handful of fresh lavender for $5 a bunch. The farm features 20 different varieties of lavender (mostly Grosso, Hidcote, Buena Vista, and Provence) but
they also have Pixie tangerines, olives and walnuts.

The bees were hovering throughout …
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Olive Oil in Ojai

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Christy

A quick weekend getaway was in order – some place warm and cozy, and filled with joyful memories. Ojai, CA fit the bill. It was the location
of our destination wedding five years ago. Laden with orange groves, olive and avocado trees, and lavender fields, Ojai (pronounced Oh-Hi) combines the small town feeling of local farmers with
the artist community of hippies. On a weekend with no plans, we found ourselves pretty busy.
…
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Quick Garden Refresher

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Christy

Have you ever planted mint, thinking that it would be a nice addition to your vegetable or herb garden, only to find that in no time at all
it had taken over your garden and choked out your veggies?  Well that’s what happened to Joan Wilner in Beverly Hills. She called me up to rescue her waning vegetable garden from the claws
of the overwhelming mint patch a couple of weeks ago.

…
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Bountiful Harvests from Neighbors

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Christy

Sometimes the best things in life are free – and from your neighbor. That seems to be a theme this week. While my garden may still be
launching into its productive phase, some of my neighbors’ gardens are already there.

At my community plot the lady to my left is overrun with ripening blackberries and, as of last week, I’ve been given permission to harvest as many as I please. Since I’ve been dying to find a
…
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Spring Green Expo 2010

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Christy

Summer is nearly here and the rain barrels are running dry. What will you do this summer to conserve water in your garden and home? 
Well, come to the Metropolitan Water District’s Spring Green Expo 2010 to find out ways to conserve not
only water, but energy and time as well. Gardenerd will be hosting a booth, so bring your gardening questions and get them answered.

I will …
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Kumquats R Us

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Christy

Let it be known that the kumquats are here. Lots of them. More than we know what to do with.

We planted a kumquat tree as an appetite suppressant for my husband. During “snack attack” moments, instead of opening the refrigerator, he wanders out to the front yard and eats a few kumquats. (He
also drinks grapefruit juice for the same reason). The flavor is so powerful – that combination of tart and sweet – that he desires nothing for several hours after …
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Woolly School Gardens Needs Your Vote!

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Christy

Yes, Woolly School Gardens needs your vote, and I’ll tell you about that in just a minute, but first a little story:

On Tuesday, June 1st, I had the opportunity to help install two Woolly School Gardens at two neighboring schools in downtown Los Angeles. Together with a team of Woolly gardeners, we filled Pockets
with soil and planted food gardens for students to enjoy. We planted herbs like sage, chives (which some of the kids pronounced chee-vess), thyme, basil, rosemary and …
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Testing Sunlight

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Christy

Here’s a recent question that came in last week:

“I have lots of shade but some sun in my front yard. Combination of city trees, large bushes I don’t want to part with etc. I seem to remember a device that one can put in a spot to determine
the amount of sun it gets per day. I want to try to incorporate veggies into the landscape and this would help tell me where. Do you know where I might find this and …
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Growing Brown Mustard Seeds

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Christy

Last fall 2009, I planted brown mustard seed as an experiment in the test garden. I wanted to see how much seed I would get for my favorite Indian food dishes
from growing seed in 7 square feet. After the birds got their share of sprouts, I ended up with 7 or 8 plants that grew to fruition. I’ve waited until the harvest this spring to share the
process with you.

The mustard …
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Lightning in a Bottle 2010 – Sustainability, Music, Art, Good Times

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Christy

Lightning in a Bottle is a festival that might be hard to describe. Some say that it’s Burning Man with less dust, while others say that it’s enchantment in a
perfect blend of music, art, and funky people enjoying the outdoors. My experience of Lightning in a Bottle (back in 2008) was most profound in meeting a collection of forward-thinking people
out to save the world with big new ideas.

This year, …
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