root fruit

Ahhhhh, onions!! I've waited patiently to begin harvesting these (okay, in some cases I wasn't so patient, and harvested them as spring onions, long and slender). About a half-dozen of these are just now reaching their full bulbous potential, and I'm quartering these to scatter around the roasted chicken I'm making for dinner guests tonight.

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Hula-Ho*

* note: no "e"


Yep, people started asking me. So, here it is, in all it's glory!**

The Hula-Ho is not your average, run-of-the-mill hoe.
First off, there's no 'e'.
Secondly, there's no flat plate of metal that is the pushing surface of a standard garden hoe. Instead, the Hula-Ho has a double-bladed cutting edge that, when pushed through the dirt much as a regular hoe is, doesn't shove the soil around but instead glides UNDER the precious topsoil, and effectively dislodges weeds below the surface. This means you can practically pluck the dislodged weeds right out of the ground, without significantly disturbing/displacing the topsoil. The 'hula' aspect is in the 'wiggle' of the hollowed hoe head (I just had to type that!) that happens while you push/pull the handle. The 'wiggle' somehow works to keep the weed plant somewhat intact, for easier extraction, rather than slicing it up so that you have to sift out every little bit of weed blade/stalk/etc. In other words - the magic is in the Hula action, but of course!

I have the full size version, from FlowerCraft, but you can get handtool sized versions for smaller/raised beds, too.

**Flexrake cites it as the "#1 weeder since 1961"!

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that's with an 'e', please

See? There's a bunch of us out there! enough for promotion, anyway!

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bamboo bean brace

Since Kristine's hubby engineered her bean trellis, I decided to take the drying bamboo stalks I had cut from the backyard over to the CG, and use them as supports for the Blue Lake Beans I planned to start along the 'no man's land' zone beside my plot and the CG's surrounding chain link fence. The area had been nothing but weeds, cut-back from the blackberries along my plot-neighbor side, and the jasmine along the communal zone side. I aggressively weeded it out (the Hula-Ho is one HELL of a fantastic tool, people! Run out and get one! RUN!) amended with Black Gold composted soil, transplanted the beans (along with a few morning glories, which I LOOOOOOOOVE) and laid down micromulch. Viola!

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NOTE TO KRISTINE:
I'm thinking I can plant 6 Fava bean plants on the other side of the poles, and let them and the BLbeans duke it out (I think there's plenty of room). If you want to get the seeds started in the CG greenhouse, let me know, and we'll set it up!!

contraband (!!!)

I learned (too late) that the CG doesn't want fennel growing in the garden. whoops! I'd already planted four, and I love fresh fennel salad, so they're just going to have to deal with it. I'll just have to be SURE to harvest before it goes to seed.

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sharing the bounty

Before leaving on our Tour de California, I harvested the bounty from both gardens, and distributed the wealth to several neighbors. The salad greens I snipped and bagged, but the broccoli rabe I bundled in saved grocery bands. I couldn't believe how much I'd been able to get from one harvest, and how absolutely GORGEOUS they were!



I'm waiting to see if the cut shoots regrow, and I've got a new batch of seedlings started, just in case. Beets and more radishes are on their way, and if this chilly spring/summer weather keeps up, some traditional broccoli is going in, too. But right now, I'm SOOOOOOO in love with the broccoli rabe!!

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Caged Heat - Lunado Garden Week 5

It's been 5 weeks and the garden is doing great. It was time to cage those naughty tomatoes. I hated doing it but catching the problem early is better than waiting until it's too late.





We're having a bit of a slug problem (no, not me on the couch) so put copper slug barrier tape around the beds. OK, I only bought enough for half a bed so the slugs have a 50/50 chance of making it to dinner. I'm fair.


Pulled out the slug eaten basil and planted Blue Lake Beans. Hubby built a lovely cage of bamboo and string for them to grow up on. Employee of Flowercraft wished me luck when I told him I was planning to grow these beans in the Sunset District and I say "Poo Poo to you, Glass Half Empty Man".


The lettuce won't stop. It just won't stop. Must...keep...eating...lettuce.


So, you ask why the garden is in our neighbors yard. The tomato plant in the pot was planted the same day as the ones behind it. It has been in our backyard. We just don't get enough sun. It is stunted and has brown spots. My neighbors have the best backyard ever. My neighbor X(his name really does start with an X) and I spent Sunday starting seeds, finishing off the copper tape and deciding on the best compost bin. We're going with the worm one. How lucky are we to have such great neighbors.


This is what you get from another neighbor when you tell them it is street cleaning day and they are about to get a ticket. Ok, I didn't say anything but my nice husband did.

So, all in all a pretty heart warming neighbor friendly garden bountiful week.

summer of love

I released the tub of ladybugs into the garden last night, and went to check on things this morning. I was pleased to see how many had acclimated to the veggie patch, and then started to notice something else - there was a whoooole lot of luvvvvin' going on! Seriously, EVERYWHERE I looked, they were getting it on with each other.



And NO, I am not embarrassed to have been intrigued by this - this is SCIENCE, people! [wink]

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preditory behavior

These ferocious looking creatures devour many harmful garden pests, but are completely harmless to humans, pets, and plants. In fact they can be kept as pets, and will eat raw meat or insects from your fingers. The Praying Mantids will eat most species of garden pests, including white grubs, beetles, chinch bugs, tent caterpillars, grasshoppers, aphids, flies, leafhoppers and caterpillars.

Bring it. Dusk, tomorrow.

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post script:
I placed the 2 egg casings of Praying Mantids into the crooks of the artichoke bush, which is where the majority of the garden pests are clamoring around. The container stated that the hatching would occur 2-3 weeks after exposure to warm weather, which I don't know how long these egg casings were at room temperature at FlowerCraft, when I bought them. Approximately 200 1/4" long baby mantids should emerge from each casing, and they are apparently pest-effective immediately. We'll see! (and YES, I shivered a total gross-me-out shiver when I opened the container and peered in at the two wasp-nest looking bundles (about the size of large walnuts). Be thankful I resisted taking pictures ~ EEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!

post post script:
Kept missing dusk to release the ladybugs, and folklore has it that it HAS to happen at dusk, while they're still mobile, but looking to bed down for the night. That way the nestle in to the garden and don't fly off immediately. Shook them out and watched them all pick new homes among the leaves, so all's well.

rocket radish

These beauties were literally launching themselves out of the dirt!



These were planted from seed, a packet I found amidst the gardening stuff in the kitchen nook, labeled 'quick-growing' and Guaranteed to Grow!! And boy howdy, did they!

Brand: Ferry Morse
Name: Radish (Champion)
Days to Germination: 4-7
Days to Harvest: 28

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broccoli buds

This is my second season growing broccoli rabe, and I'm still not quite sure how to deal with this plant. I let them go to seed last time, because I hadn't a clue as to when I should harvest, or how to pinch it down to plump it up. I'm hoping I'll do better with these, even if it means starting a new batch every few weeks to harvest these young and tender.


I harvested just a FRACTION (!!!) of my first batch - wasn't sure if I should pull them out or just snip 'em down. I snipped and will see if the base regrows or not. Looks like I'm not going to be wanting for broccoli rabe in the near future, which is excellent as I have a LOT of recipes that call for this lovely bitter green!


(I grew traditional broccoli in the community garden, which surprised the heck out of me with some really amazingly beautiful heads!)

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snipped from the garden

had my sister over for dinner tonight, and for nostalgia's sake made a doctored version of Palo Alto's Evvia restaurant's wild mushroom risotto. In it: onions and minced Italian parsley from the garden (along with diced chicken thighs and sauteed asparagas)

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soggy sod? try these tips for shady gardens...

We're experiencing some weird growth under the cocoa-mulch in the backyard, after these drizzly days, so I decided to check out these tips for dealing with soggy/shady garden areas. If you've got a damp spot in your realm, check 'em out!

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why I will never be skinny

Lately even I am getting a little bored with pictures of plants growing so, here's how I spend a weeknight at home with the husband. He lives in the world of wine and this is what I come home to on an average Wednesday night. I mean, how is a women supposed to stay away from alcohol during the week when there are 11 bottles of wine OPEN? He: "I've got some wine here from a group of amazing producers from Spain and I'd like you to try them." Me: "Uh, ok."


The line up.


Grilled steak, mushroom risotto, roasted tomatoes(not from garden...yet), roasted broccoli(probably never will be from garden) and grilled spring onions(definitely will be from garden in near future).


The late harvest Grenache was my favorite and went great with dinner. We are drinking out of fancy Reidel glasses the husband received from his last wine event. I swear wine tastes better from these.


Oh, and why we are here in the first place. My first harvested greens from the garden. Aren't they just the prettiest things you've ever seen?

Week 4 Lunado Garden

Even though we have had cold, wet and overcast weather for the past week and I want to hide on the couch with a good movie and popcorn, the garden is thriving.




I pulled apart all the little bunches of onions and fennel. It took FOREVER but is now all pretty in little rows. I also think my squash plant was actually 2 so pulled it apart. It now has scary looking yellow leaves. Anyone know why?


Snowball tree is getting even poofier(is that a word?).


I'm planning to pull out bug-eaten basil and plant some kind of bean.


Lettuce is growing like crazy! It's so pretty, I hate to pull off the leaves but a salad may be in order for the weekend.


El gato esta en al jardin.

baby, oh baby, greens!

mesclun greens : red romaine : basil and chard

It's raining this afternoon (good, we need it!) so I didn't venture out to sneek a peek at the current state of affairs in the backyard garden (stopped by the community garden this morning for a bit 'o weeding). These shots are a few days old, so my little babies are probably a good .425" taller, already!

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