06 Tuesday Jan 2015
Posted in Garden
Tags
garden, gardening, heirloom seeds, heirlooms, summer garden, sustainable food, sustainable living, tomatoes
I used to start my tomatoes in late January or early February. Then I met someone who told me they started their tomatoes the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Ever since, I have been starting my tomatoes the first week of January for nice, good sized plants to transplant come March. 
19 Saturday Jul 2014
I recently had to spend five days in Las Vegas. Five days and four nights too many. Despite living just a four hour drive away for most of my life, it was my first time there. I was attending a teacher’s math conference, which was great, but I could barely tolerate my surroundings. To me Vegas (the strip in particular) shows off some of the most despicable traits of our capitalist, sexist society. Its excess invokes strong feelings in me. I won’t go into all the reasons I despise Las Vegas, but I will say for one, it all sits in the middle of a desert, which just adds insult to injury. It is like giving the finger to Earth. Continue reading
24 Tuesday Jun 2014
Posted in Garden, Why I Garden
14 Saturday Jun 2014
Posted in Garden
Tags
bitter cucumbers, critters, cucumbers, garden, gardening, summer garden, sustainable food, sustainable living
If you have ever grown cucumbers I can bet you have been unlucky enough to bite into the awfulness of one gone bitter. I have planted my cucumbers in succession this year. The first bunch is thriving – vigorous, green vines setting lots of fruit. I harvested the first two cucumbers earlier in the week and sliced one up as soon as I got it in the kitchen only to immediately spit it right out. There is something especially horrible about a bitter cucumber. For me I think it has to do with the stark contrast between that and a good cucumber’s mild flavor. Continue reading
24 Saturday May 2014
Tags
garden, gardening, gardening with children, gardening with kids, school gardens, summer garden, sustainable food, sustainable living
It is amazing what can happen in the garden in just a few short weeks. There must be fairies visiting my beds every night sprinkling their magic dust over the plants. Continue reading
10 Thursday Apr 2014
Posted in Altadena, Garden, Why I Garden
I start thinking about tomatoes months before I will be able to sink my teeth into their deliciousness. This year my first tomato seeds were sown in the second week of January. This year I planted many, many seeds. Some varieties are brand new to me, others are being given a second chance, while still others are in my “favorite” category. What I hadn’t planned on was the additional tomatoes I would receive from other gardeners – other people’s favorites. Continue reading
06 Friday Dec 2013
Posted in Garden
Tags
Brockton Horticulture on the vine.
As all gardeners know, sooner or later you are going to lose a plant, several plants, or even a whole crop. Sometimes a pest comes and nibbles them out of existence in the course of a night. Other times a disease or a mildew may take hold. It is always sad and disappointing. It has happened to me many times, but nothing has been as disappointing as what I discovered just a few days ago. Continue reading
15 Sunday Sep 2013
Posted in Garden
This morning was the first time in a long while that I have spent any extended time in the garden. Life has gotten a bit hectic since my oldest started Kindergarten and my youngest started preschool. Just when I thought I would have a few hours to myself a few mornings a week, my oldest was home sick for four days. We had big plans for today, possibly a trip to the beach or an adventure downtown. But, I woke up this morning with that tugging feeling that pulled me toward the garden. I really wanted to plant this weekend. I am hoping for sweet pea blossoms by December. So, instead, I worked in the garden and we will swim at grandma’s house later.
17 Saturday Aug 2013
Posted in Garden
It is that time of year when the garden just sort of hums along, needing only for me to water and do light weeding. The first round of soup beans have been pulled up and the second round planted. The cucumber vines have just about reached their end. The zucchini slowed down, but is now making a come back. The peppers are coming on strong. And the tomatoes, oh the tomatoes. I am in the middle of a sea of tomatoes. And I am in the kitchen. A lot. Continue reading
15 Saturday Jun 2013
Posted in Garden
Two gardens, one poking along, the other an explosion of growth. I have two garden spaces, my backyard and a shared plot at a community garden. I recently came into the space at the community garden (you can read more about that here), and this is my first summer season in this new spot. The winter/spring garden there never really took off. It was really too late to plant much. The up and coming summer garden is another story completely. Now that the days and evenings are steadily warmer the plants at the community garden seem to double in size every few days. There are a couple of bare patches, but I am reluctant to fill them with anything. I am seriously afraid we are going to grow right outside our allotted space.
Growing Up in the Garden 