tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175Fri, 11 May 2012 10:42:14 +0000Stories from a non-expert suburban gardener in the San Francisco Bay Area.http://www.garden-addiction.com/noreply@blogger.com (Ellen)Blogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-26998852249667801Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:25:00 +00002011-09-04T09:25:52.785-07:00 The corn has been good this year. And you can't see it but there are Romano beans climbing up the stalks. I just keep forgetting to pick them!  The huge sprawling thing is a squash of some sort. There are a ton of Roma tomato plants and also some cucumbers in there. Up front are two pots of peppers. And I finally got the coop painted. Not too exciting or creative. I just used paint that was http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/09/early-september-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-1357422699420891202Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:40:00 +00002011-08-14T17:40:52.475-07:00I'm getting some tomatoes reliably. Not a lot, but enough to enjoy toast and tomatoes for breakfast, sometimes with eggs from the hens depending on how hungry I am.  I harvested my first red cabbage today. I planted 6.  I think I'll end up with 4 heads.  One is definitely NOT doing anything so I pulled it and put in the compost today.  The one I picked I am making into a red sauerkraut with my http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/08/august-garden-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-6736854284354930491Sun, 31 Jul 2011 02:31:00 +00002011-07-30T19:31:33.391-07:00If you're growing your own celery, you likely have far more leaves than you're used to, as they trim most of them off the celery you buy at the grocery store it seems.  You can dry them and then add to soups and stews and such (or chop and freeze if you'd rather). I often have a small collection of celery tops, onions skins and carrot ends that I then use to make chicken broth. You can also http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/07/growing-celery-make-celery-salt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-6863471909724630475Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:27:00 +00002011-07-06T21:27:03.343-07:00So far this month I've had some artichokes, red onions, radishes, cucumber, and my first tomatoes! My first red onion Fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden Artichokes http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/07/early-july-harvests.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-9020060742813042471Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:53:00 +00002011-06-28T14:53:04.157-07:00The weather has been odd, as it has been nearly everywhere from what I can tell.  My sugar snap peas enjoyed the cooler weather and kept producing and producing but I was worried about the tomatoes and other hot-weather crops. Finally we got some heat, which of course killed off the sugar snap peas. But I have two tomatoes that are pinkish and one pepper. I've already eaten two cucumbers, tons ofhttp://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/06/june-in-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-8209968292873186950Fri, 27 May 2011 23:00:00 +00002011-05-27T16:00:27.807-07:00The sugar snap peas did great this year! I wish I'd planted more. Sometimes I pick them when the pods are just formed and saute in a bit of butter. Other times I let the peas grow large and we shell them and eat them at the table. (The chickens get the tougher pea pods at that point.)  When they're in between, you can make a delicious salad with your radishes and sugar snap peas. I'm also http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/05/sugar-snap-peas-radishes-and-chive.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-2105173633764147463Mon, 02 May 2011 23:06:00 +00002011-05-02T16:06:09.944-07:00 These are my main raised beds. The fence keeps the dogs out.  Up front, there is celery off to the left, some herbs, asparagus. In the middle are leeks and a tomato (you can barely see the cage) and some greens. In the middle bed are, left to right, tons of arugula and lettuce and radishes, two small eggplants, chard, borage, broccoli, spinach (just sprouting), beets, and more radishes.  The http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/05/april-in-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-6652696511117295159Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:44:00 +00002011-04-22T09:44:10.296-07:00Bought starts for these at the nursery, plus started my own parsley, more basil, and a few other things by seed.  Planted the tomatoes, peppers, basil and cucumbers this morning.  Running out of space of course, despite the new raised bed.  Oh, I'm also trying a three-sisters planting. Planted the corn today. I read to start the corn first, then the beans, then the pumpkins.   Seems late for http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/04/planting-tomatoes-peppers-basil.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-8480307902815722708Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:46:00 +00002011-04-13T16:46:17.581-07:00 Arugula gone to flower. Some bulb that was here when we moved in. Smells like onions. What are they? They're pretty. Weird plastic flower like thing my daughter talked me into planting. The rhubarb! Cabbage, lettuce, radishes, borage and chard in the front box. Brussels sprouts flowering. Too pretty to pull up  yet! Chard and borage. The borage comes up on its own all over. http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/04/more-garden-pics.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-103752001016523143Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:32:00 +00002011-04-13T11:36:43.888-07:00http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=179349&p=1I'm finally getting some water back into the side yard we now call the chicken yard. The chickens were greatly enjoyed the fresh dug dirt! Now I just need to figure out what to plant that the chickens won't devour!  Nice list here for starters. http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/04/new-sprinkler-lines-and-hose-bib.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-1195394305878827733Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:59:00 +00002011-04-12T19:59:45.401-07:008 oranges, juiced for 2 servings for breakfast 1 egg from the hens 4 stalks of asparagus for dinner lettuce chives mustard greens The first two for breakfast. The last four for dinner. http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/04/from-garden-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-730478630039891273Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:07:00 +00002011-03-25T16:07:06.433-07:00I want to get rid of at least a huge amount of my lawn, if not all of it. I might keep some for visiting small children...  I just found LoseYourLawn.org, an East Bay organization with guidance on how to garden in bay-friendly ways.  I was happy to see that they recommend sheet mulching, which is what I've done before and will likely do again. I'm thinking I need to just plan on doing a section http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/03/lose-lawn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-3135471918988146864Fri, 25 Mar 2011 22:54:00 +00002011-03-25T15:54:46.811-07:00Eggs are the reason I got the chickens and I've got one laying. I had a few roosters in the bunch of 6 I started with but I am now down to 3 hens.  I saved up 4 of the eggs and made a spinach and onion quiche for dinner one night. It was quite special! And was thanks to Daisy, the oldest of the hens. She's the one with the darker red comb. http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/03/eggs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-2032390807643271583Sun, 23 Jan 2011 16:25:00 +00002011-01-23T08:25:51.893-08:00 I am in the midst of this book and love it. It is something I could embrace.  Lots of food for thought  as well as scientific explanations of many things that are going on (or should be!) in your yard for a healthy non-chemically invasive landscape.  I've been wondering what best to do with the ground beneath my row of fruit trees along the back fence and there are some great ideas in here.  http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/01/i-am-in-midst-of-this-book-and-love-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-4742058567638632149Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:05:00 +00002011-01-06T10:05:29.978-08:00 http://www.garden-addiction.com/2011/01/look-what-i-got-chickens.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-6851367701878977149Sat, 20 Nov 2010 23:45:00 +00002010-11-20T15:48:06.466-08:00I'm reading Rosalind Creasy's new book on Edible Landscaping and am getting quite enthused about spreading my food plants more around the yard. I've done it before. I grew chard next to my patio once as well as herbs and that worked out well. I've also had artichoke plants and herbs scattered around.  This morning I went out during the light rain and planted some chard and some arugula in a bare http://www.garden-addiction.com/2010/11/november-planting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-5186492799971250305Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:47:00 +00002010-06-16T09:50:49.038-07:00Here's a cool service, SproutRobot! You can enter your zip code, tell it what you want to plant, and you'll get free email reminders about when to plant. Or you can buy your seeds from them and they'll ship them off at the appropriate time. The seeds are organic heirloom varieties. For the seed service, you pay by the year and can choose from 3 different options of how much you want to grow: http://www.garden-addiction.com/2010/06/get-free-reminders-about-when-to-plant.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-1215871035401456230Sun, 06 Jun 2010 02:02:00 +00002010-06-05T19:03:38.649-07:00I had to actually BUY cherries this year. Our tree has not done well at all. At least the Van's (?) from the farmer's market are delicious!http://www.garden-addiction.com/2010/06/cherries-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-6287733372487550580Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:18:00 +00002010-06-02T15:23:47.749-07:00If you're in Germany and want to get started with a vegetable plot but have no clue, here's an innovative new company offering Meine Ernte (My Harvest in German). They do the soil preparation and planting, and offer tools and expert advice. Plots are available in 3 sizes and you come in and work 1-2 hours a week once the plants are established.In Italy, you can go online and plant a garden inhttp://www.garden-addiction.com/2010/06/pre-planted-vegetable-gardens-for-rent.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-7986468295136798890Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:17:00 +00002009-10-01T21:22:01.254-07:00http://www.garden-addiction.com/2009/10/food-from-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-7900415915749325905Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:11:00 +00002009-10-01T21:17:08.210-07:00I'm ignoring the garden, except for the vegetable beds. Those are thriving!http://www.garden-addiction.com/2009/10/horridly-overdue-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-5849114352167149159Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:04:00 +00002009-08-06T21:07:54.999-07:00 Lemons, cucumbers and tomatoes in the photo. I also havebasilThai basilparsleyzucchiniyellow squashcherry tomatoesgreen peppersa jalapenodillapplesplumslemon balmchivesa few other herbsWhat's ready for harvest in yours?http://www.garden-addiction.com/2009/08/in-my-august-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-4479861930204185709Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:17:00 +00002009-08-03T20:20:04.034-07:00Love this time of year. Made some fantastic pasta the other night with just picked tomatoes and onion and basil plus garlic from the end of June. The more ingredients I've grown the more I like the dish!Did a nice Asian influenced cucumber salad to go with some grilled steak last night. Tomorrow I need to do something interesting with a new squash whose name I've lost. It's sort of oblong and http://www.garden-addiction.com/2009/08/matoes-and-basil-and-cukes-oh-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-3909882423756381980Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:13:00 +00002009-07-30T21:19:37.121-07:00We finally got some heat so my tomatoes are ripening. Usually it seems we're heading off on vacation about this time but this year we're sticking closer to home so I'm enjoying the fresh produce in the yard.I've got:apples (tart ones)tomatoescucumbersbasil (two kinds)parsleycilantroyellow squasha new green squash (have to go look it up)a few stray onionslettucebeetsItalian plums (the kind they http://www.garden-addiction.com/2009/07/tomatoes-and-cucumbers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17700175.post-5943112646477517348Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:57:00 +00002009-07-15T09:59:37.738-07:00I just planted some more basil seeds so I can always have some fresh. I've got Thai basil and "regular" basil (not sure the variety). I'm picking tomatoes, onions, yellow squash, lettuce, chard, beet greens, parsley, basil. Tiny cucumbers and peppers are forming, as is another type of squash.My jalapeno plant died. I need to go find a replacement.http://www.garden-addiction.com/2009/07/in-garden-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen)2