Reader Favorite California Native: Ceanothus

...ound covers that have dark green leaves and deep purple or sometimes white flowers. The reason I didn’t include it is that it didn’t meet my “bombproof” criteria, at least in our garden. It’s one of the many plants we’ve managed to kill. It’s true that once you get it going, other than yearly pruning, you can retire to the nearest bar and rest on your gardening laurels. But getting it established can be tricky. The most common mistake is over-wate...

Read…

Saturday Tweets: The Weather, Moletakers and More Cats

...e (@lowtechmagazine) September 21, 2017 We do feed our bees, but only with flowers. Their honey is their medicine #treatmentfree #beecentered #nocompromise https://t.co/Zgaytsa9gE pic.twitter.com/6sCEJkfPLK — Natural BK Trust (@NaturalBeeTrust) September 23, 2017 "Cans are vital, preserving & transporting flavors that might be impossible to find out of season or out of range." https://t.co/DuS1N7vM0K — Ernest Miller (@RLMProvisions) September 19,...

Read…

Fallen Fruit

...esto: A SPECTER is haunting our cities: barren landscapes with foliage and flowers, but nothing to eat. Fruit can grow almost anywhere, and can be harvested by everyone. Our cities are planted with frivolous and ugly landscaping, sad shrubs and neglected trees, whereas they should burst with ripe produce. Great sums of money are spent on young trees, water and maintenance. While these trees are beautiful, they could be healthy, fruitful and beauti...

Read…

Rapini is the New Broccoli

...the flowerettes and the leaves are edible. The plant continues to send up flowers even after the center one is picked, so you can get a continuous harvest for a few weeks. I’ve had some aphids, but nothing like when I’ve tried to grow broccoli or cauliflower. It’s a cool season crop, so here in Los Angeles we plant it in the fall for a winter harvest. You just gotta pick those flower buds soon, before they actually start to flower, otherwise you’...

Read…

Pomegranate Factoids

...urself a pomegranate tree. They’ll grow in more humid climates but may not produce much fruit. Ours took five years, from planting as a bare root tree, to get the modest crop you see in the picture. It’s one of my favorite trees–delicious fruit, a red flowers in the spring and a gorgeous display of yellow leaves in the fall–what more could you ask for? If you’ve been successful growing pomegranates outside of California (and worldwide) leave a com...

Read…