March 2012

26 Mar
2012
The grape hyacinth is putting on a great show in the garden this year. This clump is growing along the side path, which heads over to the Santa Rosa plum tree.

Spring is blooming in the Outlaw Garden

Wow. Spring has really arrived (well, except for that freeze watch we have for tonight). I’m working on a couple posts about starting and growing your own sweet potatoes, but, first, I wanted to share a few photos from the garden. It’s always so exciting to see the plants and ...

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23 Mar
2012
Starting peas indoors is a great way to get a jump on the gardening season and avoid the risk of hungry hungry slugs. This would also be a great activity for young children, because the seeds are big and easy to handle, and the seedlings sprout in just a few days.

Starting peas indoors (aka. How to outsmart those damned slugs!)

It’s come to this. I am starting pea seedlings indoors, on the dining room table. Peas. I can’t quite believe I am doing this. I start all sorts of seedlings indoors. Tomatoes and peppers? Sure. Eggplants and basil and sweet potatoes? Absolutely. But peas? Who starts peas indoors? Well, me, ...

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19 Mar
2012
'Dinosaur' kale flower buds look just like the flower buds on broccoli and broccoli rabe. No surprise: the three plants are distant relatives.

Kale blossoms, cooked two ways

Last week, I noticed that my ‘Dinosaur’ kale plant was about to bloom. Bummer, I thought. Bolting lettuce is bitter. Bolting chard is bitter. So, I figured, bolting kale must be bitter too. Time to pull the over-wintered beauty out of the garden and toss it into the compost heap. ...

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14 Mar
2012
Let's admit it. Tomatillos are just fun to grow. They have a nice mounding and spreading habit, and grow rapidly. Their exuberance is admirable and welcome — no coddling needed for these nightshades. Simply plant them, water them a bit, and then enjoy an abundant harvest of green or purple fruits. Not sure what to do with them? Grab any Mexican cookbook for inspiration. Salsa verde is just the beginning...

6 vegetables that are super easy to hide from the HOA

Maybe your HOA bans vegetable gardens. Maybe your city or town has written some obscure legal code that literally outlaws veggies. Or, maybe you just want to grow vegetables that are also beautiful. Whatever your reasons, this blog post is for you. Here are six varieties that I grew last ...

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13 Mar
2012
weeding

5 things toddlers can teach us about gardening

Last week, on a warm and sunny babysitting day, I asked the three-year-old nephew if he wanted to help me plant some peas. His response — delivered while spinning and jumping and grinning — was pretty clear: ”Yes! Yes! I do I do I do!” So, we found a bent trowel ...

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