July 2012

27 Jul
2012
'Royal Burgundy' bush bean flower

‘Royal Burgundy’ bush bean, bloomin’ purple

Those folks who say vegetables aren’t pretty? Well, they’ve clearly never grown ‘Royal Burgundy’ bush beans. Purple-podded beans should be making an appearance in about a week. Can’t wait! What are your favorite bush beans for adding a pop of color to the garden? Click here to share your favorites ...

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25 Jul
2012
squash plant wilts following a squash vine borer assault

Garden stroll #12: Midsummer doldrums

It’s the last full week of July, and the midsummer doldrums have stopped by for their annual visit. Never mind the fact that I never issued an invitation. The midsummer doldrums are the gardener’s version of what-if mingled with goddamnit and I-knew-better. Like memories of some past love turned stale, ...

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23 Jul
2012
baby blue jay

Water for birds

For nearly two-thirds of the United States, this has been a painfully dry summer. As of last week, 64% of the continental United States was covered by drought. If recent trends continue, that number will be higher this week. Drought isn’t good for anyone. It’s bad for gardens and gardeners, ...

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18 Jul
2012
Summertime quinoa with tomatoes, cucumbers and mozzarella

Summertime quinoa with tomato, cucumber and mozzarella

Quinoa wasn’t supposed to be on the menu last night. This recipe was a bit of an accident. A delicious, happy accident. I had my heart set on cucumber mint ice cream. This is all because I have this massive amount of cucumbers to use. I lost my cukes to ...

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17 Jul
2012
red cabbage

Weekly garden stroll #11

Ohmygodmosquitoes! Seriously, where do they all come from? I’d been enjoying a perfectly fine — albeit insanely crazy-making hot — summer, and then, bam! Or, rather, slap! Because, that’s what I’ve been doing in the garden lately. A whole lot of slapping of mosquitoes. Frankly, it’s beginning to get a ...

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15 Jul
2012
blush tomato

At first blush (tomato)

It looks like I am just about ready to harvest my first ‘Blush’ tomato of the year. Isn’t it pretty? If you’re unfamiliar with this variety, there’s good reason for that. It’s only been around for a couple years, and is offered by just a tiny handful of seed companies. ...

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13 Jul
2012
10 rules for breaking the rules in front yard vegetable gardens

10 rules for growing vegetables in the front yard

What!? Rules for breaking the rules? What kind of outlaw gardener am I? Sheesh. Actually, hopefully, I’m the kind of outlaw gardener who gets to continue being an outlaw gardener. Put another way, I recognize that I’m breaking the rules here. At any moment, my community’s HOA could demand that ...

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10 Jul
2012
sweet potato flowers add to the ornamental quality of this lovely edible

Monday morning garden stroll #10

Yeah, yeah, yeah… It’s Tuesday. Rather than focusing on the lateness of this garden stroll, let’s focus on this: It’s Tuesday, and the heat wave is gone! So long 100°F temperatures, and hello 80°F temperatures. It’s amazing how, well, amazing 80°F can feel after 11 days of temperatures in the 90s ...

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7 Jul
2012
Confessions of an Outlaw Gardener in the August / September 2012 issue of Organic Gardening Magazine

The Outlaw Garden is in Organic Gardening Magazine!!

So, the secret’s out. I’m just waiting for the HOA authorities to come knock on my door and ask for my seed packets and favorite garden trowel. Should be any time now… You see — HUGE news!! — there’s a profile about my rule-breaking outlaw garden in the latest issue ...

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2 Jul
2012
yard long bean seedlings, sprouting at the base of a "planted" stick trellis

Monday morning garden stroll #9

Fair warning: This isn’t going to be a typical garden stroll. No photos of flowers, for starters. In fact, very few photos of plants at all. We’re taking a bit of a detour, and I’m blaming it on the weather. In keeping with recent pattern, this week’s stroll does have ...

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