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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

Not everyone likes beets but they’re on my top ten favorite vegetables list. They store well in my fridge for several months and the enjoyment and recipe trials are extended. I plant them close together—about 80 seeds using a wire grid in a 24 x 48 inch area. I use the recommended seed priming method described at GrowVeg. Their method resulted in about a 90% germination rate.

I planted them mid-October and over the winter they are established but only size up in the spring with more daylight. I pull larger ones as the season progresses, leaving room for smaller ones to grow. Most years I grow Baby Ball, a Dutch variety from Renee’s Garden. They maintain their quality small or oversized.

With my mandoline, I sliced the harvested beets 1/8 inch thick. The task would have been nearly impossible without the tool.

A beet galette was a new adventure for me. I sauteed spring onions in olive oil then added brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and reduced to a spreading consistency. Herbed goat cheese and fresh thyme proceeded the sliced beets.

In haste, I forgot to sprinkle with fresh thyme. The beet galette was memorable—tender, sweet beets enfolded in a flaky crust. I may repeat this soon.

The three large beets yielded more slices than needed for the galette so I sliced them for salads and also sauteed strips in olive oil as a side dish.

My neighbor who only likes beet greens happily takes beet greens beyond what I can use.

With extra beet slices I also made a black bean and rice entree. Lime juice and roasted pistachios added interest. This is an “every beet season” favorite.

A second sowing of golden sweet snow peas supplements the meager first round.

The patio Bountiful Blue blueberry bush is just starting to produce. This just as I saw a lovely male bluebird in the backyard. My neighbor covers her blueberry bushes, preferring not to leave them for the bluebirds.

The calendulas were just waking up from a cool overnight as I gathered them for Sunday’s church bouquet.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I begin to plant the summer garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

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Why I grow flowers with my vegetables

I’ve written many times about the benefits of growing flowers to attract beneficial insects to the vegetable garden. They are the soldiers in the pest wars.

Grow Flowers to Attract Beneficial Insects to Your Vegetable Garden Attracting Beneficial Insects to the Vegetable Garden Pollinator Flowers for the Mild Winter Garden

I think of my garden as an insectary where a variety of pollinator and other beneficial insects can thrive. I often pause as I garden to observe them doing their jobs.

And I also grow them because I love flowers and like to make bouquets for the house and to give away.

Here are some of my favorites to grow with vegetables.

#insectary #beneficial insects #pollinator insects #flowers and vegetables

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

The spinach finishes a good run, now somewhat in the shade of robust calendulas. Despite the larger leaves, they steam to a tender consistency with the same earthy, vegetal flavor as early season harvests.

Spring onions are useful and convenient. These were planted from sets in October.

I’ve been giving away kale with abandon and culling the aphid-invested plants to make room for summer crops. I’m down to two plants now and have enjoyed using the smaller, tender leaves in salads.

My new favorite kale salad is a riff on Kale and Apple Salad. It was still fresh and delicious the next day.

Garden carrots and celery join with the Tuscan kale and various lettuces for another of the week’s salads.

One of the last ranunculus bouquets of the spring season.

Several friends came by my garden after our Saturday morning hike and left with handfuls of spring greens, carrots and flowers.

I’m ever hopeful to have tomato plants produce well here in the fog belt. Last year we had Graypril, Gray and Gloom (April, May and June). Then there’s No Sky July and Fogust. I planted Stupice and Early Girl tomatoes which have performed decently with warmer summers. This week I’ll plant my Black Cherry tomatoes and Dwarf Rosella Purple tomatoes.

Flowers in the front yard garden show the benefits of abundant winter and spring rains. Here, Sunset Celebration rose, feverfew and Larkspur.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I begin to plant the summer garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

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Understanding Cucumbers

https://homegardenseedassociation.com/understanding-cucumbers

It’s about time to start my Chelsea Prize cucumber seeds for later transplant to the garden. In recent years, I’ve had better success with starting the seeds indoors and choosing the strongest plants to plant in the garden.

I also decided to review the How-To Article Understanding Cucumbers from the Home Garden Seed Association. They have dozens of Home Gardening Articles on the following topics: Seed Basics Gardening Basics Planting Basics Vegetables Seasonal Gardening Pollinators Herbs Flowers I found the cucumber piece useful and their articles are available for bloggers to repost. So here it is.

Understanding Cucumbers

What’s to understand about cucumbers, you ask? The answer is: Plenty! You can grow pickling, slicing, seedless, and burpless cucumbers. Your plants can have all female flowers, or a mix of male and female. Some varieties do not need to be pollinated to produce fruit. So many choices! We’ll help you to sort out the variables so that you can make an educated decision about which seeds to buy for your home garden.

How Will You Use Your Cukes?

Pickling Cucumbers are small and stout (harvested at 3 to 5 inches), and crisp, with bumpy skins. If you plan to pickle your garden cucumbers, check the seed packet. Some cukes include “pickling” in their name; others will be clearly indentified on the packet.

Slicers are longer cucumbers, perfect for salads. A typical American Slicer, such as the dependable ‘Marketmore 76’ (pictured), should be picked at 6 to 9 inches.

Beit Alpha type slicing cucumbers, sometimes called Middle Eastern cucumbers, are dark green in color with smooth, mild tasting skin. These are “burpless” and nearly spineless, and can be picked small or grown to longer lengths.

The very long European-type Slicers (sometimes called English cucumbers) are what you find shrink-wrapped in the grocery stores. These do not typically require pollination, and are grown in greenhouses by commercial growers. They can also be grown successfully in the home garden.

Other Specialty Cucumbers, such as open pollinated Armenian cucumbers, can grow to great lengths, but are best harvested at 12 to 15 inches. Asian slicers (pictured) are spiny and slender and can grow to a foot or more. Heirloom Lemon cucumbers are oval and rarely bitter. Pick them at about 3 inches, when skins are pale yellow and tender.

Snacking Cucumbers (sometimes sold as Baby Persian cucumbers) are ready to eat at about 5 inches in length. Smooth- skinned and tender, they’re the perfect snacking size, and can also be pickled.

Important Tips for Growing Cucumbers

When you plant is important. Wait until the nights are consistently around 50º F (10° C) to start seeds in the garden; too cool and you won’t get successful germination and good growth. It’s wise to cover them with netting to keep birds or other critters from eating the seeds.

You can start seedlings indoors in individual pots. If your growing season is very short or you have problems starting seeds outdoors, cucumber seedlings transplant easily. Sow them no earlier than 3 weeks before you expect to transplant them outside. (Remember that if they are grown too long in the pots, they’ll be so slow to recover from the move that you won’t have saved any time.)

Cucumbers need rich soil and plenty of water. Mulching will hold in soil moisture and keep down weeds. If your cucumbers are bitter, it is probably because they didn’t get consistent watering. Put your finger in the soil –if it is dry beyond the first joint, the plants need water. If the fruits are misshapen, it could be due to nutrient-poor soil or water stress.

In many regions, you can plant cucumbers twice a season. Planted directly in warm soil, these heat lovers grow quickly and begin to ripen fruits in about six weeks!

Terms to Know When Choosing Cucumbers to Grow

Bush and Vining: All cucumbers are vining plants, however, those labeled “bush” are more compact, requiring only 2 to 3 feet per plant rather than 6 feet or more. Trellising will allow you to grow more cucumbers in less space, whether you plant a compact or a more sprawling type. For container growing, choose bush cucumbers. They’ll grow several feet over the edge of the container.

Parthenocarpic* varieties are bred to produce fruit asexually, without the need for pollination. The flowers do not produce pollen and the fruits are seedless, or nearly so, by design. If they are planted outdoors near a variety that does produce pollen, however, they can be pollinated and produce seed. Parthenocarpic cucumbers are preferred for greenhouse growing. Seeds tend to be pricey, as production costs are high. *Note: Parthenocarpic cucumber varieties are generally gynoecious, though not all gynoecious cucumbers are parthenocarpic.

Left: male flower. Right: female flower.

Monoecious and Gynoecious: Cucumbers can be either monoecious (producing male and female flowers on the same plant) or gynoecious (producing all, or mostly all, female flowers). Older varieties of cucumbers are monoecious, with the male flowers appearing first and the female shortly after. Many modern hybrids are bred to produce only female flowers, thus ensuring a lot of fruit over a short period of time. Seed packets of these gynoecious varieties generally contain a few seeds of a standard monoecious variety as well (usually dyed so you can tell them apart). This is necessary so that the flowers will be pollinated and produce fruit.

Burpless: Not everyone experiences burping upon eating cucumbers. For those that do, thin-skinned Asian trellis cucumbers are less prone to cause burping, according to researchers at North Carolina State University. The compound cucurbitacin has been implicated in burping, although there is no compelling evidence that this is true. Breeding has focused on reducing the amount of cucurbitacin in the fruits, as it causes bitterness. Present in all parts of the plant, this compound also acts as a defense against herbivores.

Seedless: Seedless cucumbers are, as a rule, parthenocarpic. If you want to grow cucumbers without seeds in your home garden, be sure to isolate them from pollen-producing varieties, either by ensuring that they are at least ¼ mile away, or excluding insects by growing them under cover.

Home Garden Seed Association (HGSA) | Home Garden Seed Association P.O. Box 93 Maxwell, CA 95955 |��Email Us

#growing cucumbers #Chelsea Prize cucumbers #Home Garden Seed Association

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

Today it was time to slay the five Tango celery plants. As spring unfolds, the stalks develop a stronger flavor and the plant prepares to bloom and set seed. I find the celery still suitable for cooking but less so for eating raw.

In past years, careful cleaning, prep of the celery stalks and storage keeps them fresh and usable for at least a month. Homegrown veggies seem to store longer in the fridge.

I pulled out two favorite cookbooks and found a few possible recipes with celery as the main ingredient. There will be an original Moosewood Cookbook Waldorf salad later this week and a Cream of Celery soup from the same cookbook.

I did a riff on Celery-Almond-Date Saladita with subs for what was on hand: pistachios, dried cranberries and herb goat cheese. I’ll make it again with surplus celery for the pleasant flavors and textures.

And a chicken caesar salad with extra celery last week.

More spring chard for a neighbor who relishes it.

The first decent ‘Seascape’ strawberry of the season.

Sunday’s church entry bouquet of alstroemeria, cerinthe and gomphrena.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I transplant and sow seeds in the spring garden and plan for the summer garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#Tango celery #Original Moosewood #celery recipes #'Bright Lights' Swiss chard #'Seascape' strawberries #spring bouquets

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

With about a dozen heads of lettuce ready to harvest, a salad is an easy choice for lunch or dinner. My favorite lettuce this winter has been Rosaine. Johnny’s describes it as a “dark red Little Gem type… a true bibb with exceptional bolt tolerance. Uniform, dense heads are layered with crisp, semi-savoy leaves.” An apt and accurate description.

Here it is about six weeks ago, paired with Newham, another Little Gem variety. About five heads of Rosaine await harvest, likely this week.

Another two rows are coming along nicely. Glossy maroon heads form with green, dense hearts.

Here’s a garden gift basket from this week.

The Green Globe artichokes are beginning and we had the first one last night.

I didn’t have a kumquat crop this year but a friend gave me several pounds from her tree. I use them in salads and for snacks. Last week I slivered them and simmered in a simple syrup until they were translucent and the syrup reduced. Small jars go to the freezer for later use over yogurt or other fruit.

Bi-color sweet peas are still prolific and fill rooms with their fragrance.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I transplant and sow seeds in the spring garden and plan for the summer garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

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In My Garden, Early April

It is spring in my garden. The winter broccoli and cauliflower departed long ago. Spinach, chard, kale and lettuce thrive as the days lengthen and intermittent rains continue. Direct seeded Rosaine lettuce takes off.

The carrots and beets are selectively harvested as the roots enlarge. The sweet peas climb to the top of the trellis and spill over their bountiful blooms.

Space in the garden opens and the warm season garden plan emerges. The Dwarf Rosella Purple and Black Cherry tomatoes moved up from six-packs to quarts last week. The containers of Yukon Gem potatoes send bushy growth higher. In a few weeks the soil will be warm enough to plant beans for drying and Emerite green beans.

A thicket of celery thriving in the cool, rainy conditions. Blue flax and dill will attract pollinators.

And the promise of apricot blossoms.

#spring garden #artichokes #lettuce #Rosaine lettuce #Black Magic kale #Bright Lights chard #carrots #bi-color sweet peas #Yukon Gem potaoes #Tango celery #blue flax #dill #apricot blossoms

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

It is spring in my garden. The winter broccoli and cauliflower departed long ago. Spinach, chard and lettuce thrive as the days lengthen and intermittent rains continue. The carrots and beets are selectively harvested as the roots enlarge. The sweet peas climb to the top of the trellis and spill over their bountiful blooms. Direct seeded Rosaine lettuce takes off.

Space in the garden opens and the warm season garden plan emerges. The Dwarf Rosella Purple and Black Cherry tomatoes moved up from six-packs to quarts last week. The containers of Yukon Gem potatoes send bushy growth higher. In a few weeks the soil will be warm enough to plant beans for drying and Emerite green beans.

In the meantime, I’ll direct seed more spinach and arugula as half-season crops in the rain-drenched soil. I’ll continue to harvest the cut-and-come-again Bright Lights chard which delights my friend. This week the first artichokes will be ready.

I led with the small harvest of Golden Sweet snow peas as a reminder that almost every season one crop under-performs or fails altogether. This season it was the snow peas. Daily harvests can look like this. I’m smitten with the purple flowers. Next year.

Spring garden salads are a thing now.

Spring onions, planted from sets in the fall size up and come in handy.

Five celery plants produce abundant stalks but as the season wanes, their best use is in cooking. I still slather a stalk in peanut butter with lunch occasionally.

For Easter dinner I made a melange of spring vegetables with purchased asparagus. I recalled the twenty years when I harvested my own asparagus for this spring dish. Mix-ins before serving included lemon zest and toasted sesame seeds.

Between downpours on Saturday I gathered ranunculus, calla lilies and feverfew for the Easter bouquet at the church entry.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I transplant and sow seeds in the spring garden and plan for the summer garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#Golden Sweet Edible Podded Snow Peas #Golden Sweet snow peas #Bright Lights chard #spring salads #spring onions #Tango celery #spring vegetable melange #spring bouquets

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The Future of Fog in California and Strawberries

Intrigued? Listen to the report, The Future of Fog in California from KQED, public radio in the San Francisco Bay Area. The upside of living in a fog belt may be strawberries. The KQED report explains why foggy Watsonville grows the best strawberries.

You’ll also learn about research efforts in Monterey on fog and the importance of fog to the region. Think redwoods and your winter lettuce. Then nerd out on fog collection links at the end of this blog post.

I live in a fog belt, though not as intense as parts of the Bay Area. I have trouble growing tomatoes. Read Growing Tomatoes in Fog Belt and Rethinking Tomatoes in the Fog Belt and Dwarf Tomatoes: Rethinking Tomatoes in the Fog Belt (Again).

I collect a substantial amount of water on foggy days or when the dew is heavy. Water condenses on the metal roof of our garage and runs down to my rain collection trash cans adjacent to my vegetable beds. Lids turned upside down capture the water. I need to do some measurements on the next really foggy day.

If you really want to nerd out on fog collection, check these articles:

How scientists are harvesting fog to secure the world’s water supply (PBS NewsHour) The Fog Collectors: Harvesting Water from Thin Air (Columbia University) How to harvest water from clouds of fog (NPR) How to get fresh water out of thin air (MIT) The ethereal art of fog catching (BBC)

#fog collection #growing strawberries

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

unseasonal (ʌnˈsizənl) ADJECTIVE not characteristic or typical of a particular season; unseasonable

Our strawberry guavas are unseasonal but welcomed. Unlike the September crush of fruit experienced every year, we savor each of these extra large guavas. With only seventy or so on the tree now, the energy of the tree produces uniform, ping-pong ball-sized fruit with the characteristic sweet-tart flavor. A half dozen beckon on the kitchen counter most days.

Beets are in the same color harmony but are very seasonal. There’s a particular joy, maybe even an event to the harvest of the first beets. These are Baby Ball beets from Renee’s Garden which I’ve grown for over twenty years. They please the palate at any size from small to “oh my, that one got away from me.”

Usually I harvest just what’s needed for a salad or a meal but when there are garden gifts to share the take is larger. There’s a special delight in arranging the vegetables in a painterly way.

Typical late winter garden harvests continue to delight.

For the Palm Sunday church entry bouquet, I chose purple garden flowers in keeping with the liturgical colors of the season. Purple, the color of royalty and kings.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I transplant and sow seeds in the cool season garden and plan for the summer garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#strawberry guavas #Baby Ball beets #garden gifts #spinach #Rosaine lettuce #church bouquet

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More Winter Garden Salads

My cool season garden provides endless combinations of vegetables and some fruits for luscious winter salads. Often, I wander through the garden gathering what catches my fancy or needs to be harvested. I usually have about four kinds of lettuce growing—reds and greens which provide the base for my composition.

#winter garden salads #winter greens #colorful salads

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A Gallery of Winter Garden Salads

My cool season garden provides endless combinations of vegetables and some fruits for luscious winter salads. Often, I wander through the garden gathering what catches my fancy or needs to be harvested. I usually have about four kinds of lettuce growing—reds and greens which provide the base for my composition.

My salads are artistic compositions with varied colors and textures. Dressings come together with citrus juices, various vinegars and extra virgin olive oil. Nuts and crumbled cheese add substance sometimes. Be inspired as you survey your winter garden or make selections in the produce aisle.

Be inspired!

#winter garden salads #garden vegetables

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In My San Diego Garden Kitchen

The navel orange crop is smaller than usual this winter. Perhaps it was injudicious pruning or maybe because last year’s was so bountiful. Nonetheless, the blossoms on the tree now portend an excellent crop next year. Sunny days will allow the bees to do their work and soon the backyard will be perfumed with orange blossom scent.

Last week I made the first batch of Sweetened Oven Dried Orange Slices. (In 2023, this post ranked fourth for the number of visits to my blog). I’ll make more slices from the best oranges. There’s definitely a sort these days—ones for juicing, nice peel for marmalade, sweetened oven dried orange slices or just for eating.

On a more summery note (though it’s still winter cool most days) I made Guava Agua Fresca from some of my limes and guava puree frozen from last season. It was a refreshing reminder of days ahead.

We find a few guavas ripening each week, out-of-season, but enjoyed in their scarcity.

The Red Russian and Black Magic kales have thrived in the cool. Rain interspersed with sunny days keep it growing well, though some gray aphids find it attractive.

Inattentiveness and rain let the spinach leaves grow larger than I usually prefer. Lightly steamed they were still tender.

I continue to assemble garden gift bags from the late winter largesse.

A favorite salad from the garden last week: various greens, celery, Romanesco, pistachios and pink grapefruit from a Palm Springs friend.

I gathered what was at hand in the garden for a “this and that” bouquet for the church entry table. It spoke spring to me.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I transplant and sow seeds in the cool season garden and plan for the summer garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#navel oranges #sweetened oven-dried orange slices #guava-lime agua fresca #strawberry guavas #kale #Catalina spinach #garden gifts #winter garden salads #winter garden bouquets

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Growing Potatoes

When my children were young we grew a crop of potatoes. The harvest was like a treasure hunt for my sons. Then about fifteen years ago I purchased some small Klamath Pearl potatoes at a local organic food coop and planted them (against the best advice). They grew well and we enjoyed the modest take.

With a seasonal gap between cool season and warm season crops it was time to plant the Yukon Gem seed potatoes I ordered last fall from San Diego Seed Company. They’ve been “chitting” in an egg carton in a bright window for many weeks. Chitting is pre-sprouting your potatoes before planting for stronger, quicker stands and higher yields.

Finally, there were enough sprouts to prepare them for planting. I would have preferred more sprouts but it took six weeks to get this many and I wanted to get them planted. I decided to plant them in containers after reading several sources. My soil mixture was roughly one third each of organic potting soil, my compost and garden soil with a mix-in of some organic vegetable fertilizer.

Yukon Gem potatoes are a determinate variety and produce their tubers in a single layer below the soil surface. Here are the instructions I followed: “Fill your container to about a third of the way up. Pop two seed potatoes on top, then add another third of your mix. Add another two potatoes, staggering the position relative to the first layer so that the foliage isn’t all growing in the same position. Then fill the container to the top with your potting mix.” (GrowVeg.com)

Since the tubers form near the surface, I covered the soil with leaf mulch after watering and set them in a sunny location.

I found this blog post very useful. Only one caveat—the potato varieties listed are those suitable for the United Kingdom where the blog originates.

Potato Growing Masterclass: My Tips for a Bigger, Better Harvest

Check local nurseries, Extension Master Gardeners or Sunset Western Garden Book of Edibles for potato varieties suitable for your area. In USDA Zones 9 and 10 plant potatoes February through May. Many online sources appear to have sold out of seed potatoes, but check local nurseries. There’s always next year.

Here’s the description of Yukon Gem potatoes from High Mowing Seeds. Many sources recommend Yukon Gem over Yukon Gold for yields and disease resistance.

Bright gold skin, pink-hued eyes, yellow flesh and the same delicious flavor as its parent Yukon Gold.

Our first late blight resistant potato! Round to oval tubers mature about 10 days later than Yukon Gold and are significantly higher yielding, especially in wet conditions. Smooth tan skin and dense, buttery yellow flesh for baking, boiling and frying. Originally developed in 1994 by a team at North Dakota State University.

Stores well

Open-Pollinated

Disease Resistance Details High Resistance: Scab Intermediate Resistance: Late Blight

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

A winter garden salad last week flashed a magenta theme. There was purple cauliflower, red onion and a snow pea flower to contrast with lime green garden celery, varied greens and toasted pistachio pieces. It was a feast for the eyes and the fork.

Though the Romanesco and cauliflowers were harvested over a week ago, I’ve found that, properly stored, homegrown cauliflower holds well in the fridge. Last night I made a Sesame Cauliflower Sauté using some remnant Romanesco and white cauliflower. A light sauté of onions and the veggies first, before covering briefly to soften. Sunset Magazine got it right to suggest toasted sesame seeds, diagonal-sliced green onions and a squirt of lemon juice when served.

I harvest garden greens in “just enough” amounts. The arugula will be tomorrow’s lunch salad and the baby leaf chard was sautéed in a little butter with some garden celery and plated under broiled salmon.

Apricot sauce from the freezer completed the garden meal as I’m reminded that the stone fruits begin in about four months.

The first bouquet of bi-color sweet peas was cut yesterday. They are particularly robust this year and climb the garden trellis next to the stunning Red Russian kale. Sweet pea fragrance fills the room.

Tomato and pepper seeds rest on a heat mat in my kitchen. Tomatoes are not my best crop here in the fogbelt. These views are only two blocks from my home here in Point Loma. I stood and pondered the sun, sparkling water and cormorants on the rock when walking recently. I’m willing to settle for marginal tomato harvests and revel daily in the sights, sounds and salt spray of the Pacific Ocean.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I transplant and sow seeds in the cool season garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#Winter garden #winter garden salads #baby leaf chard #Romanesco #cauliflower #bi-color sweet peas #apricots

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

It is the season of greens in the garden. Helped by plentiful rains and cool days, they thrive. Currently there are four varieties of lettuce, arugula, spinach, baby leaf chard and two varieties of kale.

Territorial Seed Company enticed me to try two new lettuces, Rosaine and Newham. Rosaine is described as “our new favorite Little Gem type. Rosaine produces very uniform crops of  glossy maroon heads with green, dense hearts.” I’ll endorse that descriptions.

Newham is a buttery romaine. Both were direct seeded successfully and could be tightly packed. The Rosaine is pelleted seed so I’ll need to use this year. Note to self: rain arrives tomorrow so I should plant more.

I took the above greens to my son who lives in Downtown LA. For several years he had a rooftop garden above his 100 year-old loft. Roots in Downtown LA—2015 tells the story. He just bought his first home—a real fixer—so a vegetable garden is a few years off.

Cauliflower and Romanesco season is over, opening opportunities for late winter planting of carrots, more lettuce and potatoes. This Amazing cauliflower became Cauliflower Cheese Soup (the original Moosewood Cookbook) with some left for a vegetable side.

The last of ten Romanesco was transformed to Roasted Romanesco Pesto Spaghetti, an every year adventure. Several seedlings were mislabeled and I grew too many Romanesco and too few white cauliflower.

Now, I’ll enjoy small bits of leftover purple and white cauliflower and Romanesco in salads.

Our navel orange crop was light this year so I traveled to my sister’s home in Newport Beach to make orange marmalade from her abundant crop. She had picked two laundry baskets full of navel, Cara Cara and blood oranges. The next day she made another three dozen jars of marmalade for herself.

It was a pleasant day, recalling times when we helped our mother and grandmother make orange marmalade and other preserves.

And today’s church entry bouquet with alstroemeria, watsonia and geranium maderense leaves.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I transplant and sow seeds in the cool season garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

To leave a comment, click on “Leave a comment/Show comments,” enter the comment, then insert your name. Finally, click on “Comment as Guest” to post comment.

#winter greens #Rosaine lettuce #Newham lettuce #Amazing cauliflower #Romanesco #orange marmalade #rooftop garden

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In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

This is the season for garden gifts. I have an abundance of kale now and neighbors either eagerly receive or politely decline. It’s one of those vegetables that people have opinions about. Maybe like okra?

This year I’m growing two varieities, Black Magic and Red Russian kale, both from San Diego Seed Company. I’m smitten by the magenta veins of the Red Russian kale, especially when paired with my purple cauliflower in a salad. Every time I see the lacy kale and blue-green color in the garden it makes me smile.

For a few years I grew kohlrabi just for the color in the garden. I’m not that fond of it and had few takers. It was attractive near the red and green cabbages. Once again, it’s that blue-green and magenta combo.

And here’s a salad from last week with some of that blue-green and magenta thing going.

The penchant for magenta pervades my flower garden as well.

See another blog post I did on Magenta.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I transplant and sow seeds in the cool season garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

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