Category Archives: creating & caring for a garden

This year’s garlic

Posted on 6 July 2015 by Debra

This year, the garlic is slow to mature and be harvested. Usually I’m harvesting my garlic around the 4th of July but this year it’s not ripe yet for harvest and curing. Perhaps it’s the long, cool spring we’ve had. … Continue reading →

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What’s up and coming

Posted on 2 July 2015 by Debra

Cucumbers are flowering and growing wildly up the trellis. Soon there will be many varieties of cucumbers to relish.           Bush beans (here) and pole beans are flowering. Soon there will be many fillet beans to … Continue reading →

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Insects in the garden

Posted on 25 June 2015 by Debra

I was asked a good question the other day about insects. Do I spray? Actually, no, I don’t spray because I have an organic garden and I don’t want to kill beneficial insects when spraying the destructive ones. That said, … Continue reading →

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Spring salads

Posted on 3 June 2015 by Debra

These cool, spring days are prolonging the salad greens. Lovely, tender spinach for omelettes and lettuces with herb leaves for salad. One client told me she’s serving her teenage daughters microgreen salad sprinkled with chive and borage flowers! Beautiful, nutritious … Continue reading →

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Floral arranging with vegetables

Posted on 30 May 2015 by Debra

     

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How much water?

Posted on 20 May 2015 by Debra

Since I hail originally from Los Angeles and grew up there during another drought not quite so severe, I was intrigued to read about how much water it takes to grow the common foods we eat. Vegetables and fruits, not … Continue reading →

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Spinach: Popeye and the prince

Posted on 19 May 2015 by Debra

Beautiful, fresh spinach is ready for harvesting now in your kitchen gardens on Chicago’s South Side. Spinach picked and eaten — raw or cooked — has a delicacy unfound in store-bought varieties. Now is the time to pinch off the first broad, … Continue reading →

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Microgreens with mega impact

Posted on 14 May 2015 by Debra

Microgreens are ready for harvesting. These are the young seedlings of vegetables and herbs that are powerfully nutritious. When harvested while petite, right after germination, they have a tremendous concentration of phytochemicals, nutrients we need in a healthy diet. In fact, … Continue reading →

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Local garden fair

Posted on 9 May 2015 by Debra

Chicago’s oldest community garden fair in Hyde Park has always been a delightful time to wander and pick up herbs and vegetable seedlings. It’s also important to support local community endeavors. This year the fair will be held in the … Continue reading →

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What’s up, part two

Posted on 8 May 2015 by Debra

With the rain and warm sunshine, seedlings and seeds are growing strong. Each day you can see huge growth as asparagus quadruple size, carpets of greens spring forth, soil blocks put out new leaves and fruit trees flower.     … Continue reading →

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