Garden News

Earthboxes 13 Sept 2010Last week we cleared out the earthboxes & refilled them as needed with fresh potting soil. The tomatillos are still doing okay, so we left them, but I cleared out a lot of no-longer-productive plants.

We had a head of volunteer Lacinato kale ready to harvest;  it had sprouted anew from a root I thought I’d removed.  I sauteed it the same day with garlic, salt & olive oil — my favorite & easiest way to cook kale.

We sowed seeds into the boxes:  kale, turnips, peas, and cilantro.  I still need to plant my remaining fava bean seeds.  The tomato plant that wouldn’t die has, I think, actually reached the end of its productive life, and I’ll be pulling it up in the next day or so.  I have a few garlic cloves to plant, and would like to order more.

We’ve pruned some of the native plants (primarily the different Salvia spp.)  I’d still like to prune the Artemesia spp.   I also pruned most of the dried flower heads on the St Catherine’s Lace Buckwheat.

The crows are enjoying our figs.  The next time I actually catch them, I’m going to try to get a video clip.  They fly to the tree, climb around on the branches, pick a ripe fig, then set it on the stone and eat the fig.  Fig Remnants, Post Crow

At the Farmer’s Market

We usually try to go to either the Hermosa Beach Farmers Market (Fridays) or the Torrance Farmer’s Market (Tuesday and Saturday).

Friday I went to the Hermosa Beach Farmer’s Market.  Peaches, nectarines, broccoli, corn.  I forgot my camera — I’ll try to bring it next time.

Final thoughts

Here’s a current pic of our backyard.  If you’d like to see the ‘before’, go to this post:  the change is dramatic.

Backyard, 13 Sept 2010