Edible Gardens and Fruitful Vines
Edible gardens are sprouting up everywhere. Boysenberry and blackberry are taking over where bougainvillea once was king, snap peas are usurping the territory of snapdragons, and potato patches are p...
Category Archives: Edible Gardens
Turn Parkways Into Edible Gardens
It might well happen that, some time in the not too distant future, Los Angeles parkways, those woebegone pieces of earth between sidewalk and street, will be transformed into vegetable gardens. For ...
From Giant Bird of Paradise to Dwarf Banana
Last week I wrote about my visit to the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia. I mentioned that arboretums and botanical gardens are unique because of the ample space allotted to plants in order fo...
Growing Strawberries in Granada Hills
Granada Hills resident Richard Mueller could be the king of Los Angeles strawberry growers. He recounts his success as follows: “About 20 years ago, I bought about 20 plants of the Sequoia vari...
Ramble through the Brambles
If you are looking for a safe haven, start spending time in a garden. The word “garden” comes from Old French and Old English words for “enclosure.” Evidently, the garden has ...
How to Grow Asparagus
Question: Three years ago we planted about 10 asparagus roots (crowns). They grew and we didn’t pick any asparagus sprouts (shoots). After they died back, I cut them back. The second year they ...
Artichokes: for food, foliage, and flowers
The other day, in an ordinary Woodland Hills front yard, I saw a forest of artichokes. Although no more than 3 or 4 feet high, some plants had expanded to 6 feet around and, with nothing else growing...
Rebecca Lovejoy’s Money-Saving Tips
Rebecca Lovejoy grows rhubarb in Reseda. “Never eat the leaves,” she advises. “They’re poisonous.” Lovejoy has lots of hints about gardening. Above all, she admonishes y...
You, Too, Can Grow Artichokes
In a world of uncertainty and rapid change, a vegetable garden may be unique in providing a sense of security, reliability and control. With each bite of a carrot, snap of a pea pod, or crunch of a f...
Front Yard Farming
Imagine a Los Angeles where front yards consisted of fruit trees and vegetables and herbs instead of lawns. Often, most of the sunlight on a property descends in the front yard, making it the preferr...
