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What Does a Carrot Look Like in a Sustainable Garden?
We all know what a carrot plant looks like—a stocky root with greens on top—but in a sustainable or ecofriendly vegetable garden, maybe not. Healthy, vigorous carrots in full flower can be a sight to behold, and bear little resemblance to carrots when harvested or purchased for eating. Often reaching a few to several feet […]
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Fava Beans in the Sustainable Garden
Fava bean plants make an ideal addition to a sustainable landscape. In addition to their role in enriching your palate and diet, fava beans also enrich your soil through the nitrogen fixing bacteria that live on their roots. Plant fava beans in the fall, and they will protect your soil throughout the winter by preventing […]
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The Road Less Traveled: Vegetable Juice Enthusiast to Gardener
October 13, 2017
Down and Dirty Southern California Gardening
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: Ann Clary
Vegetable juice enthusiasts may be interested in beets primarily for their leaves, which for some are a staple for fresh, raw vegetable juicing. GardenZeus expert Darren Butler observes that there are many paths to becoming a gardener, and he believes that it is merely a hop, skip, and a jump from being a veggie juicer […]
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Container Gardening With Lettuce, Radishes and Carrots
October 6, 2017
Container Gardening
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: Ann Clary
Containers are an ideal vehicle for fall container gardening. GardenZeus receives commissions for purchases made through links in this post. These commissions are at no cost to you. Getting started with containers. Containers allow you to move plants to follow seasonal changes in sun, to warmer areas during winter, and to protected areas when necessary […]
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Fall Vegetable Plants for Colder Mediterranean Climates
September 23, 2017
GardenZeus Northern California
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: Ann Clary
Here are three cool-season vegetables that tolerate light frost, making them ideal for fall planting in colder Mediterranean climates: Parsley. Ideal conditions for growing parsley are full sun at temperatures of about 75° F to 80° F, but parsley grows well in daytime temperatures from about 65° F to 85° F. When planting in fall, […]
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Harvesting and Curing Varieties of Winter Squash
Winter squash are often left unharvested until the end of a long growing season when plants have died back. Different varieties may have unique clues or signs that fruits are mature. Most varieties are ready for harvest when fruits are in full color, rinds are firm, and the nearby vines and stem to a fruit […]
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Storing and Using Freshly Harvested Pumpkin
Pumpkins are ideally stored at 55-59°F at moderate relative humidity and can be stored for up to six months. Ensure good ventilation. Refrigeration is typically too humid for pumpkins; high levels of humidity will promote decay. Chilling can damage pumpkins, especially below 50°F, and will increase their rate of ethylene production. Pumpkins are sensitive to […]
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Grow Your Own Thanksgiving
September 16, 2017
Holiday and Seasonal
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: Ann Clary
How better to celebrate Thanksgiving than with fresh food that you have grown yourself? In early fall, as gardeners in cold-winter areas throughout the United States are bringing in last harvests and winding down before winter, a special planting window opens in Southern California and other Mediterranean-climate California areas. From late summer onward in coastal […]
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Grow Your Own Thanksgiving in GardenZeus Zone 15
September 16, 2017
GardenZeus Southern California
/ Holiday and Seasonal
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: Ann Clary
Below is a chart showing describing the plants and timing to grow your own thanksgiving in your area. Please note that the varieties make a difference; the selected varieties have a time to harvest that works in the growing window. Click on the plant for complete growing instructions for that plant. Click on the plant […]
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