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Entries from Talk tagged with 'gardening'
Organic Seeds for the Vegetable Garden
I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for where to get seeds for a vegetable garden, preferably organic and/or heirloom varieties. We just rotated our second set of veggies in for the summer which we got from starts from Seattle Tilth, but now I'm starting to think ahead to the fall.
Annoying misinformation on TV
I know I tend toward the compulsive side but, once again this morning, I got to hear wrong information being preached as the truth on FN. This time, it was Tyler Florence going on about how the tomatillo is not related to tomatoes but is related to gooseberry. Sigh...
Granted, I have gardened for over 40 years, so the lack of understanding that some chefs display regarding their ingredients might be forgivable. But, the authority with which it is delivered really annoys me. If I remember correctly, Alton Brown said the very same thing regarding this fruit (as if from the same script). For the record (apologies in advance to those who know), tomatillo, like tomatoes, peppers (more on this in a second) and eggplants, are all members of the nightshade family. As is the CAPE GOOSEBERRY, otherwise known as ground cherry, which looks like a small tomatillo but is sweet. REAL gooseberries are related to currants.
I seem to remember Alton Brown dressing down some poor woman who was competing in one of the Next Food Network Star episodes because she said chilies are a type of pepper. He jumped all over her when, in fact, she was right. (No, black pepper is not even remotely related.)
My point is - where's the fact checking? These are two instances that my background enables me to catch with authority. What other misinformation is disseminated?
Yeah, I know, I shouldn't be surprised given how FN has gone. Has anyone else caught any mistakes that should be set right?
Do you garden?
I'm more than a little curious. With the rising cost of EVERYTHING, I am reminded that my grandmother used to garden to keep her family fed. While my parents visited two weeks ago, my mother planted two varieties of lettuce for ssam, some scallions, spinach, and jalepenos. I really have no idea what to do with this garden that has so blithely been left in my care. We have fortunately had rain every few days, so nothing is dead yet.
Do you garden? What do you grow? Any advice for a novice?
Attack your Front Lawn?
This NYT article briefly discusses architect Fritz Haeg's _Edible_Estates:_Attack_on_the_Front_Lawn_, a book on the progressive concept using one's front yard -- not backyard -- as a vegetable garden.
I'm not a homeowner yet, but I envision my "attacked" front lawn with a cornstalk fence along the property line, a Common Fig flanking each side of the house, a grapevined trellis over the front door, bush-sized herb plants in boxes, bright colors popping from red pepper plants, eggplant and yellow squash (summer), red cabbages, varicolored pumpkins (fall) and just to thumb my nose at Monsanto . . . two huge boxes full of dandilion plants for salad greens.
How would you "attack" your front yard?
Who has a garden?
I think it's a natural progression to take a great interest in your ingredients once you become very interested in food. I can't ever seem to wake up in time or remember to go to the local farmer's market every Monday. Do any of you have gardens? If so, do those seed packets you can purchase at garden centers really work, or should I buy potted plants and herbs and then transfer them to the soil myself? Also, I heard that all it takes to grow potatoes is cutting one up that has lots of eyes and then dropping the pieces in soil, is this true? My dad's willing to give me a chunk of his precious backyard to devote to herbs, vegetables or flowers of my choice. Any suggestions for a first time gardener? I really want to grow veggies, but only things that are pretty simple to keep up with.
Does anyone know anything about growing artichokes?
I have 3 recently purchased plants. They're about a foot tall. When can i expect artichokes? Any suggestions on using fresh artichokes (up to moving to California, I only had ready access to canned)?
Can you recommend some good (food) gardening resources?
I will soon be taking care of a garden that includes but is not limited to: heirloom tomatoes, figs, guavas, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, eggplants, chili peppers. I know absolutely *nothing* about gardening. Where should I start? Magazines, books, websites?
Question of the Day: Planting a garden this year?
Are you planting a kitchen garden this year? If so, what are you growing?
Do you grow your own food or know someone who does?
I was lucky enough to grow up with my mom growing plants for eating in our own backyard. Even now, every spring and summer I get zucchinis bigger than my head, tomatoes more delicious than anything I've bought from a market, even the farmer's markets, and sweet peas. She regularly cuts scallions to be added to the fish we steam or fry. Do you garden, or keep a little herb box on your balcony?
