Redlands, 25 March, cool with light rain.

Sustainable. This is a word we hear a lot these days. From coffee to clothes, businesses to bees, BP to EPA,  sustainability is touted as a key to everything from job growth to protecting the very planet we inhabit.

And for once, this new buzz is right on. But in reality, this buzz is anything from new.

What exactly is sustainability?  Our government defines it as “ policies and strategies that meet society’s present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The EPA elaborated in the early 1970 enacting “ National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)[to]  formally establish[ed] as a national goal the creation and maintenance of conditions under which humans and nature “can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans”

Yep, sustainability has been on the table since the year I was born. Perhaps what is new is our awareness of how much our actions/inaction’s have  helped to deplete resources and the realization  that with focused awareness, we can actually do something about it. And it’s not  all about the environment here. Sustainability in the business sector has been in the spotlight for years now. The reality that sustainable development  on the business front reflects “ not the trade-off between business and the environment but the synergy between them” is now widely accepted.

Which brings me to the topic of  local growers, local garden centers and ultimately, your own garden. Far leap? Not really.

How many of you remember the day when there were many local, independently owned garden centers in our area to choose from? Remember Flowerland Nursery in San Bernardino, CA? How I fondly remembering escaping to their nursery to wander, feel, smell and ultimately reset. Since herbs have been a passion of mine for a long while, I especially loved spending time in their herb section – plants they had resourced from our growing neighbors to the south in Fallbrook.

When I had a question, they had an answer. When I wanted compost, mulch, organic fertilizers and pesticides – yep, they had it along with the knowledge of how to use it properly. When a plant wasn’t doing well, they could usually spot its needs by mere visual inspection.

Flowerland opened in the 1930′s and was owned and operated by the Fischer family.  For over 70 years, we gardeners relied on this business as  resource for knowledge, product, service. Growers in California relied on them as a purchaser and outlet for their products. Many individuals relied on this business for employment.  Business was personal. The knowledge was pretty spot-on for they had been serving this communities growing needs for so very long. They knew which fruit trees would grow best in your neck of the woods and how to work with the range of soils we have here in the I.E.. When they closed [along with Dangermonds, Kimura, etc..], we lost more than a business. We lost resources.

As you know, local garden centers have faced some incredible challenges over this past decade! The big box stores have made doing business quite a challenge becuase for the most part, comsumers have been prioritizing economy over knowledge, customer service, quality of product. But what does the local garden center have to do with your own sustainable garden oe sustainability in general?

Well, lets take a look first at what sustainability in the garden actually means.

1. It means use of organic soil amends, fertilizers & pesticides. We all know that use of excess chemicals in fertilizers leaches  into the soil, pollutes our groundwater, drains into streams and eventually end up in the ocean. Not good!

2. It means Controlling weeds without chemicals. Contrary to what we have been told, products that kill weeds are toxic! Not only can they kill weeds, they can harm insects, other plants, upset the delicate balance of beneficial microbes in the soil and leach into drains..which can end up in the oceans and yep, do all kinds of damage.

3. It means using natural methods to control pests – Integrated Pest Management[IPM]. IPM is a pest control strategy that focuses on planting techniques that don’t harm the environment [companion planting, crop rotation, cover crops]. Take your edible garden for example. Using pesticides may kill the insects eating your tomatoes, but they can also kill butterflies, useful bugs, birds, and anything else that might come in contact with the pesticide. Who wants to eat that? or feed it to our families?

ladybugs love aphids

4. It means using native and other plants suitable for our specific climate & region.  Native plants invite beneficial insects, provide food and refuge for wildlife & they do not depend on loads of chemicals to look good & grow. In addition, because they usually thrive naturally in the garden, they are not a magnet for pest [so less pesticide!]

penstemon

5. It means conservation. Using plants suitable for our specific climate/region means we can use less water, chemicals, fuel [mowers/blowers], physical resources [time, strain on body].

6. It means economics. BIG ONE HERE! Local garden centers employ local people, support local [and regional] growers &  product manufacturer’s, pay tax money and fees that support  local, regional and state economies, don’t transport as far as box centers [less fuel use and environmental pollution], know the area that we are gardening in [plants recommended and sold are actually appropriate for our area] and so much more!

Which brings me to Cherry Valley Nursery, a locally owned and operated garden center in Beaumont, CA. For the past 27 years [and counting], these folks have been serving the gardening needs of our diverse local environment.  Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I am extremely partial here!  Since the closure of Flowerland Nursery, I have been relying on CVN for my personal garden needs.  From bare-roots to worm castings, these kind folks have helped be create the gardens I love.

Then this year, Jim Anderson, owner of Cherry Valley Nursery along with all the awesome [knowledgeable and courteous] folks of CVN invited us to sell our plants at their nursery! What a leap of faith this was! They cleared space on their edible rack exclusively for our plants, hung permanent sineage and believed me when I said that our community would support purchasing a locally grown heirloom plant despite its price point being above most of the other edibles on the racks [okay, all of them].

Our heirlooms @ Cherry Valley Nursery

We delivered our first plants [20 flats] the beginning of this month. Last week, when we popped in to service the plants, we were so pleased to see that well over 100 of our naturally grown herbs & heirloom veggie plants have already been picked up and are growing throughout gardens in our area! Thank you.

It was pretty cool that while we were there, we met two ladies who had come to the nursery exclusively in search of our plants! We got to chat about our gardens, plans for summer edibles, share stories and actually say hello to our gardening neighbors.  How awesome is that?

Friends, thank you for supporting our local nursery centers! They  really and truly are one of the very best models for sustainability – both on the business /economic front as well as environmental.

Redlands, 24 March, rainy, cold & cloudy

Spring is here! and with her arrival,  the call to dig in the dirt has gone from a faint sound to that of a full blown concerto. This week, I have managed to accomplish only the bare minimum work wise in favor of spending more time in my own edible garden [and I grow plants for a living, THE best job ever!]

edible borage flower

By the looks of this months Sunset Magazine, I am not the only one consumed by the bug to grow more food and get my hands dirty! From the cover which features the green leaves of the  fava bean & borage flowers in a mixed green salad along with grapefruit, to the profile of Jimmy Williams, Los Angeles grower of organic seedlings and  author of one of our favorite books “From Seed to Skillet” to their list of “favorite heirloom plants to grow now” [ding ding, we are growing the "winner" along with three other varieties [of their list of 6, not too bad!], Perennial edibles [Malabar spinach, Yeah! ] this months magazine is perhaps my all-time favorite issue!

A few years back when “Victory Gardens” reappeared on stage after decades of absence , many said it was a passing phase brought on mainly because  a severely depressed economy. But here we are years down the road and we now have some statistical data [and empirical data- the kind I favor just as much as hard numbers] that shows most of us are not growing our food as a way to save on money – we are doing it for more profound reasons!

garlic chive about to flower

Many of us are growing food because we are tired of food with little to no taste. We are also tired  [and mindful ] that  prepackaged foods are void of life, nutrition &  have helped lead our Country in a direction of compromised health[childhood obesity, have you seen the numbers?]. Many of us are growing food because we are very disillusioned with the commercial food chain – not knowing what is in it and worried about its safety [remember the spinach, egg & peanut episodes of late?]

Others are growing food as a way of connecting to life. Gardens  are real, tangible [unlike internet, phone aps, etc] and in the present. They are like a relationship, when you invest with focused attention, no matter how much experience you have, it will reciprocate, grow and flourish. 

Perhaps many of us are experiencing the zen-like peace and quieting of mind  that comes while tending a garden [something I still can not manage to find in yoga]. Perhaps we like the sense of self-sufficiency we have when we grow our own food. Whatever the reasons are, judging by this months Sunset, this is not a phase for many of us – it is our new way of life!

So, getting back to this awesome issue, in Echo Park, a local business featuring fruits and veggies from local farmers is also offering DIY kitchen garden basics classes in a nearby backyard! This sounds a bit like our own Olive Avenue Market that is not only a drop off spot for a local CSA, cooks with local produce, features local foods [more jam is on the way, folks! ] landscapes with edibles and has built a raised garden box on their back patio section exclusively for showing [and growing] heirloom herbs & veggies! 

Raised garden bed @ Olive Ave Market

Speaking of which, please do mark your calanders for Saturday, April 16th @ noon for the planting of the raised bed @ Olive Ave. Market in Redlands. We will use the concepts pioneered by Mel Bartholomew as we plant this raised garden, including vertical growing! [all the rage lately]. Please  check out a copy of his book, ALL NEW Square  Foot Gardening adhead of time if you can. Incredible resource! 

Our heirloom edibles @ Cherry Valley Nursery

Back to the cover of Sunset – fava bean leaves as a salad green. Yep, we are growing fava this year – Italian Extra Precoce A Grano Violetto [try getting that all on a plant stake!]. We delivered a flat earlier this week to Cherry Valley Nursery in Beaumont along with heirloom bouquet dill, heirloom Japanese giant red mustard [incredible horseradish-like flavor, great as a young green in salad]& French tarragon. So, if you aren’t a fan of the fava bean itself, give the greens a try. Taste? A cross of spinach, pea and hint of artichoke. Delicious!

Redlands, 16 March, sunny, birds are crazy happy!

For the past three years, slowly but surely we have been plugging away at converting our massive lawn-covered front yard into an edible & sustainable landscape.

For those of you who have been on this journey with us, you remember our account of the weekend we moved in and before unpacking the kitchen, we transplanted our contained fruit trees. You probably also remember when we added the line of olive trees to the west side of the landscape  to create an edible hedge that would block both street and freeway noise while provide some privacy.

Our white peach tree in bloom

Last fall you followed our adventures as we expanded the edible garden beyond the border closest to the house to include an area centralized between the orchard of fruit trees. And today, we are so excited to share with you our latest step in the ongoing saga: split-rail fencing and berry vines. It is amazing!

We have always known that we wanted to fence the property. We sit on a sprawling corner lot that in spaces, feels very exposed. We tried planting a hedge of drought-tolerant myrtus shrubs a few years back – they did not grow fast enough for me. And while they were taking their sweet time, my passion for edibles grew to obsession level. They had to go.

With the mytrus not working, the quest to create some privacy continued. This time, we also pondered how to create uniformity on the property when the lawn which was the “carpet’ that tied it all together continues to be removed in portions. The idea of a split-rail fence [to match the ranch style of the house] emerged. Given my desire create a greater sense of privacy and security on the property without the “enclosed fortress feel’ my husband is opposed to - the openness of the split-rail stood out as a plus. In addition, fencing an uneven property is difficult at best. Split-rail is forgiving on that front as well. Ding ding, a winner is emerging.

So, this year, when planning what we were going to add to our edible gardens, more peaches & berries were at the top of the list. The peach trees were easy. Berries were a little harder. Berry vines need space and something to grow on. Yep, you guessed it, I found a way to enclose a portion of the landscape, give myself a feeling of safety and privacy while still quite open – and best yet, grow more of the  foods we all were really  hungry for.

Our friend and my right hand man in the nursery Lu, set this earlier this week to enclose the north-west side of the property with the split-rail and to get the berry vines in. In just two days, not only did he do that, he ripped out the dead oleanders  [I had resolved that that day would never come - perhaps I should never say never?], unearthed lots of logs and buried hard scape [those lovely scalloped edged concrete things], transplanted the lavenders to their new home under the olive trees [how gorgeous will that be?] and is doing some serious pest management [with the help of Russ, his trusted sidekick and loyal companion - one amazing dog!]

It is amazing how in just a few hours a new outdoor living space has come to be. Last night, my husband moved us in by creating a sitting area for two with a small table in between. Using terra cotta potts and some of the marble counter top pieces he has had on the side of the house [for years now], he created some thing quite wonderful.

As we sat in our new space, neighbors waived and commented on how they are too, like the change.  As we have said in the past, converting a landscape away from the programed norm to one that places value on sustainability, self- sufficiency and community building is exactly that – a community project. Yes, we still hear the “why are you doing that?’ comment but it doesn’t bother us as much. We know that the same people who thought we were nuts to grow our food right out in the open where “people could steal it’ or “wild animals could bother” it are now enjoying the mixed green salads that come from this same space.

Just think, before long, they will be enjoying a sun kissed, sweet and juicy golden raspberry from this space. I’ll bet you we see more split-rail fencing and berry vines go up around the neighborhood in no time.

The reality of landscape conversion from lawn to edible is that it is not the quickest process on the planet but do stick with it! slowly but surely, it comes together.

Redlands, 14 March, 08:00, sunny & bright!

Heirloom Merveille des Quatre Saisons Lettuce

When we think of the home kitchen garden, tomatoes and zucchini aututomatically pop spring into our consciousness.

This Spring, we are working to change that!

When you talk about  heirloom veggies for the Spring garden, friends - let’s all say it together - leafy greens!  Lettuce, kale, mustards, specialty greens like savoy, shungiku, cress, beet tops, mizuna, mesclun. Springtime is made for growing these culinary delights – mild temperatures, ample sunlight & even a shower now and then to help us out.

Delicious & nutritious. For years, I believed lettuce had very little nutritional value. Not so. One outter leaf of a red leaf lettuce not only delivers antioxidants [eat a rainbow, everyday] but carries 25%RDA of Vitamin A & 30 % of Vitamin K.  Boring you say? Not when you blend lettuce varieties and add young kale, some cress, arugula, young giant red mustards [tastes like horseradish] and a sprinking of clinatro, sorrel and garlic chives!  Try it, you will fall in love with leafy green salads like never before!

In our Garden: Heirloom Giant Red Mustard, Kale, bunching onions, beets, lettuce...

And talk about easy and quick to grow. Lettuce can be harvested as a young green in as little as a few weeks [from transplant] as a baby green and about 55 days for a mature head. When harvesting lettuce [and other leafy greens], you can simply remove the leaves on by one or cut about 2 inches from the base and remove an entire head [portion]. The great part is that lettuce [& other leafy green plant] grow [s] back!  

Heirloom varieties of lettuce are definitely not the run of the mill greens many of us have grown bored with. Freckles lettuce  for instance has claret-splashed, bright green leaves, simply gorgeous ! Red salad bowl is the darkest red oak leaf variety we grow while the  red tinted butter-head lettuce, MERVEILLE DES QUATRE SAISONS LETTUCE (Marvel of Four Seasons) is a French heirloom described in Vilmorin’s “The Vegetable Garden” in 1885 that like most lettuce varieties, develops best in cool spring & is incredible!

When planting lettuce in your edible garden, the more space  you give each lettuce  to grow the larger it will become. Lettuce loves rich, well amened soil [worm castings, compost, GreenAll ] regular watering & weeding. This time of year, we plant in full sun.  For the most part, lettuce is relatively pest-free, with the exception of slugs. I find most slug activity deep in the head of lettuce – nearest the dirt so after harvesting [usually with a knife straight across the bottom] I turn the head upside down and inspect for them. [need more help with slugs? ]

All throughout spring, look for our naturally grown heirloom lettuces [and other leafy greens] @Cherry Valley Nursery [where you can always pick up Sluggo and more worm castings, 7 days a week!], at our booth @ Saturday Morning Farmers Market in Redlands, on the cart @ Olive Ave Market [ 7 days a week] &  @ the Farquhar Farms fruit stand located @ 5th & Wabash in Redlands.

Redlands, March 13, daylight savings time [spring is almost here ]

Have you seen a small insect flying about your newly planted spring greens? Chances are it is a form of whitefly.

According to the University of California’s Department of Statewide Pest Management, there are several varieties of whitefly that plague both ornamental and edible crops. The problem with these pesky little guys is that they “can excrete sticky honeydew and cause yellowing or death of leaves.” Not cool when we are wanting to eat these yummy leaves ourselves - lettuce, kale, edible crysanthemum, savoy, mizuna, etc.

Okay, so they can be more that just a nusence. Spring and summer is when we see more of these guys since they love juice from  young, tender green plant  growth. Some can actually spread other pathogens, so controlling them in our gardens or even keeping them at bay is key.

To help repel them in the first place, UC IPM advises the use of aluminum foil. “Aluminum foil or reflective plastic mulches can repel whiteflies, especially away from small plants. Aluminum-coated construction paper is available in rolls from Reynolds Aluminum Company. Alternatively, you can spray clear plastic mulch with silver paint. Reflective plastic mulches are also available in many garden stores.”

“To put a mulch in your garden, first remove all weeds. Place the mulch on the plant beds and bury the edges with soil to hold them down. After the mulch is in place, cut 3- to 4-inch diameter holes and plant several seeds or single transplants in each one. You may furrow irrigate or sprinkle your beds if you use aluminum-coated construction paper or other porous mulch; the mulch is sturdy enough to tolerate sprinkling. Plastic mulches will require drip irrigation. In addition to repelling whiteflies, aphids, and leafhoppers, the mulch will enhance crop growth and control weeds. Mulches have been shown to deter the transmission of viruses in commercial vegetable crops. When summertime temperatures get high, however, remove mulches to prevent overheating plants.”

And what if these pests are already trying to make your garden their new home? UC IPM suggests the use of traps.  “ In vegetable gardens, yellow sticky traps can be posted around the garden to trap adults. Such traps won’t eliminate damaging populations but may reduce them somewhat as a component of an integrated management program relying on multiple tactics. Whiteflies do not fly very far, so many traps may be needed. You may need as many as one trap for every two large plants, with the sticky yellow part of the trap level with the whitefly infestation. Place traps so the sticky side faces plants but is out of direct sunlight.”

“Commercial traps are commonly available, or you can make traps out of 1/4-inch plywood or masonite board, painted bright yellow and mounted on pointed wooden stakes that can be driven into the soil close to the plants that are to be protected. Although commercially available sticky substrates such as Stickem or Tanglefoot are commonly used as coatings for the traps, you might want to try to make your own adhesive from one-part petroleum jelly or mineral oil and one-part household detergent. This material can be cleaned off boards easily with soap and water, whereas a commercial solvent must be used to remove the other adhesives. Periodic cleaning is essential to remove insects and debris from the boards and maintain the sticky surface.”

And what about spraying an insecticidal soap? UC IPM adds, “Insecticides have only a limited effect on whiteflies. Most kill only those whiteflies that come in direct contact with them. For particularly troublesome situations, try insecticidal soap or an insecticidal oil such as neem oil or narrow-range oil. Because these products only kill whitefly nymphs that are directly sprayed, plants must be thoroughly covered with the spray solution. Be sure to cover undersides of all infested leaves; usually these are the lowest leaves and the most difficult to reach. Use soaps when plants are not drought-stressed and when temperatures are under 80°F to prevent possible damage to plants. Avoid using other pesticides to control whiteflies; not only do most of them kill natural enemies, whiteflies quickly build up resistance to them, and most are not very effective in garden situations.”

Post Sources: 

Bellows, T. S., J. N. Kabashima, and K. Robb. Jan. 2002. Pest Notes: Giant Whitefly. Oakland: Univ. Calif. Agric. Nat. Res. Publ. 7400.

Flint, M. L. 1998. Pests of the Garden and Small Farm. 2nd ed. Oakland: Univ. Calif. Agric. Nat. Res. Publ. 3332.

Pest Notes: Whiteflies
UC ANR Publication 7401    

Author: M. L. Flint
Editor: B. Ohlendorf
Produced by IPM Education and Publications, University of California Statewide IPM Program

Redlands, 10 March, 05:30, still dark.

Before we get to the topic of today’s post, companion planting,  I would like to welcome all of our new readers and thank those of you who have been following our blogs for awhile. As of late, I am sure you have notices a longer time-span between postings. With the arrival of spring just a few weeks away and the weather already signaling her arrival, I find myself spending the majority of daylight hours in the nursery – far away from a computer.   

Like seasonal gardening and seasonal eating, I accept that writing will be a bit seasonal for me. My goal is to get in one blog posting a week [getting up before the sun is critical during our busy months]. If there is a topic you have questions about, please do search the site – chances are something has been posted prior. If you can’t find the information you are looking for, please email me and I will do my best to include it in an upcoming blog post.

Okay, we now move on to what to plant next to what in the garden; companion planting.  In a nutshell, companion planting is based on the concept that certain plants, when planted next to other plants can have a positive impact on their growth [higher yield] or the warding off of pest.

When we think of companion planting, sometimes the Native american planting practice comes to mind. Most of the focus of companion planting is for the the home garden. In larger scale productions, the term “inter-cropping ” replaces companion planting although it is still the same process.

Folklore vs. Science

While a part of me [and many other gardening enthusiasts] loves and embraces the magic and mysticism that Nature innately conjures, when it comes down to it – science always prevails. This is especially true in both the nursery operation and in regards to companion planting in our edible kitchen garden.

And what are the scientific foundations for companion planting?

Trap Cropping: This is using one crop to attract pests away from another crop. A great example of this is using collard greens to draw the Diamond Back Moth away from cabbage crops.

Nitrogen Fixation: Crops such as peas, beans & clover have the ability to fix nitrogen in the atmosphere and use it for their own benefit. The great part is that neighboring plants also reap the benefits of this  nitrogen collection.

Pest Suppression: Perhaps the main reason many of us companion plant in the first place. Certain plants exude chemicals that either suppress or repel pests and thus protect neighboring crops.

My favorite reference for companion planting is  The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. On their website, they offer in-depth publications on production practices, alternative crop enterprises, along with highlights of local, regional, USDA and other federal sustainable agriculture activities.

Here is a guide ATTRA lists for companion planting:

Cabbage Family                                        Herbs, Celery , Beets, Onion, Beans, Chamomile, Spinach, Chard

Redlands, 04 March, sunny & bright

A lot goes into our nursery growing operation. Seed sourcing. Soil building. Seed sowing & thinning. Transplanting. Fertilizing. Pest control. Then there is the day to day care of inventory. Adjusting plant placement for optimal lighting. Watering according to specific plant need. And just before the plant leaves the nursery, we transplant it yet again, this time into a biodegradable container.

Now the finishing touch. Perhaps just as important as producing a healthy, vibrant edible plant is adding this last component. The plant tag.

I don’t know about you, but when I am selecting plants for my kitchen garden, there are somethings I really would love to know. First off, the scientific name doesn’t do much for me. I am looking for the specific variety. Secondly, I would really love to know what the herb or veggie tastes like or ways to serve it. Lastly, we are all eating more homegrown herbs & veggies not on only because of the incredible taste but also for the immediate and long lasting health benefits they bring. Knowing what the nutrients the produce is rich in would be great!

So fellow edible landscapes, kitchen gardeners and lovers of all things fresh and local – this year, we have designed our plant tags to carry exactly that kind of information.  In addition, our new plant tags are printed n a heavier grade material – better to handle life in the garden.

We sure hope you love this variation of  the traditional plant tags as much as we do.