How To Use This Blog

We have set up this blog as a way to share with the community what we are up to and so members can see what needs to be done in the garden week to week.

How to use this blog:
We will post the to-do's and you simply write in the comments what you will be taking care of so we know it's getting done.
  • After you have entered your comment, simply hit the arrow next to profile, select anonymous and make sure you write your name in the comments section so we know who you are!
  • To make sure you don't miss an update, please enter your email address in the "Get Alerts for New Posts" form on the right column of this blog.

Monday, April 29, 2013

This week (April 29-May 5) in the garden

First, an important notice: We will not be able to access our garden on May 4th and 5th, Saturday and Sunday. The City will be staging a major event on the grounds, and only people who have purchased tickets will be allowed to enter.

So, I will be up there on Wednesday, probably a little before 10:00 a.m. Girl Scout Troop 10885 came up this past Saturday and did a great job shifting some compost, watering and straightening the shed contents. Thanks ladies!



Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Saturday, April 27th in the Garden

This coming Saturday, the Girl Scouts will be in the garden. Their assignment: water the new seeds in the butterfly garden, take the extra compost up behind the rear patio area, and straighten the contents of our shed.  Could someone please also give the compost barrel a "turn"?

A reminder to everyone: please do not access other areas of the park from our garden area. This is now the time of year when the mansion is very often rented out to weddings and we don't want to interfere with that function. If you bring children or teens to work in our demonstration gardens, please maintain control of their behavior at all times: don't allow them to wander unaccompanied. If we have negative reports concerning our presence at Greystone, we will be permanently uninvited. Thanks moms and dads.

News flash: if you feel that birds are eating your seeds before germination, sprinkle some undiluted KoolAid grape flavor powder on the soil over the seeds. Birds allegedly hate the flavor so much they won't eat the seeds!! Chrissy, tell me if this works for you.

Today Chrissy, Leyhun and I installed some creative tomato trellising.
This is my source for some of the strange methods I use in the garden: Supermarket Super Gardens, by Jerry Baker. Some of our parsley is starting to come back....


Monday, April 22, 2013

Worm Day in the Garden You Tube Video is Here!

Several months ago we were lucky to have vermiculturist Don Smith come to the garden to talk to us about how to compost using red wiggler worms. Volunteer Craig Davis videoed the lecture, and the fabulous Soozy Eastman has now posted it all on You Tube.
The link is below, go forth and worm farm! If you have questions about worm composting, Don's email is  <smithdon@mac.com>

http://youtu.be/aSJPPK7ZFnA

Don Smith and a few friends

Sunday, April 21, 2013

O.K., now for the fun part....

Thank you to all of you from our community, to Troop 33, to All Saints B.H. and Whole Foods. There must have been 50 hard workers up in the garden yesterday. We got the hill cleared, amended and planted with lots of winter squash and pumpkin seeds, from Whole Foods. The many wonderful volunteers from All Saints brought up and planted dozens and dozens of summer fruit vines and vegetable plants. Food and water was of course provided by Ellen and Angelo from Whole Foods. Boy did we need it.

Three people have offered to sponsor a bed each this summer. They will care for their chosen area and will have total control over their produce. Anyone out there who would like to commit to caring for one of the beds this summer, please contact me.

Here are some photos from our great day in the garden.
 ELLEN PRAGER, WHOLE FOODS
 UMA YU AND A FEW OF HER BEST FROM ALL SAINTS
TROOP 33, BEVERLY HILLS
 PLEASE MAKE SOME OF THIS MIX, AND BRING IT UP FOR US TO USE
 VERY IMPORTANT COMMUNITY MEMBER, WITH HIS FIRST COMPOSTING WORM. MAY IT BE THE FIRST OF MANY!!
THE AUTHOR, WITH VERY SUPPORTIVE SON, JARED LINDER

So Much Happened, I need 2 posts

Yesterday, April 20th, we had our Earth Day Spring Planting event in the garden, sponsored by Whole Foods and All Saints Beverly Hills. It was so great, I will do a separate blog about it in a minute.

This coming Wednesday, April 24th, I will be in the garden around 10:15 a.m. I have some fencing for the tomatoes, I need some help in erecting it without harming the young plants. I will also apply some water to the hill and to the compost. By the way, I opened our compost barrel today and it was so hot it steamed at me! This is great; it is how the microorganisms kill any pathogens. The compost will heat up to 140 degrees and then start to cool off.

I need a big container of cayenne pepper and a big jar of peppermint extract so that we can do ongoing pest repelling. Anyone? We need to get the plants big enough so we don't have to worry about them getting eaten.

See you in the garden! Barb L.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Happy Earth Day!

Yesterday, April 14th, I hung out with Ellen Prager and Angelo at the Whole Foods Display in our B.H. Farmer's Market. I brought some of our worms and worm compost tea and the City provided a lovely poster to inform market visitors about our garden. People seemed very interested in hearing how "worms eat your garbage" and turn it into a really great compost and fertilizer.

Please join us in the garden this coming Saturday, April 20th, 9-noon. Ellen will be in charge of preparing and planting a pumpkin patch on the hill just west of the grass. Uma and her team from All Saints are bringing vegetables, herbs and compost and will be planting the raised beds. Skip, Lisa and I will be in charge of pest patrol efforts, Debbie Frank will man the compost bin and Tom Pease and Ellen Lutwak will direct any seed sowing efforts.

See you in the garden! Barb Linder

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Saturday April 13th in the Garden, and Earth Day!

Hi All, This coming Saturday I will be in the garden at around 10:30, watering our seedlings. The beans and corn are starting to emerge, also radishes, carrots and lettuce. I believe I saw some JalapeƱo peppers and tomatoes making an appearance as well.

Sunday, April 14th is Earth Day, and I will be at the Beverly Hills Farmer's Market at the Whole Foods stall, from 9 a.m. Come see our garden poster, I'm going to bring some worm compost tea and some worm compost to show.

Mark Saturday, April 20th on your calendars: we will be cultivating the hill and planting a pumpkin patch! Whole Foods B.H. will sponsor this event, so you can expect some great snacks. A group from All Saints B.H. will also be up with lots of young plants for our beds. I am very grateful for their offer of help.

Looking forward to a great summer in the garden! Barb Linder

Friday, April 5, 2013

Saturday, April 6th, 2013 in the garden

This past Wednesday, we were in the garden moistening the surface of the beds to ensure even germination of the newly planted crops. I planted a barrier of garlic all around and put out the mint hyssop seedings I grew at home over the winter. Both plant species repel mammals. I met a new garden member, Uma Yu, who will be heading up a group of interested gardeners from All Saints.

Tomorrow I will be in the garden at 10:30, watering the beds and monitoring the germination progress. At this time of the spring, we watch and wait, and try to protect the seeds from predators. I would like to construct and install a last set of 2 raised beds this summer, and will try to round up a group at our April 20th planting event.

Make sure you stop by and visit me on Sunday, April 14th, Earth Day, I will be with Ellen Prager at the Whole Foods Booth. Jessica Emmerson is having a nice big poster made with photos from the garden, and I will have a bottle of our own worm tea to talk about. See you in the garden! Barb Linder