Planet Veggie Garden

with ‘Bright Lights’ Rainbow Swiss Chard. A colorful addition to any garden and a healthy addition to your plate.

Bright Lights Rainbow Chard

Another candidate for “Vitamin in a Pot”
Easy to grow, Swiss Chard is related to beets and spinach with a flavor a bit reminiscent of both. Eat the stems for a nice crunch.
Contrary to it’s [...]

Yesterday we learned the health benefits of garlic. Today, we plant garlic.
First a bit more information on garlic…
A member of the Onion Family
There are hundreds of varieties of garlic organized within two types:

hard neck – sends up a central flower stalk called a scape, usually has fewer but larger easy peel cloves; prefers cooler [...]

-not just to your loved ones after eating copious amounts of garlic or it’s purported ability to ward off vampires. Though with Halloween coming up, that may come in handy. In Taoist mythology, six clove black garlic can give you supernatural powers and immortality.  Another handy thing to have…
Native to Asia, garlic has been revered [...]

kale…
From yesterday’s post we know Kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables you can grow.
Kale is considered a Fall to Spring vegetable since cool temperatures and light frost improves the flavor. Heat creates a more intense flavor which I myself enjoy. Heat also tends to make kale bolt – or go to seed. One [...]

All hail Kale! If all you could do was plant one vegetable – Kale is it!

Lacinato aka Dinosaur Kale

Kale is a member of the Brassica or Cruciferous or Cabbage family – along with collards, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mustard, turnips, rutabagas and radishes.
Not only is it fairly easy to grow from seed, it can be [...]

It’s the first day of Fall and what better way to celebrate than to feature one typical fall vegetable.
When planting this spring and visiting various nurseries to buy starts – I thought it would be nice to have a pumpkin for the Fall. While searching for a pumpkin plant I saw a butternut squash and [...]

Plate of Peppers

Late summer and fall is the time to harvest peppers. I always know we are quickly heading to the end of summer when the peppers are ripe and ready.
Peppers are relatively easy to grow – they are members of the Nightshade family (same as tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes) and like to have at [...]

With the FDA’s new ruling to allow irradiation of lettuce and spinach we are glad that we can easily grow our own.
Here is an inexpensive way to do it with a free banana box from the grocery store, half of a $6 sack of potting soil and a $2 packet of seeds. Or, as I [...]

Slow Food Nation ‘08 San Francisco City Hall

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A beautiful sunny day, we arrived via BART for the first day of the Slow Food Nation ‘08 Celebration to tour the Victory Gardens in front of San Francisco City Hall.

Surreal View of City Hall Through the Victory Garden

 
It seemed almost surreal to see what was once a [...]

Not a huge harvest considering our vermin woes…

 
Look! It’s our first ripe watermelon

Our little watermelon was finally ripe. I quickly cut it off the vine and brought it in the house for fear it get nibbled on.
Just how can you tell when to harvest a watermelon?
Well after a bit of research along with trial and [...]