General Gardening

How I Just Found Myself Transformed Into A Farmer…Overnight!

June 29, 2012 · 28 comments

News Flash

I have suddenly found myself transformed into an Organic Small-Scale Farmer. Well, I’m not starting a CSA or anything…yet. But, an unexpected turn of events have occurred and my family just bought a farmstead in Northern California!

Somehow, I have gone from managing 1/10th of an acre in the city to managing 14 acres of organic land.

I KNOW!!! Right?!

Now this is not just any ordinary farmstead. It has been a fully organic farmstead  since 1892 but fell into disarray about 15 years ago. The owner was elderly and had not used it for production for at least 15-20 years. And although she let the place go a bit, she always kept it completely organic with her homegrown food. It has an interesting history which I will go into greater detail in a later post.

The farm (14 acres) was probably going to be broken up into pieces and sold for home building with no regard for the orchards and lovely edibles growing there. We didn’t want to see that happen because we own the property next door. So….My family bought the farmstead…and now I am the acting farm manager – coordinating all efforts from afar with lots of trips up to the property.

It is exciting and scary at the same time. This place needs a lot of work! Serious work!

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Using Twigs as Plant Cages

June 13, 2012 · 13 comments

Twig Plant CagesIt only took one trip to the beautiful landscapes of England (many years ago), for me to stop using plastic stakes in my garden to hold up plants. That trip opened my eyes to the idea of letting plant supports add to the garden instead of taking away from it.

In Britain, it seemed like everyone used twig cuttings (long thin branches) to support everything from sweet peas to beans and morning glories.

Their garden supports had so much charm! I immediately started doing the same thing in my own garden.

This weekend, I noticed that the tomatillos in my front garden were looking a little leggy and sprawling. I decided they needed a tripod cage and I had some freshly pruned apple branches that could do the trick…

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The Next Generation of Farmers

February 13, 2012 · 6 comments

This past year, one of the most rewarding episodes I wrote/produced for Growing A Greener World (on PBS) was the one on “Young Farmers”. It was all about who will be growing our food in the future.

The farmers and JennyJackson Farm in GA

As you probably know, the average age of the American farmer is 60 and most farming is done conventionally with the use of chemicals and industrialized methods. But there is a new generation of farmers emerging and they are young, passionate about the envirnment and willing to work hard to grow food sustainably and distribute it locally.

There were so many wonderful people making a difference, it was difficult for me to narrow down where we should film or who we should feature for that episode. But we ended up filming in the Atlanta area and showcased some really wonderful people who I am proud to have growing food for us. (Shown above are the farmers at Jenny Jack Sun Farm in Pine Mountain GA. Don’t you just love the t-shirt?)

Remember that we vote with our dollars. If we buy locally, organically grown produce, we support our local farmers – many of whom are just starting out with sustainable farms. Take a look at this episode (Link Below) and know that with our support and dollars these people can make a difference in the way our country eats.

To watch the full episode go to: Episode 213 – Young Farmers

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Pinterest Wednesday

November 16, 2011 · 3 comments

In honor of my addiction to Pinterest, I am posting one of my pins here…

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You can go to the original link here at Succulent Garden Nursery.

You can request to join Pinterest by going HERE.

You can follow my boards on Pinterest HERE. (I am listed as T Loe)

Enjoy!

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An Incredible Use of SMALL Garden Space

August 25, 2011 · 8 comments

Many of us have small gardens and know the challenges of trying to fit a lot into a tiny space, but what if you basically have NO space upon which to garden? What then?

Well, Baylor Chapman in San Francisco knows that dilemma all too well. She lives in the Mission District – a hip, cool, industrialized section of the city that it is very urban. Baylor is a “green” florist (Lila B Designs) who strives to use local, organically grown flowers in her floral designs.

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And there is a great story in that…

But, this post is about how Baylor is also a gardener with basically NO space. And how she has come up with creative ways to garden anywhere and in just about anything…(notice the shutter behind her in the photo below)

We filmed Baylor a few months ago for Growing A Greener World and I wanted to share some of the photos from the shoot. The episode is on Small Space Gardening and we featured two locations with Baylor.

The Deck Garden:

Baylor’s personal garden space is on a deck of just 500 square feet. It gets full sun and no view other than the industrial buildings around her. But in that space, she has created an oasis where she can entertain, read and relax…And the coolness factor is through the roof!

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Yes, that is a truck tool box being used as a bench!

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Baylor makes great use of color and unusual containers.

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Check out these succulent shutters!

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And these succulent, metal…thing-a-ma-jigs!

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More coolness…

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Heck, even the inside of her loft was ubber cool.

The Parking Lot Garden:

For Baylor’s floral design business, she wanted LOCAL, organically grown flowers but she also wanted unusual plants for her brides. Although she found a few local sources, it was not enough when she had larger events…So, she decided to grow them herself. But where?

How about around the perimeter of an urban parking lot?!

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That is what she did! She grows tons of incredible plant material in pots around a rented parking lot. The lot itself is still used by a production company for deliveries but the edges were empty…until now.

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Baylor’s helper in the garden and floral business is Sophie. Check out

her cute gardening skirt, complete with clipper pockets. Love it!

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It just goes to show that with a little ingenuity, you can do anything!

The episode we filmed will be airing nationally on Public Television on October 1, 2011. After that date, you will also be able to watch it on our website HERE.

To read more about Baylor and what she does, check out this blog post by my friend Debra Prinzing. Baylor is going to be featured in her upcoming book on locally, sustainably grown flowers! I will be writing more about that book when it gets closer to publication!

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And now, a music video about being hip, organic farmers…

October 25, 2010

An organic farm in the UK put out this fun music video about being hip, modern, organic farmers! They rap about cows and tractors. Very cool…  

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I Want To Make A Succulent Orb

February 3, 2010

I found this succulent orb kit on Etsy. The idea is to design and build your own tiny succulent garden and either set it on a sunny windowsill (it has a flat bottom) or hang it in a window. What a fun idea. It reminds me of the miniature terrariums I posted about HERE.

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Have You Ever Done This?

February 1, 2010

Today I noticed two forlorn looking six packs of lettuce sitting in my garden. I bought them months ago with the intention of filling in some empty spots in my front yard. (I use edibles all throughout my landscape.) But alas, I totally forgot about them…probably because I always grow my lettuce from seed. I [...]

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Give That Bulb A Drink!

December 24, 2009

I have been getting many questions lately about last year’s post on using alcohol on forced bulbs. Since many of you need this information now, I am re-posting it here for all your reading pleasure… Remember: One drink for the bulbs, one drink for you, one drink for the bulbs… —————————- If you want to [...]

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Growing Your Own Shiitake Mushrooms

November 3, 2009

 Some of you may recall this conversation I had with my husband recently… Husband: “What is this moldy baggie in the refrigerator? Can I throw it away?” Me: “NO!!!! That is my bag of Shiitake mushroom plug spawn.” Husband: “Huh?” Me: “It is a bag of wood sticks that are inoculated with Shiitake mushroom spores.” Husband: [...]

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