Getting Ready For Spring Gardening: Tips & Inspiration

 Nothing is better than that first sunny warm weekend in early spring.

You slip on the grubby garden shoes like a broken in pair of bedroom slippers and grab the pruners and your old friend the garden hoe.

My favorite small perennial shovel is so worn the wood handle feels 

soft and smooth from hours of digging.  

And while I don't have nearly the amount of chores as I have had in the past, every thing is pretty much the same....like riding a bike...just on a smaller scale.  

I usually hit the vegetable garden first.  

These are Sweet 1000's from last year and I have a few cherries already planted.

If you think you can't grow a vegetable to save your life, just try a cherry tomato plant.  They will grown in spite of your brown thumb....trust me on this one.  

If you're just starting a vegetable garden try to give yourself at least 18 inches of well composted soil.  

Depending on what you want to grow, most plants take about 3 months to get to the harvesting stage, so that gives them plenty of time to develop a really robust root system. 

Challenge yourself to come up with creative trellis and supports.

Unless you're really short on time don't just settle for the usual junky stuff 

from the local garden center.

It barely lasts a season and will likely wind up in the trash.

Here I used bamboo and willow and it worked wonderfully.

This year I have bulbs and flowers planted among the veggies.   

I like the look of it and it helps to keep the garden bright and pretty.  

Or hang a basket or and old bucket near by just for fun

In the rear of my garden I hung a set of harvesting baskets.  

Not only useful but a cheerful addition to the kitchen garden space 

A little bench is used for small containers and for working on topiaries and arrangements 

which come into the house from time to time

Usually spring is the time I like to tune up the irrigation system. 

 Emitters and sprinkler heads get replaced and any thing leaking or that has become too small for the area is upsized.  I always stop in at the local pro-irrigation store near me and chat it up with the guys behind the counter.  You can learn a ton and they are always helpful if you are a new gardener. 

 Now for the good stuff....plant what you like to eat but....

I have had some epic failures trying so hard to do it all.

 I typically steer clear of  things that are  plentiful in my local farmers market

 and take up way too much garden real estate 

I have planted lots of carrots but mine never look this good.

We eat them anyway!

And I always have some sort of onion planted but usually the smaller green scallions

and chive, both of which are super easy

A few things I've tried and will probably never repeat:

strawberries

corn

celery

tarragon

asparagus

artichokes

just to name a few

Lettuce and greens are an excellent choice for any new vegetable garden.

Lettuce doesn't necessarily need intense sunlight to do well either.  So if you have a partially shaded area go of the lettuce varieties.

I always include radicchio and endive

 as well as arugula and some of the spicy asian greens.

 And no great kitchen garden is complete without herbs.  

I love the idea of the dedicated herb garden 

and will try to repeat something like the pretty one I had in Ojai.

 But if you're short on space (like me) plant herbs among the lettuce and tomatoes

My tried and true favorites are Italian parsley, lemon thyme, rosemary, sage, chervil and of course no herb garden should be without basil

I plant the big Sangiovese style basil as well as purple 

and some other odd varieties that all have great flavor.

Lettuce and greens can be self sown into the beds directly and will produce an amazing amount of yield from a small seed packet.  

Remember, the soil must be warm and damp consistently or the seeds won't germinate. 

Small turnips and beets are a great choice and super easy.

You can harvest them early and toss into a salad for some crunch just like a radish.

And do try some radish...easy and usually great results.  

My favorite is the D'avignon 

Perennial beds are always a challenge for me, especially because 

my garden style is full and sort of messy.  

To keep things in check, I prune and deadhead and clip....a lot!

And I didn't plant sweet peas this year either.

I know I will miss them

Instead I think I'll focus on some small little pockets for annuals and summer bulbs.

Bulbs are a great way to add color without a lot of work.

One of the garden chores no one ever like to do but is probably the most essential is to focus on the quality of your soil.  

Adding in some big bags of compost will really change how your plants look and will save on weeding and water down the road.

I know pretty boring right?!

And when I'm not in the garden....

I'm actually starting a much needed kitchen renovation in about a week so I'll try to post a little more and share some new ideas, products and a few new discoveries.

 

Hope you are enjoying the beauty of spring

xoxo

Lemon Herb Gremolata

Well all-righty then....it's time to get the grill out!  

Here is a great little condiment for roast chicken, fish or grilled veggies 

The ingredients could not be simpler and the prep time is about 10 minutes

here's what you need:

2 lemons

a small bunch of fresh parsley (about 1 cup)

a small handful of fresh basil (about 1/4 cup)

your favorite olive oil

5 cloves of garlic

kosher salt

 a quick note on olive oil:

I have tested and tasted many 

and have finally found a grocery store product I love

California Olive Ranch

The regular Olive Oil is really great and I use regularly for cooking

but for a slightly more peppery rich flavor  or for dipping 

try the 

Millers blend

(first cold press, extra virgin)

Nice price and even nicer taste!

I use the small baby leaves of my basil plants for this...I top the plants when they start to bud and cut off just enough to use in salad or for a condiment like this

 for the parsley...I pull off the nice smaller leaves and discard anything that feels hard or stem like

 you will need a couple of nice big lemons.... a quick note on lemons:

I wash mine in really hot water

The hot water gets them super clean but also opens up the cells of the rind and 

then releases the oils in the lemon skin

 here is my herb pile

(pile:  a unique culinary term known only to me)

finely chop with a sharp knife and add to a small mixing bowl

 use a small grater and zest 

or finely grate the lemons over top

 squeeze in the juice of one lemon

 lightly blend...now on to the garlic

 the garlic needs to be smooshed 

(another gem in my kitchen vocabulary) 

in a mortar 

or really finely minced with a knife

 if you're using a mortar and pestle you will get a much smoother (smooshed) garlic paste...

I add a pinch of salt to help with the blending 

 work the garlic into a smooth paste...you will have about 1 tbl 

 add the garlic to your herbs

 this recipe makes about 1/2 cup of gremolata...

but a little goes a really long way

cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours 

this is a knock off of a really great Italian version and 

this is wonderful with grilled shrimp or even bruschetta and some goat cheese

have a lovely weekend!

xo

kelley

Herb Garden

 My vegetable garden is a large area of raised beds, 

fruit trees, grape vines and of course lots of vegetables and herbs

 I have six raised beds made from stacked stones all found here on our property.  

Each bed is about 8 x 10 feet and supplies us with an endless assortment of vegetables 

through out the year.

I usually mix herbs in with the other veggies and still do that 

but I decided is was high time to give the herbs a lovely little spot all to themselves

 I like the idea of adding height to a bed by using pots and barrels.  In fact, I like pots scattered about the yard in interesting ways to keep the garden playful and to add color into the mix.

For those that have read this blog for a while you may remember when I planted the lavender garden. Part of the design was to incorporate these inexpensive wine barrels and fill them with flowers

The barrels are filled with geranium now and bloom almost continually throughout the year 

 The lavender is just about ready for it's first bloom of the year

 Here the geranium filled barrels are peeking above the lavender

OK.....now back to the herb garden

The urn shaped pot in the center is filled with creeping oregano.  It can be planted as an ornamental but you can snip it off and use it in your sauces etc.

Another small decorative idea I used are these 2x2 stakes place in a grid pattern 

and topped with tiny vintage green house pots

The pots actually tend to keep 

the squirrels and raccoons out of the beds

The raccoons have played with the pots on a couple of occasions and I have found them broken in the morning but they have yet to actually climb into the bed and dig around.

I saw this idea on an English gardening website 

and though it was pretty ingenious

The herbs are all placed symmetrically and include 

sage, oregano, lavender, society garlic, rosemary and 3 or 4 varieties of thyme.

Society garlic (tulbaghia) is a perennial with pretty lacy purple flowers.  

The leaves have a really onion-ey smell and can be cut and used in cooking.  

They make a pretty cut flower for arrangements too

The oregano is great in sauces or just tossed into a salad mix

The thyme varieties were planted all along the edge of the bed 

and then criss crossed diagonally

I'm not sure if I will let the thyme spill over the edges 

or try to keep it neat and tidy...what do you think?

Either way...it smells heavenly and it is one of my most favorite cooking herbs.

I have used thyme in my large pots of color along our driveway too 

and it flowers with delicate lavender blossoms that cascades over the edges of the pots.

I really like this herb garden!

You could try this in a very small yard too

or 

how cute would this look along a walk way at your front entry?

Have a great week

&

Happy Gardening