Last year I decided to introduce a series of blog posts I called “Now Harvesting.” Every week or two, I chronicled the food coming out of my garden. I thought it would be a good way to identify lulls; times when my garden wasn’t producing to its full potential. It would, I thought, help me […]
Veggies & Edibles
Fresh from the garden: How to grow rhubarb and make a yummy rhubarb apple crumble
I’m thrilled to announce a new monthly feature on Heavy Petal: a collaboration between me and Willowtree, a beautiful and informative website created by my friend Jackie Connelly (the woman behind the gorgeous photographs in Sugar Snaps and Strawberries) and her sister, Tina. “Willowtree provides information and inspiration to people with all types of food […]
Lawns to Loaves: growing grain in the city!
A few years ago, I became fascinated by the idea of growing grain. I explored small-space grain production, saw first hand how a community garden had integrated a grain-growing project into an attractive edible landscape, and pored over Small-Scale Grain Raising, Gene Logsdon’s classic text on small-space grains. But all my research didn’t change the […]
Sowing and sprouting: early April
It may be miserable and wet outside, but it’s balmy here under the Gro-light. It’s been so wet here in Vancouver that even if the soil weren’t too soaked to support seed growth, not even the most hardcore gardeners are braving the downpours to plant. Today, I literally ran out to the salad garden during […]
How to start seeds indoors
March is prime seed-starting month for many gardeners. Not only can we direct seed (plant outdoors) some of our cool-season veggie crops like arugula, Asian greens, broad beans, corn salad (mache), collards, kale, peas, spinach, and radishes, but we can also start many of our warm-season crops indoors for transplanting out once the weather warms. […]
Eating your weeds
Chickweed (Stellaria media) As I was weeding the salad garden yesterday, I found several small clumps of chickweed (Stellaria media). Appropriate that it was in the salad garden, because fresh, young chickweed makes a fabulous addition to a spring salad. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Oh god. I know where this […]
Arugula and radishes: fashionably late to the spring planting party
Finally! I’ve got some seeds in the ground. Normally I’d have had arugula, peas, radishes, and spinach started weeks ago, but all this travel has kept me away from the garden. I’m also totally disorganized this year (normally I’d have one or two of these filled out, too). Thankfully the weather cooperated this weekend and […]
Free downloadable seed starting and succession planting tools
Free printables and downloadable resources for garden planning, including a seed starting worksheet, a succession planting worksheet, and a printable seed packet pattern from the author of Small-Space Vegetable Gardens.