Autumn Veggies, Thanksgiving Treats

I love growing and eating fresh fruits and vegetables and as a landscape designer in the Santa Clarita Valley, with a love for nutrition I know a thing or two about eating well. If I don’t grow it in my garden, I buy it from my local farmer’s market. I think that one of the best ways to get tuned into the season is to eat fresh seasonal foods, and since it is getting cold, there is a bounty of healthy choices out there for you.

 











For example pumpkins – they are not just for Halloween jack-o-lanterns. The are rich in antioxidants – they have vitamins A, C, and E, a host of minerals and both alpha and beta- carotene, which are great for keeping us healthy. They enhance our immune system, help maintain healthy vision, and they are said to help prevent cancer.


If that is not enough, they are both low in calories and fat and high in fiber, and don’t tell me you can’t use a little help at this time of year! Pumpkin is pretty sweet on it’s own, but you can add an extra punch by flavoring it with a little cinnamon.

Now pumpkins aren’t the only healthy delicious vegetable you’ll find these days. What about parsnips? Parsnips are related to carrots, but they are actually a little sweeter than carrots. They are a creamy white color, have lots of fiber (which helps lower your cholesterol) have vitamin C and quite a few of the vitamin B complex like folic acid, B-6, and thiamin. They also have vitamin E, and quite a few minerals including calcium, iron, and potassium.

So why am I telling you all of this? Well it is almost Thanksgiving and I want you to start thinking about perhaps growing some plants next year that you can harvest and use in your Thanksgiving meal and I’m going to share with you the recipe for my very favorite Thanksgiving Dish. Vegetable Pan Roast – I originally found this in Food  and Wine Magazine years ago, and have been making it ever since. I’ve changed it a little, but not much. Enjoy!


Vegetable Pan Roast  (8 Servings)

1/3 cup plus 2 T olive oil
16 small to medium parsnips (about 1 ½ pounds peeled)
2 large orange sweet potatoes (1 ½ pounds), peeled and cut lengthwise into 4 wedges
2 large red onions (1 ½ pounds) peeled and each cut lengthwise into 8 wedges with root ends intact
1 large eggplant (1 pound) trimmed and quartered, then each piece halved crosswise
2 large red bell peppers
2 large yellow bell peppers
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons dry red wine (you can use white – or even balsamic) but I drink red so….
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Pour 1/3 cup of the olive oil into a very large, wide roasting pan (or divide the oil between two smaller roasting pans). Add the parsnips, sweet potatoes and onions and turn to coat them evenly with the oil; season with salt and black pepper. Roast the vegetables in the oven for about 1 hour, until nicely browned and almost tender. Remove the pan from the oven and increase the temperature to 450.

2. Using a metal spatula, push the cooked vegetables to the side and add the eggplant, bell peppers, and the remaining 2 T oil. Turn the eggplant and bell peppers in the oil to coat; season with salt and black pepper. Scatter the rosemary and thyme sprigs in the pan and roast for about 40 minutes until the peppers are blistered and browned and the other vegetables are tender. (The recipe can be made to this point up to 1 day ahead. Let the vegetables cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. Return to room temperature before proceeding).

3. Preheat the oven to 350. Drizzle the vegetables with the wine, cover with foil and bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for about 20 minutes, until hot. Increase the temperature to 450. Uncover the vegetables and roast for about 15 minutes longer, until the juices in the pan have browned and glazed the vegetables. Season the vegetables with salt and black pepper, arrange on a platter and serve.

If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website.

Winter Vegetable Plant List - Southern California

I love being a Landscape Designer in Santa Clarita, and I am lucky enough to be teaming up tomorrow with my friend, Tina Landrum to speak at Green Thumb Nursery in Newhall.  Since one of the benefits of living here is the year round gardening and it is the Harvest Faire, Tina and I will be talking about Edible Winter Gardening.

So, I thought I'd give you a list of the plants I'll be talking about tomorrow.  We'll also be highlighting organics, organic practices, nutrition and how growing your own food nurtures both body and soul.

Pak Choy

Winter Vegetables: 

What to Plant (Seedlings)               When to Plant It                            

Arugula                                            August - January
Bok Choy                                        Sept - Oct                              
Kale                                                 July - September                   
Lettuce                                             August - October                      
Spinach                                            August - October                          

Kale

Better late than never, here are a few that will still very likely work, although we are a few months behind.  It has been very, very hot so I think we'll still have more than half a chance!  

What to Plant (Seedlings)                    When to Plant It                               

Broccoli                                              June - July                                     
Cabbage                                             Mid July                                      
Swiss Chard                                       July - August                                   

Swiss Chard

Bulbs (or sets)
Garlic                                                 August - October                           
Onions                                               August - October                           
Shallots                                              August - October                          

Onion Field - Fillmore

Winter Herbs:

What to Plant (Seedlings)             When to Plant It                                

Cilantro                                       Sept - December                               
Dill                                              Sept - December                               
Oregano                                      All year round - a perennial!              
Parsley                                        Sept - December                              
Sorrel                                          Most of the year cooler is better       
Thyme                                        All year round - a perennial!             

Sorrel

There are also plants that do well by seed 

What to Plant (Seeds)           When to Plant it                                

Arugula                                 August - January                               

Beets                                    August                                               

Carrots                                 July                                                    

Kale                                     July                                                    

Kohlrabi                               August                                              

Lettuce                                 August                                               

Parsnips                                July - August                                    

Radish                                  September                                        

Spinach                                August                                                

Swiss Chard                         July                                                    

Turnips                                 August                                               

Radishes & Beets

Carrots & Beets

I like to succession plant the lettuces, if you plant new plants or seeds every few weeks, you will lengthen your harvest.  As one set of lettuces are cut back, new will be growing and you can have lettuce till it gets to hot.

Seeds of Arugula, Kale, Lettuce, Spinach and Swiss Chard can also be planted a little bit late it just means that you'll have smaller more delicate plants - which usually means sweeter leaves. 

If you'd like a little more detail about planting your garden and didn't make it to Green Thumb today, read a bit more in How To Grow A Winter Vegetable Garden.


If you would like help beautifying your life, think about creating a garden with me. You can call me at 661-917-3521, contact me via email at julie@thegrassisalwaysgreener.net or visit my website.

Edible Gardens

I grew up in my mother’s and grandmother’s gardens on Long Island, picking blueberries, cherries, apples, and sometimes when they hid too long my mother would harvest cucumbers and zucchini that seemed bigger than my head. (Remember never eat anything bigger than your head!) Now that I am a Landscape designer in the Santa Clarita Valley of California, I enjoy adding edibles to my clients’ gardens and of course my own.

I am slowly chipping away at my front lawn, adding both low water/low maintenance plants and edibles. (Yes, I hydrozone so that all are properly watered) I have container designs with squash and eggplant, and I love to add lettuces and greens to almost any container. I also have a beautiful fennel plant (taller than I am) in front of my house where I’ve removed lawn; it is surrounded by gaura, irises, agastache and more. I’d say that about 1/3 of my gardens are edible and I’m hoping to bring more and more clients along for the ride.

 
One of the gardens I’m working on right now will have a round fountain surrounded by an 18” round planter bed filled with edibles. This winter they will be harvesting succession planted lettuces, a variety of perennial and annual herbs, and edible flowers. I’ll be sure to post photos once we’re planted and growing.

There are so many ways to incorporate edibles into your landscape; of course you can add a kitchen garden into your design, raised bed or right in the ground, it is as old as grandma’s back patch. Or you can start simple, and add herbs to your planter beds. If you want quick results just add some herbs or edibles into an existing bed. Try using either thyme or oregano as ground cover and culinary sage makes a beautiful front of the bed accent! (I like the variegated variety, but the purple one is pretty too and both have wonderfully textured leaves.)

What about introducing some fruit trees? If you manage them right (see my backyard orchard post) you can have months and months of fresh seasonal fruit.

Don’t forget that you can add beautiful flowers too, some are edible and others are good to keep bad insects at bay. Try borage to keep pests off eggplant they also have an edible flower on them that is a lovely lavender color. Dill will help you find out that the hornworms have hit the tomatoes and you will be able to take care of them early. Other edible flowers that I love are nasturtiums and pansies, day lily, and cornflowers. I also love to throw the blossoms of my chives into a salad, and I use the agastache flower (anise hyssop) as a pretty garnish on plates.

There is so much you can do with your garden if you just start thinking outside of the vegetable bed! Think about using the vegetables as an accent, or a focal point. What could be prettier than colorful Swiss Chard?

If you would like to learn more about edible gardening, winter gardens, and the nutritional value of the plants we can grow pretty much year round in Southern California, and you live near Santa Clarita please join my friend, Tina Landrum,  and I for a Complimentary Seminar:  The Edible Winter Garden, on September 22, 2010 at Green Thumb Nursery’s Harvest Festival.  Tina and Julie will be speaking at 10 am, and the festival goes on all day! Raffles, give-aways, discounts, and the Halloween Décor is out!

Green Thumb is located at: 23734 Newhall Avenue Newhall, CA. 91321. I look forward to seeing you there.

Tips For Your Vegetable Garden

The weather is warming up and things are looking beautiful around town, so I thought that I’d share a few vegetable growing tips with you that will help you make the most out of your garden this year.

If you have a vegetable garden you should know that your annual Crops should be rotated in a four-year cycle. The same plants should not be in the same bed year after year because they are susceptible to diseases if planted in the same spot year after year. If you have you vegetables in containers it is wise to recycle the soil as well. You can use the old potting soil either for other plants, dump it into your flowerbeds or call it yard waste. Here are the vegetable families and their make up.

Alliums – onion, garlic, scallions, shallots, leeks
Brassicas – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale
Crucifers – turnips, radishes, rutabaga, collards
Cucurbits – cucumber, squash, melons, pumpkin
Legumes – peas & beans
Mescluns – arugula, swess chard, chickory, endive, escarole, radiccio
Solanaceae – tomato, peppers, eggplant

Continually planting small amounts of short season vegetables through the season so they mature bit by bit will prevent large harvest all at once. You can also accomplish the same thing by planting an assortment of tomatoes that mature at different times. Check out my post on extending your tomato harvest. You can plant a second crop of (cool weather) tomatoes* in August and have tomatoes through February/March if there is no hard freeze.

Potatoes inhibit the growth of tomatoes and squash, beans inhibit the growth of onions and broccoli inhibits the growth of dill so think about plant placement carefully. The more of your landscape you use for edibles, the easier it becomes to keep them separated! Hint, hint…



Great vegetables for containers:
Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, carrots, chard, lettuce, beans, peas and don’t forget herbs.. most of them are stars in a container! During the winter I had a beautiful container filled with red sails lettuce, green romaine, and some pretty little pansies – darling & delicious!

There are also many vegetables that are also ornamental such as Endive, French green beans, kale, red cabbage, ruby chard, runner beans, and sweet peas. I love mixing them in with my ornamentals and harvesting as I weed!



Don’t forget to plant some perennial vegetable, they can add structure to your garden and will be there for a few years. Artichokes, Asparagus, and Rhubarb, all of which do not need to be rotated. (Rhubarb leaves are poisonous so ... they are not animal friendly)

For more about my designs visit my website

How to Grow a Winter Vegetable Garden in Southern California

We are very lucky to be living in Southern California, where the days are warm and the climate is perfect to grow cooler season vegetables in the wintertime! The Hot Santa Clarita sun often shortens our cooler spring vegetable season when the plants bolt early or dry out, so you will find that some of the standards that you plant in early spring can also be planted in the fall time to grow through the winter. If we don’t have a freeze, most of your vegetable and herb crops will take you through the winter.

If you are starting from seed, being late matters however there are plenty of seedlings in the nursery at this time, so you won’t miss out on planting unless you are a couple months too late.

A nice trick (especially with leafy crops) is to plant in succession. That means plant some now, some more in two weeks, more two weeks later etc. If you do that you will be harvesting throughout the season. When harvesting pick some but not all of the leaves and your plant will continue to grow more lettuce, arugula etc.

Raised planter beds are a great way to control your environment, you don’t have to deal with the soil that you have, you can create your own mix! If you have problems bending you can build the bed up to suit your needs and.. They look pretty too.

Here is a list of vegetables that will do well in Southern California and some tips to grow them, so don’t hang up your gardening gloves yet!

Arugula – This peppery leafy vegetable is great in salads, as a bed under figs drizzled with balsamic and more. Inland planting time November – March on the coast you can start earlier and plant longer.

Artichoke Plants

Artichokes – you can plant them now, depending on size they can take two years to bear. These are perennials, so you keep them in your garden and wait for them to bear fruit and if you let the artichoke go too long you will have an amazing lavender thistle-like flower. They should be planted 4’ apart – they get BIG!

Asparagus - the time to plant is January and February. These are also a two-year crop; they need a special bed and care, so make sure to read up on them prior to starting your crop.

Beets – You can plant in August or February through April inland. On the coast you can plant them most of the year starting in January right into early fall. They should be planted (if by seed) in rows that are 18” apart. I’d put the plants that far apart if using seedlings.

Bok Choy Seedlings

Bok Choy – Planting time is September and October. Great for stir-frying!

Broccoli – Did you know that there are not only green but colored varieties? Check out a purple variety for a change of pace. They can be planted from December through February inland, start a little later on the coast. They should be 12 – 18” apart.

Brussel Sprouts – these are awesome looking veggies, the little sprouts grow in a spiral pattern around a central stalk. From what I’ve read they should be planted from January to July on the Coast… but I didn’t find an inland planting time and haven't tried any yet. I guess I’ll just have to try some and let you know how I did next year! Space these 24” apart – the stalks are pretty thick.

Cabbage can be planted in February inland – but of course it is in the nurseries already because planting time for the coast starts in August. It’s been pretty cool around here lately so it might be worth a try now. If you plant some now and then again every few weeks (or every month) you won’t lose out if the first planting doesn’t work.

Carrots can be planted from seed or seedling and planting time is from September to April inland. They can be planted almost year round on the coast. If you are planting in hard clay soil you might consider planting the cute little Thumbelina Carrots – they are small round carrots and they don’t have to push down too far into the soil. It is always best to cultivate your vegetable bed at least 12 – 18” down so the root veggies don’t have to work so hard. If you plant rows they only need to be spaced 2” apart.

Garlic! This is an awesome crop and easy too. Get some good quality garlic cloves… those are your seeds. Plant them in the ground and in the summertime you will have fresh garlic. Each head has lots of cloves so… lots of new heads of garlic. I found a great article in the NY Times and posted it on my Grass Is Always Greener Facebook Page – take a look at it.

Red Romaine Lettuce in a Six-Pack!

Lettuce – I love leaf lettuce, Romaine is one o my favorites and I found both green and red-leaf Romaine this year. There is also red oak, curly leaf and many more. Inland planting is November through March but with coastal planting starting in August the lettuce is available now too.

Mustard Greens

Mustard Greens – You can plant August through October and as long as until April on the coast. They should be spaced 8” apart. I don’t have any good recipes or this veggie, so if you do… let me know!

Sugar Snap Peas

Peas and Sugar Snap Peas can be planted from September through January and even earlier and later on the coast. They should be grown on trellises or poles for support.

Radishes – Planting time is September through April but pretty much all year round on the coast. Plant these from seeds. I often mix these with scallion seeds in the warmer month to make sure I remember where my scallions are planted. Scallions take a long time to germinate and mature and you could forget and weed them away. If you plant them mixed in with radishes by the time the radishes are done the scallions will be peaking up and getting stronger and bigger.

Rhubarb is another perennial and can be planted during December and January. They need to be 36” apart because they get pretty wide. An important note about them is that their leaves are poisonous so if you have animals that chew this is not a good plant for you!

Spinach – Plant this veggie September through January inland and August through March on the coast. They can be fairly close together because they taste best when picked young. This is a great succession planting!

Here is a list of herbs that do well in the cooler weather:

Oregano
Rosemary (it’s a bush so make sure you give it enough room or plant in pots)
Sage
Thyme

You might also try Chives Dill and Parsley if you find them. Dill and Parsley like it cool anyway. I have had Chives that have lasted three years now. Basil is pretty iffy because it likes the heat and is annual but… if you planted some last summer and let it go to seed you might find some growing in March.

I’d love to hear how successful you are with your venture!

For more about my designs: The Grass Is Always Greener

How To Plant A Salsa Garden

Schools out, the weather is warm so it’s time to create some fun for everyone. How about a fun, family friendly activity that you can do as well? Try planting a Salsa Garden!

Planting a Salsa Garden is easy, fun, and great for the Santa Clarita Valley. Hot peppers love our climate, as do tomatoes. Add some cilantro, and onions and you’ve got all the fixin’s you’ll need for excellent Salsa through out the year. Make sure to select an area of your yard that will get 6 – 8 hours of sunlight. Much more than that and you might bake your plants in SCV, so find a spot that gets a little shade in the late afternoon. If you live in a home or condo with little or no soil available, you can easily plant all of these in pots.

Here are a few varieties of peppers you might like to try:



Pepper Choices:
Habaneros
Jalapenos
Mexibell
Poblano

Your choices should be made based on your family’s preferences; you might want to plant more than one type of Pepper based on the different tastes in your circle. Select from the above and you will be sure to make everyone happy.

Tomatoes that are meaty with great flavor and not too juicy are the best for salsa. Which means that paste tomatoes are often a good choice. Try these tomato varieties for great results:



Roma
San Marzano
Black Krim
Brandywine
Beefsteak

I have found that Roma tomatoes can be a little bit inconsistent so trying one of the other plum varieties might be a best choice.

You can also add a little extra to your salsa garden, try some tomatillos! They need the about same conditions as tomatoes so popping a few into your garden will be both enjoyable and stretch you culinary talents!

I can make this even easier for you, how about a plan? This plan is based on a 3’x6’ planter bed. Make sure to support your tomatoes, and stake your peppers. I’m going to throw in a few extra herbs for you since you have enough space, and fresh herbs make everything better!

If your bed is up against a wall, put the tomatoes at the back and wire up the wall as a trellis, if you can walk around the bed, put the tomatoes in the middle. This plan shows the tomato plants in the middle. The onions are green onions (scallions)

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| 3 Basil | 9 Onions | 1 Pepper | 9 Onions | 1 Pepper | 3 Basil | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3 Parsley | 1 Tomato | 1 Tomato | 1 Tomatillo | 1 Tomato | 1 Tomato |
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| 9 Cilantro| 1 Pepper | 9 Onions | 1 Pepper | 9 Onions | 9 Cilantro |
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Make sure to fertilize and water regularly, the only other thing you will need is a great salsa recipe, here is one from my good friend, Julie O!

The Salsa I make is very simple:
jalapeno peppers about 4(you can add more if you want it spicy) chopped up
tomatoes..around 5-6 chopped up
cilantro..i always use i bunch chopped up
green onion..around 4 chopped up
1 can hunt tomato sauce
salt
avocado..cubed
mix all together..& enjoy with chips



For more about my designs: thegrassisalwaysgreener

How to Pick Trees for Fall Color (and other things to do in November)

November is a great time to add trees to your landscape. Especially deciduous trees with fall color. You can pick trees now, because as you shop for them you will see what they look like in full fall color. Each tree has a slight variation in color and now is the best time to see what the colors of a specific tree are! A planting tip to think about...Remember to support trees in windy areas.



A few other things to do

Use a bloom-booster fertilizer on cool-season flowering annuals to keep them blooming, and if you have Plumeria or other May - July flowering plants you can add some to them too.

If you have a fall/winter crop of vegetables treat them weekly with water-soluble fertilizer only if you did not add slow-release fertilizer at planting time.

Remember... organic is better for our environment! Plants won't know the difference, but the planet will!