In my small yard, hiding the compost pile isn’t easy. That’s why I said goodbye to a funky black plastic composter, in favor of a more aesthetic design. My new cedar composter from Steve’s Earth Engines is a year old, and has aged to a gentle patina that fits easily into my backyard garden landscape, […]
Art of Eating
Combining art with food is my idea of a good kitchen garden design. When planting your kitchen garden, think beyond the practical N-P-K requirements of healthy garden soil. Visualize color, and the excitement of planting with dabs of red radicchio, alongside ruffles of blue green kale. It’s is like eating the landscape. Design your kitchen […]
Texas Tomato Cages
This spring, when I ordered my Texas Tomato Cages, I was leaning towards the 4 foot towers. But the voice on the other end of the phone encouraged me to purchase the extenders, taking the hoops up to 8 feet tall. It’s not even July, and I just added the extra sections to contain the […]
Spring Salad Dressing
Spring Salads From quick vinaigrette to a robust garlicky dressing, crisp, fresh greens deserve just the right dressing. As a general rule, try to pair tender spring greens with light, fruity dressings, while the hardier, more succulent leaves demand either a hot dressing, which will soften the tough stems, or a dressing with a more […]
Ellen Ogden’s Kitchen Garden Design Class
Sunday was the final day of my kitchen garden class. The group started in March, the first of a five class series to learn about creative kitchen garden design and how-to plant. In our first class, we sketched out garden designs on paper, followed by a wish list of seeds and plants. For some, it […]
Garden Art
There is a thin line between garden art and junk, yet there is no doubt it’s a personal matter. One of my favorite garden designers is Tara Dillard, who follows the European garden trends and knows just the right color blue/green to paint the patio furniture, or the latest on pillar candles for outdoor lighting. […]
