Lemons & Lavender Edible Gardens

Lemons & Lavender Edible Gardens I provide consultation, design, and installation of suburban and urban landscapes that provide food, beauty, medicinal plants and outdoor recreational space.

Fall is my favorite season for gardening! Generally cooler, wetter weather means happier plants, and much less work for...
09/21/2021

Fall is my favorite season for gardening! Generally cooler, wetter weather means happier plants, and much less work for the gardener.

September/October are the perfect months for planting.

I often am asked what what to plant now? Greens (like lettuces, kale, spinach), roots (beets, carrots, radishes, etc.), and cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbages) are very happy growing here in zone 9 all winter long.

If you are new to fall vegetable gardening and need some help getting started, feel free to contact me!

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Did you know that zucchini and summer squash plants have both male and female flowers? In order for a fruit to grow, th...
05/24/2021

Did you know that zucchini and summer squash plants have both male and female flowers? In order for a fruit to grow, the female flowers must be pollinated with the pollen from a male flower by a bee, another type of pollinating insect, or even by the hand of a gardener.

Female flowers will grow from the end of a tiny little zucchini or squash (shown right). Male flowers grow at the end of a narrow stem (shown left). Luckily, plants will produce both types, and so as long as you have pollinators in your garden, nature will take its course.

Occasionally I have clients ask me why all of their little zucchini turn yellow/brown at the end and shrivel up before they can grow larger. This can happen if your flowers are not being pollinated.

You can get a paintbrush and brush it in the center of a male flower, picking up the yellow pollen, and then swipe it into the center of a female flower. This will pollinate your fruit. However, it's much easier to plant some pollinator-attracting flowers like zinnia, cosmos, borage, calendula, or sunflowers, just to name a few. Then you and the bees can enjoy beautiful beneficial flowers all summer long!

Ladybugs + AphidsAphids are vegetable garden pests that cluster together on leaves and stems and can weaken your plants....
04/23/2021

Ladybugs + Aphids

Aphids are vegetable garden pests that cluster together on leaves and stems and can weaken your plants. It's no fun to harvest a bunch of greens only to find that aphids have crashed this party!

Here's where Ladybug comes in...a natural predator to aphids, one ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids per day!

I noticed quite a few aphids in my garden last month. But instead of spraying toxic chemicals, I cut off the really infested leaves and left the rest. Soon, ladybugs began showing up in droves. Now, I had to really search to find an aphid-infested leaf for this photo.

When given time and space by humans, a healthy ecosystem will eventually find balance. Keep an eye out for ladybugs in your own yard. These beneficial insects are a sign of a happy garden.

04/23/2021

Ladybugs + Aphids

Aphids are a vegetable garden pest, gathering on the leaves and stems of plants and weakening them. It's no fun to harvest a bunch of greens to cook, and then find out that the aphids have crashed this party!

In comes Ladybug, Aphid's natural predator. Each ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids per day. That's a lot!

I noticed that I had quite a few aphids in my garden last month. But instead of spraying toxic chemicals, I removed some of the seriously infested leaves, and then waited. Soon the ladybugs came to visit, and they are EVERYWHERE! When given enough time and space by humans, a healthy ecosystem can usually balance itself. I actually had to look pretty hard to find this one aphid-y leaf for this photo.

Keep an eye out for ladybugs, every gardener's friend and an amazing beneficial insect!

Let's talk strawberries! Did you know that there are two types: everbearing, and June bearing? Before you plant, decid...
04/16/2021

Let's talk strawberries! Did you know that there are two types: everbearing, and June bearing? Before you plant, decide which kind best suits your needs.

"June-Bearing" strawberries generally have larger berries, and they produce a large quantity of fruit over the period of about three weeks, usually around the month of June. This kind is good for gardeners who would like a large crop all at once for canning, freezing, or otherwise preserving.

"Everbearing" strawberries will produce berries more gradually over a long summer season and often into the fall. I have small patch of about 6 or 7 everbearing strawberry plants in my yard, and I harvest a handfull every few days, for about half of the year, that my family enjoys snacking on. That is, if they make it into the house without being eaten first!

Strawberry plants are perennial, meaning that you only have to plant them once and they will continue to grow for many years with the proper care. One last tip: put straw around your strawberry plants to protect the ripe fruit from slugs and other pests that will eat your fruit if it's resting on the soil!

I removed some cool-season mustard greens that were beginning to go to seed (growing flower stalks) to make room for new...
03/31/2021

I removed some cool-season mustard greens that were beginning to go to seed (growing flower stalks) to make room for new plants. I found one monster leaf!

If anyone has any great (vegetarian) recipes for mustard greens I'd love to hear them!

Vegetable garden installations began this past weekend! Tomatoes, basil, beans, strawberries, peppers...now is the time...
03/29/2021

Vegetable garden installations began this past weekend! Tomatoes, basil, beans, strawberries, peppers...now is the time to start planning and planting your summer garden!

Nothing says "Spring" like peas!Snap peas, snow peas, and shelling peas are cool weather crops, best planted in late fal...
03/24/2021

Nothing says "Spring" like peas!

Snap peas, snow peas, and shelling peas are cool weather crops, best planted in late fall or late winter/early spring. I planted these seeds in November. The plants grew slowly for many months, and about a month ago when the weather began to warm slightly, they shot up and blossomed like crazy! Once temperatures are regularly in the high 70's - 80's, peas will begin to die.

So enjoy your sweet, crunchy peas while they're in season!

The Nature of Art & EmotionI am partnering with the wonderful folks from HeART In Mind to teach this exciting new outdoo...
03/14/2021

The Nature of Art & Emotion

I am partnering with the wonderful folks from HeART In Mind to teach this exciting new outdoor class for kids and caregivers. Hope you will join us! Register at www.heartinmind.net

You may have noticed tomato plants appearing at the local nurseries, and I often get questions about when to plant them....
03/10/2021

You may have noticed tomato plants appearing at the local nurseries, and I often get questions about when to plant them.

Here in Marin it's best to wait until after our last frost date, which on average happens around April 15th. Sometimes I will plant mine at the end of March, but always keep my eye on the weather. If temperatures are expected to fall below 40 degrees I will cover my heat-loving tomato plants with a frost cloth to protect them.

But for now, my tomato plants are still sitting snug and warm in my cold-frame greenhouse!

Want to grow some healthy vegetables this summer, but you don't know where to start? Check out my Instant Vegetable Gar...
03/10/2021

Want to grow some healthy vegetables this summer, but you don't know where to start? Check out my Instant Vegetable Garden!

03/09/2021

Welcome to my page! Here you'll find gardening tips about growing fruits and vegetables. We'll also talk about plants that create habitat for local pollinators and wildlife. Enjoy!

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1140 Ferris Drive
Novato, CA
94945

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