The Secret Garden

A secret garden is a place that transports you to another place and time. It is a place of refuge, peace and solace. It could be as simple as creating a cozy nook in the corner of your property, sheltered by hedges or it could be a bench placed beneath a large tree. It can be created in a corner of your house where you could place a lounge chair and thus have a quiet place to read or nap. Point is, all it takes to create a secret garden is to make it so there is a process of discovery, either by surrounding the area with tall shrubs or creating a "switchback" so that the pathway isn't obvious. You can also use teak screens or potted plants to hide your secret spot. Your garden is an extension of your home, live in it and remember to fill your garden with joy!

Life Without Plastic

In case you haven't heard, our oceans are being inundated with plastic. Plastic bags are turning up in the stomachs of birds, plastic containers are being washed ashore in far flung places, I think it's time we quit junking up the planet, don't you? I found this blog called "Fake Plastic Fish" where the author is making a concerted effort to live without plastic. It's worth a read, let's all try a little harder to get out of the plastic habit. Fake Plastic Fish Blog

Recyling Basics

Chef, author and contributing columnist to Edible Santa Barbara, Janice Cook Knight was kind enough to join us on the show yesterday. She had recently done an article for "Edible" on recycling so we asked her to give us the low down on recycling basics. Here is what we learned.

1. Paper or cardboard food containers (to-go boxes, pizza boxes, paper plates, napkins, etc) CANNOT be recycled! That was big news to us.  If the paper goods have touched food, they gum up the works in the recycling process. These items must be COMPOSTED.

2. Plastic bags (the kind you get at the grocery store, either for veggies or as a carry bag) CAN BE RECYCLED at any grocery store. The State mandates that stores must take them back. They are then used to make decking material. That's good news. A tip on that, if the bags are gooey or greasy, rinse them out before returning. The bad news is only 5% of the plastic bags distributed are being recycled.

3. Milk cartons. Bad news, these are not recyclable in Santa Barbara County. Nor are those "boxes" that contain soy milk, almond milk, etc.

4. Styrofoam, this is a complicated subject. It can not be recycled and it leaches stuff into food.

5. The good news is that all metals can be recycled.

Those are some basics, I highly recommend reading the full article in the most recent Edible Santa Barbara for the full story.

What Can You Do?
1. Tell the shops you frequent to stop using Styrofoam.
2. Recycle and reuse your plastic bags. 
3. Compost paper goods that have touched food.
4. Take your own reusable bags everywhere.
5. Spread the word.

It's our planet and it's the only one we have at the moment, so it's up to all of us to protect it. If we all do are part it's not such an overwhelming task.
 Click here for recycling basics in latest issue of Edible Santa Barbara

Summer's Here!

There is a tradition at Garden Gossip that as soon as I write an article about the lack of sun, it comes out and once again, it worked! The sun came out yesterday and this morning was a bright, beautiful morning! Yippee! I check the garden yesterday and though everything is a couple of months behind schedule, the cukes are starting to grow and the green beans are coming along (finally). My Kumquat trees are loaded with fruit and they are getting ripe. It is time to start preserving them. Next time pickled Kumquats and preserved whole Kumquats..Yum.

June Gloom leads to Chilly July

Anyone in the center of the country who wants to get out of the heat only needs to head to the coast of California where it is a chilly 61degrees this morning with a mist that is sitting on the hills like a cotton blanket. We haven't seen much of the sun since June 1st and now that it is ten days into July the prospect doesn't look too bright. I checked the weather forecast this morning and we are supposed to have another week of this. So, what does that mean for your garden? It's one of those good news/bad news scenarios.

The good news is that the air is moist and the plants aren't stressed from heat and dry air. The bad news is that this type of weather can lead to sooty mold and fungal diseases. The best way to combat this is to keep your plants clean. The best way to do this is to wash them off with soap and water. This applies to everything, Roses, fruit trees, veggies, everything will benefit from a washing off every week or two. Here's how: Using a hose-end sprayer (the standard sprayer is called a Gilmour sprayer-see photo) squirt some organic dish soap in the bottom, fill with Kelp extract and if you like some fish emulsion, set the dial to 3 T per gallon and wash everything off thoroughly. Kelp extract is a natural plant booster and the soap washes off the dirt, fungi, mold, etc. This can be done weekly to keep things clean and happy. If you can get hold of some compost tea put it in a watering can or a pump sprayer and wash everything down. Even if all you do is spray with soapy water (1 tsp. in 5 gallon bucket is sufficient) that will keep everything clean and will help to combat disease.

Here's my much-used Gilmour sprayer and seaweed extract..

Your soil is alive!

Gardening is the nurturing of plants, it's all about improving or enhancing living things. That includes the soil. The soil is alive with micro-organisms (at least it should be). Chemical fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides disturb the natural order of things creating dead soil. This creates a dependency on more fertilizer and so the cycle goes. Using mulches and compost greatly reduces the need for fertilizers. Do you see anyone scattering fertilizer out in the forest? Food for thought. Compost tea, organic fertilizers, mulches all help to increase the life of your soil. For more check out Soil Foodweb.