Nadia Knows Gardens » Vegetable/ Herb Garden

Favorite Garden Moments

nadiaqh — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:43:56 +0000

This is a photo gallery of my favorite garden moments from the last year.

Desert King Figs and Heirloom Yellow Pear Tomatoes

7 foot Sunflower is a smile maker

Strawberries squeezed in anywhere I can find space

Herbs are always so rewarding to grow: Rosemary, Parsley Chives and Oregano

Sugar Baby Watermelon- another first for me in the garden this year- LOVED them

Growing short carrots was fun and great in soups and stews- super tasty

Dahlia flowers that continued to bloom month after month and made a great cutting flower

I planted Zinnia flowers for the first time in a rainbow of colors- very rewarding flower.

Happy New Year 2012

Happy Gardening

www.nadiaknows.com

Merry Christmas

nadiaqh — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:01:03 +0000

Merry Christmas and Happy Gardening.

Wishing Peace, Joy and Gratitude today to all.

www.nadiaknows.com

Linus and the True Meaning of Christmas

Charlie Brown: “Isn’t there ANYONE who knows what Christmas is all about?!?!

Linus: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ ” (Luke 2:8-14)

“You see, Charlie Brown—that’s what Christmas is all about.”

Sugar Baby Watermelon

nadiaqh — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:16:58 +0000

♥ SUGAR BABY WATERMELON ♥

Watermelon growing in-between planters

These melons were started as small plants vs. seeds in wine barrels with the vine trained to grow over the barrell and on to the ground. If your garden has space limitations then growing the vines on the ground and along pathways may give your vine plants that extra room needed for meandering growth.

Small sized watermelon almost ready to pick

* When a watermelon is ready to be picked it should be ripe and ready for eating. Have you heard that watermelons do not continue to ripen off the vine? This was new information for me so I’m waited to harvest these beauties. Watermelon should have a dull colored rind and a brown dried stem when it is ready to be picked. Watermelon are heavy feeders meaning they need steady watering. The soil needs to be rich and fertile with a healthy amount of calcium in the mix. Trellising is also an option by using small fabric slings to support their weight as they are suspended in the air. Coastal San Diego gets a lot of overcast days with sunny and warm days leading into October creating a late growing season for my melons.

Raised planter: watermelon, rosemary, eggplant, parsley and a few green onions.

Late growing season for watermelon in San Diego. The skin of the melon is a shiny green as it grows, then turns dull when it is ready to be picked.

Super Ripe !

Chula my Chihuahua with a Sugar Baby Watermelon. Watermelon = 7 pounds & Chula = 6.5 pounds

September Planting Guide

nadiaqh — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:28:48 +0000

September Planting Guide for So. CA

*Frostless areas

Herbs ♥ Vegetables ♥ Flowers

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~H. Rion

FLOWERS: My garden is now a permanent home to flowers. The Zinnia’s and Dahlia’s are coming to their seasonal end with Sweet Pea and Snapdragons waiting to be planted in September. Flowers are a great way to add color to the garden when rotating crops and seasonal vegetables create a sparse landscape.

September Flowers: African Daisy, Bachelor Button, California Poppy, Flax, Foxglove, Marigold, Pansy, Petunia, Snapdragon, Stock, Sweet Pea, Verbena, Viola, Wallflower.

September Herbs: Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme

Vegetables: Beans (bush), Brussels sprouts, Carrot, Celery, Fava Beans, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onion sets, Radish, Swiss Chard.

* Remember to mulch even in the cooler months ahead.

* Check for feeding (fertilizing). Azaleas, cyclamen, roses and fuchsias this month.

*Plant perennials. Plant sweet peas the first week of September (specifically the early variety: Mammoth, Early Spencer or Multiflora).

*referrences from Pat Welsh’s Southern California Organic Gardening Book- a month by month guide to gardening in Southern California.

* Think good thoughts when gardening and they will grow

Thank you for your visit- www.nadiaknows.com

→ Create – Grow – Enjoy ←

GROW YOUR OWN SUPERFOODS

nadiaqh — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:12:42 +0000

How many super foods can you grow in your own garden? The super food lists usually boast about 20 beneficial foods to incorporate into your diet. Super foods are high in anti-oxidants, high in fiber, low in fat and overall the most nutritional foods ounce per ounce.

According to resveratrol.com: Super Foods, also known as anti aging foods, are foods high in antioxidants as well as high concentrations of crucial nutrients that have been proven to help prevent and in some cases, reverse the effects of aging.

Peppers growing in a Topsy Turvy Planter

The Super Foods:

avocado, broccoli, onions, peppers, soy, spinach, and sprouts, hot peppers, leeks, daikon radishes
açai, apples, blueberries, pomegranates, pumpkin, kiwi, oranges,and tomatoes
wild salmon, turkey, eggs
beans, barley, seeds, nuts, lentils, oats, walnuts and buckwheat
cinnamon, dark chocolates, garlic, honey, extra virgin olive oil (“cold pressed”), sea salt, yogurt & kefir
sea vegetables, irish moss, umeboshi plums, wheat grass, miso
red wine, green tea and water were also on this list.
Blueberries for the Southern California Garden

The Orange Highlighted items are super foods I grow year round and can be grown in a Southern California garden very easily. Radishes, Spinach, Blueberries and Peppers I find are the easiest to grow. Dwarf Apple and Citrus trees make even the smallest spaces a gardening possibility. I buy my honey locally and according to homeopathic and allergy specialists, eating honey collected from the area in which you live (local honey)“ helps to reduce allergies. (Just what I have heard folks!)

Dwarf Anna Apples

Spinach

Raw and Green: Juicing from the Garden

nadiaqh — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 17:05:15 +0000

Boost your immune system, help your bodies digestion, increase your energy, help with weight loss, add more anti-oxidants to your diet… that’s the information I read on what a juicer can do for us, so why did it take me so long to finally purchase one? Maybe it was the price tag, or another appliance fighting for space on the counter. More likely it was the thought of having to clean out an appliance on a daily basis and buy a cart-load of vegetables each week to maintain a new health habit. I have a back yard garden to grow seasonal fruits and vegetables, not a farm that produces high quantities of juicing fruits and greens. It took watching the documentary ” Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead ” to change my mind and give it a chance. I don’t have a weight problem, so the anti-oxidant and increased vitality health claims were the motivation that lead to a purchase.

Two very popular juicers are the Jack LaLanne and the Breville Elite: I chose the Breville.

Breville Die-Cast 800JEXL Fountain Elite Juicer: quoted straight from the website: “ It is called the most powerful centrifugal juicer that is available in the market today. It can juice any produce within seconds with 1000 watts motor and spinning rate 13,000.You can make any combination of juice with it. It has quite a wide chute and spares the need of cutting and dicing fruits. You can pour the juice in the plastic pitcher with skimmer to prevent foams in the citrus juice. The machine has a stainless-steel mesh basket that removes the pulp automatically into a juice container. The juicer has two kinds of speeds to juice soft and hard fruits. It is dishwasher safe.”

Great Recipe Book For Juicing: “The Big Book Of Juices“: more than 400 natural blends for health and vitality every day by Natalie Savona.

Breville Juicer

Juiced Carrots, Apples and Pink Grapefruit

* Organic Fruits and Vegetables are best*

I wanted a juicer that was easy to clean so that I would actually continue to use it. I give it a thumbs up for simple assembly and cleaning. The best part about the pulp leftovers is returning it to my compost bin and worm farm. Both compost bins are benefitting from the scraps. Another use for the pulp can be used for making soups by returning the pulp to the juice and simmering with herbs and spices. Not a bad way to juice up your nutrition and enjoy the benefits of adding more vitamins, minerals and micro nutrients to your day.

Scraps (Pulp) for the compost bins

Wordless Wednesday: a July garden

nadiaqh — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 05:05:20 +0000

Happy 4th of July

nadiaqh — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 18:11:04 +0000

Garden Tips for July:

1. Mulch bare ground and all garden vegetables, herbs and fruit.

2. Consider a water drip system to conserve water.

3.Control pests this month, especially ants. See previous blogs for organic methods of pest control.

4. Plant: Beans- Bush and Pole, Beets, Carrots, Corn, Cucumber, Radish, Squash, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Turnips.

To help celebrate the 4th try these Garden Martini’s while browsing the July Planting Guide and planning your summer garden:

Blue 4th of July Martini from: Food.com

1/2 ounce triple sec
1 1/2 ounces Vodka
1/2 ounce blue curacao
1/2 ounce prepared sweet-and-sour mix
1 dash grenadine : Directions: Mix all ingredients except grenadine in shaker and chill. Pour into martini glass. Add grenadine and it will sink to bottom.
Skewer a few blueberries and rest in in the glass like the photo below, or let them sink to the bottom.

4th of July Garden Martini

Honoring all of our military and their families on this 4th of July

photo at Petco Park

… a special dedication to : Jason L. Paton who died on 8/22/2007 serving in Iraq. To his family and friends who still hold him dear to their hearts.

San Diego Padre Garden Gnome

nadiaqh — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 21:14:40 +0000

I am not a big fan of Garden Gnomes, but when I saw this Padre Gnome advertised as a free give-away at a baseball game a few weeks ago, I knew I had to get to the ball game and snatch one up! I like the little baseball attached to his hand and the baseball diamond stand.

Padre Garden Gnome and Chula

Here he is in my garden and hopefully creating all kinds of good luck out there.

Submit photos of your gnome by emailing them to: sdgnome@mobilebullpen.com
to be viewed in-between innings on the big stadium screen.

www.nadiaknows.com

Read a previous blog about garden gnomes: Here

Encinitas Surfing Madonna- Day Trip

nadiaqh — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:20:48 +0000

The perfect day trip in Encinitas for art, organic coffee, water wise landscaping and a California burrito. I suggest you hurry though as the rogue art Surfing Madonna aka: Our Lady of Encinitas may be removed from this location soon.

♥ Start out your trip on foot by parking near the Lofty Bean Coffee Bar on Hwy 101 and Encinitas Blvd where organic coffee is their specialty. Pleasant employees and pastries (hey that rhymes) welcome you in this beach side retreat. Sit outside with your cup of joe and enjoy the ocean air and people watch as beach-goers head for the sand. Ask the barista for a bag of used coffee grounds (completely organic) to take home and blend into your garden soil. This is a great way to start composting and bring life to your azaleas and acid loving plants. Check out the positive reviews for The Lofty Bean on Yelp.

Park on Hwy 101 or on side streets

Recycle and Composting used coffee beans

♥ Walk only 1/2 a block South to the corner of Hwy 101 and Encinitas Blvd. and cross the street going East another short 1/2 block to check out the Surfing Madonna underneath the train overpass. This mosaic was placed by an un-kown artist in April with the purpose of bringing awareness to “Save the Ocean”. See related links for full story and controversies surrounding this art piece. Surfing Madonna.

Mosaic on Encinitas Blvd and Hwy 101

♥ After checking out “Our Lady of Encinitas” head directly West on foot to Moonlight Beach, one of Encinitas’ finest that offers a snack bar, volleyball courts, showers, children’s play area, bathrooms and benches under palm trees. Rent beach chairs, umbrellas and anything else you may need for the day available next to the snack stand. Directly North of the Volleyball courts is a flourishing water wise landscaping in a unique santa fe style home. This is a beautiful example of using cactus, aloes, euphorbia and succulents all blended together in various sizes and shapes. There are different flowers blooming all year-long here and I have enjoyed the beauty of this home for years!

Home has a view of volleyball courts at Moonlight Beach

Years of planting and grooming creates beautiful curb appeal

Blooming Aloe in sand

♥ Head back over to the Lofty Bean Coffee Bar to get your car and drive North of Hwy 101 to about a mile. Take a Left on Marchetta street at the Stop Sign. Try a California Burrito at Juanita’s Taco Shop. Don’t let the decor scare you, locals know this taco shop has a reputation for great tasting burritos after a day of sun and surf. Great tacos and breakfast burritos too.

On the Corner of Hwy 101 and Marchetta Street

Happy Travels! Enjoy.

www.nadiaknows.com

♥ organic gardening and healthy living ♥