The Plot thickens at Plantscape
It’s a cool summer evening in South Oceanside. The breeze is blowing through the large vegetable garden brimming with elephant ear kale, tiny golden summer...
Jano Nightingale
Flowers can help dress up a porch this summer
When I am looking for something special for my front porch, I head to a tiny flower shop in Carlsbad. Bamby’s Flowers is a gem,...
The 70/30 rule to rid the garden of rodents
There is a loosely stated rule among gardeners, which goes like this: “70% of your garden space should be dedicated to feeding your household, and...
Display your patriotism with a colorful window box
Whether it be Memorial Day, Flag Day or the Fourth of July, a decorative window box filled with red, white and blue flowering plants always...
Entertaining kids this summer? Become a rock painter
What to do in the summer with children or grandchildren? Go outside! With so many children tied to their phones or computers, we must get...
Three Sisters Garden: Fresh vegetables from Casita Center in Vista
On a quiet back street in Vista sits a small school vegetable small garden. Crafted by K-5 students at Casita Center for Technology, Science and...
Fooling the rodents for the sake of sunflowers
I work with a group of 10 senior gardeners in a community garden at the Carlsbad Senior Center. In our 20-foot raised bed, we grow...
A garden grows in South Oceanside at The Plot
Jessica and Davin Waite are on a mission. The couple’s vision for the backyard, surrounding alley and side street of The Plot restaurant in Oceanside...
The dark side of the moon: Celebrating splashes of color
Last week, I took a late afternoon walk on Ponto Beach in Carlsbad. My hope was to possibly see the Artemis ll landing in San...
Grow your own food
Would you like to cut your fresh produce bill in half? If you can grow it, you can do it! Years ago, when I worked...
Yes, it’s tomato time
For those of you who have been chomping at the bit (or the soil) with shovels in hand, yes, now is the time to plant...
Go greens! Create a salad garden
Although the calendar may say March 6, the first day of spring is officially March 21. According to my local expert horticulturist, Stephen Froess of...
The beet goes on: Ideas for this versatile root veggie
Harvesting beets is like finding an unexpected underground treasure. These magenta wonders have been growing in our garden’s soil for three months and finally arrived...
Discover how to swap seeds
I love seeds! My obsession with collecting seeds is comparable only to a sport’s fan urge to collect team jerseys. Are you a “seed swapper,”...
Having fun with the colors in the garden
Planting a garden could show belief in the future, as Audrey Hepburn once said. It can also be a means to an end for artist...