April 2015 Issue #116

Hello,

What fun that we both love gardening. Thanks for joining me.

1) Who's got a smart new design?
2) Eco gardening tips
3) No-Cheese Nasturtium Pesto

Smiley face, Boat harbor, Kodiak, Alaska. marionowen.wordpress.com

I'm smiling because guess who has a new website design to make it easier for you to find your way around and to view on mobiles?
No-dig Vegetable Garden, that’s who!

Raring to grow

The FAQ section is the place where the beautiful people hang out... earthy and raring to grow.

Jaci from Chico CA would love to know if using rice straw bales is a good idea? See her question here

Eco gardening tips

• Where do fruit flies come from?
  After last month's tip about fruit flies, I have to thank reader Swegn, who referred me to an Australian Museum article. Seems the fruit flies that gather around your fruit bowl are of the harmless Drosophila species. They love rotting fruit and will swarm under fruit trees, and the fermenting odour of a bad apple on your bench will lure them inside from the garden quick as a wink.
  
  

  Drosophila are not pests and they don't cause fruit to rot — they just enjoy it once fermentation has begun. They are as filthy as a butterfly, in other words, not very. They are not the same as the Bactrocera fruit fly that are larger, don't come inside and attack fruit which causes growers so much grief.



• Buried under broccoli
  So my friend Don went and bought two large lots of cauliflower and broccoli seedlings. He poked them in his garden and they happily grew, save a few bites taken by the odd caterpillar. They grew and grew and how proud he was as he saw the first little cauli and broccoli heads start to form. Suddenly he had half a year's supply of large caulis and broccolis which he couldn't eat in time even if he ate them for breaky, lunch, dinner and supper!
  
  

  Be warned, sow smaller crops in succession. Swap seedlings with a neighbouring gardener if necessary. Do two or three staggered plantings during the season for continual harvesting.

  Best of all, grow your own from seeds. There's expert advice here on Seeds and Seedlings



• Wrecking wind
  Left to your druthers — would you rather have a lie in the sun or stand in the wind? Nobody, nothing would surely choose wind... so too your plants, they appreciate a sheltered spot. So many plants are damaged by wind and never come to their full potential. Don't make your lettuces lean over, their roots torn, or your beans battered and bruised... give them shelter please.

Sure you can... have an awesome garden!

If you'd like to simplify your gardening by knowing when, what and how to plant, I'm willing to bet this garden planner will be a hit with you, like it is with me.

"I know WHEN to plant, I know WHAT to plant, as well as a load of tips and tricks! I'm now into my 2nd year of this planner, and like an excited kid. I'm experimenting with some of the suggested veges for my area, will let you know how I go. One happy vege grower in LA."
Timor Arundle

No-Cheese Nasturtium Pesto

You can usually find nasturtiums growing wild somewhere, but if not, pop some seeds in your garden and use the peppery leaves to flavour salads, and the lovely flowers to attract bees.

Ingredients

• About 120 nasturtium leaves (3 packed cups)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup olive oil
• ¾ cup walnuts
• ½-1 chopped chilli pepper or good pinch cayenne powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar.

Method

• Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth.
• Keep in jar in fridge, or store by making into ice-cubes. Use by putting onto hot food, such as baked veggies, fish, meat or pasta, for a sensational taste.

Preparation: 20 minutes

Happy gardening
Megan