— By Nan Sterman Fried egg plant and matilija poppy are two names for Romneya coulteri, a giant of the poppy family.  This big, beautiful perennial forms crepe papery flowers as large as salad plates.  The combination of white petals and bright yellow center earn this plant the

— By Nan Sterman Poinsettia season is upon us!  Growers ship out the bright red and soft yellow colored plants every day, sending them to nurseries and garden centers across the country. Thanks to late Encinitan Paul Ecke Jr., poinsettias are the plants we mostly closely associa

A Gardener’s Tale by Marianne Gerdes The brand new raised bed garden that Camera Guy built for our family has succeeded beyond our wildest expectations.  Tomatoes tower over our heads, cucumbers climb trellises growing up instead of out and, we’ve learned about a whole new

— Nan Sterman When it comes to vegetable gardening, we spend so much time and effort starting seeds, planting seedlings, fertilizing, watering and hovering over our plants. When are the fruits of our labor ready to pick? Here are some general guidelines for knowing when and how

Nan’s Notes: Sometimes, knowing what not to plant is just as important – maybe more so – than knowing what to plant. There are a number of entries in my “Don’t Plant This” department. Close to the top of the list is Mexican needlegrass, aka Mexican feathergrass. It has two botan

Nan’s report: A few months back, I did a garden consultation for a couple who asked me about building a keyhole garden in their backyard. Keyhole garden? It comes from Africa, they said, and it’s supposed to be a highly productive method for growing vegetables, yet uses very lit

Nan’s Report:  Heather Anderson’s smile is widest when her hands are dirty.  And boy, did her hands get dirty when she and Marion Happ showed me how they make Kokedama, Japanese string balls, also called Japanese moss balls.  I’d seen done before but their demonstration at Saint

I’m so pleased to present tonight’s episode of A Growing Passion on food justice.  It’s an issue that has been near and dear to my heart for many, many years. What is food justice?  My definition is this: food justice is the right of all people to grow, sell, and otherwise have access