Posts Tagged ‘Gardening’

Besides humans, what else takes nine months to grow? The answer – garlic. In late October I planted garlic for the first time with guidance from my neighbor Diane. We’re both members of the Beach 91st Street Community Garden and that’s where I planted my first crop. In April, I saw sprouts and I’ve been anticipating and monitoring ever since. I planted the hardneck variety. Unlike most vegetables, garlic’s season is the opposite – plant in the fall, harvest in the summer. Garlic needs a long period of cold winter […]

I’ve been spending some time this week in the Beach 91st Street Community Garden. I only planted my vegetables two weeks ago because it’s been unseasonably cold. Despite the late start, things are looking good. This year, I have two cherry and two beefsteak tomato plants. The cherry tomatoes do very well in the garden for some reason. I have two cubanelle pepper plants, squash, kale, cilantro, sage, basil, and chives. I think I over-planted my plot. I couldn’t help myself! Flowers and the scapes of this easy-to-grown herb are […]

I have a vague memory of watching the Oprah Winfrey show when I was a kid. The episode was about beautiful wrap-around porches in the south. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with porches and porch style.  When it comes to Rockaway porch style, Aunt Brenda is the master. Before I lived in Rockaway, I’d come down to the beach to see Matt. We’d pass Aunt B’s on the way to the water and I’d always admire her house. Brenda’s porch then and now is worthy of a spread in Better […]

With the help of Matt’s cousin Lesley Conroy, who is a landscape architect, we designed our front garden in 2016. Lesley and I both agreed on choosing plants that would be fitting for a coastal landscape. Since then, I’ve learned a tremendous amount about coastal gardens and the effect of salt on plants. I’ve found that there’s a vast difference that salt has on plants and trees on the beach block, versus inner blocks on the peninsula. I see my neighbors between Holland Ave. and the boulevard growing apple trees, […]

April is holding up its end of the bargain – rain, rain, and more rain. It’s needed to jump-start our gardens and the growing season. I’ve been outside whenever the weather permits, weeding, cleaning up leaves, and dividing/moving plants to new locations. Normally I start my veggie seedlings in the Beach 91st Street Community Garden greenhouse. I’ve been a member for several years now. A greenhouse is typically 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. The average temperature this month in Rockaway has been about 55 degrees. So the greenhouse […]

Basil and tomatoes are a staple in home gardens, especially those kept by Italians. But garlic, a base for so many meals across so many cultures is grown significantly less. Why? I’m assuming it’s because garlic is a cool-weather crop and you can’t buy a starter plant at the garden center. Moreover, many people assume the garden season ends when September hits. NYC is garden Zone 7 which means we can grow food and plant for the spring until the first frost. These days, that feels like mid-December. Kale, collards, […]

A garden is a reflection of its caretaker and their unique creativity. I love seeing someone’s personal expression reflected in this way. This week I’m taking you on a garden walking tour, stopping at quirky, beautiful gardens worthy of praise in Rockaway Beach. Holland Ave. btw 91st and 92nd – The Psychedelic Garden Wall. This is the perfect backdrop for a selfie! The mural is above and beyond – “wow factor”! Many people feel they don’t have the space for a garden but this design proves that anyone can make […]

My vegetable garden is flourishing. I planted tomatoes (no-brainer), basil, dill, cilantro, peppers, chives, eggplant and kale. The kale has exploded, thriving with minimal care! Kale is a hearty green containing high amounts of vitamin A and C. It’s rich with antioxidants including beta carotene. Kale is high fiber and a great source of calcium, potassium and magnesium. Researchers have also discovered chemicals in kale that may inhibit cancer cell growth. So yeah, this veggie is a superfood that everyone is still obsessed with. For the past few weeks, I’ve […]

I was out in the garden again this week. I saw so many worms! A sure sign of healthy soil. Worms help aerate the ground, relieves soil compaction and their movements create water channels. Earthworms ingest and breakdown organic matter like fallen leaves. Their castings (worm poop) are valuable fertilizer. Red Wiggler Worms are the best for composting organics and I have many of them. I took a video of one. It looked like the worm was 9 inches long, I’m not kidding! Check it out. I wonder though – how […]

Nature is bizarre and fascinating. Discovering new things in my small garden world is exciting and makes me think of all that’s still undiscovered in nature. I came across two unfamiliar garden creatures this week. The first was suspended between the milkweed and a daylily stalk from my daylily plant in the front yard. It was a huge spider – about 2 inches long! In the past four years that I’ve been manicuring the garden, I never came across a spider like this. I plugged her description in google: large […]