In all seriousness, I pulled one of my onions today to see how it was doing. The stalks look great, they are about 18 inches tall, but they are not forming round balls yet. The package says 110 days, which means I should have been harvesting them around mid-March. What is going wrong? Did I plant the wrong time of year?

In the garden, I’ve planted the hill. It’s amazing! In addition to all the big plants, I’ve also added dahlia bulbs, watermelon and I think I’m going to put strawberries in the top corner (the triangle). Compare this AFTER picture of the hill to what it looked like before…and yes, there is more to come!

In the vegetable garden, I’ve planted the carrots, basil, tomatoes; I also have corn to go in the ground (in between the raised beds), dill. From winter I need to harvest the remaining tomatoes and pull them; also harvest the garlic, and in a month or so I should have onions. I was reading in Barbara Kingslover’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle that potatoes are one of the foods that contain the most toxins — according to her research, there’s actually residue of DDT in potatoes, because they live so deep in the soil and the toxins (such as DDT) can remain in the soil for so long. I’ve worried about things that are sprayed directly: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc. but hadn’t given much thought to root plants. A part of me wishes I could test EVERYTHING: my own soil, the dirt on my lot, the water inside the plastic arrowhead water I buy (by the case), the lettuce I grow in my own garden. But you can’t live that way; you need to make the best decision with the information you have, and move on. But sometimes I wonder. . . . .

Among other flowers, the wisteria is blooming (beautiful purple); the grape Michael planted from bare root has sprouts forming; and we spread cocoa mulch throughout the front yard, which gives off a strong chocolate smell. Jasimne is also very fragrant right now, and so it full size washington orange tree, which has a bunch of flowers and what I think are small, oranges forming. Spring is here!

One warm day this month the kids ran naked:

Plant your own garden and decorate your soul instead waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

It’s taken me thirty six years to realize that I can order the flowers I want on my birthday! I discovered this darling flower shop, Magnolia Flower Shoppe and ordered my very own bouquet of pink flowers for my birthday. I love it and couldn’t resist sharing it here!

I woke up to a warm spring day, and already my daughter Stella and I have fertilized most of the citrus trees. This week we planted ruby slippers, more kangaroo paws, saco palms (which are stunning; I’m so glad I discovered these), flax, white ice land poppies and sweet peas. I’ve also started (finally) putting down ground cover, under the plumeria. The bulbs are spiking up, eager to bloom and I can’t wait to see what they all look like.

My onions aren’t done, and I wonder if anything is wrong with them. I need to go back and check when I planted, calculate when they should be done. Does anyone have a good system for keeping track of plantings? Anything digital? I have dates written on scraps of paper in many places…I need one good system to keep track of plantings, fertilizing, etc. Perhaps a good goal for my new year.

Before: The Barren Hill

The first challenge is starting. I’ve had two gardening masters out to give me their advice on what to plant; both dabble in other parts of my yard, suggesting plants & changes for the flower bed under the window; moving the children’s garden to the back near the vegetable garden; replanting the lemon grove in front. They both loved to talk about everything EXCEPT the “hill”. Finally they proposed their ideas, but honestly I couldn’t summarize them here because I don’t understand their vision clearly.

Do I do the hill myself? Or hire an ‘expert’ to do it?

For now I will attempt it on my own. I have a list of suggested plants from one gardener — latana, kangroo paws (which are already in my garden), ruby slippers, flax, lavender, sage, hibiscus, palersonia occidnetials, penstemon. First I am reworking the soil, adding gypsum to help with drainage and tilling in about six inches of planting mix.

I still hope to have a secret garden, with a small bench for the kids. Adults have mocked at my path but the kids love running through it, I want to keep the path and make fun little destinations along the way (pick a satsuma; sit at the bench; run geraniums down the back bank for the kids to pick; plant butterfly attracting plants). Here’s the path as it looks now.

So, as my little girl says, “Off we go!”

Lately I’ve been stressed about a few things in my life — gardening unrelated — and I can’t believe how getting my fingers dirty in the soil for a few hours takes me away, gives perspective. It’s like being connected; knowing there’s this larger thing in life, something beyond human drama, beyond our petty grievances. And it’s also a reminder of what is important; things that live, breathe, grow, be. Things that are present, here and now.

Tulips represent luxury. They last for only a few weeks; they take time to plant, energy and space that you might want to allocate to something that reaps more reward, something longer lasting, something green, something that takes less maitenence and space. But when they bloom, when you have rows and rows of color, standing upright on their stems, you just get to enojoy and part of the enjoyment, truely, is that it doesn’t last. So its the ultimate test of “being present” — i.e. being here to actually see the flowers when they blossom, and notice. Enjoy. It makes me feel rich to be able to plant rows of tulips and even fantasize about seeing their color. Lucky lady that I am!

On to the vegetables….I harvested my first winter tomato today!

So much for that nursury owner who told me there’s no chance I’d get tomatoes during winter in southern California. Several look to be ripe in the next couple of weeks. I’ll report back on how they taste!

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It feels good to get my fingers in the soil; it’s been too long! I was inspired to do some planting because we’ve been eating our first batch of satsuma manderines: delicious! We planted that tree in early spring, this is our first fruit tree to be ripe, along with the lemons (which are great to have but just aren’t the same to eat!)

What are you planting for winter harvest? I’m curious to hear what other gardeners reap during the winter months.