2006 June | You Grow Girl

June 10, 2006

Comments Off

Gardening & Deck Design – Gardening with Gayla Trail

- From: Gardening & Deck Design (Summer 06)

“My concept of what’s possible as far as gardening goes is pretty open ended,” says Gayla Trail, who grows edibles and ornamentals on a roof deck, in a strip of city-owned property at the side of her apartment building and at a community garden. Trail credits her can-do attitude to her West Indian-born grandmother, who grew vegetables on her balcony in St. Catharines, Ontario.

In 2000, Trail launched YouGrowGirl.com, an online community of mostly North American gardeners but with members as far away as Australia and India.”

-pages 42-44

Comments Off

June 7, 2006

9 Comments

Succulent Window Box 2006

Growing succulents in the window box on the fire escape portion of my rooftop garden has become a tradition — most likely because they are just about the only plants that can survive the intense sun, heat, and drought. The deck is fully exposed to all sorts of harsh conditions but the fire escape area takes it to another level with black metal railings that absorb the sun’s rays throughout the day. And of course I had to go and make it worse by installing a galvanized metal window box to boot.

I try and mix up the plantings every year with the one requirement that the plants can survive. Plants that make it through both the summer and winter are given an easy retirement in less sunny pastures. I was shocked to discover a lavender from last year’s box still kicking it this spring.

From the Front:

Clockwise from right front:

Sedum reflexum

Sedum rupestre

Sedum acre

Sempervivum

Sedum spurium

Hidden Behind:

Sedum album

From the Side:

Previous Boxes: 2005, 2004.

Future Boxes: 2007

Audible Flavor to Savor

Guest post by Renee Garner

I must admit, rather proudly actually, that I am hooked on National Public Radio. I am rarely impressed with top 40 radio, less impressed with the hip hop of late, and classic rock bores me to tears the moment Stairway to Heaven starts up. So I switch on over to NPR and catch up on the news, pop culture, and some of the silliest, smartest musings the human brain can muster.

Check out Bonny Wolf’s article on edible flowers, with recipes that make the vegetarian in me chomp at the bit for more, regardless of any included meat substances. And, well, anything that suggests drinking wine at the breakfast table sounds a-okay by me.

Or check out the listings for listening to Lynne Rossetto Kasper host The Splendid Table, and call in and ask her what to do with the prolific mounds of pineapple mint obscuring the dill in your garden this year. Chances are, she’ll have the most creatively tempting in-depth answer a gardener could ever dream of.

Healing with Dandelions

Guest post by Emira Mears

There are a few things I have an abundance of in my garden without trying. They may be familiar to you: dandelions, chickweed and horsetail. And while I curse a blue streak as I remove the horsetail, I can’t help but think of my amazing friend Signy each time I get to pulling chickweed and dandelions out of my flowerbeds. Signy is an amazing person on many fronts, but one of the pieces in her arsenal of things that rock, is the approach she took in battling (and beating) breast cancer five years ago. While she underwent the standard chemo et. al. she also turned to food as her medicine, and among some of the cancer-fighting winners: chickweed and dandelion.

You don’t need to be in a crisis with your body state to enjoy the healthy benefits of these glorious weeds, and with the way they’re coming up in my garden right now, in concert with an imminent bounty of lettuce, I think I’ll be enjoying some of Signy’s “Pure Medicine Salad” chock full of weedy goodness all summer. (NB: this recipe was also published in the Staying Alive Cookbook).

Salad Recipe:

1 (4-to-6 cup or 1-L) package mixed salad greens
Healing herbs such as chickweed, dandelion greens, or wild violet leaves (Violata odorata) – this last one being especially good for breast cancer prevention
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped parsley
1/2 cup (125 mL) sunflower seeds
1/2 cup (125 mL) sprouted lentils or bean sprouts
1 or 2 ripe avocados, sliced or cubed

Dressing

2 Tbsp (30 mL) flaxseed oil
1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp (10 mL) Bragg’s
2 tsp (10 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
5 tsp (25 mL) ground flaxseeds

In the bottom of a salad bowl, whisk together flaxseed oil, olive oil, Bragg’s, lemon juice, and garlic until dressing is thick and opaque. Add more lemon juice to taste. Immediately before serving, whisk in ground flaxseeds. Add salad greens, healing herbs, parsley, sunflower seeds, and sprouted lentils or bean sprouts. Toss until well coated with dressing. Gently stir in avocado, being careful it does not get mushy.

If you’re keen on more ways to use food (backyard garden derived and beyond) as medicine check out Signy’s site.