Series archive: The Global Garden
12:16 PM PDT, May 7, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Rocoto chile: For pepper lovers who can take the heat
Gina Thomas remembers the day one of the Russian gardeners at the Wattles Farm community garden in Hollywood insisted on tasting a plump rocoto chile she had grown. She warned him to take only a tiny bite, but he insisted he didn’t have a problem with hot peppers. He popped the entire thing in his mouth.
7:30 AM PDT, April 30, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
The giant yucca's edible bounty: seeds, fruit, even flowers
The giant yucca certainly lives up to its name: Yucca gigantea rises 30 feet high in ideal conditions, with white blossoms that push out from the center -- flor de izote, as the bloom is sometimes called, the national flower of El Salvador.
10:00 AM PDT, April 23, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Goji berry: Plant your own backyard superfruit
Michelle Wong tried to hold back the tears after learning that her landlady had ripped out the goji berry planted in the backyard of her apartment in Koreatown. The shrub was head-high and starting to put out little purple and white flowers where the fruit would appear in summer.
10:19 AM PDT, April 16, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Grow your own plantains, tropical cousin of the banana
Fernando Larios eyes the stand of plantains running along one side of the Francis Avenue Community Garden in Koreatown. A large cluster of fruit, just out of arm’s reach, is almost ready.
9:20 AM PDT, April 9, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Roselle: Plant now for hibiscus tea flowers later
If all goes well, Alicia Bacon’s plot at the Ocean View Farms community garden in Mar Vista will be a garden of scents this summer, an olfactory orchestra of plumeria, the flowering vine known as Exotic Love, flowering ginger and -- last but not least -- roselle, (Hibiscus sabdariffa) also known as rosa de jamaica.
11:03 AM PDT, April 2, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Growing artichokes: Time to plant is now
The Northern California town of Castroville calls itself the "artichoke capital of the world,” although that’s really not true. Italy, particularly in the south, produces more artichokes -- the world's largest harvest, more than 10 times what is picked in California.
7:10 AM PDT, March 26, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Borage: companion plant for tomatoes, strawberries, squash
Companion planting is based on the idea that, like people, some plants do better with good neighbors. For tomatoes, strawberries and squash, one of the most popular of companion plants is borage (Borago officinalis).
11:55 AM PDT, March 19, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Homegrown tea: How to raise your own brewable plants
Somewhere around the world, it has long been tea time. Few garden plants come with as long a history as tea (Camelia sinensis). For thousands of years, the caffeinated perennial was harvested for its medicinal uses, mixed with food and steeped as a drink.
10:10 AM PDT, March 12, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Homegrown lemon grass: two varieties of a singular taste
One of the stands of lemon grass in the middle of the Vermont Square Community Garden is in full flower now, a somewhat unusual occurrence. It’s not a particularly attractive phase for the plants, which look like overgrown weeds on their last legs. Fortunately the plants' useful life isn't over; the stage is simply another turn of the wheel, the clumps of lemon grass scattering seeds to expand their reach.
11:03 AM PST, March 5, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
If kale is king, then collard greens are prince of the edible garden
Kale, the king of greens, has been losing plot real estate to a close relative, collards. With better resistance to heat, collard greens do just fine in Southern California. And the occasional winter cold snap? It only makes collard greens sweeter.
8:05 AM PST, February 26, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Hyacinth bean vine, a versatile addition to the edible garden
How could you not love a bean called lablab? Originating in Africa but cultivated in India since Neolithic times, the hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab) has fed humans and livestock for millenniums. It’s a drought-tolerant vining perennial that can reach 30 feet, ideal for covering a fence or a wall. It grows fast and comes in bushing, creeping and semi-erect varieties, many pretty enough enough to be used as an ornamental.
8:35 AM PST, February 19, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Shiitake DIY: How to grow beloved mushrooms at home
On a ridge in Echo Park, the fungus kingdom has established a small beachhead in Mary Steffens’ side yard. She’s growing shiitake, the iconic tree mushroom native to China and beloved in Japan. For many backyard mycologists, shiitake was the gateway drug: easy to grow, abundant in harvest, enjoyable to use.
8:40 AM PST, February 12, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Sorrel: Ancient edible wonder -- and potential headache
For the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean, sorrel soup was a harbinger of spring. The wild perennial, a plant tough enough to endure snow, has fed humans in Europe and Asia for thousands of years.
8:40 AM PST, January 29, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Bok choy: Homegrown greens, made for the shade
Recent rains have been ideal for one of the fastest growing greens in the garden: bok choy and its many variants. Quick to bolt (set seed) in hotter temperatures, bok choy (Brassica rapa) flourishes under drizzly skies, doing just fine in the shady part of the garden where nothing ever seems to grow.
9:07 AM PST, January 22, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Growing taro for more than its roots
Even during the coldest time of the year, gardener Suky Sung Lee enjoys her taro, the “potato of the tropics.” She doesn't eat the tennis-ball-size tubers, but rather the strips of the fibrous stems, which she peeled and dried in the sun last summer to make torandae, dried taro strips. She also uses them for yukgaejang, a spicy beef and vegetable soup.
7:40 AM PST, January 15, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Growing rue, an odd herb with a rueful side
Rue. The name alone should give you pause.
7:53 PM PST, January 8, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Umeboshi, Japanese apricot, Chinese plum: Prized fruit by any name
The Japanese apricot -- a plant native to China, actually -- is one of the longest lived of the flowering fruit trees. It's a symbol of resilience in the face of adversity thanks to its early flowers, delicate promises of spring that can begin blossoming before New Year’s Day. The tree continues to send out white, rose or red flowers on nearly leafless branches, luring bees all through the winter.
12:43 PM PST, January 4, 2013
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Growing mizuna, the new year greens
Even though the mizuna wasn't as big as he would like, lacking a thick taproot, Tak Tsunemoto harvested a box worth from his garden plot in Mar Vista. He couldn't wait. On New Year's Day he needed to take the greens to members of a Japanese Buddhist church.
7:10 AM PST, December 4, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Tromboncino squash: A fast grower that can throw some curves
The tromboncino squash in Nancy Howell’s garden plot doesn’t resemble the trombone for which it’s named but, rather, a french horn.
8:30 AM PST, November 12, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Hachiya persimmon: The taste and look of fall
Come fall in Southern California, they are markers of the season: persimmons hanging on the tree, even as leaves are dropping. Some varieties can hold fruit until Christmas.
8:55 AM PDT, October 30, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Holy basil: Grow your own pesto with punch
For most gardeners, basil is a wonderful harbinger of summer, but in India a variety known as holy basil, or tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), is grown year-round.
9:46 AM PDT, October 23, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Jujube: From China, a tough tree with sweet fruit
Let’s get one thing straight: The fruit from the jujube tree has nothing in common with the corn-starch confectionary of the same name. You won’t lose a filling while chewing on a jujube right off the tree. It has the crisp texture and refreshing sweetness of apples. When dried, the concentrated sugar turns the jujube into something like a giant raisin.
10:00 AM PDT, October 2, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Ice cream bean tree: Sweetness by the scoop
When it comes to drought-tolerant, fast-growing shade trees, few are as useful as the ice cream bean tree, Inga edulis (and its 300-plus related species). Although it grows like a tree, the ice cream bean actually is a legume. It can grow 60 feet or longer, and after four years in the ground it starts putting out foot-long pods packed with lima bean-size seeds swaddled in an edible, sweet, cottony covering.
8:30 AM PDT, September 25, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Pomegranate: Tree from Iran thrives in the California sun
The first time you crack open a pomegranate, you understand why this Iranian native has achieved such significance around the world. The hard, leathery shell splits with a satisfying crack, revealing clusters of bright red seeds, juicy and glistening, sweet-sour on the tongue.
8:05 AM PDT, September 18, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Weed or feed? An edible nuisance called purslane
You’re probably already growing purslane. That could be good or bad. Originally from India and the Middle East, this green succulent has long been a reliable food source for foraging humans. The ground cover is not only edible, it grows fast and requires no maintenance. Gandhi listed it among plants that should be grown to help people be self-sustaining.
8:57 AM PDT, September 11, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Prickly pear cactus: How to harvest fruit without getting poked
Opuntia, the prickly pear cactus, originated in South America, moved into the valleys of the Andes and then north into Mexico and North America. In Southern California, opuntia grows in the coastal scrub, in front and back yards, and at community gardens -- particularly if there’s a large Latino population.
8:50 AM PDT, September 4, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Growing bitter melon: Tricks to an unusual treat
In the Long Beach community of Carmelitos, Richie Huang’s gardener father has positioned little protective paper hats over the ripening bitter melon. Even though this is a sun-loving tropical vine that grows like a vigorous cucumber and is a member of the same botanical family, bitter melon can get damaged by the sun. Immature gourds taste best, but the Huangs also cook with the leaves.
9:18 PM PDT, August 27, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Growing white sapote, like custard cups on a tree
White sapote trees may have been trendy 50 years ago, but these days they are empty-lot plants, the kind of urban flora most often seen sprouting from scattered seed in some neglected patch of Southern California.
9:10 AM PDT, August 14, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Calamondin: Cousin of the kumquat delivers fruit all year
The scent of citrus emanating from Boni Liscano's backyard in Atwater Village comes from a 20-foot-high calamondin tree (Citrofortunella microcarpa), sometimes called kalamansi or calamansi. The tree is covered in small, lime-shaped green fruit that has a thin rind, juicy pulp and distinctive sour flavor. It's similar to a kumquat (to which it’s related) but has a stronger bouquet -- an aroma that's sweeter than lemon and more like orange.
4:58 PM PDT, August 9, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
How to save tomato and tomatillo seeds
Garden writer/saint Jeff Spurrier recently handed off some of his heirloom tomatoes with a reminder that I should save a few seeds of my favorites to plant next spring, naturally leading to the question: How? What's the best way to save tomato seeds?
9:05 AM PDT, August 7, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Growing chayote: Bury one fruit, get an epic plant
Even in the heat of summer, Horacio Fuentes doesn’t need any shade in his Wilshire Park backyard. After all, he has a chayote. A seamless sea of green runs from the second-floor eaves of his house to the detached garage in the back, shading the entire length of the driveway. It is one plant, just in its second year, resting on a flat DIY latticework of string, wire and PVC pipe.
9:15 AM PDT, July 31, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Growing papaya: Tips for success, seed to harvest
In the heart of the Wilshire Park historic district, Horacio Fuentes has built a garden with the feel of his native El Salvador. It begins by the sidewalk, where a pito coral tree grows, planted 15 years ago. It hasn’t yet produced the dramatic red flowers that, when eaten, are said to prompt a deep sleep with intense, erotic dreams. Maybe it’s too cold here, Fuentes said.
10:00 AM PDT, July 24, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
Growing the ground cherry, the tomato's sweet-tart cousin
At Wattles Farm, the community garden in Hollywood, Gina Thomas pointed out a cluster of tiny, husk-enclosed ground cherries hidden among the foliage. Some were no bigger than marbles.
10:45 AM PDT, July 17, 2012
THE GLOBAL GARDEN
How to grow tomatillos
Long before the tomato achieved star status in the vegetable gardening world, its cousin in the nightshade family, the tomatillo (Physalis philadelphica), was a staple for the people of Mexico and Guatemala. One tomatillo plant can pump out more than 10 pounds of fruit, each neatly wrapped in its own protective packaging.
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