Dead of Winter

Ah, February. 

I was in the doldrums this past January and felt like everything was in a holding pattern. Even though winter remains green in southern California, it is less vibrant and I have to say the early winter nights make piddling in the garden less attractive.

I got excited last week when I saw my purple irises starting to bloom. Something so simple got me daydreaming and planning for springtime in my garden and at Potted. 

For 4 years in a row I have intended to plant a raised bed of edible plants. Spring comes and goes, all of a sudden it's the heat of summer and once again, I missed the opportunity. Not this year!

 I am not beating myself up over past failure, but moving ahead with hope and determination to have a veritable salad on demand in my backyard. I imagine myself showing up at the neighbors house with a basket of sweet, juicy, warm tomatoes for their pleasure or sharing the fruits of my labor at a summer BBQ. "Yeah, everything in the salad is from my garden." Praise ensues. I guess I should take this a step at a time and get the seeds first! I spent yesterday looking through the Seeds Of Change catalogue.

I invite you to go through this process with me. From seed to supper.

Keep on growing,

The Garden Tarts

Turn! Turn! Turn!

Fall in Los Angeles is a great time of year to be in the garden. I find it especially grounding with the upheaval in the world.  I check out and tune in to a deeper truth buried in the dirt.

It is cathartic to work the earth. Pullings weeds out of the ground, pruning back bushes for the winter (such as it is) . It is an ancient ritual. Growing things is what humans in all corners of the world have done through the ages. I am a part of what has been, what is and what will be. Besides, there is something very satisfying about turning the soil and seeing big juicy worms wiggling around.

Even though I am smack dab in the middle of the city, I can hear the wind through the needles of the evergreen tree, the cry of a hawk as it circles overhead, the gentle falling water of the fountain, and of course, the police helicopter. Hello? Los Angeles. 

When everything seems uncertain and times are rocky, it is good get down on your knees and dig. Growth slows this time of year. I will be taking my que from the earth will be trimming back, growing slower and letting these difficult times pass, as all things do eventually.

Keep on growing.

Treasure Hunting

One tart's trash is another tart's treasure. 

With the promising move to "green" nothing is more eco-friendly than reusing what is already out in the world, saving it and us from more and more landfills. In keeping with that philosophy, flea markets are a great way to go. 

We love, love, love flea markets. There are deals to be had, and treasures waiting to be discovered (the people watching is great too). Lately, we've been on the trail of old metal toy trucks to use for cactus plantings. Along the way, we pick up all manner of other used items as planters: old tool boxes, vintage toy boxes, ammo boxes (the perfect peace sign), anything that holds dirt. The imagination is free to run wild.

With the holidays coming up flea markets are a great place to shop for all sorts of things. And ones like the Rose Bowl FleaMarket have new merchandise area as well. We consider these vendors entrepreneurs, small biz owners. It is satisfying to know our dollars are spent at the grass roots level of the economy and not increasing the power and wealth of the big box stores of the world.

We'd love to hear from you about your great flea market finds or any particularly groovy markets in your area.

Keep on growing,

The Garden Tarts

the new world

So here we are, the Garden Tarts, launching our blog. It's funny, but the feeling is giddiness. Neither of us are wildly computer savvy so it represents a crossing over into a new and exciting world. 

We have two garden shops called Potted. One on the eastside of LA in artsy Atwater Village and the other in the laid back beach town of  Santa Monica.  

Our shops don't seem so much like retail spaces as they do meeting places were people hang out, listen to music, chat, share thoughts and pick up interesting pieces for their sacred space, home. We hope to expand that vibe to this blog. 

Keep On Growing, 

The Garden Tarts