The Pink Moon – Full Moon in Los Angeles on April 19, 2019
April embodies spring and the appearance of the first wave of flowers, this moon is named after the appearance of pink ground phlox. Here in Los Angeles we have been lucky to have enough rain to encourage an incredible show of wild flowers and to see grass sprouting out of every spot of dirt in this closely woven city. We’ve got the itch to plant things now and all of our fruit trees have beautiful little spots of green unfurling all over them.
I’m mapping out a new way to water the gardens, a deep water wicking system to allow the plants to draw what they need rather than watering from above like I do now. We’re collecting bits and pieces of supplies to start caging off the garden to protect our new plantings from the opossums and raccoons. We’ll have to dig out the planters to set up the new watering system, using a gravel base. Lots of photos to follow when we get them started. I’m looking over this great site (www.littleveggiepatchco.com.au) that has a good breakdown of how to set this up. The photo is from there, I am looking forward to seeing how these work but am also clear that I need to cage everything off well because the opossums LOVE to dig in damp ground for worms and grubs.
We’re also adding in growing micro greens shortly, the 7-8 day growth cycle is very appealing and we want to minimize the amount of greens we purchase because we have a hard time eating them all before they go bad. We want to expand the amount of greens we eat without spending a lot of money on them.
It’s also time to dig out the chicken coop, our deep litter is pretty thoroughly composted and is ready to be turned into the planters. The deep litter method means we can just keep adding sawdust and straw to the coop, it also means that every 6 months or so I dig it out but it’s really low maintenance the rest of the year. I love it.
We’re contemplating baby chicks for the season and will have to have a good place to keep them warm that is ideally outside since the massive amount of dust they kick up is painful to clean. Baby chick season is one of my favorite things…..
What’s in Season – March, April, May
Since we do our best to eat seasonally, it’s important to pay attention to what’s at the ripest right now. Since it’s spring, the first wave of fruits are showing up at the markets and stores. Asparagus is at it’s best this time of year, and I love to utilize it by making our favorite Creamy Asparagus and Leek soup, it’s a deliciously savory way to greet the lengthening days. There’s a great guide to what’s in season based on what is in season in your area, here.
Vegetables in Season
- Arugula
- Artichokes
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Beets
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli
- Butter Lettuce
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Chard
- Chives
- Fava Beans
- Fennel
- Green Beans
- Kale
- Leeks
- Peas
- Pea Shoots
- Purslane
- Rhubarb
- Snow Peas
- Sorrel
- Spinach
- Summer Squash
- Watercress
- Zucchini
Fruits In Season
- Apricots
- Grapefruit
- Honeydew
- Lemons
- Limes
- Mandarin Oranges
- Mango
- Oranges
- Pineapple
- Strawberries
- Tangerines