Vegetables
Sweet peas, lettuce, and many members of the Brassicaceae family such as broccoli, cauliflower, thrive in the dry, cooler fall season of September. Broccoli does best planted after Santa Ana winds die down. Broccoli, as well as cabbage and cauliflower, requires full sun and regular water, harvest should be ready early winter. Sweat peas, planted in September will be ready come December for harvest.

Flowering Plants
Wildflowers, snapdragons, poppies, and pansies will add color to your Southern Californian garden after weeding out the summer flowering plants. Seeds or transplants will work. Check for specific placement needs according to your particular region for each plant selected. Plant Bearded Iris rhizomes in September, which will provide showy flowers throughout the winter. Bearded Irises require at least half a day of sun.

Grow Organic at Home offers a variety of garden essentials, from seeds to fertilizers and growing kits. Check out our store at http://www.groworganicathome.com

2 large organic heirloom tomatoes
6 ounces kalamata olives, pitted and diced
2 organic green onions (tops only), thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh organic basil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dry whole oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Combine all ingredients and stir in feta cheese. Enjoy with baked pita chips or in a warm pita with chickpeas or falafel.

Have a recipe you’d like to share?

Garden compost is a mixture of vegetable waste materials (eg: coffee grounds, crushed egg shells, apple cores) which are collected together in an enclosed container and left to rot.  Properly made and well rotted, garden compost can take the place of animal manures.  Organic matter is a necessary addition to garden soil.  It provides plants with nutrients and acts to aerate the soil structure, while fertilizers provide food but no humus.  Rotted organic matter provides humus, which is vital for vegetable development.

There are five necessary conditions in making a good compost: oxygen, moisture, warmth—inside and outside, and nitrogen and a proper carbon-to-nitrogen ratio.  All conditions help bacteria live and function successfully to break down organic matter into humus. The heat generated by the composting materials, kills pathogens and weeds, and keeps the bacteria happy.

Any soft vegetable material can be added to the compost heap: grass clippings—making up the bulk of the heap, flowers, leaves, stems.  Vegetable waste can also be put into the heap—potato peelings, fruit skins, lettuce stubs, ect.  Tough woody stems and evergreen leaves do not rot quickly and should not be added to the heap.  Also, you should keep the compost heap free of plastic, glass, and stones, in addition to pest-ridden or diseased plants.  Invasive weeds and seeds should be burned along with rhizomes.  Any animal by-products should be kept away from the compost heap, since raccoons and rats are attracted to such waste.  The heap should contain approximately twice as much brown matter as green matter, by volume.  Brown matter is high in carbon—leaves, hay, sawdust, straw, woody prunings.  Green matter is high in nitrogen, consisting of soft vegetable materials.  Smaller pieces the better, since they decompose faster.

A 3 X 3 X 3’ compost heap will yield approximately half a ton of compost.  The faster the heap is constructed, the faster the temperature will rise, accelerating the rotting process.  Wooden slats, brick, wooden poles, wire mesh all work well as construction material for a compost heap.  A square container of 2” wire netting supported with wooden posts (make sure the wood used is decay resistant: heartwood or redwood) can be constructed quickly.

The compost heap is built directly in the soil, with a base of woody stems of 1” deep.  Build layers 4-8” deep of vegetative material (green matter) followed by 1” of soil with some lime sprinkled on top, to keep the acidity high, closer to a neutral pH, and then a layer of brown matter.  Repeat layers until desirable height is reached.  Keep air pockets to a minimum.  Spray each layer lightly with water.  In turning your compost, the sides should be moved to the middle, which will keep rotting consistent throughout the entire heap and help dispel any unpleasant odors from arising.  It should be turned weekly, to accelerate decomposition by introducing more oxygen to the pile.  If necessary, add more water, so the pile is slightly moist.

When your compost is ready to use it should be dark in color and be crumbly, resembling fibrous soil.  If you can still identify what you placed in the heap, then the compost is not yet decomposed enough to be considered organic material, and should be given more time.  10 pounds per square yards should be used in poor, sandy soil, or in soil that is short in humus and stony.  In better soils, you need only to use about half the amount (5 lbs per square yard).  Organic matter should be added in autumn when preparing planting beds for spring growing, or about a month before tree or soft fruit plantings.

(Sources: Sunset Western Garden Book, and Home Growing—by Edwin F. Steffek)

Contact: Nadav Joshua; Grow Organic at Home. 24837 Jefferson Ave. Murrieta, Ca, 92562 (951) 698-1616. www.groworganicathome.com

GROW ORGANIC AT HOME OPENS NEW STORE IN MURRIETA, CA

Temecula, CA June 15, 2010 Grow Organic At Home celebrates the opening of a new retail store specializing in organic gardening supplies located in Murrieta, CA.  The company makes available education, localized growing methods, products and tools that enable anyone to grow organic fruits and vegetables successfully right in their own home.

The ‘roots’ of our company began with the dream of Nadav Joshua, founder and president, to bring the health benefits of the organic lifestyle to families especially children. “Since I was a child we learned to live self-sufficiently and close to the earth. My goal is to bring amazing growing technologies that work to everyone who wants to grow their own fresh organic food right in their own backyard!”

How does Grow Organic At Home differ from other gardening methods and nurseries? Nadav Joshua comments, “We have to take what nature gives us and use it to get the best results.  I have designed and manufactured special Grow Bags and Net Houses to be used by every family gardener.  We give you the growing materials, the proper nutrition and all the necessary tools to protect your plants and keep them healthy. There is no guesswork. You are not only guaranteed results . . . but great results!” The store will carry not only the foundational materials to begin your garden, but helpful books on organic gardening, supplies such as gloves and hats, earthen pots, and birdhouses.  The store will also be a wonderful source for organic products created from locally grown honey, lavender, jams and jellies and other natural products.

Grow Organic At Home’s mission is to promote organic growing by making its technology available to schools and classrooms.  “The health of the next generation begins today in the classroom. If children grow their own organic fruits and vegetables then they will reach for tomatoes and apples in place of candy and processed foods.” In keeping with the education thematic, a large panel of garden experts will be available at the store for seminars and free lectures to teach people the ways of organic gardening.

To learn more and discover that every person can have a ‘green thumb’ visit 24837 Jefferson Ave in Murrieta, CA. Open daily from 10 am – 6:00pm. Visit www.groworganicathome.com or call 951-698-1616.