How To Grow Japanese Maples In Hot Climate

In our garden we have four different types of Japanese Maples.  So how do you care for a Japanese maple? And how about caring for them in hot sunny southern California? Well, I will show you our trees and tell you how I care for them.

Red Emperor Japanese Maple

We have two large and two smaller Japanese maples. This large red Emperor Maple is four years old. It gets direct afternoon sun in the summer so caring for it is important. Japanese maples are an investment and can be very expensive. This tree cost us $250 four years ago and now they are double that price at the same nursery so you want to take very good care of your Japanese maples.

Bloodgood Japanese Maple

This tree is by far the most sensitive to the summer heat so we planted this one in a mostly shaded location. It receives dappled morning sun only. With a low growth pattern we lightly top it in fall and trim the sides to keep the pathway clear.

Japanese Maple Green Leaf

Taking Care Of Your Japanese Maple Tree In Hot Weather

1. At the time of planting if you can choose a spot that has afternoon shade but morning sun, that is ideal. However, I have my emperor maple in mostly afternoon sun and it can get scorched a little in triple digit temps but now that it is older, it is doing well tolerating it. If you have a very young maple you can shade a little with an umbrella or something, it would help in a heat wave.

2. Japanese maple are shallow rooted so mulch well. Some I have planted in the grass which works well to protect the roots and keep the moisture in. Once a year I clean below the trees and lay a nice thick layer of mulch or wood chips over the ground.

3. Keep soil moist but do not over water. The do not like soggy standing water. Our Japanese maple get water from our automatic sprinklers but in the summer I lay the hose around the base in different areas about twice a week for a longer soak. Do this especially if some really hot days are ahead.

4. Fertilize every spring with Fox Farm fertilizer  especially for Japanese Maples. This bag lasts me about 2 years but makes such a difference in the growth and leafing of our trees.

January Gardening Chores For Your Best Garden Ever

It's a new year and I am here with some January gardening tips. As you know I live in a mild climate and January gardening in Southern California is far different than a lot of the country, so what I might be able to do, you might have to wait on, but many things can be done as long as you are not deep in snow and can access the soil.

January Garden Chores

1. Soil: Clear out old plants from your vegetable garden and turn soil. If it is frozen you will have to wait but for us that is not a problem. Turning allows birds to clean out larvae of bugs and exposes to sunlight. If you have a compost pile, turn the pile and start adding compost to prepare beds for planting.

We do not have the benefit of killing frosts and freezes to kill diseases and have to be careful to thoroughly clear away all old plants that harbor diseases like tomatoes often can.

If you have a compost pile, turn the pile and start adding compost to prepare beds. Do not add anything to your compost that you lost to blight or disease. Just dispose of those in the garbage. If you do not make your own compost than buy enough to put a good 2-3 inch layer on top of your existing beds. I also put a good layer of compost around the base of my fruit trees and even across the top of my containers.

Also, if you have cats or your neighbors do, ensure that the new soft soil you just prepared does not invite cats to poop in your planters. I know from experience because I just planted a new barrel with greens and left uncovered thinking the rain we were having would keep the cats away. Nope, found a big pile right in the center and to be careful of any contamination I just cleaned the cat poop up and dumped the soil. Not going to eat salad greens from that soil. So ALWAYS cover with wire or plastic. I use old plant trays and love the way they cover and the seedlings can grow right up through.

2. Dormant pruning: This is the time to prune dormant trees and vines. When the trees are bare you can easily see what needs to be pruned. Remember you want sunlight in the tree structure so trim away cris-crossing branches and branches that shoot straight up out of good horizontal branches.

If you need to spray trees, this is a good time to spray with dormant oils.

For fruit bearing vines, I would google the type of vine you have. We have blackberry vines in our backyard and have decided to treat it as a small hedge so we just keep it cut back like an ornamental shrub to keep it in check and from having it spread out of the small planter it is in. It is also a good time to dig up suckers to keep them in check.

3. Seed Starting: Now is the time to order seeds and to start them indoors. This is probably one of the funnest parts of the January garden to do list. Here in a southern California garden, we can direct sow cool season crops. I love to spend as little as possible and consider myself a frugal gardener using items I have to start seeds and get my seedlings growing.

4. Planting: This is a good time to get new bare root trees and vines as well as ornamentals in the ground if you can work your soil. Here in southern California, this is a good time for planting because soils are wet from rains and the late fall heat is passed. I love the practice of intensive gardening and try not to walk on and compact my soils any more than I have to.

5. Garden Planning: Now is a great time to start that garden journal or planner you have always meant to do. Garden planners are a wonderful way to put down a garden plan to plot your beds and to make notes so you can compare and remember garden notes from year to year. Next year you will know exactly what your January gardening tasks are if you list them this year and can make notes as to what worked and what garden chores may need tweaking. Plan now for your best garden ever!

Best Tips Of 2015

As the year closes, I love to review and see which posts were the most popular on the blog so here are the best tips of 2015 on Sunny Simple Life. A little something for everyone, we share the best money saving, gardening and recipe of 2015.

Most popular recipe of the year was our Crock Pot Mixed Berry Cobbler. This recipe was by far the most viewed and shared of the year. I made it for our family reunion in July and everyone asked for the recipe. We even made a dairy free version for my sister in law.

I make all of my own homemade cleaners but this one with bleach was very popular. It works great on my white tile and grout and I use it when I clean the bathrooms. It takes pennies to make. All our cleaning recipes can be found on the frugal tips page.

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner With Bleach

Now onto the garden. I had two posts that were very popular. First, my super frugal homemade flower fertilizer made from two ingredients you probably have right now. Costs almost nothing to make and is totally organic. Spring will be here before you know it.

And last, who doesn't love a homegrown tomato and planting them for optimum yield is important. How to plant tomatoes the right way shows you how to plant your tomato seedlings for a strong root system. Also don't forget my post on how to grow tomato plants from cuttings. Two frugal garden tips to help you save money.

How To Make An Inground Composter For Your Garden

I am going to show you how to make a super easy DIY inground composter and for free too!

Not everyone has the space or desire to keep a large compost pile that you have to turn and maintain. Maybe you don't want to worry about attracting critters to a compost bin in your backyard. I am going to show you how I made an inground composter that also acts as a worm composter you place right in your garden.

To begin, find a spot in your garden where maybe you want to revive the soil. Cause this is going to do it for you. 

1. Take a five gallon nursery pot. They have large drainage holes and you want that.

2. Now dig a hole where you want the compost bin about four inches deep and set the pot drainage holes down in the hole. Fill in the dirt around the pot.

Now find an old bucket. I use a galvanized one. They fit perfectly down in the pot. This will act as a lid keeping flies and rodents out. I have even used a terra cotta pot that fit too.

Begin adding your kitchen scraps. Only fruit and vegetable scraps. But don't forget the eggs shells and the coffee grounds. Throw them in there too cause the worms will love them.

About twice a week, squirt some water in there. It helps flush the nutrients down into the soil.

Keep the lid on at all times. Every once in a while, lift the pot and you will see all the worms that are coming into the pot through the drainage holes. They are breaking down the scraps and making great fertilizer.

I usually plant around the base and the plants will love it. In the photo above I have an inverted tomato cage and have planted cucumber vines to grow up the wire supports.

When your plants are done and you are ready to pull them out, go ahead and move the pot to a new hole and area of the garden you want to revitalize the soil a bit.

Use The Chicken Run And Other Fencing To Grow A Verticle Garden

Some say chickens and gardens cannot coexist but that isn't true. If you are smarter than the chickens, and take a few extra steps, you can raise chickens and have a prolific garden in the same space.

When you garden on a small urban lot, every inch of soil counts. When I added a chicken coop and run to our yard, I lost some of that valuable planting real estate. After the first year of getting used to raising chickens, I decided to try to use that wonderful vertical fencing that was sitting right in my back yard. Problem was, I had chickens on the other side of that fence and they will try and devour anything green they can reach.

Through trial and error, I came up with a way to grow vegetables along the fence of my chicken run. Grass runs along the outside of the run so I had to plant on the inside. Protection of the new seedlings from the chickens was my first task. The soil was already wonderfully loose and amended with lots of chicken droppings so I was good to go there. I did dig a nice big loose hole and drop some compost on the bottom so the roots could grow down and not out and not be harmed by the chickens scratching the nearby soil.

Hardware cloth, chickens wire and small roll out fencing from the hardware store is your friend. I strategically place it in areas that I need to protect the plants from my chickens.

First, I created a semi circle form about 18 inches high out of hardware cloth. I have bantams so you may need to make your form higher to prevent standard breeds from getting at your plants. I planted the seedlings, climbing vines are the best for this, and then placed the wire form around and right up to the fence and used some wire to secure the form to the metal chicken run fencing. Chickens will dig up anything they can get to as well so I place protection all around the base of the plants. I used wood logs at first but have since switched to bricks to make a more attractive growing area.

Pumpkins and cucumbers grow along chicken coop fence.

Now you sit back and watch your veggies grow. For the most part the chickens just ignore the plants. Once the plants get higher than the plant munchers can reach, they take off and provide beauty, food and additional shade in the summer for the chickens. So far I have grown cucumbers, squash and pumpkins along the fence and even tomatoes one year that grew from the seeds of tomatoes I had thrown in the run for the chickens to eat. If you are worried the fruit will be too heavy for the vine, create little slings out of old fabric scraps or nylons you can tie up around the fruit. Makes a great conversation piece when people try and figure out what is hanging in little hammocks along the run. If the chickens happen to get some leaves, then all the better. It is all just a part of learning to garden with chickens successfully in a small space but it can be done and be beautiful at the same time.

Homemade Flower Fertilizer

I have a homemade DIY frugal super easy flower fertilizer recipe for you today.

Why pay for expensive plant fertilzers when you can make your own? If you have a flowers in containers or the garden this easy plant food recipe is a must make. The impatiens above are four years old. I trim every winter and feed in the spring with my homemade frugal flower fertilizer and look at it as of early June.

The calibrachoa superbells hanging pot was given to me on Mother's day. Look how many blooms are on it now compared to when it came home from the nursery. See the before and after.

Homemade Liquid Flower Food

In a two gallon watering can, mix two tablespoons of molasses and one tablespoon of epsom salt. Mix with a stick or wooden spoon and water. Feed weekly for containers and every two weeks for garden flowers. When watering the garden plants with this mixture, feed well and follow with a nice soak from the hose to get the fertilizer down to the roots.
I have used this on tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers as well.
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How To Grow Tomato Plants From Cuttings

We all love frugal gardening tips. More vegetable plants for free is for me. Today, I will share how I grow new tomato plants for free by rooting tomato cuttings in water. 

Our growing season is long in Southern California but even if you don't live as far south as me, try taking a cutting from a newly bought plant as soon as you bring it home. Of course you would need to buy a larger tomato plant than those that come in a six pack for rooting tomato branches.

First, find a branch on your tomato plant that would produce fruit. Do not just pick a leaf stem, they do not seem to work so if you need to trim your tomato plants you could start a cutting then too.

Strip off all the branches at the bottom of the stem about half way down at least. Carefully take a knife and just scrape the sides of the branch on about the bottom inch of the tomato cutting. Place in a glass jar with water in a sunny window. You will see roots in about 7-10 days. Just keep filling the jar with water to the original mark.

When you have plenty of vigorous roots about an inch long, plant either in your garden or in a pot.
Remember to follow my tips on how to plant tomatoes the right way.

Little Garden In The Big City

I garden in our little garden in the big city because I love every aspect of it. The planning, the soil, the work. It is one of life's greatest joys. Though I live not far from Los Angeles and there isn't a farm anywhere around me, we manage to eat a lot of fresh picked organic produce almost daily because of our little garden.

Below is a snapshot of what I picked in one day this week from our urban garden. That does not even show the vegetables I harvested throughout the week. With a little planning and changes in your existing garden beds, you can start growing food crops that will feed your family the freshest organic produce you can find. The nutrients that you are getting when you eat something just minutes from picking, is optimum nutrition,

Our whole yard has not been turned over to rows of fruit and veggies, though I would love that, but by enriching the soil with lots of organic compost from our chickens, our soil allows for densely planted garden beds that produce abundantly. Planting this way saves on water as the soil is shaded by all growth and cuts down on weeds.

I never till our soil. If an area needs a little loosening I will do that as I mix in compost but now after years of good organic soil amending, I just plant. The roots of my plants are longer than ever. They grow deep reaching for water and nutrients deep down in the soil. This reduces the need for water.

I want to inspire you to start tucking some food crops into your existing garden. Get some compost, plant some FOOD, and see how good it feels to tend your little bit of land, or even a collection of pots on a balcony. I grow lots of what you see in containers. With proper care, this is a great alternative if you don't have a yard or have less than perfect soil conditions.

 When you till the soil, you tend to your soul. There really is something about that. Go organic and you will see your yard abundant will life. We see so many butterflies and bees in our yard every day and this is when they keep saying there is a shortage of both. Not in our garden.

Our chickens can nibble freely, as I do not use any pesticides. My daughter often picks fruit and veggies and eats them right there cause that is what her momma does. There might be a little dirt but we wipe it off and eat as we harvest. Our food is safe and fresh and I know where it came from.
So from my little garden in the bit city, here is hoping you get your hands dirty real soon. You won't be sorry.

If you have any questions or a topic about gardening you would like to know more about, please feel free to leave it in the comments section and I will address it for you.

Updated: We no longer keep backyard chickens and you can read our story here.

Garden Tour 2015 - Growing Edibles In Your City Garden

In a Southern California garden this is our main growing season. Temps are perfect for lots of growth and summer heat has not hit yet. This year we are expanding our edible garden beds mixing ornamentals and edibles so that our garden is producing organic nutrient rich food but also pretty at the same time.

There is so much I could share but we'd be here all day and you would be bored with me so here are some highlights. I endeavour to remove more lawn each year, expanding areas for vegetable gardening. When you are trying to grow a lot of your own produce in a small city yard, you have to ditch the lawn at some point.

Below here I have pumpkins, zucchini and bell peppers in containers. One bell pepper plant is now four years old and loaded with bell peppers and it is only May. A tomato and other herbs are start ups in here too.

I grow lots of vegetables in containers and pots. Here are strawberries, cucumbers, zucchini, onion, parsley and basil as well as a pumpkin vine to the left. You can see my jug of compost tea sitting there as well. I always have a batch brewing and feed my plants with them on a rotating basis.

This garden bed has been a bonus area we have gained after having a tree removed. Once summer hits the six squash plants in containers, will be pulled out and the tomatoes and pumpkins will remain and fill in. Heirloom tomatoes are thriving in the full sun.

The front planter this year is our squash garden for sure. The entire thing is grown over with all types of squash and pumpkins. That is for another post but it is thriving this year. My plan to plant early has paid off. The garden was in by January and February and I am already picking loads daily. I was very frugal and started most of my plants from seed this year.

This photo of my main veggie bed is from a couple weeks ago. More changes and growth have taken place since. We have veggies, an apple tree, greens, broccoli, herbs. You name it and I try and grow it.

How To Plant Tomatoes The Right Way

Some more vegetable gardening tips since it is spring!! When you are planting tomatoes in pots or right in the garden, here is how to plant tomatoes the right way.

Whether you are planting tomatoes from seeds and starting them in containers or you buy tomato starts from the nursery, here is how to grow the best tomatoes ever. I think I heard this tip on a gardening show many years ago, but I always have wonderful tomatoes every year from this planting method.

First, when you dig your hole you want to really dig more of a trench about a foot long. Loosen the soil and amend the trench heavily with compost and you can also throw in a slow release fertilizer. I use an organic one from the nursery. 

Next, strip off most of the little leaves and branches along the stem carefully. I snip them. Remove them up to where the main plant begins. Now lay your tomato more horizontal along the trench and then carefully angle up the top portion of the plant and fill in with the soil tamping to hold the tomato plant upright. This is easier with younger tomatoes. With a more mature plant you would have to be careful not to damage the stalk by bending so use caution.

You can see in the picture above how little of the main stem is above the soil. This allows more roots to grow along the entire stem below soil giving you a stronger, more vigorous plant.

Here is proof. Look at this beefsteak tomato I picked from the garden last year. Almost covered my entire hand. You will have lots of tomatoes for all your summer recipes. Here are some of our favorite ways to prepare all those summer tomatoes.

This is the best tomato fertilizer I have used:

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Week in the Garden and Coop

It has been a busy week in the garden and coop. We had three trees removed and the rest of our trees trimmed. We had to take out two of the old orange trees that my husband's grandma had planted but they were damaging our driveway so they had to go and we figured they were at least 40 years old. It was time. We still have three smaller orange trees, so plenty for our picking.

All of my squash that I decided to plant early, is blooming like crazy and some are setting fruit. This is a baby round zucchini.

We brought home two new chickens last week. I will do a post on them. Their coop entrance however is decorated for spring.

It was a beautiful Easter Sunday and the kids hunted for eggs in the front yard. The nasturtiums have been just gorgeous this year. As the weather warms up they will fade but they have been prettier this year than ever.

The blueberry plants I have are two years old now. I mulched around them with compost and peat moss because they are acid loving. It seems they liked it because they have set lots of fruit this year.

Growing An Urban Vegetable Garden - Tips And Information For Year Round Gardening In Southern California

Growing an urban vegetable garden - tips and information for year round gardening in Southern California. The climate in southern California is a gardener's dream. You can grow food crops year round. I am harvesting food from our  city garden every month of the year. I garden in my suburban yard outside of  Los Angeles in zone 10a.

Very warm summers and lack of water are a concern these days. Seems we are becoming more like southern Arizona in our growing season so I have adjusted my planting schedule more for the desert southwest gardening.

Planting along the typical spring time line seems to no longer apply here. Year round gardening is possible but when most of the country takes a break during winter and heads indoors, we have our main break from gardening in the hottest months of summer. Most plants, except those adapted to high temps, either die or stop setting fruit, then as summer heads into fall, the garden reawakens and is in high production again.

Below is my planting schedule of crops to ensure continual harvests of food crops from our vegetable garden.

Soil Preparation
Two things are vital in year round gardening, constant amending with compost and in our hot climate, mulching to retain moisture in the soil. Unlike the typical garden where you amend the soil, plant and harvest and you are done, in southern California you can have up to three to four planting seasons. I love the ideas of  French Intensive Gardening but I no longer turn over or till my soil. In nature soil is amended by layer upon layer of wonderful mulch that decomposes and feeds the soil below.

After years of amending my soil it is nice and loose and rich. Unless I am planting in a new area, I only dig a hole big enough for the plant or seed I am placing. By not disturbing the soil, I now have very few weeds as they do not germinate in undisturbed soil as easily. I plant, with compost in the hole and mulch around the base of the plant or over a seeded area. I then reapply compost around the base of upright plants like tomatoes but do not apply compost again to root crops or leafy plants to avoid any contamination.
I have never had a problem but this is my system.

The only fertilizer I use is compost and compost tea. Again being careful to not apply the tea to crops I am harvesting soon though compost tea is touted as a wonderul foliar spray. I do not spray plants with it but apply at base. Seedlings I do water generously with and they seem to thrive with it as opposed to plain watering.

Plant Placement

No more rows, I look at my garden as a grid, almost like a quilt and each box, some larger, some smaller, is packed with different vegetables. When one area or plant is harvested, it is immediately amended with compost and replanted trying not to disturb the surrounding plants.

Close Plant Spacing
• Use off set spacing (grid)
• More plants in bed
• Made possible by adding compost each time you plant, not just once a year (I do not compost too  closely to leafy plants or root crops I will be harvesting within a month)
• Shades plant roots
• Protects soil from UV rays
• Controls weeds
• Creates mini ecosystem

Also, pay attention to the patterns of sun. You can see in my old garden photo, the sunflowers look nice but I placed them where they often shaded my other plants. Now they are only grown along the back wall where they do not block the sun.
                                                                              BEFORE

                                                                               AFTER

Below you can see a slice of my garden as of April. In the top corner I just harvested some beets last week. I will make a second harvest just below and open up a space that can be replanted soon.  Notice as you look see the smaller plants towards the bottom of the photo. Those beets were planted in three week intervals for successive harvests over several months. Successive planting is the key to intensive gardening and harvests. 

Now I am moving away from sowing cool season crops and in the summer this main garden bed is let go to fill with pumpkins, squash and tomatoes. I harvest and let the plants cover for more moisture retention and again very few weeds. In fall I will pull out faded plants and make room for more compost and cool weather crops.