Two Dog Blog

TDN Newsletter: December 31, 2011

2011-12-30T17:57:00.001-08:00

Happy Two Dog New Year !!
December 31st, 2011

Dear Gardening Friends,

To quote a dear friend, "It was a short year, wasn't it?" Really short, but truly wonderful!!

I know in this Holiday Season, we're all very busy, so I'll keep this one brief...

WHO WANTS ASPARAGUS??

We're going to be ordering Asparagus "crowns" in the next few days, and anyone who would like a bundle (of 6 or 12) should contact us ASAP. The crowns will ship to us by mid-January and must be planted right away (within one week). Unlike onions or shallots, they do not have a "long window" of time to be out of the soil. And we will only be able to buy them this once.

The variety we're purchasing is called "Farmers Favorite" and was developed at UC Riverside. It's known for its high yields, and is suitable for growing in Southern California. You'll need a "dedicated bed" for your asparagus, as it is a perennial which can bear for 10-15 years! It may take 2-3 years for full production, but good things come to those who wait! Harvest period is from March to June...that's a LOT of yummy asparagus!

If you (or another gardening friend) would like to reserve some, please let us know. Bundles of 6 crowns will sell for $12, and will require a planting space of 4 1/2' x 6'. Bundles of 12 will be $20, and will require roughly 6'x 9'. Ample space is necessary because the plants will fill out underground, and asparagus spears will pop up everywhere after a few years time!

1ST QUARTER PLANTING CLASS SCHEDULE

Our EarthBox Planting Class Schedule is now up on our website:

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE CLASS SCHEDULE

TAKE SPECIAL NOTE:

The "Seasonal Highlights" for the March 26th Class include HEIRLOOM TOMATOES!!

Can it be possible?? Yes!!

SAVE THE DATE!

March 17th & 18th

2nd Annual Heirloom Tomato Season

Kick-Off Sale & Food Drive

Benefiting the L.A. Food Bank

We'll offer at least 50 certified organic varieties this year, including more than a dozen new ones! We took copious notes & queried the tomato pros at the Heirloom Expo, and listened to your suggestions and requests, and now the final Big List has been sealed. I'm hoping to announce the 2012 varieties on our website by the time of the January Newsletter, so stay tuned!

QUICK 2011 CHARITY SUMMARY:

With your continued support, this year we were able to give $1,025 to the Red Cross for Japan Disaster Relief, $1,010 plus 515 lbs. of food donations to the L.A. Food Bank, and more than $1,200 worth of seedlings donated to the great work of the UC Master Gardeners Program and other non-profits! (Thanks so much for coming to the Food Drives!) Lastly, and most recently, we became members of the exciting, important, and now-1-year-old "Seed Library of Los Angeles" (SLOLA) and donated seeds for 10 unique veggie varieties to their rapidly growing seed bank. We hope to do much more in 2012!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

With unceasing gratitude and joy, we thank you for your patronage and friendship in 2011 and wish you and yours a most wonderful New Year!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

P.S. Also, our sincere thanks also for those many of you who "shopped" for Holiday gifts at Two Dog Nursery. (4) EarthBox Kits with Soil & Stands, Seedlings galore, Gift Certificates, Smart Pots, Blueberry Bushes, Citrus Trees...what lovely gifts! And how truly gratifying for us! Thank you!

TDN Newsletter: December 14, 2011

2011-12-30T17:54:00.000-08:00

December 14th, 2011

Holiday Market Schedule & Holiday Food Drive Reminder

Dear Gardening Friends,

As the holidays and a new year approach, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of you who have supported Two Dog Organic Nursery this year!

Holiday Market Schedule:

We WILL be at the La Canada Farmer's Market on the following dates:

SATURDAY, Decemeber 17th, 2011

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

SATURDAY, Decemeber 24th, 2011(Christmas Eve)

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

SATURDAY, December 31st, 2011 (New Years Eve)

9:00 am - 1:00 pm

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We will NOT be at the Westlake Village Market on the following dates:

SUNDAY, December 18th, 2011 - Market is Open, but we will be holding our Annual Nursery Sale & Food Drive at the Two Dog Home Nursery...see below!

MARKET CLOSED: SUNDAY, December 25th, 2011 (Christmas Day)

MARKET CLOSED: SUNDAY, January 1st, 2012 (New Years Day)

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FACEBOOK EVENT!

At the Two Dog Home Nursery:

914 S. Cloverdale Avenue ~ Los Angeles 90036

From 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

10% Off All Organic Seedlings, all Trees & Blueberry Bushes, all Products

including EarthBox Kits, Smart Pots, Malibu Compost, Organic Worm Castings & Soils!

Do your Holiday Shopping and Help Feed Your Community!

"ADMISSION" is a Donation of Food or Personal Needs Items

Checks to Food Bank also welcome ~ Bins will be out front!

Please give as much as you can, the need is very great!

Two Dog will also donate an additional 5% of our one-day sales to the

L.A. Regional Food Bank!

This will be our 11th Food Drive - let's make it a great one!

Street Parking Available

QUESTIONS? Call Jo Anne 323-422-3835

Please share this with your like-minded gardening friends!

Happy Holidays, all...we hope to see you soon!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

TDN Newsletter: December 2, 2011

2011-12-30T17:52:00.000-08:00

Please Attend Our Annual

2011 Holiday Sale & Food Drive!!

Dear Gardening Friends,

This cute boy is one of our littlest customers, Quin, in his backyard enjoying a bounty of amazing foods. Quin is very lucky because his mother, Michelle, organically grows and makes his food from harvests of her own home garden. She loves to buy organic seedlings from Two Dog Nursery because she knows that Quin is getting the best tasting and healthiest food available.

Unfortunately, in America all children aren't as lucky as Quin.

In the U.S.,1 in 4 children lives in poverty. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual report on household food security, which showed that 17.2 million American households are food-insecure (households that struggle to feed all members); out of that 17.2 million, 3.9 million of these food-insecure households were families with children.

The hunger problem in America is serious--but you can make a difference and have an impact on hunger in our community!!

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

from 10:00am - 3:00pm

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FACEBOOK EVENT!

At the Two Dog Home Nursery:
914 S. Cloverdale Avenue ~ Los Angeles 90036

10% Off All Nursery Plants and Products
Do your Holiday Shopping and Help Feed Your Community!

"ADMISSION" is a Donation of Food or Personal Needs Items
Checks to Food Bank also welcome ~ Bins will be out front!
Please give as much as you can, the need is very great!

Two Dog will also donate an additional 5% of our one-day sales to the L.A. Regional Food Bank!

This will be our 11th Food Drive - let's make it a great one!

Street Parking Available.

PLEASE RSVP to Jo Anne 323-422-3835!!!

Please Note: Discounts given only this day, this location!

Please share this with all of your gardening buddies, family members, and friends! Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you all on December 18th!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

TDN Newsletter: November 25th, 2011

2011-11-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

November 25th, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

Dear Gardening Friends,

A slightly belated, but nonetheless sincere, Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

Alex and I are so grateful for your continued support! At year 3, Two Dog is growing by leaps and bounds, and we truly appreciate everyone who visits us at the Farmers Markets, who attend our Nursery Sales & Food Drives, who make appointments and drive from far and near to see us at the Nursery, and those of you who come (sometimes more than once!) to our EarthBox Planting Classes!! We're also grateful for the Press coverage (especially the Larchmont Chronicle...thanks Jane & Laura!) and invitations to participate in special events! Our motto is "Supporting Urban Gardening One Organic Seed at a Time", and it's a thrill to witness the development of this idea.

Reoccupying Main Street...

Our friend and colleague, Geri Miller, of

Home Grown Edible Landscapes, posted this beautiful image (left) on her Facebook page today, and graciously OK'd our sharing it. The photo reminds me of when I was a little girl and "Downtown Bellflower" looked this magical around the Holidays. Unfortunately, many of these family-owned businesses are now gone. (off topic, the Nubell Theatre is where I saw A Hard Day's Night!!)

Downtown Bellflower, 1960

As Geri puts it:

"Continuing the Reverse Black Friday theme, when we do buy gifts or that holiday meal, let's re-occupy Main Street this holiday season by supporting small, local businesses like local farmers, small neighborhood nurseries, small family-owned businesses and businesses that make sourcing products locally a priority (think restaurants that buy from farmers markets or the gift shop that supports local artists/crafters). BUY LOCAL...PAY CASH!"

We totally endorse this sentiment and strive to practice it ourselves.

Another friend, John Lyons of The Woven Garden, put to words a sentiment which was already swirling in my head: "Occupy Your Garden!" By growing our own Organic bounty, we collectively defy Monsanto and the rest of those who put profit over health and sustainability. Being a Certified Organic Nursery (actually, the only one in L.A.), Two Dog is committed and required by law to never use GMO or Treated Seeds, chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Alex & I personally grow nearly all our own produce and would never sell something we ourselves would not use. Period.

So what's coming to the Markets this weekend?

A bevy of beautiful Lettuces, Chard, Kale, Cauliflower, Cabbages, Pak Choi, Garlic, Shallots, and still some very determined Yellow and Red Onion Transplants! And we'll have these 3 Organic Seed Potatoes ready to go: Yukon Gold, Colorado Rose, and Russian Banana Fingerlings. I've gone potato-crazy and will be planting a 4th Smart Pot of the Colorado Rose today!

Russian Banana Fingerlings

Yukon Gold

Colorado Rose

Speaking of Potatoes...

Speaking of Potatoes...Alex found this recipe from NPR on the Internet recently...We tried it, and oh my, it's so delicious. Do give it a spin:

Roasted Root Vegetables and Meyer Lemons

This recipe is versatile.Try other types of potatoes; add whole shallots or wedges of red onion, or substitute the parsnips for carrots...

INGREDIENTS:

-Cooking Spray

-1 pound small red potatoes, quartered

-1 pound carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

-1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

-1 teaspoon dried thyme

-Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-2 Meyer lemons

-Fresh thyme for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Add potatoes, carrots, garlic cloves, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and toss well. Roast for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, trim the ends of the lemon so you can see the flesh and no white pith. Cut into thin slices, removing the seeds. Cut slices into half-circles.

3. After the 15 minutes is up, remove baking sheet from the oven and toss the lemons with the vegetable mixture. Return to the oven and roast until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes or more. Sprinkle with fresh thyme, if using, and serve.

Holiday Gift Ideas...

Why not a Two Dog Gift Certificate? Or any of the fine "Products We Love" listed on our website! We are also taking orders for Custom Planted Herb/Lettuce Gardens, which make lovely gifts for the cooks on your list!

Happy gardening, and we'll see you soon!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

TDN Newsletter: October 28th, 2011

2011-10-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

October 28th, 2011

Happy Halloween!!

Dear Gardening Friends,

It's finally beginning to feel like Fall, and this year, Angelenos are gardening more than ever! It's been fun, and it's been busy, busy!

The season got underway with our Annual Fall Kick-Off Sale & Food Drive benefiting the L.A. Regional Food Bank. We had a good turn-out, sold loads of plants & products, collected around 160 lbs of food donations, and Alex and I donated $150 from the days sales.

Many thanks to everyone who attended! We love this way of starting a season!

BHHS Garden & Chef Derrick Spears

Once again, the Beverly Hills High School came to Two Dog Nursery for the seedlings for their organic garden, which is planted and maintained by the students of the Culinary Arts Program (photos to follow in the next Newsletter). Head Chef this year is Derrick Spears; he's an avid gardener himself and is having a great time with the kids! He provided this yummy-sounding Recipe for Braised Leeks, which we've included here:

Braised Leeks Recipe

2 stalks of leeks Med. Diced

1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 c. of Shallots Miced

2 cloves of Garlic Mined

2 C. Water

1. Start with Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a medium sized saute pan. Heat until the oil starts "swimming" in the pan (i.e. little waves).
2. Add garlic, shallots, leeks; sweat until soft, no color. Add water and braise for 2 minutes on low heat.
3. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Braised leeks are great to use as toppings on chicken, beef, and they can also be added to soups--or you could make a Leek & Potato Pie! Have fun and enjoy the simplicity of the leeks!

Speaking of Leeks...

Don't miss the chance to get your whole "Allium Family" planted NOW. We'll only have the organic transplants for 2-3 more weeks. This year's varieties include: American Flag Leeks, Walla Walla & Stockton Early Yellow Onions, and Red Torpedo & Crimson Red Onions.

We also have 3 varieties of Organic Seed Garlic as well as both French Red Shallots and Dutch Yellow Shallots. It's amazing to grow these outstanding and important crops! Once you do, you'll never want to go back to store-bought, and with proper planting calculations and storage, you may never need to!

NEW WEBSITE FEATURE!

The Alliums are easy to grow, and we've written basic How-To Guides for all of them, which are now on our website. Go to the new "Helpful Guides" button for info on the alliums, plus Growing Organic Potatoes, Blueberry Planting Instructions, the Burpee Planting Chart, Planting the EarthBox, etc. We're trying to save paper (and trees!) by no longer printing these for distribution at the Farmers Markets.

Another big thing that happened this month was our Organic Recertification Inspection by CCOF, which, happily, we passed with flying colors! Yay! It's always daunting...the inspection of the paperwork, bookkeeping, seed storage & records, sowing charts with lot numbers & quantities, growing ground inspection & plant signage, etc. Takes most of the day, but it's great to have it accomplished for another year!

EarthBox Planting Classes...

...continue year-round on alternating Mondays. Come join us for one, and enjoy your own Kale, Broccoli, Lettuces, Peas, etc. See the whole Class Schedule here:

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE COMPLETE CLASS SCHEDULE

Celebrating One Year!!

It's nearly Halloween, and that means we've reached our First Anniversary as vendors in the Westlake Village Farmers Market! We've had a lot of fun...many of our customers were brand-new gardeners and they've been quick to embrace the EarthBox and Smart Pots...and the beautiful EarthBox Stand, which keeps the harvest out of "rabbit range"!

Many thanks, Westlakers!! Here are some of our regular Sunday Gardening Friends

Our Westlake friend Jeanne, sent this link recently to a beautiful video which captures the miracle of pollination...bees, birds, bats, and butterflies! Have a look:

The Beauty of Pollination

Dashiell's Pumpkin :-)

And since it is Halloween, it's time for the final chapter of "Dashiell's Pumpkin". You may remember that one of our customers, Lisa Shelley, gave us the idea to carve the name of our dear little next door neighbor into the one and only Big Max pumpkin we had in our garden. We carved it with him, and the pumpkin did very well...growing to 12 lbs...,and then we got the news that Dashiell and his family were moving to New York! Just before they left, we had a little pumpkin-harvesting ceremony, packed it up in a sturdy box, and sent it -and them- off with our love. Dashiell's Dad emailed to say they'd arrived just fine, and that the pumpkin had made its "New York debut". We already miss them so much; I miss the little "brrriing, brrriing" of his bike bell and him coming over to pick cherry tomatoes and help with the watering.

They were truly wonderful neighbors, and their dog, Gatsby, was our boys' best friend, so I know they are mourning a bit, too. Anyway, we wish them much happiness in their new home and share with you now these photos taken by Sara, Dashiell's Mom...enjoy!

That's it for now. As always, dear friends, thank you for your support...happy gardening, and Happy Halloween!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

Gatsby, Lalo, & Jake

TDN Newsletter: September 26th, 2011

2011-09-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

September 26th, 2011

Heirloom Expo Photo Album

& Fall Sale/Food Drive Reminder!

Dear Gardening Friends,

Happy Fall! The days are growing shorter and the nights cooler, and it's time to get planting! This season is rich with vibrant leafy greens, comforting root crops, the beautiful brassicas and tender peas...and what better time to start than now?

Save the Date!

Please plan to attend our

Annual Fall Kick-Off Sale & Food Drive

benefiting the Los Angeles Food Bank

Sunday, October 2nd!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FACEBOOK EVENT!

Our friends at the Food Bank document the unprecedented 73% increase in demand for food assistance since the start of the Great Recession in this recent Policy Brief. Have a look, and then join us on October 2nd and plant compassion in your Fall garden as well...

Click here to read the Los Angeles Food Bank's policy brief

On a personal note, just moments ago, literally, I heard from our products Sales Rep that he was laid off, as of this week. We're deeply saddened by this as he has become a trusted friend who helped us grow Two Dog from practically Day 1. Being an amazing worker, I trust he will find a job, but all over L.A. County thousands of families are really feeling the strain.

This will be our 10th Food Drive - let's make it a great one!

National Heirloom Expo!

What a fabulous event! We wanted to share with you Alex's photo album from the Heirloom Expo. We can't say enough about how great it was! Sort of a "Woodstock-meets-The 4-H Club" type of thing... 10,000 like-minded, forward-thinking folks who were similarly swept up in the information and optimism! Baker Creek just announced they are already planning the 2012 Heirloom Expo! Do put it on your calendar! It will fill you with joy and hope!

Click here for the full Photo Gallery!

Happy Planet 2...

Just yesterday we received this Trailer to the Happy Planet 2 documentary being produced by the LAPD Hollenbeck P.A.L.s (Police Action League)...you might remember this past June the Producer and Cameraman brought their "Good News Kids" here to the Home Nursery to learn about growing organic veggies, and the kids and I planted hot peppers together, which they got to take home... this is just a small bit of the very important message about childhood obesity they are working to get across.

Happy Planet 2 Trailer

Two Dog Planting Classes
& Other Community Gardening Opportunities

Our 4th Qtr. EarthBox Planting Classes began today; why not join us for one? Check out our "Current Veggies" and see the whole class schedule here:

Click Here to go to our Class Schedule for the 4th Qtr. 2011

Or, if in-ground growing is your goal, check out this list of "Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative" class series put on by Yvonne Savio and the amazing Master Gardeners of the University of California Cooperative Extension!

Click here to get more information the

GROW LA VICTORY GARDEN INITIATIVE

That's it for now. As always, thank you for your support, and we'll see you soon!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

Exhausted piglet friends at the Expo!!

TDN Newsletter: September 9th, 2011

2011-09-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

September 9th, 2011

Big Fall Announcements!!

Dear Gardening Friends,

A quick reminder before I go on...we will NOT be in the Farmers Markets this weekend; we'll be back next week as usual, after an exciting trip to Sonoma for the National Heirloom Expo. We're hoping to have some fun, learn lots, and find seeds for some amazing new varieties to share with you next Spring!

But here we are on the cusp of Fall, and we're excited to announce the complete Fall/Winter seedling line-up is now on our website!! Check out the "Current Veggies" page and start dreaming!! We're growing lots of new things this year based on our own curiosity and your requests. We'll be bringing nearly every variety with us to the Markets next weekend. Can't wait!

Planting Classes...

While you're on the website, please note that we've also posted the 4th Qtr. EarthBox Planting Class Schedule! What a great season for growing in the EarthBox! Snow Peas, Rainbow Chard, Arugula, Purple Peacock Broccoli, Cheddar Cauliflower, Dinosaur Kale! The first Class is scheduled for Sept. 26th, and there are 2 spaces left, so sign up now and don't miss out!Get your first round of Fall planted early and you'll have time for two harvests!

Products We Love...

As I mentioned earlier, we attended the giant Excel Garden Products Show in Las Vegas last week. We bought like crazy! Stocked up on our favorites and added some exciting new products as well, including Malibu Compost and their fantastic Biodynamic Compost Tea Bags...perfect for those of you who want the benefits but have no time or interest in worm bins and compost piles! Also, can't help but love their logo! Check out the "Products We Love" page to see our complete offerings. This was our second year to attend the Show, and it was so fun to see how "Two Dog" has become known! The folks at EarthBox know us, of course, from the fun little documentary they filmed about us, and we were delighted to hear that they are going to name us "Retailer of the Month" in one of their Fall Newsletters! Yay!! By the way, the documentary has been seen more than 1,300 times now; if you haven't seen it, check it out here:

Fall Sale & Food Drive...

AND, just in case all of the above isn't enough to get you going, we're also thrilled to announce our Fall Kick-Off Sale & Food Drive (benefiting the L.A. Food Bank) on Sunday, October 2nd here at our Home Nursery!!! These events are so fun, and they're a win-win all around!

Here's how it works: "Admission" to the Sale is mandatory donations of food or "personal needs" items - collection bins are set up out front - then you, dear gardeners, receive 10% off EVERYTHING - Certified Organic Seedlings, all Products, Trees, Blueberries, Books, etc., and then TwoDog donates 5% of the proceeds to the Food Bank as a cash donation! Check out the flyer for more details and start gathering those canned goods and making up your garden wish list! We hope to see you all here!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FACEBOOK EVENT!

Just a couple other notes: Not sure if I mentioned it here or just on facebook, but our "Gal Friday" Syd (I love to call her that because she works on Fridays), who puts these beautiful Newsletters together for us, has begun archiving past issues on our Two Dog Blog...you may want to grab a cup of tea and go back in time....

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE TWO DOG BLOG!

Summer Lessons for Gardeners...

Also, here are what I'm going to call "Summer Lessons"...just a few things we learned this past season...

1.) Tomatillos do not like much water once they begin setting their little "lanterns"...this was brought to our attention by several customers. Therefore we'll no longer recommend planting them in EarthBoxes where the water level is so constant....(but please do plant all other tomatoes in EarthBoxes because they rock!).

2.) Be sure to check your corn for maturity early.

As soon as the silks begin to brown, gently pull back the husks on one ear and see how it looks. If the kernels are formed nicely, and if a milky juice squirts out when punctured by a thumbnail, harvest them!! It's very easy to leave them too long and then they get all tough. You all know I've been learning "corn lessons" the hard way! Also, that tip I got from the Master Gardener Handbook about putting 20 drops of mineral oil on the silks to prevent hornworm invasions really works!

(CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE MASTER GARDENER HANDBOOK)

3.) We've learned (again, the hard way) that Bell Peppers do not like to share an EarthBox with anybody else! Not only were ours a disaster this year (shared with Trombetta Squash), but many other customers also had the same unfortunate results! Sincere apologies for having said "yes, you can mix them"!!! They (the Bell Pepper Divas) are spectacular in an EarthBox of their own, and that's what we'll return to next year.

4.) And finally, and this is kind of funny... when you harvest potatoes from a Smart Pot, be SURE to empty the whole thing! After saying our Winter potatoes were failures, I now have them coming up in the middle of tomatoes, strawberries and squash Smart Pots which I had replanted! They were just sleeping, I guess!! This happened to several of our customers, too! So, last week when Courtney and I emptied a Potato Smart Pot, which I thought was pretty well harvested, and we found around 20 more, including some nice big ones! They hide all around the bottom edges of the Smart Pot! Here's a photo of what I nearly missed!

Happy Gardening, and thanks, as always!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

TDN Newsletter: August 19th, 2011

2011-08-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

August 19th, 2011

The Thrill of Victory!!

Dear Gardening Friends,

We hope this finds you and your gardens well and happy! We're busy as always here and are excited to report some fun Garden Victories:

First, Corn ...

Jo Anne in her first organic garden in 1975

Many of you have heard me lament my failed attempts at growing good corn... My mother grew up on a corn farm in Indiana (hence our corn logo), and my great wish has been to have success in our own garden. Here's a photo of me in my first organic (in-ground) garden in 1975 - look at that sad corn I'm standing next to!! My grandmother (the farmer) visited me there and laughed out loud when she saw it, admonishing me to always plant in blocks of "10 x 10".

So, after two EarthBox corn failures, due to rats and insufficient sunlight, we've finally had success! This year, I planted 12 seedlings each of the Bon Jour and Silver Queen varieties in two EarthBoxes and put them right out on the front yard in full sun. So, it seems the "Fourth time's the charm"... they are so delicious (I was proud & happy to share some with my Mom!!), and my plan is to plant twice the amount next year!

The gardener's motto:

Never say die!

Karen, Matthew, Me, & The Boys, & The Corn!

Even the little ear has it's "arms" up in victory!!! :-)

Next, POTATOES...

After one successful round of Red Potatoes (harvested in January), followed by two totally failed crops, we've finally once again got it right! My conclusion is that the Winter and Very Early Spring plantings received too much rain and cold and perhaps just rotted. My plan is to continue trying to grow them year-round to see if that's the case. The two Smart Pots of potatoes which I planted with Fausto (when Alex's family was here in June) are really flourishing, so my theory could be correct...we'll see. But it really is fun to have potatoes again (and the neatest part is that we're harvesting the "offspring" of my first successful Reds!)

TOMATOES continue to be wonderful, and I planted the final 2 (for a total of 30) about 2 weeks ago...so many varieties to try! We love getting your "Garden Reports"! Please do let us know which varieties were your faves, because before you know it, I'll be compiling the 2012 Heirloom Tomato List! The Roof Top Trial Garden has been really bountiful this season...here's a photo of one recent 16 pound haul...

Nature is so abundant!

A closer look...

I'll post our favorites a little later, but an early contender for "best of the season" is the little cherry tomato called "Gajo de Melon"...oh my gosh, so fruity and sweet... I already ordered 6 packets of seed for next year!!

Speaking of the Roof Top Garden...

Our certifier, CCOF, recently ran this article in their quarterly magazine, Certified Organic, about our Cover Crop Experiment. We believe the cover crop was well worth the effort, and we plan to repeat it again this Winter. Please let us know if you would like to purchase Cool Season Cover Crop Seed (by the pound), and we'll include your order with our own.

Click here to read the article on Two Dog Nursery in CCOF's quarterly magazine "Certified Organic"

on page 10!

Green Beans...

...stole my heart again this year, and I just planted our final 2 EarthBoxes of them, for a total of 6!! We're now eating the ones Fausto and I planted, and he's very excited to receive photo updates on his Mom's facebook page! This doesn't count the EarthBox of Speckled Butter Beans I'm growing for my Mom. They have been really successful and prolific! Just yesterday I took her a 2 lb. harvest, and there's still lots more to go. Here's a nice photo of the harvest in one of my beloved Aunt Martha's gathering baskets.

Many thanks once again to Bobbi Jo Lathan for the seeds!

Click here to go to Bobbi Jo Lathan's Website!!

LAST CALL!!

With short "days to harvest", there's still time for Beans, Persian Cukes, and Summer Squash; we'll have limited amounts of these at the Markets for the next few weeks. I also just planted one more Persian and one final Zephyr Squash in our garden! It's hard to let go of Summer!

Also available once again are Sequoia Strawberries! These, too, are in very limited supply, so don't miss them if you're a strawberry fan!

And Lettuce, Lettuce, Lettuce! The warmer weather hasn't deterred us one bit, and we'll continue with at least the 8 varieties which have shown heat tolerance.

CURRENT TREES...

Include all the Semi-Dwarf Citrus: Blood Orange, Meyer Lemon, Lime, Rio Red Grapefruit, etc., Sub-Tropicals such as Pineapple Guava, Fig, and Pomegranates, Snow Queen Nectarines and as always, we continue with the fabulous Blueberries!

Planting Classes:

Our Special Parent/Kid Planting Classes were lots of fun, and we plan to offer them again next Summer!

We'll post our 4th Quarter Planting Class Schedule on the website soon, along with our entire Fall/Winter crop line up!

Looking Forward:

September is going to be very busy here as we ramp up for Cool Season Crops! We're going to a Garden Product Convention in Las Vegas for 2 days to do product & soil buying for next year, and we'll also be attending the National Heirloom Expo in Sonoma (which coincides with our 20th wedding anniversary...awww).

Click here to go to the website for the National Heirloom Expo!

We're very excited about the Expo as we will get to see, taste, and purchase seeds for all kinds of fantastic heirloom varieties for next Spring (while meeting the lovely seed producers I buy from), plus we'll see great documentaries, get to know all kinds of Heritage Livestock, and hear amazing speakers like Alice Waters, Amy Goldman, Gary Ibsen and Dr. Vandana Shiva! Promise to take lots of photos...

Our Fall/Winter seedlings (which I've just begun sowing) will begin appearing at the Market in mid-September, and will build to our biggest line up ever: Broccoli, Cabbages, Cauliflower, Peas, Spinach, Root Crops, Artichokes, Kale, Chard, Beets, etc.!! Along with most of last year's varieties, we're adding lots of yummy new ones such as Fava Beans, Cheddar Cauliflower, Celery, Celeriac, Kohlrabi, Turnips, Rutabagas, Shiso, and Wild Arugula.

We've also already ordered our Seed Organic Garlic (3 varieties this year), Shallots, and Onion & Leek Seedlings!! We've been really enjoying our garlic harvest and plan to grow a lot more next year! All of these, and the Root Crops, too, do so well in Smart Pots!!

SAVE THE DATE!!!!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2nd...

Stay tuned for more info on our upcoming FALL KICK OFF & FOOD DRIVE (benefiting the L.A. Food Bank)!!! Mark your calendars and start collecting canned goods! It's going to be great!!!

______________________________________________________________

That's it for now, except this one last item.... many thanks to our dear customer, Lisa Shelly who gave me this idea: You may remember my mentioning we're growing a Big Max Pumpkin for the 3 year old next door... Lisa told me how to ever-so-gently carve his name in it and watch it expand as it grows! He was with us when I did this, and he checks on it regularly!! He can't wait to have it for Halloween. It's something you can do on Winter Squashes, also!!

Thanks as always, and we'll see you soon!

Jo Anne, Alex, & The Boys (Jake & Lalo)

TDN Newsletter: July 28th, 2011

2011-07-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

July 8th, 2011

2nd Anniversary Newsletter

Dear Gardening Friends,

We hope you had a happy 4^th of July! The date also marked our Second Anniversary in the La Canada Farmers Market. We're so grateful to all our wonderful customers/friends in both Markets, who have really helped build our little business over the last 2 years. It's been (and always is) lots of fun!!

________________________________________________________________________

Here are some happy numbers to report at this anniversary:

*Total Two Dog sales have doubled over last year!!

*We're growing 54 varieties of Tomatoes (alone) this season.

*Our Constant Contact list has grown to 662 recipients of our monthly newsletter (in 15 months).

*Our facebook page has 234 "people who like us" (also in 15 months).

*Our website has had more than 7,000 "hits".

*Our EarthBox sales have exploded; we sold 198 in the first 6 months of 2011...Oh, I so remember selling the very first one!

*The EarthBox "mini documentary" has been seen on YouTube over 800 times in the last couple weeks...if you haven't seen it yet, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7CENg_YcmY

*We're now growing in 22 EarthBoxes in our own garden! (and at least a dozen Smart Pots...love them, too!).

So, thank you,

thank you

thank you!!

Summer Family Fun...

Also, our Classes continue to grow and broaden in their scope: The BIG NEWS of this issue is that we've scheduled 2 PARENT/KID EARTHBOX PLANTING CLASSES for this Summer! We've had children here many times, but just recently I planted an EarthBox with one of Alex's nephews (5 years old) who, with his family, is visiting us from Argentina for 3 weeks. He is such a natural gardener...focused, excited, careful...and I figured it was time to offer dedicated class dates where a parent can bring a child and share the experience. There's no extra cost, and I think they'll be lots of fun.

SCHOOL'S OUT!, So, please plan a "play date" with your little gardener, and join us on Monday July 11^th or Monday, August 15^th at noon.

Alex made cute wooden stools for a children's birthday party planting class we held last year, so everyone will be able to reach the EarthBox and participate. And of course, refreshments will be served!

To see the whole Planting Class Schedule Click Here

Summer Abundance...

So, here we are in the full blast of Summer, and our garden is going wild. We're regularly harvesting a myriad of green beans, cucumbers, lettuces (more about that in a minute), cherry tomatoes (with the big ones coming on strong), radishes, squash galore (the Trombettas are a marvel!), and the corn is now taller than both of us! And, with the way the Nursery has expanded to all reaches of the back yard and driveway, this means the garden is mostly right out front! Fortunately our neighbors love it, and we share the bounty with them regularly. Several of them are EarthBox gardeners themselves.

I've spoken with many of you about planting Lettuce late into the Spring/Summer season...normally I don't grow it at this time of the year, but I've been experimenting with "heat tolerant" varieties and have had really good success. We're still growing seedlings for sale at the Markets; I'd love to hear how you are doing with it. Ours is mostly in the sun, with perhaps a little afternoon shade. We've had luck so far with Black Seeded Simpson, Red Lettuce Bowl (which at first was in the shade and attracted Powdery Mildew...once moved, the new growth recovered), Lolla Rossa, and especially Jericho Romaine. Please give me your "Lettuce Report" at the Market or by email (twodognursery@gmail.com) I'd really appreciate your input!

And of course, we also want to hear all about Your Favorite Tomatoes! Our "Roof Top Trial Garden" is doing well, I'm happy to report. You may remember, we grew a Cool-Season Cover Crop in the same containers last winter to try to refurbish the soil (rather than replace it all); we think we should have used a little extra fertilizer at the planting out stage, but since feeding them 2 weeks ago, they've really sprung into action. We took Alex's family up to the roof this week to have a look and enjoy the view, and the plants are loaded with tomatoes. We're growing all our "New for 2011" varieties up there so we can see if they're worthy of next year's Big List...it's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it!

Garlic Harvest...

With the same little nephew, Fausto, I harvested our GARLIC from last Fall, and oh, my gosh, what a beautiful crop! Big, fragrant bulbs...both the California Early White (softneck) and Music (hardneck) varieties were successful. Here they are "curing" in the garage; it smells wonderful when I go in there to plant seeds! They'll be ready to clean and trim in about 2 more weeks. When you harvest yours, DON"T wash them off!! Just hang them someplace with good circulation for 3-4 weeks, and then clean them up.

After the garlic harvest, Fausto and I planted 2 more Smart Pots of Organic Potatoes - Banana Fingerlings (which he called "Deditos"..."little fingers" in Spanish) and Yukon Gold. They appeared within 6 days (!!!) and are growing really well. So, after 6 attempts, here's my conclusion on growing potatoes: even though we think of them as "cool-season", I seem to be having better luck with the warmer weather plantings.

Many of our clients (and us, too) had "blight-y" type conditions on their cool-season potato crops, where the vines shriveled up and no potatoes ever formed. Yet my Early Fall and now Late Spring crops seem to be free of that problem. Maybe it was all the rain we had.... But "Never say die" is the Gardener's Motto, no?? It's fun to just keep experimenting, and when you get a successful potato harvest, be sure to save some small ones for the next round. They'll need to pass through a period of "chitting" before their eyes begin to sprout again, but it's worth the wait if you've had good luck before. We still have Organic Seed Potatoes if you want to give it another go.

That's it for now...be well, and as always, happy harvests!!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo (& Fausto :-) )

TDN Newsletter: Father's Day 2011

2011-06-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hi again, Two Dog friends!

Just a quick note to say Happy Father's Day to our Gardening Dads!

What a great example you are to your kids - being out there growing food! It's a gift to them, which will last a lifetime...

___________________________________________________________________

Happy Summer!!

Seems like it will finally warm up for good, and our gardens will flourish. Don't forget to succession plant!

And we're always interested in your comments and photos; please feel free to post to our Facebook page, or simply email us.

CLICK THE ICON ABOVE TO GO TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

___________________________________________________________________

Cameras Rolling...

I also wanted to let you know the little film EarthBox produced about Two Dog Nursery is now up on YouTube. Some of you are in it!! And what's fun (and rewarding) is that 2 of the women in the video were, at that time, purchasing their very first EarthBoxes, and now both of them have at least 6! They are kind of addicting!

Two Dog Organic Nursery Mini-Doc for EarthBox

We think the video is fun, and are oh-so-grateful for the free publicity! Many thanks to Brian Lynch for such a nice editing job! It was a pleasure working with you. You can view it here, and then, if you haven't already, please come for a Class!

Click here to see our Class Schedule!

___________________________________________________________________

Plant Smart!!!

Of course, in addition to our beloved EarthBoxes, we still carry our other favorite container: the Smart Pot! So excellent for Potatoes, Carrots, Garlic, Radishes, Beets, and Summer Squash! We always have them at the Markets and here at the Home Nursery.

___________________________________________________________________

That's it for now. Thanks, as always, for your business and friendship.

See you soon,

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

TDN Newsletter: June 3rd, 2011

2011-06-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

June 3rd, 2011

Dear Gardening Friends,

Hard to believe it's June already! We've been selling Spring/Summer seedlings since Mid-March, and now's the perfect time to think about "Succession Planting"...get your next round of cukes, beans, squash and even tomatoes going now for an extended harvest--And don't forget Winter Squash & Pumpkins! Plant them now for Halloween Jack-o-lanterns and abundant Fall yumminess! Last year, our Butternuts were fantastic.

Grow LOTS as they keep for months ("overwinter")

...hence the name "winter squash"!

________________________________________________________________________

VERY BERRY NEWS

In addition to the always-fabulous Blueberries and Strawberries, we're happy to announce we're now offering RASPBERRIES & BLACKBERRIES! We've got 2 varieties each: Heritage & Willamette Raspberries and Marion & Triple Crown Blackberries.Sun-loving, easy to grow, loaded with nutrients, beautiful...why not??

GOING "SOUTHERN":

Funny how things happen...while serving Jury Duty last year, a fellow-juror, Southern Cooking author & expert, Bobbi Jo Lathan, introduced herself and subsequently sent us a bunch of Speckled Butter Beans (a Lima-type) and Mississippi Cream Peas (similar to a Black-Eyed Pea) which she grew up on and LOVES. With the weather finally getting steady we began sowing the seeds, and the response from customers was immediate! Who knew? Then one woman who bought some asked if we ever grew OKRA...actually, no, but she offered to buy an entire flat, so off I went buying seeds for Burgundy Okra. We'll grow more than just her flat, so it will also be available soon! Ya'll don't miss out!

FUN GOINGS-ON:

Recently I had an opportunity to join our friend (and newly-certified Master Gardener!), Myrna Gintel at the Frances Blend School where she volunteers 2 mornings per week teaching gardening. The young students at the Blend School are all blind or visually impaired, and many have secondary handicaps as well, but that doesn't stop Myrna from getting them out into the garden!

I brought plants from the Nursery which I thought would be interesting for their colors, shapes and sizes: Scarlet Runner Beans, Trombetta Squash and Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes. It was a moving experience to work with these amazing kids, digging, planting and watering, and I hope to return again as time allows. Many thanks and big kudos to you, Myrna!! P.S. Myrna is the civic-minded gal who invited us to participate in the Hancock Park Garden Tour where I got to be the guest speaker at Mayor Villaraigosa's home...she reported the other day that that event raised an outstanding $33,000 for the "greening" of John Burrough's Middle School!! Go Myrna!!

Another really fun "kid" opportunity came up this past week, too. We had an email from the Hollenbeck PALS about a follow-up documentary they are producing with their "Good News Kids" on the topic of obesity, diabetes, fitness, diet and organics.

The PALS is an LAPD youth program in East L.A. which reaches around 1,000 kids annually. Last year they produced a documentary on the Environment with Ed Begley, Jr. I got to receive the Director, Cameraman and 3 "Good News Kids" (junior high aged) here, where we toured the Two Dog Nursery, ate fresh blueberries and strawberries from the bushes, harvested carrots and ate them after a quick wash in the hose, and then planted organic hot chili peppers, which the kids got to take home. It was a first-time experience for the kids, and we really had fun! They learned about planting, worm castings, growing "edibles" in containers (including cast-off nursery pots), and the importance of organics. The film, which is a fund raiser for the Hollenbeck PALS, will debut in December, but we'll be able to see (and post) a trailer sometime in July! After a quick harvest of our 30-year-old Meyer Lemon tree, the kids left promising to keep me posted on their pepper progress; hopefully we'll have photos to share!

SPEAKING OF FILMING...

Some of you may have noticed a Cameraman filing us at the Markets recently...that's Brian from Sore Thumb Films who makes mini-documentaries for EarthBox. He's been following our efforts at growing, teaching and selling EarthBoxes at the Markets and at the Nursery. I guess they like our enthusiasm and hope to use the video as a training tool for other EarthBox Dealers. That's nice... Brian is editing now, and we should be able to post his work soon!

FINAL GARDEN NOTES:

Speaking of EarthBoxes, we've got most of our own 18 planted for the season. I just got the corn planted, and I'm on the 3^rd round of green beans, but I've found that Summer Squash do better in the Smart Pot...not sure why, but between the 2 growing containers, nothing is impossible!

Also great in the Smart Pots: Beets & Potatoes, and we're coming up on "Last Call" for both of these. We'll have them for another month, and then that's it until later in the year. A helpful tool (which I follow faithfully) is the Burpee Planting Chart for California. We usually have copies of it at the Market, but you can access it here, too. It really helps with planning the garden!

________________________________________________________________________

The Next Planting Class...

...is scheduled for Monday, June 13^th. After that, Alex's family is visiting us from Argentina for 3 weeks, so our schedule may change. Be sure to email if you'd like to sign up, or if there's something you're looking for.

See the whole Class Schedule here

________________________________________________________________________

That's it for now...thanks for making this our best Spring season ever!! Happy gardening, and see you soon,

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

TDN Newsletter: April 29th, 2011

2011-04-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

April 29th, 2011

Dear Gardening Friends,

I see that it has been 3 months since I wrote a Newsletter that wasn't specifically about an upcoming fund-raising Event...so time to re-cap the results! With deep gratitude to our amazing customers who attended our Nursery Sales, we're happy to announce the final tallies:

The two Sales/Food Drives combined yielded $700 in monetary donations and more than 600 lbs. of food donations for the L.A. Regional Food Bank! They sent very nice "Thank You" letters after each event. We plan to continue with 2 of these efforts each year, and I'm certain we'll only increase our collections!

The Sale/Fund Raiser to assist the Red Cross Disaster Relief efforts in Japan collected a total of $1,025 in monetary donations! We're proud of the results, and the format seems to work: we offer nursery-wide discounts to get folks here, customers make a donation to participate, and then we donate a percentage of the total day's sales. Everyone seemed to have a great time, and we'll definitely do it again!

The Annual Windsor Square-Hancock Park

Garden Tour 2011

The Getty House

We were also happy to participate in the Annual Windsor Square-Hancock Park Garden Tour, this year benefiting the "greening" of John Burroughs Middle School. We had a whole Market-like set up and sales were amazing! The Getty House (official residence of Mayor Villaraigosa) was the start- and end-stop of the Tour, and late in the afternoon I gave a talk on Organic Container Gardening. It was a great day and we donated 10% of our total Sales to the great work of the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society.

Click here to see the Garden Tour pictures!

Tomatoes!!

Black Krim Tomatoes

Tomatoes still rule the Farmers Market sales, and we're sowing new rounds regularly. Our Heirloom Season Kick-Off Sale (also a Food Drive) was mobbed the entire day with happy gardeners anxious to get their tomatoes going.

You can see all the varieties here

Rooftop Tomato Garden Updates:

The Cover Crop Experiment we planted last Fall was a fantastic experience! We harvested it, chopped the most tender parts and turned them under...

Cover Crop Experiment Harvest

To See the Cover Crop Experiment Harvest
Click Here!

We waited 3 weeks, and planted the 2011 Tomato Trial varieties (all the 17 new ones and 3 old faves).

2011 Roof Top Tomato Garden

To See Rooftop Tomato Pictures Click Here!

The soil looked beautiful, and everything was totally broken down. We added worm castings and a little more compost to make up for the settling, and they're on their way! Looking forward to lots of Alex's amazing Caprese!

Alex's World Famous Caprese Salad

Corn, Melons, Spaghetti Squash & Scarlet Runners!

Newest varieties coming to the markets are 2 types of sweet Corn, 5 varieties of Melon including the highly regarded Charantais, 3 more varieties of Green Beans including the amazing Scarlet Runners, and Spaghetti Squash (for a total of 5 varieties of Winter Squash.) We still have Organic Seed Potatoes and Leek Seedlings, too!

Late Spring Lettuces!

This year we're growing Lettuces a little longer than usual; we're growing Summer Bibb, Jericho Romaine and other varieties that are reputed to resist bolting and hold longer in the warmer months.

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Planting Classes:

EarthBox Planting Classes are in full swing! Join us Monday, May 2^nd or May 16^th at noon to get your container garden going!

See the whole Class Schedule here

________________________________________________________________________

That's it for now. We'll see you at the Markets and thanks, as always!!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

TDN Newsletter: Fundraiser Announcement

2011-04-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Help us raise desperately need funds for Japan!

Spring Nursery Sale

benefiting The Red Cross

Sunday, April 10^th from 10:00am ~ 3:00pm

At the Two Dog Home Nursery:

914 S. Cloverdale Avenue ~ Los Angeles 90036

10% Off All Certified Organic Nursery Plants, Blueberries, Fruit Trees and Gardening Products!

ADMISSION is a mandatory monetary donation payable to The Red Cross.
Please dig deep and give generously!

5% of all sales will be donated by Two Dog to

The Red Cross

Your gift to the American Red Cross will support our disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throughout the Pacific. The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org

See Tomato Varieties at
www.twodognursery.com

Street Parking Available. Questions?

Call Jo Anne 323-422-3835

Please Note: Discounts given only this day, this location!

TDN Newsletter: March 11, 2011

2011-03-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

Help Us Kick Off the Season at our

Spring Nursery Sale & Food Drive

benefiting the L.A. Regional Food Bank!!!

Sunday, March 13^th from 10:00am ~ 3:00pm

At the Two Dog Home Nursery:

914 S. Cloverdale Avenue ~ Los Angeles 90036

10% Off All Certified Organic Nursery Plants, Blueberries, Fruit Trees and Gardening Products!

"ADMISSION" is a mandatory Donation of Food or

"Personal Needs Items" ~Bins will be out front ~

~Checks to Food Bank also welcome ~

Please give as much as you can ~ the need is great!

5% of all sales will be donated by Two Dog to the L.A. Food Bank

Donations to the L.A. Food Bank can include "Personal Needs" items like Shampoo, Toothpaste & brushes, Diapers, Baby Formula & Food items such as:

-Canned Fruit

-Canned Vegetables

-Dry Beans & Pasta

-Peanut Butter or other Nut Butters

-Sardines

-Canned Soups

-Canned Meats

See Tomato Varieties at
www.twodognursery.com

Street Parking Available. Questions?

Call Jo Anne 323-422-3835

Please Note: Discounts given only this day, this location!

TDN Newsletter: January 28th, 2011

2011-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

January 28th, 2011

Dear Gardening Friends,

We hope this Newsletter finds you well and happy and eating bountifully from your garden! We've recently planted our 2nd rounds of Kales and Broccoli, and our 5^th EarthBox of Lettuces. We're also on our 3^rd Smart Pot of Potatoes, and I've lost track of which number Carrots/Beets/Radish Smart Pot were on. One of the greatest things about growing your own, is that there's no need to harvest everything at once...even with the root crops...things "keep on the vine" and therefore, we can just harvest what we're about to it eat, at it's very freshest, most nutritious moment! There's still time for cool-season crops, no matter what the weather is telling us! You know there'll be that cold snap....so don't miss out on Spinach or Snow Peas or Chard.

Over the Holidays we replaced the 60' fence on our Home Nursery driveway, making much-needed room for Tomatoes, and we watched in awe as our Cover Crop Experiment took off...we've been posting photos on facebook. Have a look. It's a fabulous way to rebuild your soil!! Oh-so-beautiful to look at too! Next Fall we'll sell Cover Crop Seed by the pound.

Tomato Update

We'll debut this year's Tomato line-up on

Saturday, March 12^th at the La Canada Market!

January has been an incredibly busy month, and the slow build to the Spring Tidal Wave has already begun! Hard to believe, but this Sunday after the Market, we will begin sowing Heirloom Tomato seeds! This year, Two Dog will offer 54 Certified Organic varieties...17 of them new for 2011. As of last night, the Big Tomato Page on our website is completely up to date. Please have a look and start dreamin': http://twodognursery.com/tomatos.html

Save the Date: Spring Sale & Food Drive!

On Sunday, March 13^th, we will kick off the season here
at the Home Nursery with a Spring Sale & Food Drive, again benefiting the extraordinary work of the L.A. Regional Food Bank. Everything, including tomatoes and products, will be on sale from 10:am until 3:pm.

Two Dog will again give an additional 5% of the day's sales total to the Food Bank. We're going to get a lot of promotional assistance for this Sale, so please plan to come early! The Larchmont Chronicle just interviewed us for their March issue...just in time to promote the event. "Admission" to the Sale is a mandatory donation of canned or packaged food items, or a monetary donation. The Food Bank needs help now more than ever as 1 in 6 fellow Angelenos struggle with food security issues. Let's make it a great success! More details to follow.

New Classes Added:

On March 21st and 28th we'll be holding EarthBox Planting Classes dedicated to the "Planting and Caring for your Heirloom Tomatoes". Class price includes your choice of 2 organic Tomatoes. Class size is limited to 8 people, so reserve your spot early...these could fill up fast. Check out the whole Schedule here:

http://twodognursery.com/planting-class.html

We're also contemplating holding a Workshop on Vermicomposting... please let us know if you're interested. One of our vendors is highly knowledgeable in vermicomposting and custom brewing worm teas for optimum plant and soil health. We would also have worm bins and other necessities for sale at the Class. Speak to us at the Markets, call 323-422-3835, or email us at twodognursery@gmail.com if you would like to participate. Thanks!

Strawberries, Citrus & New Products:

We've had Strawberries for 2 weeks now, and they've been selling fast! At last Monday's Class, half the folks planted them in EarthBoxes, and bought the Iron Stands to put them up on.

We've just placed orders for more of both Strawberries and EarthBox Stands. Here's a photo of how ours look:

The Semi-Dwarf Citrus Trees continue to sell very well; we've just added these varieties: Moro Blood Orange and Bearss Lime. If there's a particular variety you want, please just ask.

Bearss Lime

Moro Blood Oranges

Meyer Lemon

We finally received our 1.5 cu.ft. bags of Azalea Mix! We now offer all three planting media (the Mix, Coco Peat & Small Bark) needed for deliriously happy Blueberries!

Speaking of Blueberries, we have around 30 plants left; when these are gone, we won't be able to purchase more until May/June, so if you're so inclined, please don't hesitate.

_________________________________________________________________________

New Veggies in February:

In February we'll be selling certified organic seedlings for Cipollini Onions, Walla Walla Onions and Lancelot Leeks. We will also have another round of certified organic Seed Potatoes: La Ratte & Russian Banana Fingerlings and a beautiful purple outside/white inside variety called Caribe. Can't wait!! Oh my gosh, homegrown potatoes simply melt in the mouth!

We've also got Green Globe Artichoke seedlings popping up, as well at Utah Tall Celery (homegrown celery is a revelation!), and the Mexican herb, Epazote.

________________________________________________________________________

That's it for the moment...more next month on some really fun upcoming Spring events! Take care and we'll see you soon!

Happy Harvests!

Jo Anne, Alex, Jake & Lalo

TDN Newsletter: 2010 Holiday Review

2010-12-31T15:23:00.000-08:00

December 17, 2010

Holiday Greetings, Fellow Gardeners!

It's hard to believe this is our final dispatch of the year - yet, here we are, staring at the New Year, incredulous that 2010 is rapidly coming to a close...

It's been an amazing year filled with wonderful people, great press, and participation in special events such as the Pasadena Showcase House, the Hydroponics Conventions, "HomeGrown Culver City", The Beverly Hills High School Garden, and of course, our beloved Farmers Markets and Planting Classes.

A definite 2010 highlight was achieving our CCOF Organic Certification in August! After researching, it seems we are the ONLY Certified Organic All-Edible Nursery in the Los Angeles area. It does require effort and discipline, but we're proud that our customers can trust what we sell.

1st ANNUAL NURSERY SALE & HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVE

Another important event for us was the 1st Annual Nursery Sale & Holiday Food Drivewhich we held last Sunday. We had a great time! The turn-out and sales were very good, and we collected 150 lbs. of food donations and two hundred dollars for the L.A. Regional Food Bank, which has seen a 62% increase in demand since the beginning of the Great Recession. We look forward to building on these totals at future events!

_________________________________________________________________________

Whew!! This year we offered more than 125 varieties of Organic Seasonal Vegetables, 30 or so Culinary Herbs, more than a dozen Edible Flowers, and 52 varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes! We also sold a ton of Blueberries, Strawberries, and Deciduous & Sub-Tropical Fruit Trees...and the recent addition of Semi-Dwarf Citrus and "Little Cado" Dwarf Avocado Trees proved to be a good idea, indeed!

LOOKING AHEAD:

And while we're still in the midst of cool-season crops, our wheels are turning for Spring's New Offerings. There will be 16 new Heirloom Tomatoes replacing 16 which will bow out for the season. We'll have the big Tomato Page on our website completely updated in January. We already have one Tomato order from a customer in upstate New York! We can't even ship her until early May because of her climate, but she wanted to get her order in, just the same! Love the enthusiasm!

For those of you whom we met at Showcase House, we're sorry to report that we are not planning to return in 2011. It was a very difficult decision, but it is such a tremendous commitment - one which we don't think we can manage again as we are so much busier now than a year ago. We do hope to participate in other Garden Tour events, though, and will keep you posted as things develop.

We're also working on plans to hold an Heirloom Tomato Sale & Food Drive here at the Nursery in early Spring, once again benefiting the L.A. Food Bank. Watch for a date announcement soon!

_________________________________________________________________________

HOLIDAY MARKET SCHEDULE:

Saturday, Dec. 18^th - La Canada Flintridge Farmers Market

Sunday, Dec. 19^th - Westlake Village Farmers Market

Christmas Day - Market is closed...Merry Christmas!

Sunday, Dec. 25^th - TBD

Saturday, NEW YEAR'S DAY - La Canada Flintridge Farmers Market

Sunday, Jan. 2^nd - Westlake Village Farmers Market

Also, we'll be in town in case you need anything...just call 323-422-3835!

_________________________________________________________________________

NEW PLANTING CLASS SCHEDULE POSTED!

The January thru March Planting Class Schedule is now up on the website! We've reached the 1-year anniversary of teaching these Classes, and we still love them. Please join us for one soon...and don't forget, they are a great -and green- way to celebrate a Birthday, Bridal or other special event party! Feel free to contact us with your ideas.

That's it for now - except to sincerely wish you all a lovely Holiday Season and a Happy, Healthy New Year...filled with love, joy, and great organic harvests! We thank you from our hearts for all the support, fun, and learning you've brought our way this year, and look forward to even more of the same in 2011!!

See you soon,

Jo Anne, Alex and the "Two Dogs", Jake & Lalo Trigo

TDN Newsletter: October 29th, 2010

2010-10-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

October 29th, 2010

*IMPORTANT MARKET SCHEDULE CHANGES*

Dear Friends:

First off, news about our Market Schedule:

We are sorry to tell you that we will no longer be in the Larchmont Village Farmers Market. We will instead be in the Market in Westlake Village on Sundays. We've tried for more than a year to obtain 2 tent spaces in Larchmont, but it has never been available, so our set up is always crowded and not very user-friendly.

For those of you who have bought from us at Larchmont, don't worry: we live very near by, and will be able to see you by appointment here at the Home Nursery. Many of you have already been here before for Classes or to pick up something we may have run out of at the Market. We're sad about the move, but it's time.

We will continue in our Saturday Farmers Market in La Canada Flintridge as usual.

We are planning a "pre-sale" of Heirloom Tomatoes in mid-March, so please watch the Newsletters for information about that.

We've posted photos from the new Beverly Hills High School Garden
(along with an article in the Beverly Hills Weekly paper) and photos from the HomeGrown Culver City (which was a HUGE success) event on our Facebook page...you can see them here:

Beverly Hills High School Garden Facebook Photo Album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=253776&id=210983548488&ref=mf

HomeGrown Culver City Facebook Photo Album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=254817&id=210983548488&l=ae7357b507

That's it for now. Have a fun Halloween, and we'll see you soon!

Jo Anne & Alex

P.S.

We still have a few spots open for Monday's EarthBox Class! Join the fun!

TDN Newsletter: October 22nd, 2010

2010-10-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

October 22, 2010

Dear Gardening Friends,

We have been in a whirlwind here at Two Dog... first and foremost, we wanted to let you know that our weekend schedule has changed (for just this one weekend)...

ON SATURDAY, we will participate in the first annual Home Grown Culver City event from 9am until 5pm. It's a great family-friendly opportunity to learn about gardening, worm composting, backyard chickens, bee-keeping, canning & preserving and more! The best part is that proceeds go to Beyond Shelter who, since 1988, has been helping homeless families with children get into permanent housing and employment. Join us if you can; workshops will be held throughout the day, and the event is FREE!

ON SUNDAY, the Larchmont Farmers Market is canceled due to the annual Larchmont Village Street Festival. We will therefore participate in the Westlake Village Farmers Market where we'll be demonstrating proper planting of the EarthBox. If you're out that way, please stop by! CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS

The Los Angeles Times is doing a story about Two Dog Organic Nursery!! Between their reporter and their incredibly hard-working photographer, they spent more than 4 hours here this week! The article will appear in the Home Section of the paper, as well as on their website! Needless to say, we're very excited (and grateful!) There will probably even be photos of Jake & Lalo!!

The piece should appear NEXT WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27th. Yay!!!!!!

Beverly Hills High School just awarded Two Dog a large order to kick off their brand new school garden! Many thanks to our Larchmont customer and English Teacher, Julie Goler, who paired us up with their charismatic Chef, Darrel A. Smith, whose Culinary Arts students will manage the garden. We'll deliver the 6 flats of veggie and herb plants next Monday and provide a quick planting lesson...photos to follow!

On Oct. 13^th, we were happy to host the lovely ladies from the Little Gardening Club of Pasadena for a Nursery Tour. Toni McCreary met us at the Showcase House and booked the date for Fall. We had a great time, and some of them signed up for an EarthBox Planting Class on Nov. 1st. If you have a group that you think would enjoy a Nursery outing, please contact Jo Anne at 323-422-3835.

Lastly, the Hydroponics Convention, GROW 2010, turned out great! Our plants were a hit, and we were invited to also do plants for the Maximum Yield Hydroponics Show in Long Beach 2 weeks later! We're hoping to supply display plants for many more vendors in next year's shows. Here are a few photos our our peppers and lettuces in the big hydroponic systems. Amazing technology!

The Planting Class Schedule is up to date...come join us, and expand your gardening horizons! Fall Veggies are going strong so don't delay on that cool-season garden. We'll miss you this weekend, but we'll see you soon!

Happy Gardening!

Jo Anne & Alex

323-422-3835