Edible Garden with Lauri Kranz

 

My vegetable garden was not in good shape. I had neglected it for a bit too long and the idea of replanting everything was so daunting, until Lauri Kranz from Edible Gardens LA came to my rescue. Lauri brought wonderful choices both in seeds and plantings, reorganized my planter boxes, fed my soil and helped restore my garden. She is so knowledgeable on all things related to plants and she loves to sprinkle in wild flower seeds in the beds to attract the bees. Lauri truly is a plant fairy! We planted cucumbers, shelling beans, okra, tomatoes, various basil varieties, herbs, peppers, lettuce, and more. . .

1. How did you move towards edible gardens? I gardened as a child with my father.  When my oldest son started school, I needed to volunteer for an activity at his school and I chose gardening.  I loved being in the soil, in the garden and with the children.  From there, I took classes at farms, spent a lot of time in libraries and began a garden of my own.

2) What are some of the best things to plant right now?
Summer in Southern California means eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, melons, corn, cucumbers, okra, squash and beans.  Leafy greens are best grown here in the fall and winter when the days are not so hot.

3) Are you a mermaid or forest fairy? i suspect flower fairy?
My friend Anne calls me a garden fairy.

4) Are you concerned about the elimination of organic seeds?
I worry about the contamination of organic farms through pollen drift.  Farmers who have committed themselves to raising organic produce and non-genetically modified crops are finding that the winds are contaminating their fields with transgenic seed from neighboring farms.

5) What book is on your night stand?
The Table Comes First by Adam Gopnik

6) Where is your favorite meal?
At Suzanne Goin and David Lentz’s house.