Rainy Day with Sparrows & Monarchs

Rainy Day with Sparrows & Monarchs completes Season 2 of Late Bloomer, my urban garden web show chronicling my growth as a food gardener. I started from scratch two years ago!

Kaye Kittrell in the Late Bloomer Garden, next morning

With original music by Jon Pileggi, a quick tour of the late December garden during a rare rain shower reveals a large selection of cool season vegetables, albeit a little behind in development. I started late, which is the result of using all available growing area in my yard, over and over from season to season. It takes a lot of planning to have the next season seedlings ready to plant when you pull out the last of the last season. I still have a lot to learn! Growing food is the education of a lifetime!

Kaye inspects potted cabbage plants for cabbageworm

And we find some garden friends, a family of sparrows and a few of my 27 Monarch caterpillars.

Monarch Caterpillar, 5th Instar, on Milkweed Leaf

White-crowned Sparrows Feeding & Singing

2013 was the driest year on record for Los Angeles, so the biggest takeaway from the episode is to appreciate your rainwater and conserve it if you are in dry areas. I will be getting a rain barrel in January, so my capture method will surely improve.

2013 Driest Year on Record in Los Angeles

Come back for Season 3, when we will cover parkway gardening in Los Angeles, take a trip up to Stanford University to discover the connections between student dining, the on-campus farm and the sustainable agriculture program, and much more.

Season 3 can only happen with your support, so please share with friends and help me to grow “Late Bloomer!”

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. Join the “Late Bloomer” family and sign up in the box, right, for updates on episodes and gardening articles. Download my FREE ebook, and please let me know if it is helpful. Connect with Late Bloomer Show on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.  I hope you enjoyed Season 2. Your comments are welcome and so is your support! Happy New Year! – Kaye

PS – I am now using voile fabric (from the fabric store) instead of garden row cover cloth to protect against flying pests laying eggs on my brassicas. Not being able to see through the fabric was frustrating, and the voile I can stay on top of watering needs and problems arising. It costs more, but, it’s worth it. It comes in a variety of colors and I chose red for the holidays!

Red voile to protect brassicas against flying pests laying eggs

Tags: curbside gardening, DIY, do-it-yourself, farming on small scale, gardening, gardening in the rain, gardening web series, green your world, growing your own vegetables, Kaye Kittrell, Kaye Kittrell Late Bloomer, Late Bloomer, Late Bloomer Episodes, organic, peas, rainwater, rainy day, urban gardening, vegetables, web series

Category: Cool Season, Late Bloomer Episodes