Lavender (Preferably French):

I would like to grow lavender because I have always wanted to grow lavender at my house because it is one of my favorite scents and so I think that it would be a great addition to the HTHMA garden because it would add to the already overall pleasant environment with not only its nice smell, but its purple beauty as well.

- A flower

- Blooms year-round

- Can plant during any season

- Needs great drainage and a lot of sun

- DO NOT OVER WATER

- Harvesting season is during summer

- The amount you should water it is dependant off of the type of soil it is planted in

o 3 times more water if planted in Sandy than if planted in clay plant on raised mounds “of amended soil to assure sharp drainage”

- Little fertilizing is important because they are used to living in harsh environments

- Use “slow-release 14-14-14 granulated plant food” when starting out, but after that, only feed when they show signs of poor growth or yellowing

- Do not crowd lavenders because air to all sides helps prevent fungus problems

- Harvest when flowers are barely opening

- Shear whole plant back by one-third to one-half its size when its past its peak flowering

- Companion plants: any other heat tolerant plants that can the handle their “Mediterranean” style of care

Fun Fact: Lavender has a long history of healing and is used in medicine. (Stress reliever, pain killer, etc.)

Carrots (Preferably Purple Haze):

I would like to grow carrots because I found this interesting growing technique that I would really love to test and try out to see if it truly does have better results as it claims and it also involves creating a different form of irrigation that I think could be interesting to use. Not only am I curious to try this alternative planting style, but carrots are also my favorite vegetable to eat and I eat a lot of them so organically "home-grown" carrots are said to be even more sweet and tasty than the ones you would buy at a large chain grocery store.

- Plant Carrots in August in San Diego

- Best results if you grow carrots in a wine barrel

- Barrel should have four one-inch drainage holes drilled in the bottom

- At least 6 hours of sunlight each day, but the more the better

- Place four bricks under the barrel for drainage

- Can use commercial potting soil

- Use time-released fertilizer

- Make sure that the fertilizer is moist

- Seedlings should be planted about an inch to 1 ½ inches apart

- Water every two or three days

- Never let soil be dry

- Carrots store well if left in ground

- Harvest when needed

- Companion plants: alliums, rosemary, wormwood, sage, beans, flax

Fun Fact: Carrots were first grown as a medicine not a food and were the first vegetable to be canned commercially.

Tomatoes (Preferably Sungold):

I would like to grow tomatoes mainly because they have recently become one of my favorite foods when I made it my new years resolution to eat more tomatoes because of their amazing health benefits. My newly-sparked interest in tomatoes makes me also curious about how to grow them on my own and if I were to grow tomatoes as my crop I and succeed, I would like to start growing them at home too.

- At least 7 hours of sun daily

- If soil is alkaline, pre-moistened peat moss is useful

- Add a time-release vegetable fertilizer

- At first, light watering once a day

- Use Bt to keep away tomato worms

- Companion plants: carrots, basil, chives, onions, garlic, borage, asparagus, marigold, and more

Fun Fact: Tomato leaves are actually toxic and their name comes from the Aztec “xitomatl,” which means “plump thing with a navel”.