2008 - Page 6 of 15

White Fly Terror

Another great question came through Ask Gardenerd this week:

"We have white flies on our hibiscus trees, and I was wondering if there is a pesticide free way to get rid of them. The infestation is on one tree, and I don't want it to spread to the other trees or anything else in our garden. We have dogs, and I don't want to use malathion or diazinone. What would be safe to use?Thanks!"

In many cases, your hose is your best friend. If you have a hose nozzle set on my favorite setting: Kill (read: Jet or Full), you ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 22, 2008
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments

Peach Tree Blues – EM Answers

We got a question in this week from a gardener:

"I have a 2 year old white peach tree, and it has peach leaf curl. Is there any natural way to control this? I've looked in books and on line and I've not found any other way to control it than the chemicals..."

It just so happens that I recently met someone who had a similar problem here in Venice, CA. What they used to improve the tree's situation without chemicals is something you may have not heard of before. I'm just starting to really learn more about it, so ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 22, 2008
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:3 Comments

Enjoying the Bounty

It's not the worst problem in the world to have mounds of tomatoes on hand and no idea what to do with them. Here's a quick and easy recipe for broiled tomatoes that will leave your mouth doing the happy food dance.

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 16, 2008
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

What? No Zucchini!

A gardener recently wrote in:

Dear Gardenerd,

My zucchini was extremely prolific until a few weeks ago, now I get a lot of flowers, but they are not turning into zucchini, they just fall off. HELP! What's the deal with my zuch?

Thank you in advance,
Zesty for Zucchini

Dear Zesty,

I, too, have had trouble with my zucchini this year (yellow crookneck squash and pumpkins as well). I've checked with some other sources and they are experiencing the same thing throughout the U.S. The problem could be our bee problem. Not enough pollinators. While your zucchini may have gotten and rush of them a ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 14, 2008
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments

Water sweet Water

A recent addition to the Gardenerd community asked:

"I am wondering what kind of water source is acceptable for organic vegetable gardening. Specifically, I am on a city water supply which contains chlorine and other additives. Should I try to find a garden hose filter (if these exist) or would it be better to use my reverse osmosis system indoors and carry the water to the garden? Thanks for all your help."

This is a great question; thanks for writing in. My opinion about filtering water for the garden is basically that if you can do it, all the ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 12, 2008
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:1 Comment

Use History to your Advantage

Snail trouble will be a thing of the past when you use diatomaceous earth to ward off those slimy critters. It's natural, doesn't harm other creatures and does the job well.

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 9, 2008
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

Cornell’s Vegetable Variety Site

I stumbled upon a site this week that is a must see for home gardeners. It's a site to register the varieties of whatever vegetables you are growing in your garden so that other gardeners can find varieties that grow well in similar climates and visa versa. Okay- it's hard to explain, but just check it out:

http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/

I registered a few of my favorite tomato varieties as well as some varieties that didn't do well in my coastal area. This can become a very useful resource for planning your next garden.

Enjoy! ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 9, 2008
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:0 Comments

The Great Cannellini

Last night at the Santa Monica Library, where I was giving a lecture on organic vegetable gardening, someone asked what my biggest gardening mistake has been so far. Well, there are about a hundred to choose from, but the one that stood out is a mistake that's going on in my garden right now.

See, I knew what bush beans were, and I knew what pole beans were, but I didn't exactly know what "runner" beans were until now. I planted Italian heirloom Cannellini beans about as far away from my trellis as possible, thinking that they were ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 9, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Put Hot Stuff in Cold Storage

Got an overabundance of peppers? No problem. Just follow this easy tip of the week to preserve your harvest until you need those peppers to warm you up this winter.

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 2, 2008
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

Squirrels: Cute and Fuzzy, or Destructive Rats in Pretty Coats

A desperate gardenerd writes in:

"Help! Squirrels are devouring the fruits (or vegetables) of my labor. My sweet little tomatoes, my succulent squash--all gone. They're cute little animals and all, but they're not that cute. How can I deter them?"

Alas, I hear your cries. I've gone toe-to-toe on a few occasions with our well-dressed woodland friends, and my mother has shared stories of the same decimating her yard as well. They stare defiantly at me (sideways out of one eye) as I threaten them with death, seeming to say, "bring it on." There are many reported techniques that work - some better than ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:July 31, 2008
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:3 Comments