Keep Corn all for Yourself
Jeff Cox lends us a tip of the week on this first day of summer. Learn his handy tip for keeping earworms out of your corn.
No-Dig Gardening in the Times
One of my students from the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series sent me this article that appeared in the LA Times last Thursday. It thought I
would share it with you here. It's a great story with how-to instructions for building no-dig soil and raised beds (without borders). There is also information about a
farm exchange program where you can learn a lot by volunteering on a farm.
http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-nodig12-2008jun12%2C0%2C55177.story
Thanks, Ramon, for sending this nice tidbit!
Hey folks, you can get the books mentioned in the article by clicking on the links below:
...
Thanks, Ramon, for sending this nice tidbit!
Hey folks, you can get the books mentioned in the article by clicking on the links below:
Pinch Those Suckers
A Master Gardenerd wrote in recently:
"Can you talk about pinching off some of the branches of tomato plants? Some people do and some don't. Is it necessary and how does one do it?"
Good question. This is one of those concepts that breaks the hearts of many a gardener. The thought process goes something like this, "If I pinch off the branches, then I'll get
fewer tomatoes... I don't want fewer tomatoes...but they say that if you pinch them off, your tomatoes will be bigger and better tasting." In a nutshell, that's the reason for
pinching off branches. It isn't absolutely necessary, but ...
A Stinky Affair
Harvesting garlic doesn't stink. Follow these simple instructions for preserving your garlic all year.
A Stinky Affair: the tale of a trip to the Gilroy Garlic Festival
In honor of the pile of
garlic bulbs which are curing on the counter behind me, it felt appropriate to reach into the archives and re-print an article I wrote for the Ocean View Farms newsletter several years ago. I hope
you enjoy it:
A Stinky Affair
It was a hot and sunny day in Gilroy. Despite my olive skin and heavy doses of SPF 25, I still managed to develop a driver’s ...
Capillary Mats are Your Friend.
This handy tool of the trade can be used in your home and garden to satisfy many watering needs.
Makin’ Tomato Cages
They were fending for themselves and getting taller every day. Critical Mass was about to be reached and it couldn't wait any
longer. My tomatoes needed support. They were having a breakdown - or a "tip sideways" so to speak. So I set out to build new cages for my leaning tower of tomatoes at
home this weekend.
For some of you, this might look really familiar, as I talk about the "How-To" of my tomato cages in Christy's Top 5 Organic Gardening Tips, which you can get when you sign up on the
Gardenerd website. For this project, I needed cages that were ...
Squeaky Clean and Bleach Free
A gardenerd recently wrote in:
"I don't live in California to attend your classes, however I am interested in a bleach-free cleaner for garden tools, clay pots, bird baths and suet feeders."
Ah - good question - thanks so much for asking. We talk a little bit about cleaning clay pots and such in the Small Space and Container Gardening class, and while a 1-to-10 part solution of
bleach is recommended on many websites that I've researched for cleaning clay pots, you can also use a similar ratio of vinegar and water to clean as well. The key ingredient in
cleaning ...
Save the Seeds!
Seed-saving can be easy and economical. Learn to save cilantro and sweet pea seeds with this handy tip of the week.
Tools of a Different Kind
Warning - nerd alert!
Yesterday, I met with a client to help design the food garden at his new home. The entire house is being remodeled and is going to be one of the greenest homes in the United States
when all is said and done. Using solar power, recycled materials, and renewable resources, the house is sure to be a centerfold in Architectural Digest or Mother Earth News in the coming
year, and I'm thrilled to be part of the process.
I'm also thrilled that I got to use one of my favorite tools for the job. It's something I got ...