Christy, Author at Gardenerd

Not a Shred of Evidence

NERD ALERT! This one is for you. You know who you are.

Question: How do you solve domestic disputes between husbands and wives who have differing opinions about how composting should be done?

Answer: You get a chipper/shredder and then everyone is happy.

The Problem: You see, I sit squarely on the side of the fence that prefers to chop up all the green and brown bits into small pieces before it goes into the compost bin - because it breaks down faster, and ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 17, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:5 Comments

Oh Rats!

It started as an agreement for peaceful co-habitation. Then it ate half of my Christmas Lima Beans right through the young green pods. Then it pulled out all of my pea sprouts, nibbled on the ends, and left them for dead.

That's when we declared war on the rat.

Note the dark lines outlining the eaten area. Now dry, this bean pod was eaten through while green,
leaving the pod empty and the beans devoured.

Prior to this ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 16, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:5 Comments

Seed-Starting Every Which Way

Starting vegetables from seed may be a little more advanced, but it isn’t all that hard. This tip of the week will explore seed propagation techniques.

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 11, 2011
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

Squash Bug Battles

A question came in last week from a concerned gardenerd:

"As we start to thaw (and possibly refreeze this coming weekend) out here in NE TX, I'm planning my garden for 2011. We will be starting seeds this weekend and a friend has offered us the use of their greenhouse, as long as we share our harvest - no problem. My question as I start planning, and remembering last year, what can be done about Squash Bugs? I lost the battle last year, due to a back injury that put me in ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 9, 2011
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:5 Comments

Lima Bean, Barley and Vegetable Soup

With all the talk of winter storms and canceled flights, it's clear that comfort food is in order. As a blanket apology from Southern California and our lovely weather, I offer this warming recipe to those in icy places across the country.

It starts with baby lima beans, but we used Christmas Lima Beans that we grew this past summer:

It also calls for pearl barley, but we didn't have any on hand, so we used brown rice, since they cook in ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 3, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:4 Comments

When 1+1=10: Harvesting Potatoes

Garden math breaks the rules. It's one of the only places where things multiply without the need for a calculator, or the stress of bubble tests or sweaty palms. Possibly the best example of garden math is the potato. Plant one, get many.

Spring is a great time to plant potatoes, and lucky for us, spring is coming soon. In warmer climates, you can also plant potatoes in the fall. That's what we did last October with a couple of scary potatoes left in the pantry too long. Yesterday we ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 2, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments

Terro Readings for Ants

This tip of the week isn’t about that deck of divination cards gathering dust on your bookshelf, but it does reveal a future of fewer ants and aphids in your life.

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 28, 2011
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

Ladybugs – Nature’s Aphid Brigade

For some unknown reason, my Swiss chard is covered - no, make that enveloped - with aphids. I have fed the plants with worm castings and compost and worm tea. I have sprayed them off with a strong hose blast. I have squished the aphids with my bare fingers. I have pleaded and begged for them to go away, to no avail.

My next plan, as a last resort before pulling out the chard, would be to try laying down a layer of tin foil around the base of each plant, to reflect ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 27, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments

Storing Garlic – Sprout Not, My Friend

A great question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:

"If I braid my garlic and hang it in my kitchen, how long will it keep? When I buy garlic and the store and put it in my fridge, it begins to sprout after a month or so. Will the same thing happen to my braided garlic?"

Would you believe that it depends upon the variety of garlic you choose to grow? The truth is that, like onions or apples, some varieties are known for better storage than others. ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 26, 2011
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:1 Comment

Pre Spring Cleaning

If you are planning to start plants from seed this year, now is a great time to spruce up your seed-starting equipment. This week's Tip of the Week will show you how!

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 21, 2011
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments