Christy, Author at Gardenerd

Monster Green Onions

Today I spent a good few hours cleaning up the summer garden, in preparation for our upcoming fall growing season. Sometimes it takes these dedicated hours in the garden to notice things that haven't quite caught your attention before. Like the massive green onions growing in the middle of the pumpkin patch that seem to have gotten away from me.

When I say massive, I might be exaggerating, but most people walk by my plot and say, "nice leeks" when they see them. I guess there's something about our American mentality of bigger is better that made me leave ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 8, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Start Your Fall Garden Indoors

It's back-to-school time, and that means it's time to start your fall garden. Take advantage of the warm weather by starting seeds indoors. Your broccoli will thank you.

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 6, 2008
Post category:Blog
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Garden. Read. Eat.

It's rare that I pick up a magazine and feel like they've written it just for me. This week we talk about a new publication (and others like it) that is geared toward die-hard gardenerds and foodies.

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 23, 2008
Post category:Blog
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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

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