Our latest video is timely as the winter gardening season winds down. Some crops grow tired at the end of the season, as indicated by massive aphid infestations on greens like kale, chard, and spinach.
My guest this week is Erica Wohldmann, professor of Psychology at Cal State University Northridge and avid forager of urban and wild places. She spent 6 months gathering food and medicine in the forest to live off, without spending a single dollar on meals. She shares her knowledge and philosophy with us today. Erica Wohldmann shows off her foraged stash. Foraging in Urban and Wild Places Erica talks about what to look for when foraging for mushrooms in the forests.…
With recent rain storms, the garden is going gangbusters. Signs of spring are everywhere. Here's some inspiration for what is to come regardless of whether you're gardening now, or your garden is knee deep under snow. A bee with full pollen pockets inspects a bok choy flower. Our pomegranate tree leafed out this week. So exciting! We cut down our cover crop, chopped it up, and covered it with compost. It will be ready to plant 3 weeks later. It's…
Steven Duke writes into Ask Gardenerd this week: "I have an issue with corn being blown over. This year I want to plant okra around my corn to see if it can help with keeping the corn from being blown over as bad. Is this possible??"
This week's guest is Rose Lawrence, owner of Red Bread Bakery. She's a Master Food Preserver, personal chef, and activist in food justice issues.
A question from Bettina came in to Ask Gardenerd this week about green caterpillars on her roses: "My rose gets eaten by green caterpillar, I try to pick them off as well as I can but am wondering if there is something I can use that makes the moth stay away? The rose is in a large clay pot." Bettina, sorry to hear these pests are eating your roses. What you have is probably Sawfly larvae (which is technically not…
The beauty of a fall or winter garden is that it grows almost without care. Cooler temperatures and rain lend themselves to a stress-free garden. There are virtually no bugs, you don't have to water as often, and some veggies (brassicas and root crops in particular) become sweeter with a frost. True, they do need protection from cold snaps in cooler climates. But now we reap the benefits of a winter garden--it's harvest time! If it's too cold for a…
A great question came in from Michele this week about trouble with cats in the garden: "My next door neighbor has several cats and she insists on letting them run loose. One of them has been digging in my raised beds, destroying some young seedlings - and what's worse, defecating in them. Do you know of any non-toxic products that will keep him out??" Hi Michele, we are quite familiar with cat issues in the garden. We find cat poop…
Joanne Poyourow is a change-maker. She started two community gardens, created a seed company, founded a grassroots environmental activism group, and wrote a book that started it all. In today's podcast, Joanne shares her journey from feeling helpless about Climate Change, to fostering a positive impact on her local community and beyond. She has funneled her gardening knowledge into several publications that raise awareness and reduce one's carbon footprint at the same time. Environmental Change-Makers is headquartered at Holy Nativity…
This week I had a unique opportunity to visit the Wildlife Waystation, a sanctuary for wild and exotic animals on 160 acres in Sylmar, CA. The motto of the Wildlife Waystation is Refuge, Healing, Education. It was an experience I'll never forget. Imagine standing in the midst of the Angeles National Forest, among chaparral, cactus, and wildflowers. Suddenly you hear a lion roar. Next, a peacock caws, followed by the hoot of two or three chimpanzees. It's out of place…