Keep Squirrels off My Fruit Trees
Squirrels will take a bite out of every single piece of fruit on your nectarine tree if they can. Here are some tips to keep them from getting their in the first place.
Honey Nut from Renee's Seeds
New Seed Favorites for 2015
Now that we've finished combing through the pile of seed catalogs that came in the mail over the holidays, we've made our list of new seeds we'll be planting this spring. It's a Gardenerd tradition to share our new seed favorites for each year. Let 2015 be no exception. Several of our selections came to us via seed saving: Marina di Chioggia David King at the Seed Library of Los Angeles handed out wedges of Marina di Chioggia squash last…
Rosalind broccoli ready to harvest
When to Harvest Broccoli?
I get this question all the time: how do you know when broccoli is ready to harvest? The answer is in your fingertips. You can tell when to harvest broccoli by touching the head, or bud (that's what broccoli is, a cluster of flower buds), and squeezing. If the head is firm and tight, and about the diameter that is expected for the variety you've grown, it's ready to pick. If the head gives when you squeeze it, or there…
Make your own Seed Tape
This tip comes from Organic Gardening magazine and Jeff Cox’s book 100 Greatest Gardening Ideas.
Seed heads start to emerge from grassy stalks.
Growing White Sonora Wheat
Every year we experiment with growing a new grain, not only to enjoy it in the kitchen, but to generate biomass for the compost bin. This year we chose White Sonora Wheat, and heirloom wheat. According to Slow Food USA, White Sonora is "one of the oldest surviving wheat varieties anywhere in North America. Predating the Red Fife and Turkish Red wheat." Even small space gardeners can grow grains. In our 4x4 bed, the yield isn't high enough for a…
Ours was #17. Would we win?
Field Trip: Honey Tasting Competition
You would never know how different honey can taste from hive to hive until you've tasted a few samples side by side. It's astounding, really. The flavor profiles range from grassy to floral to fruity, just like a good wine or chocolate. This past Sunday, beekeepers from all around submitted their honey for the Honeylove Honey Tasting Competition. There were jars sent from as far away as Nepal and as close by as our backyard. 17 samples in all, and…
National Pie Day
Take a look at some of our favorite winter pie recipies for Nation Pie Day.
Keeled Treehopper
Keeled treehoppers are sucking insects belonging to the same order as aphids. They use sharp mouthparts to pierce plant tissue and suck the life out of a plant over time.
Fertile soil meant abundant harvests for trade.
Gardens of Pompeii
I had the privilege of visiting the California Science Center to see the Pompeii exhibit over the holidays, where I saw ancient ruins preserved in ash from the massive eruption of the Vesuvius in AD 79. Having been to Pompeii in Italy a few years ago, and having been disappointed that most of the artifacts and figures has been removed to a museum, I was excited to see the actual artifacts found on site. The experience was not disappointing. Pompeii…
Nectarines, plums and other stone fruits await your creative touch this summer.
Chill Hours: Choosing the Right Fruit Tree
A question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week about fruit trees: "What peaches grow best and are most flavorful in Mar Vista? Also what types of plums/pluots? I live in west Mar Vista, CA. Thanks for your help and for the emails. - Reeba" Before you decide which fruit trees you want in your home orchard, you need to determine which trees you can actually grow. That is to say, which will produce fruit in your climate. Let's talk…