March To-Do’s
March is nearly here and that means many dormant gardeners will be awakening to the spring gardening season.
Venice Green Expo is this Saturday
Local: Gardenerd @ Venice Green Expo
This one is for Angelenos. If you don't live here, go plant some seeds indoors and make sure all your tools are clean for spring. Soon it will be time to garden again. Now, onward... This Saturday, February 28, from 1-3p.m. I'll be doling out free gardening advice at the Venice Green Expo. They have an Eco Genius Bar, where you can stop by and ask questions of several experts on hand. I'll be answering gardening questions, so stop on…
Gopher hole next to a Romanesco plant. Luckily the Romanesco got out alive.
Ask Gardenerd: What don’t Squirrels, Gophers and Rabbits Eat?
A question came into Ask Gardenerd last week: "What don't gophers, squirrels, and rabbits like, as I have no veggie luck. Renee" Oh, Renee, I wish I could say there is a food in the garden that these creatures don't like, but the truth is with very few exceptions they love them all. Some folks say the onion family wards away critters, but I've had gophers take down my leeks and onions from roots to green tips. Squirrels love my…
Tomato Chooser
There are over 600 varieties of tomatoes out there. How do you know which options will work for you?
Lilac Verbena, verbena lilacina
Wordless Wednesday: California Natives in Bloom
Everyone else's winter is California's spring. Check out these California natives in bloom. And not a California native, but certainly a trademark of California: More to come!
Is gardening still possible with an injured hand?
How To Garden While Injured
It happens to everyone at some point, we get injured. Injury brings garden progress to a halt. All those plans for fruit tree pruning, rose pruning, turning compost piles, etc., stop dead while injuries heal. Or do they? I recently had a little roller disco accident while celebrating a friend's 40th birthday. I think it's needless to say, at this point, that "40th" and "roller disco" probably shouldn't be uttered in the same sentence. But it happened, and I've been…
Bed Prep for Spring
Prepping your beds for spring is the most important task a gardener can do before planting..
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…