Breaking up Clay Soil
Gardenerd answers this week what the best way to break up clay soil.
Gardener's Supply discontinued this bumper sticker years ago.
Giveaway: Random Acts of Gardening
It appears that the holiday season has officially begun, so in the spirit of giving, we're digging into our treasure trove for something special to give away to you, our faithful gardenerd readership. Oh, it's special, believe me. In fact, it's not even available anymore. That's right, you can't get this gem anywhere else. What is it? Behold: Funny how something becomes more valuable once it's not available anymore? We thought so. So how do you win this fantastic, no-longer-available…
As plants grow in, the family can enjoy fresh lettuce, kale, and radishes from their new garden.
One More Turf Removal Rebate Garden
People in Southern California are finally catching on to the idea that lawns are a waste of water, especially during a drought like the one we've been in for many years now. The City of Los Angeles is providing incentives to remove lawns (up to $3.75 per square foot as of this writing) through its Turf Removal Rebate program (see available Rebates here). It's a chance to save some money on revamping your yard, and a chance to turn it…
History of the Jack-o-Lantern
Pumpkin carving dates back to an Irish tradition of carving turnips and potatoes.
6 types of kale, 2 plants each
2014 Fall Garden Tour
The fall garden is our favorite here at Gardenerd. The cooler temperatures lend themselves to growing crops without pests, and with much less stress than summer months. If we ever get any rain, these crops will hardly need help from us to thrive through winter. So what's growin' on? Let's take a look at all the lush green goodies you have to look forward to if you live in a place where winter gardening is possible: We planted 3 varieties…
A Bug’s Life in the Garden
Bugs are part of gardening. It's a fact of life--you will have bugs. There are good bugs and bad bugs, and if you create the right environment, the good bugs can keep the bad bugs at bay. Today we discovered a few signs of a bug's life in the garden. We're hopeful that our garden ecosystem will be kept in check by these guys. It took a little searching to identify them, but we thought we'd share our findings here.…
The Market at Artisan House. Delicious food and drinks for the discerning palate.
New Restaurant Garden in Downtown LA
Artisan House, a combination market and restaurant/bar on the corner of 6th and Main Street, serves delicious, fresh food all day long, offering organic produce, artisanal wines and small-farm dairy products. The restaurant menu sports all the eye-catching entrees, sandwiches, soups, and fresh salads you could wish for. There were plans for a roof-top garden, but when that fell through, the owners asked Gardenerd to transform their patio into an edible experience for customers. When we visited Artisan House, we…
Build a Bioswale
What’s a bioswale? It’s basically a trench to capture water on site, instead of having it run off down the street.
Golden Guardian marigolds reduce root-knot nematodes
Ask Gardenerd: Root Knot Nematodes
A great question came into Ask Gardenerd this week: "Do you have any tips on getting rid of root rot nematodes? Thanks! - Max" There are natural ways to rid or drastically reduce your soil of pesky nematodes, Max. But first a clarifying question: when you say "root rot nematodes" did you mean "root knot nematodes?" Root rot is usually caused by something else, like a fungus or by critters like beetle grubs eating the roots. Root knot, on the…
California native plants are ready to go in the ground now.
Fall: Time to Plant Perennials
Fall is the time of year to plant perennials. Why? Isn't the season winding down? It is, but it's the perfect time to put winter-hardy perennials in the ground because they will use winter to develop strong roots. When spring rolls around, those fall-planted perennials will be leaps and bounds ahead of spring-planted plants, and will produce flowers or fruit more quickly. We're taking these cooler days to plant California Natives in the front yard. Next spring they'll jump into…