Fruit Tree Pruning 101
Learn the difference between first year and second year wood, and a pollenizer versus a pollinator with this week's Tip of the Week!
Chinese New Year at Bellagio Gardens
The place mat before me says, "Luckiest of all signs, you are also talented and articulate. Affectionate, yet shy, you seek peace throughout your life." This is the fortune for someone born in the Year of the Rabbit.
2011 celebrates the Rabbit once again; something that happens every 12 years according to the Chinese Zodiac. Technically, Chinese New Year starts on February 3, but Bellagio Gardens got a head start. I took a stroll through the garden to witness the bigger-than-life display honoring the Rabbit and the New Year.
...
Do it While Dormant
January is a great time to spray your orchard fruit trees with a dormant oil that will help them fight off fungus, infestations and diseases that reduce fruit production in spring!
Seed Catalog Highlights
I love the sound of seed catalogs dropping into the mailbox. There's a particular "clunk" of distinctive heft that only a thick garden catalog can make. I keep a pen close at hand as I dog-ear the pages and circle interesting new varieties, dreaming of their vibrance in the garden.
This year heirloom varieties are popping up all over. The hunt for biodiversity is on, and we're part of the plan for preservation. If you are into seed-saving, here are ...
New Year’s Resolutions for the Gardenerd
I'm generally not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions, but rather like to make "gentle intentions" instead. It just feels kinder and gentler, and less likely to fail. This year, however, I'm feeling a little more assertive, at least where the garden is concerned. So without further adieu, here are a few New Year's Resolutions for the garden in 2011:
Heal the Sick - I will diligently ...
Stevia – Nature’s Herbal Sugar
Stevia is an herb in the sunflower family. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar, and registers as basically a zero on the glycemic index. Learn more about stevia with this week's tip of the week!
Growing Broccoli – Italian Style
Each year it's exciting to try growing new things. This fall we planted an Italian broccoli previously unexplored: Cavolo Broccolo a Getti di Napoli
That's a mouthful. Basically it means that it's a broccoli from Southern Italy, specifically Naples, that has a sprouting behavior. "Getti" literally means "jets" in Italian. It shoots out little heads of broccoli, but more than that, the leaves are edible!
Broccolo a Getti di Napoli seeds
I picked up these seeds at the LA Garden Show at the ...
A Gardenerd’s Wish List, 2010
Each year it is a family tradition to form a wish list in October for holiday gift-giving ease. Inevitably, my wish list gravitates toward garden gear. I'm sure my family is sick of it by now, but when you're a gardener, what else do you need?
It has become a Gardenerd tradition to share the wish list on the blog, not to solicit gifts, but to revert back to childhood and dream big together. Here's what I hope Santa brings this year:
Patriot Electric ...
Cleaning Tomato Cages
Cleaning your tomato cages is one extra step you can take to prevent the reintroduction of blight back into the garden next spring. Learn how with this week's tip of the week!
Kidney Bean Bonanza
With cool weather upon us, it's time for soups and stews. What better way to showcase the often-neglected kidney bean (it's not just for the salad bar) than to highlight some of our favorite dishes made with this crimson legume?
I'll confess, I didn't grow kidney beans this summer, but I will someday. In the meanwhile, we buy them dry and soak them overnight to make great meals. We cook them for about 15 minutes in a pressure cooker and voila! Perfect beans.
Cooked ...