For those like me who don't get the paper, here is the recent article by Mary MacVean on the resurgence of Victory Gardens in Los Angeles. It appeared in the Saturday, January 10th edition of the Home and Garden section of the Times. Enjoy!
http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-victory10-2009jan10,0,7167635.story ...
Here's a perfect vegetable for black thumb gardeners. Learn about this easy-to-grow plant that you can include in your garden.
A desperate plea came in this week that sounds like a 911 call:
"New meyer lemon dwarf tree doing poorly, yellow leaves, flowers dropped off. So sad....Help! Suggestions?"
You said the magic word - new. I'm guessing that your lemon tree is suffering from transplant shock in some way. It can take around 3 weeks for a plant to show signs of it, but chances of survival are pretty good , especially in winter, if you address it right away. Here's what I can say about it and other possible problems your tree might be suffering from:
Yellow leaves - There are a ...
Someone from my home town wrote in recently:
"I am trying to track down a used food-grade barrel to make a compost tumbler. Do you have any idea where to check? I really want to reuse one and not buy new. I'm in 93065 zip code. (Simi Valley) Preferably it would be one with an lid that can open.Thanks for your help. PS I live in a small space hence the need for a tumbler. Also I don't think I'll be churning very often so I'm avoiding a bucket composter."
I grew up in Simi ...
And now for a moment of shameless self-promotion:
http://www.smmirror.com/MainPages/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?eid=9299
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A question came in over the holiday: "What is a good commercial soil in which to start vegetable seeds?"
For those who have been tracking our landscaping project, you might recall there are 5 spaces for fruit trees in the front yard, and only 4 trees. On Christmas Eve, the final addition arrived via FedEx (upside-down, despite the multiple appearances of "up" arrows all over the box, thank you very much). Our Fantasia semi-dwarf nectarine arrived virtually safe and sound, with only a couple of broken branches. Admittedly, I had never planted a bare root fruit tree before. I've killed a couple bare root roses in the past, so ...
Seed catalogs are starting to appear in your mailbox. Be prepared with a list of seeds that you want or need before diving in.
A brave new gardener sent in this question recently:
"I finally want to have some greenery on my patio. Can you suggest some flowers and foliage that will make it look warm and inviting? I SUCK at this. = )"
Good for you! It's always a big first step to get growing on a patio, and I have to say, not always successful at first. Take heart if something doesn't work out the first time, though. My husband is a firm believer in survival of the fittest. He'll buy 3 different plants and waits to see which one thrives, then ...
A new gardenerd wrote in recently:
"Any suggestions [for a rat-proof compost bin]? We do trap and try to control the rats but they just exist and like to
come around compost in our neighborhood."
There must be a global increase in rats this year. We've been seeing an increase in these critters around our community garden as well. I had them nibbling away at my tomatoes all summer. Here are a couple suggestions I can across in my research:
First of all, you will want to make sure that you aren't composting any animal fats, bones or flesh. Rats are ...