Blog - Page 87 of 215

The pest looks like a tiny figure eight or an hourglass standing upright on a leaf.

Asian Citrus Psyllid in My Backyard

It's here, in Mar Vista, in our backyard. The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) has been in found in Los Angeles, but just last week we discovered it on a weak lime tree in the back corner of Gardenerd HQ. Here's what it looks like in real life. At first we didn't see the pest, just evidence that it arrived. Squiggly, white threads were sprinkled over the leaf surfaces and dangled off flower buds. It's like a horror film where the…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 30, 2016
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

Water for Bees

Help bees stay hydrated inbetween flights.

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 25, 2016
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

The bees enjoyed the flowers of bolting kale and mustard greens.

Review: Natural Beekeeping Conference 2016

I had the good fortune of being a speaker at the first ever Natural Beekeeping Conference that took place this weekend in Pasadena, CA. Honeylove.org organized the event. They gathered top experts in treatment-free beekeeping from around the continent, and welcomed guests from all over the world. Yours truly taught Gardening for Beekeepers. Most of my beekeeping colleagues have attended regular beekeeping conferences, only to find themselves flabbergasted by the amount of attention given to chemicals: miticides, fungicides, artificial food…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 24, 2016
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Side shoots form tiny heads of broccoli you can harvest for at least a month.

Ask Gardenerd: Saving Broccolini Seeds

This terrific question came in from an inquiring mind this week: "Last spring I had a very tasty crop of Broccolini. I was impressed enough to save seeds at the end of the season. I've since learned that Broccolini is a cross between Italian Broccoli and Chinese Broccoli (a form of Kale). Was my seed saving a waste of time? If I try and plant these seeds, will they revert to one of the two parent plants? - Ed Callahan"…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 23, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:1 Comment

Summer Recipes

Time to harvest for now or later!

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 18, 2016
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

August To-Dos

Take the right steps to prepare for fall.

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 11, 2016
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

Green bean overload. We filled a 1 gallon bucket from our 4 square foot patch of bush beans when we got home.

What to do with Overgrown Green Beans

It happens to even the most savvy gardener. You go out of town on vacation and when you return, there are beans...lots of beans. Not just any beans, overripe beans. Tough, fibrous, partially mature beans that are still green. What to do? We're exploring the possibilities. When are green beans overripe? It's pretty easy to tell when green beans have gone too far. You can see the outline of individual seeds bulging inside the pod. The pods themselves will be…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 10, 2016
Post category:Blog
Post comments:64 Comments

Brambles of black and raspberries lined pathways.

Field Trip: Community Gardens in York, England

If there's one thing the English do well, it's gardening. Many of our traditions and ideals about what a proper garden should look like come from the English. As a resident of a drought-stricken area, I've had to peel these ideals away from my brain over the years, to embrace a different aesthetic. Now and again, though, it's nice to see a lush garden where it rains more than 9 inches a year. During our stay in York recently, we…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 9, 2016
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Tomatoes Under Eucalyptus

Learn about how eucalyptus might be affecting your tomatoes.

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 4, 2016
Post category:Blog
Post comments:0 Comments

Josh and a DIY client prepping to paint her new fence.

In Memoriam: Josh Hover

Gardening is about life cycles, we deal with life and death every day. When someone prized is taken too soon, however, it is a tragedy. I write today to honor a friend and colleague, the carpenter who took my visions and built them into realities, who was taken from us two weeks ago: Josh Hover. Josh came to Gardenerd by way of Daniel Mayorga, my landscape professional who installs my garden designs. Josh and Daniel knew each other since Kindergarten,…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 3, 2016
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:16 Comments