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Droppings and munching are a clear sign you have tomato hornworms.

YouTube: How to Find Tomato Hornworms

You know it's summer when you see holes in your tomatoes. Tomato hornworms can ruin a perfectly good tomato plant (and experience). We're here to show you how to find them amid the chaos of tomato foliage. There's a trick. Watch below as we demonstrate (or at least try) to hunt for tomato worms in our latest YouTube video: How To Find Tomato Hornworms Finding pests takes diligence. Check your plants regularly to stop critters before they do too much…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 14, 2016
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

Armyworms

The best control is to interrupt the life cycle with beneficial nematodes. Steinernema feltiae is a good nematode that eats over 230 different pests; it focuses on those that incubate in soil, like grubs, fleas, weevils and fungus gnats.

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 9, 2016
Post category:Blog
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Ask Gardenerd: What’s Eating My Cabbage and Spinach?

Ah, pests. Here at Gardenerd, we like to say that having a garden without pests is like having children and expecting them to be well behaved all the time. It's unrealistic. Most garden pests are telling us something, and the rest we can usually deal with easily without chemicals or harmful pesticides. Here's a question that came into Ask Gardenerd this week: "Hello, I am very new to gardening and I just started my first vegetable garden in February. It…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 8, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:3 Comments

Ask Gardenerd: Frost Dates?

Here's a question we get on occasion at Ask Gardenerd: "Many garden books and seed packets refer to timing in the garden in terms of the date of the last frost. For example: "Wait to plant until 3 weeks past the date of the last frost." I recently purchased a great garden planner and all dates are calculated based on the date of the last frost. We live in Mar Vista and we very rarely get a frost. How do…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 7, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments

Hand Pollination for Squash

During the summer, that means squash, cucumbers, and melons, among other things. We leave nothing to chance when it comes to squash. We hand pollinate.

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 2, 2016
Post category:Blog
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When to Pick Berries

Use your thumb and index finger to rock the berry back and forth a little. If it’s ready it will separate easily. If it resists, leave if for another day.

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 26, 2016
Post category:Blog
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Food scraps in a worm bin

Ask Gardenerd: Maggots in My Compost

We get this one a lot at Ask Gardenerd, so we thought it would be good to answer it in print: "Help! I just opened my compost to little tan maggots?! I have never seen them before!!! Our compost is every kind of food we throw out. So, I assume it is unbalanced? Also, I have noticed that the food has not been going down lately. Our compost is covered too! Should we throw hat inside or is grass ok?…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 25, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
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Christy the Riveter models Rosie's Workwear professional overalls.

Review: Rosie’s Workwear

I first spotted Rosie's Workwear overalls at the Heirloom Expo several years ago. The company has a great concept: work overalls made for women in the spirit of Rosie the Riveter. The display rack featured feminine colors, stylish overalls and coveralls in durable fabrics. I talked myself out of buying a pair every year. I'm really good at that. Fast forward to April 2016, when Rosie's contacted me to ask if I would review their newest product, the professional-grade overall.…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 24, 2016
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

2016 Dirty Dozen

Are strawberries clean from pesticides? Check out 2016's Dirty Dozen to find out

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 19, 2016
Post category:Blog
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Cobweb Spiderwort is an unusual and macabre water-wise plant.

Field Trip: Dallas Arboretum

We traveled to Texas last week to help a friend sort out her landscape design for her new home. While there, we took in the sites including the Dallas Arboretum. It gave us a chance to see what's growin' on in Texas between thunderstorms. North Texas is still suffering from drought, I am told, but the Dallas area was lush and green from plentiful spring rains. I was curious to see what plants grow well in Texas. The Arboretum helped…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 18, 2016
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:1 Comment