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.
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?…
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.…
2016 Dirty Dozen
Are strawberries clean from pesticides? Check out 2016's Dirty Dozen to find out
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…
The photo from which the book's title came. Read the book to find out where and when it was taken.
Review: From Cows to Concrete
An author must support her fellow wordsmiths, especially when a book takes 7 years to produce from concept to publication. Rachel Surls, of UC Cooperative Extensions' Master Gardener program, and Judith Gerber, a friend in the LA garden scene and author of Farming in Torrance and the South Bay, have painstakingly researched and documented the history of agriculture in Los Angeles in their new book, From Cows to Concrete: The Rise and Fall of Farming in Los Angeles. I had…
Using Fava Beans
To remove the casing, boil the beans for 3 minutes, then plunge them into an ice bath for another 3 minutes. The beans should pop out of the casing after that.
Mittens the supercat protects the garden from vermin.
Wordless Wednesday: May Gardening
Keep planting until there's no more space! This Wordless Wednesday is brought to you by ambition and hope. Two great qualities to have when gardening in spring. It's time to plant, and enjoy your garden as it grows. Happy gardening!
The bees enjoyed the flowers of bolting kale and mustard greens.
Field Trip: Huntington Herb Garden
Spring is a beautiful time to visit botanical gardens, and Southern California does not disappoint. The Huntington Library and Gardens is off the charts in May with flora and fauna. We took a visit to the Huntington Herb Garden after tea last weekend to see what's growin' on. Perennial herbs including Rosemary and thyme form clear boundaries for this formal garden. Annual crops fill in the spaces in between. The end of the season can be as beautiful as the…
MonarchVR App
With an Android device and a virtual reality viewer, users can relax and explore an immersive, stereo virtual reality world.