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.
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…
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…
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.
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…