Thanksgiving Traditions
Here at Gardenerd our Thanksgiving tradition is to plant bulbs
The chrysalis becomes translucent as the butterfly prepares to hatch
Monarch Butterfly Update – Rebirth!
For those who have been following our recent visitors to our milkweed plants, we have some exciting news. We were fortunate enough to catch the transformation of Monarch butterfly from caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly last week. (If you want to catch up, click the link above to go back to the beginning). We were out in the garden early one morning and saw that the chrysalis had changed color. What was bright green had turned dark, and we could…
YouTube: Storing Seeds the Best Way
It's time for a new YouTube video, and this one is about storing seeds to keep them vital for years. It's as simple as 1, 2, 3, and we'll walk you through it. Seeds lose viability if stored improperly. By storing them in the right way, you'll save money, and you'll be ready for survival after the zombie apocalypse when the time comes. Storing Seeds to Make them Last for Years See? It's pretty straight forward and simple. How do…
A Lesson in Persimmon
It’s persimmon season, a perfect time for a quick lesson.
YouTube: Saving Celery & Dill Seeds
This week's YouTube video is all about saving celery and dill seeds. They are easy to save and abundant in supply.
Field Trip: Organic Solution – High-tech Worm Castings
Last week I was invited to geek out with the guys at Organic Solution, a Southern California worm castings company. A pleasant drive out to Camarillo yielded more than just an earful of good-for-the-garden tidbits. These guys are elbow deep in the best worm castings around. Located next to McGrath Family Farms, a certified organic produce company selling to local farmers markets, Organic Solution mixes up batches of premium worm castings, vermachar (worm castings mixed with biochar), and shelf-stable worm…
Prepping for Storage
Preparing fall greens for the refrigerator.
Seed Viability Test
Test questionable seeds for germination rates.
YouTube: Planting Potatoes in Pots
Our latest YouTube video is live, and it's all about planting potatoes in pots. Here in Southern California we can plant potatoes in fall or spring. For those in cooler climates, you may have to wait until spring, but here's something to keep you learning through the winter: https://youtu.be/AbsZYZAx46o We have plenty of blog posts on how to grow and harvest potatoes no matter where you live. Check out these links for details about planting potatoes, harvesting and growing in…
Harvesting Honey Like the Pros
Late summer/early fall was the perfect time for harvesting honey, and while we've done it in the past on a small scale, our latest harvest required the right equipment to handle a larger batch. We looked to our friends at HoneyLove.org to help. As members of HoneyLove, we can check out community equipment instead of buying and storing bulky buckets ourselves. Believe me, this is the way to go. The harvest was light, since it was the first year, but…