A gardener up in Nova Scotia writes in this week:
"Greetings from Hirtle Island. I want to plant an asparagus plot this year. Because deer are such a problem I am considering
planting them in a large planter - kind of like a raised bed, though maybe not so raised. (I hope to use an old, rotting boat.) This way I can build a metal wire cage over them. ...
Get up close and personal with your herbs and other plants to help keep bugs away. Learn this handy tip for keeping herbs pest free.
Jeff Cox lends us a tip of the week on this first day of summer. Learn his handy tip for keeping earworms out of your corn.
One of my students from the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series sent me this article that appeared in the LA Times last Thursday. It thought I
would share it with you here. It's a great story with how-to instructions for building no-dig soil and raised beds (without borders). There is also information about a
farm exchange program where you can learn a lot by volunteering on a farm.
A Master Gardenerd wrote in recently:
"Can you talk about pinching off some of the branches of tomato plants? Some people do and some don't. Is it necessary and how does one do it?"
Good question. This is one of those concepts that breaks the hearts of many a gardener. The thought process goes something like this, "If I pinch off the branches, then I'll get fewer tomatoes... I don't want fewer tomatoes...but they say that if you pinch them off, your tomatoes will be bigger and better tasting." In a nutshell, that's the reason for pinching off branches. It isn't absolutely necessary, but ...
Harvesting garlic doesn't stink. Follow these simple instructions for preserving your garlic all year.
In honor of the pile of garlic bulbs which are curing on the counter behind me, it felt appropriate to reach into the archives and re-print an article I wrote for the Ocean View Farms newsletter several years ago. I hope you enjoy it:
A Stinky Affair
It was a hot and sunny day in Gilroy. Despite my olive skin and heavy doses of SPF 25, I still managed to develop a driver’s ...
This handy tool of the trade can be used in your home and garden to satisfy many watering needs.
They were fending for themselves and getting taller every day. Critical Mass was about to be reached and it couldn't wait any longer. My tomatoes needed support. They were having a breakdown - or a "tip sideways" so to speak. So I set out to build new cages for my leaning tower of tomatoes at home this weekend.
For some of you, this might look really familiar, as I talk about the "How-To" of my tomato cages in Christy's Top 5 Organic Gardening Tips, which you can get when you sign up on the Gardenerd website. For this project, I needed cages that were ...
A gardenerd recently wrote in:
"I don't live in California to attend your classes, however I am interested in a bleach-free cleaner for garden tools, clay pots, bird baths and suet feeders."
Ah - good question - thanks so much for asking. We talk a little bit about cleaning clay pots and such in the Small Space and Container Gardening class, and while a 1-to-10 part solution of bleach is recommended on many websites that I've researched for cleaning clay pots, you can also use a similar ratio of vinegar and water to clean as well. The key ingredient in cleaning ...