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.
May flowers are here! Let's enjoy them.
May To-Dos
It's May, everyone! We love the garden in May. It really gets going right about now, which means there's no time to rest. If you haven't planted spring or summer crops yet, now is the time. If they're already in the ground, we're here to help you keep them happy. Here's your list of May To-dos: May To-Dos Deadhead spent flowers to keep them producing through spring. Hand-pollinate squash plants in the morning before flowers shrivel up. By 9 a.m.…
Our home grown red onion
Ask Gardenerd: How to Harvest and Store Red Onions
A timely question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week: "How do you harvest and store red onions? - Pete" Hi Pete, great question. It's that time of year, if you planted bulb onions in the fall, to harvest them for storage. If you're just planting them now, you'll harvest in late summer or fall. Red, yellow and white bulb onions all follow the same rules when it comes to harvesting and storing. Let's look at how to harvest them…
Cherry Season
If you want to grow cherries, you’ll need two different trees that pollinate one another. Choose varieties appropriate for your hardiness zone and required chill hours.