Sage Advice

Moldy Soil

A great question came in this week to Ask Gardenerd:

"My garden soil has this yucky whitish hue to it. I am assuming it is a
type of mold (I do think I have been overwatering). When I took it out
of the bags (10 bags)a few months ago, it did have a few "moldy"
looking spots (I took back some of the bags but they told me it was
"normal"). Is there any way I can salvage this soil?"

I understand your concern, but the folks at the nursery are correct.  The mold in your soil is totally normal.  Most good ...

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Raccoon Troubles

A great question came in this week:

"Hi Christy, I live in Santa Monica and I have Raccoons!  We caught a
giant one rustling through our soon to be bountiful garden a few nights
ago and now know who has been munching on our strawberries and also
took a bite of a green Serrano (I think one bite was enough for him).
The last straw for me was that he got his hands on an heirloom tomato
that was just nearing ripeness and ripped it off the plant!  Considering
the amount of tomatoes I have planted, he must ...

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Artichoke Care

A question came in this week:

"I have some lovely modest artichokes on one plant that I planted this
spring. I can't decide if I should cut 'em and eat 'em, or let them go
to flower!  I'm not sure what would be best for the future life of the
plant... and what is the life cycle of the artichoke, anyway?  What do I
need to do to keep it healthy and happy in my garden, year after year?
Thanks. I love the being a gardenerd!! Liza"

Well, those are all good questions, Liza.  Artichokes can be intimidating, I think, ...

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What Wood Would You Use?

A gardener wrote in this week:

"Hi there - I SO enjoy your newsletters and info! I have a question - we
are making containers to grow vegetables. At first my dad thought
pressure treated because it will last longer on the island where we live -
but I said no way!  They use pesticides to treat the wood and that
defeats the whole purpose!!  Do you have any suggestions?  Would cedar be
good?  Do you know anyplace that has pre-fab ones?  Also - what should we
use for soil and fertilizer?  I want our veggies to be ...

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Flying Green Things

A new question came in to Ask Gardenerd:

"Hi, I'm an organic gardener growing my own food in Hollywood. I have a
well-established herb garden, but all of the sudden my herbs seem to be
infested with teeny tiny green flying insects that swarm around when I
shake the plants. They seem most attracted to my woody herbs (rosemary,
oregano, thyme) but are also in my mint. Any idea what they are and
what I can use to reclaim my crops? Thanks."

Those flying green things are most likely one of the many varieties of aphids on our ...

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Read more about the article Rabbit Retribution

Rabbit Retribution

Gardens are springing up everywhere - providing snack bars for woodland creatures all over the globe.  Here's a question that came in last week:

"Dear Gardenerd, I am starting a garden in my back yard.  I would LOVE to
convert my useless front lawn into an edible estate but can't spend
thousand of dollars on a fence to keep out the wild rabbits.  Do you
have a simpler suggestion to keep the rabbits at bay? Thanks, Caroline"

I can make a few suggestions, but honestly a fence is the best answer. 
Rabbits burrow, so any fence you put in needs to go down at ...

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Zucchini Mishaps

An intriguing question came in last week:

"Dear Gardenerd,  I just planted my garden and am looking forward to summer
harvests, but wanted your advice on my zucchini.  Last year, in the
middle of summer, the leaves turned gray and the plants eventually
died.  None of my other veggies were effected, but this also happened
the year before last as well. Is there anything I can do to avoid this
transpiring? thanks so much, Pascal"

Not that this is an answer to your question, but I have to commiserate and say that last year was a rotten year for squash in my ...

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Ants on My Artichoke!

Here's a new question that came in this week:

"Dear Gardenerd, How do I keep the pesky ants off of my precious
artichokes? I soaked the ones I harvested and still found some. . .
ugh! Please help!     -  No Ants On My Tree"

Ants are, in and of themselves, not harmful to a garden.  That said, they are the harbinger of bad things because they have a symbiotic relationship with aphids.  They consume the sticky sweet sap that aphids excrete and in exchange they will take the aphids from place to place.  It's the ultimate dealer-junkie relationship.

There are ...

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Read more about the article Vegetable Gardening in Colorado Springs

Vegetable Gardening in Colorado Springs

We've been getting a lot of questions about how to grow things in specific parts of the country.  Here's one that might apply to other places in the US:

"Hi there!  I live in Colorado Springs, CO - where it's really cold for
about 7 months of the year, with snow off and on. We want to start our
own backyard veggie and fruit garden, but don't know where to start.   We
are not sure if much will grow out here.  Our family eats a vegetarian
life style...for health and other reasons.  Any tips or contacts out
here? Thanks and GREAT ...

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Growing Stone Fruit from Seed

A great question came in this week:

"A friend gave me 2 peach trees from the peaches that had fallen from
his trees. Will the trees produce the same peaches as the parent trees?"

The answer is yes, your peach tree will most likely produce fruit like its parent.  While apples tend to not reproduce well from seed, stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, apricots) tend to carry forth the traits of its parent.  I tore out an article from a magazine last year that explains how to start stone fruit trees from seed.  It's an excellent read by Lee Reich ...

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