Sage Advice

Veggies & Fruits for Shade, and other great questions

A new gardener wrote in this week:

"Hi Christy, I have 2 questions for you. Well a lot of questions, but
I'll limit this to 2.   First question: I'm getting ready to build 2
4'x8' raised beds in my backyard. The spot I'd like to use would have
one of the beds be in full sun, but the other one would be in shade for
the first half of the day. Are there veggies that would do well in part
shade, or should I have both beds in full sun to maximize my options
and production? I live in San Jose, so it's ...

Continue ReadingVeggies & Fruits for Shade, and other great questions

Compost at the Ready?

All the spring garden questions are coming into Ask Gardenerd this week.  Here's one now:

"Hello! I'm about to start spring planting so I need to amend my soil a
bit. I have a barrel of compost that has been doing its thing for about
10 months. It's mostly done, but there are still some chunks of leaves. Should I use this compost now or do I need to wait? thanks!"

I'm guessing that your compost set up has been one where you add material to it and let it sit, correct?  This would be considered cold composting (which is a misnomer ...

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Organic vs. Non-organic seeds

Another great question came in to Ask Gardenerd:

"I don't understand what the difference is between organic seeds and
regular seed packets.  Are there any benefits of purchasing organic
seeds?  Can I buy regular seeds and just grow them organically with the
same results?"

The short answer to your question is yes, you can essentially get the same results with regular seeds as with organically grown seeds.  Here, for the record, is the difference:

Organic seeds are just that - organically grown.  In other words, grown using sustainable methods from start to finish.  No pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, all on land ...

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White Fly Control

The questions have really been coming in lately.  Here's one selected for this week's post:

"How do I control white flies? I tried using bugs that would eat them,
but they arrived in the mail dead. Is there anything else I can do? All of my plants died last summer and we had clouds of white flies all over
the place."

Such a bummer about those white fly predators showing up dead.  Take solace in knowing that you are not alone.  Others have suffered the curse of the white fly.  In fact, you might even check out a previous blog entry about ...

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New Gardener has Hope for Small Space

One of those all-encompassing questions came in to Ask Gardenerd last week:

"I have an apartment and no land of my own but was interested in how I can make a garden for myself. Thanks"

I have oh-so-many suggestions.  Here's a good place to start - a search of container gardening entries on the Gardenerd Blog:

Container Gardening info

This spring is a good time to start planting in containers.  Here are a few good veggies/herbs to try out in pots:

Herbs - basil, parsley, cilantro, oregano, thyme, chives

Veggies - lettuces (partial shade is perfect for these guys during the ...

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Growing Figs in a Pot

A question came from Santa Cruz, CA this week:

"I want to get a fig tree that will produce fruit we can eat and need some advise. We live in Santa Cruz County, CA in an apartment with no private yard (or dirt) so it will have to be in a container. We have a patio area that is tucked into a corner of the building and gets full sun most of the day. What type of tree, container, soil, etc. should I get?  Thank you,Michelle"

Hi Michele,

Santa Cruz falls under Hardiness Zone 9a-10a, so you're in good company for growing figs ...

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Help! Maggots in My Compost!

We've had a flurry of questions over the last couple weeks here at Gardenerd.com.  Here's one that came in with urgency:

"We have had an issue with maggots in my compost tumbler. I am not
using any meats or fats of any kind - only green food wastes. How do
I correct this? Is my compost ruined?"

Not to worry.  Those maggots (most likely Black Soldier Fly larvae) are actually helping your compost break down.  While it's true that they bring out the "ick" in most people, maggots, worms, and other garbage consumers are actually powerful creatures when it comes to ridding ...

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