Read more about the article Easy Plants for Pots

Easy Plants for Pots

Continue ReadingEasy Plants for Pots

"Love your podcast and website. I am new to gardening. Browsed your site and enjoyed the blog on veggies in a pot. As I start thinking about the spring, I began to ponder the possibility of additional veggies and herbs in "pots." What do you think are the easiest veggies and herbs to plant in pots. Right now I grow watermelon, tomatoes and strawberries in my tiny garden. Any advice? I live in New Mexico in a dry climate. Thanks---David"

Thanks so much for writing in, David. There are some great veggies that will grow in pots, ...

Garden on the Rocks

Continue ReadingGarden on the Rocks

A gardenerd wrote in this week:

"We have very rocky soil in No. Calif. What do I need to start a garden in a small area with bad soil. Thanks, Margo."

Well, Margo, first of all let me say that you've got every gardenerd's sympathy right now, but there is hope.  There are many things you can do to work with (or not work with) rocky soil.  Here are a couple of previous blog entries that might help your situation.

This one addresses how you can condition the soil:

http://blog.gardenerd.com/2008/02/29/a-rocky-start-in-paso-robles.aspx

This one gives you details about another great option - raised beds.  I ...

Read more about the article Lots of Flowers, but No Fruit

Lots of Flowers, but No Fruit

Continue ReadingLots of Flowers, but No Fruit

A frustrated gardenerd wrote in recently:

"Having a little gardening crisis - I planted a second round of zucchini and cucumbers in September. They are large now and have produced many flowers, but no fruit! Other things I planted at the same time are doing well. Beans and peas aplenty. I know pollination is an issue, since what few bees there are right now are OBSESSED with the eucalyptus tree on the other side of the house, not my garden - but I've added some sweet alyssum pots to the garden area, and even poked at the flowers with ...

Read more about the article Gray Water for Vegetables?

Gray Water for Vegetables?

Continue ReadingGray Water for Vegetables?

A forward-thinking gardenerd wrote in this week:

"I am considering a gray water system to use on a vegetable garden. Is this safe to do? If so, is it considered organic?"

My first thought was, no - it's not really safe to use, but it might be with the right system.  Then I took to the cyberspace waves and found a few bits of information:

In many states it is actually illegal to use gray water on vegetable gardens.  You should check with your municipal sewage service to see what laws apply where you live.

In states where gray water systems are legal, they ...

Read more about the article Battling Mealy Bugs

Battling Mealy Bugs

Continue ReadingBattling Mealy Bugs

One more question came in this week at Ask Gardenerd:

"I have large New Zealand Flax in planters on the balcony, they got white mealy buys - how can I treat it? I removed the nearby smaller plants where the bugs seemed to have invaded...but want to be sure I can save the large flax. Please help! Is there anything organic that works... the internet suggests malathion....ekkk! thanks...Beatrice"

I'm pretty sure we can save your New Zealand Flax (Phormium), Beatrice.  But first, let's make sure we have the right bug.  Is this the culprit?

http://floriculture.osu.edu/archive/oct97/mealy2.html

If so, there are a few ...

Crow Away!

Continue ReadingCrow Away!

Another great question came in this week:

"Crows! I had to deal with tiny snails which I handpicked daily out of my basil all summer, but I was not ready for crows feasting on my tiny green onion sprouts. Short of leaving my dogs in the front yard (they'd love that), any tips on how to discourage these critters?"

My grandfather used to shoot crows off of the telephone poles when I was a child.  His neighbors didn't really appreciate it, and I can't say I recommend it either.  I have a few recommendations for you that are a little ...

Epsom Salts

Continue ReadingEpsom Salts

A gardener wrote in recently asking if Epsom Salts are organic. 

I think we should break this question down into two questions:

1) Are Epsom Salts organic?
2) Are Epsom Salts safe to use in organic gardening?

The short answer to both questions is yes, but for the sake of clarity, I'll explain a little further.

Microsoft Encarta defines Epsom Salts as the following:

"Epsom Salts, common name for colorless or white crystalline salt (magnesium sulfate hepta-hydrate, MgSO4·7H2O) found in the minerals kieserite and epsomite and in mineral waters. Epsom salt was first prepared at Epsom, England. ...

Singin’ the NPK Blues

Continue ReadingSingin’ the NPK Blues

Another great question came in this week at Ask Gardenerd:

"[I] did the soil test today. Turns out the pH is 6.0-6.5. The N,P, and K were depleted (even paler than depleted). No wonder my cover crop in this virgin soil is defeated. What is your recommendation to get these elements into the soil?"

First of all, I want to raise my hand and testify with you that I, too, have gotten the same test results in my garden at times.  If soil could walk, it would have been the walking dead.  That said, there are many ways to get ...

Sour Blackberries

Continue ReadingSour Blackberries

A gardener wrote in recently:

"I have thornless blackberries bushes, but every year the berries are sour. What can i do to sweeten them up?"

I don't have personal experience with thornless berries, but in my research I found two common answers to this question. 

1) The berry bushes may be old and apparently there's nothing to be done about it.  Time to get new berries. 

2) It's important to wait to harvest the berries until they are no longer shiny.  They will have passed from the dark black, shiny stage into a duller black stage and should come right off the vine ...

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