Our lemons are almost ripe. 'Tis the season for citrus!
Ask Gardenerd: Lemon Tree Grown from Seed
A question came in to Ask Gardenerd about a lemon tree grown from seed. We explore whether that's a good idea or not.
Rosemary is in bloom for bees and other pollinators who need nectar this winter.
Ask Gardenerd – What’s a Spittlebug?
A fun question came into Ask Gardenerd this week from Janet Lally. She asks, "This morning I found my rosemary had blobs of white foam on the ends of some branches. I had pruned the rosemary yesterday. What is it? --Janet Lally"
Ask Gardenerd: Holes in My Basil
We received this question from David Feldman came into Ask Gardenerd: "My basil has been doing great all spring and now that summer is here the leaves have lots of [holes] in them and some are half gone. What can I do about that?" Without a photo, David, it can be hard to tell what's eating your basil. But let's look at the possibilities. The armyworms have arrived. We found this one on the basil. They are responsible for the…
Meyer lemons
Ask Gardenerd: Rootstock Fruit on Citrus
Every once in awhile we get a question or comment from a fruit gardener that their citrus fruit tastes terrible. This week, Paul Marini wrote in to Ask Gardenerd with a different question that is related: "I know the Meyer lemon tree is a combination of lemon and mandarin orange. I am pretty sure there are orange branches growing out of the bottom half [of my tree]. Is it OK to leave them on, or should I cut them off?"
A volunteer tomato sprouted from under our compost storage tub.
Ask Gardenerd: Volunteers and Compost Volunteers
A question from Debra came into Ask Gardenerd this week about compost volunteers. To keep or not to keep? We answer that question.
Leaf miners leave their trail of destruction
Ask Gardenerd: Solving Leaf Miner Issues
This week a question came in to Ask Gardenerd about controlling leaf miners and leaf rollers on citrus trees. We'll explore the options to solve the issue.
We've caught one rat so far with these new, easy to set, traps. Note the half-eaten tomatoes next to the trap.
Ask Gardenerd: Rats and Their Traps
Two questions came in to Ask Gardenerd this week about rats and their traps. Let's tackle them in order. The first is from Linda Smith:
Red Wiggler worms in a worm bin. You can apply Diatomaceous earth to keep fruit flies away without harming worms.
Ask Gardenerd: Where Do I Get Worms?
We get questions like this one from Esther Lumer a lot: "Where do I buy worms to revive my compost bins?" The answer varies depending on what kind of compost bin you have, and depending on your goals. Let's explore.
Smoky skies drop ash on everything.
Ask Gardenerd: Ash in the Garden
With fires raging here in California, the question keeps coming up: how do I deal with fallen ash in the garden? Does it contaminate the soil? Should I eat the plants? These are all good questions. Let's look at the answers.
Tomato blossoms turn brown and drop instead of setting fruit.
Ask Gardenerd: Tomato Blossoms Not Fruiting
A question came in from Paula about tomato blossoms not fruiting. We tackle the question with our favorite TomatoManiac, Scott Daigre.