What’s a Fig to Do?

A savvy gardener writes in:

"My young mission fig tree has very few fruit forming, can I use an organic fertilizer now to encourage more fruit output?"

In general, the best time to fertilize fig trees is in spring and as needed until late summer (which is now for Californians) - so go ahead and fertilize your fig.  Many fig trees don't require fertilizing at all, but there may be some conditions that are contributing to your low fig yield:

Fig trees can take up to two years to produce fruit from their planting date. You mentioned that your fig is young, though I ...

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White Fly Terror

Another great question came through Ask Gardenerd this week:

"We have white flies on our hibiscus trees, and I was wondering if there is a pesticide free way to get rid of them.  The infestation is on one tree, and I don't want it to spread to the other trees or anything else in our garden. We have dogs, and I don't want to use malathion or diazinone.  What would be safe to use?Thanks!"

In many cases, your hose is your best friend.  If you have a hose nozzle set on my favorite setting: Kill (read: Jet or Full), you ...

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Peach Tree Blues – EM Answers

We got a question in this week from a gardener:

"I have a 2 year old white peach tree, and it has peach leaf curl. Is there any natural way to control this? I've looked in books and on line and I've not found any other way to control it than the chemicals..."

It just so happens that I recently met someone who had a similar problem here in Venice, CA.  What they used to improve the tree's situation without chemicals is something you may have not heard of before.  I'm just starting to really learn more about it, so ...

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What? No Zucchini!

A gardener recently wrote in:

Dear Gardenerd,

My zucchini was extremely prolific until a few weeks ago, now I get a lot of flowers, but they are not turning into zucchini, they just fall off. HELP! What's the deal with my zuch?

Thank you in advance,
Zesty for Zucchini

Dear Zesty,

I, too, have had trouble with my zucchini this year (yellow crookneck squash and pumpkins as well).  I've checked with some other sources and they are experiencing the same thing throughout the U.S.  The problem could be our bee problem.  Not enough pollinators.  While your zucchini may have gotten and rush of them a ...

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Water sweet Water

A recent addition to the Gardenerd community asked:

"I am wondering what kind of water source is acceptable for organic vegetable gardening. Specifically, I am on a city water supply which contains chlorine and other additives. Should I try to find a garden hose filter (if these exist) or would it be better to use my reverse osmosis system indoors and carry the water to the garden?  Thanks for all your help."

This is a great question; thanks for writing in.  My opinion about filtering water for the garden is basically that if you can do it, all the ...

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Cornell’s Vegetable Variety Site

I stumbled upon a site this week that is a must see for home gardeners.  It's a site to register the varieties of whatever vegetables you are growing in your garden so that other gardeners can find varieties that grow well in similar climates and visa versa.  Okay- it's hard to explain, but just check it out:

http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/

I registered a few of my favorite tomato varieties as well as some varieties that didn't do well in my coastal area.  This can become a very useful resource for planning your next garden.

Enjoy! ...

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Squirrels: Cute and Fuzzy, or Destructive Rats in Pretty Coats

A desperate gardenerd writes in:

"Help! Squirrels are devouring the fruits (or vegetables) of my labor. My sweet little tomatoes, my succulent squash--all gone. They're cute little animals and all, but they're not that cute. How can I deter them?"

Alas, I hear your cries.  I've gone toe-to-toe on a few occasions with our well-dressed woodland friends, and my mother has shared stories of the same decimating her yard as well.  They stare defiantly at me (sideways out of one eye) as I threaten them with death, seeming to say, "bring it on."  There are many reported techniques that work - some better than ...

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Planting Asparagus Crowns

A gardener up in Nova Scotia writes in this week:

"Greetings from Hirtle Island. I want to plant an asparagus plot this year. Because deer are such a problem I am considering
planting them in a large planter - kind of like a raised bed, though maybe not so raised. (I hope to use an old, rotting boat.) This way I can build a metal wire cage over them. ...

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Pinch Those Suckers

A Master Gardenerd wrote in recently:

"Can you talk about pinching off some of the branches of tomato plants? Some people do and some don't. Is it necessary and how does one do it?"

Good question.  This is one of those concepts that breaks the hearts of many a gardener.  The thought process goes something like this, "If I pinch off the branches, then I'll get fewer tomatoes... I don't want fewer tomatoes...but they say that if you pinch them off, your tomatoes will be bigger and better tasting."  In a nutshell, that's the reason for pinching off branches.  It isn't absolutely necessary, but ...

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Squeaky Clean and Bleach Free

A gardenerd recently wrote in:

"I don't live in California to attend your classes, however I am interested in a bleach-free cleaner for garden tools, clay pots, bird baths and suet feeders."

Ah - good question - thanks so much for asking.  We talk a little bit about cleaning clay pots and such in the Small Space and Container Gardening class, and while a 1-to-10 part solution of bleach is recommended on many websites that I've researched for cleaning clay pots, you can also use a similar ratio of vinegar and water to clean as well.  The key ingredient in cleaning ...

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