This is the perfect Ask Gardenerd question for those with no room for a compost bin. It came from Nancy Ross: "I have been putting my scraps for compost directly into my raised beds. Is this OK? Will this reduce the need for plant food? Thanks!" Great question, Nancy. The short answer is, yes, you can do that. Let's explore the details. A lot of people who don't have room for a compost bin, or who don't have the energy…
The most timely question came in to Ask Gardenerd from Corinne today. She asks, "Do I need to roast my chili and jalapeno peppers before freezing them or can I freeze them whole and roast them as I use them?" Great question, Corinne. The answer depends on how you plan to use them later on. Freezing Peppers To Roast... If you plan to roast the peppers before using them, you should roast them before freezing. Then peel the skins off,…
Temperatures hit 116° F in some Southern California gardens this week, causing heat damage to many crops. This question from Mary is timely: "My tomatoes are getting heat stroke! I'm wondering if it's too late to save all of them. I've installed a 50% sunblock shade, and I've thrown out any that have bleached. I wish I had picked them before this insane weekend, but now I'm worried that any of them with dime-sized white spots are goners. This is…
Here's a question we see frequently when it comes to citrus trees: "Our orange tree has yellow leaves. What can we do? It is a dwarf tree. There are some oranges starting to grow. -- Janette" Thanks for asking, Janette. There are several reason why your orange tree might be turning yellow. Let's start with the most common reason. Too Much Water Most people water their citrus trees too often. Citrus trees, like most fruit trees, like deep but infrequent…
David wrote in to Ask Gardenerd this week: "Hi Christy. Where do you recommend getting Kelp emulsion and how do you recommend using it? Thank you." We use several different liquid kelp products, depending on what's available. There are several available at nurseries (rather than big box warehouse nurseries). Here are a few to find: Liquid Kelps GrowMore is one brand that we've seen at nurseries, and of course you can get most things on the interwebs. We've used this…
"Help! The squirrels clean[ed] my 3 Loquat trees, not one piece of fruit left. Quite the surprise. Now I'm fretting over my tomatoes. How do I keep them away for my ripening fruit?"--Kim Sorry to hear about your squirrel issues, Kim. It's devastating to foster trees to fruitful production only to have them stripped bare by furry beasts. Let's look at some options for deterring squirrels: Squirrel Solutions First - read up on proposed solutions (like pet hair, predator urine…
We received a great question from Sue Payne regarding onions this week: "I planted yellow Spanish onions last September from seedlings that I picked up in a nursery (they were little, about 3" tall, 1/16" in diameter, in soil). I planted them in a garden bed with compost, about 6" apart. They grew nicely, but have never "bulbed". I just noticed that many are starting seed heads, so I don't think I'm going to get onions. I'm guessing I planted…
Here's a cool question that came into Ask Gardenerd this week: "Hi Christy, When transplanting plants grown in pots, I usually find large sections of soil that are dry and hard, often near the bottom, but not always. I've tried pushing small sticks into the soil to create a channel for water to follow, but it hasn't helped significantly. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep soil in pots watered evenly? Thanks, Jeff Bremer" Solutions for Compacted Soil…
A question came into Ask Gardenerd over the holidays: "How do I discourage the raccoons digging in my raised veggie beds?? They don’t dig on the hillside, where their efforts would be appreciated! :) So far vinegar; cayenne pepper hasn’t worked! I know they are looking for grubs. I read that BT will kill the grubs, but not sure that I want to do that since (I think) the grubs may be beneficial for the soil.-- Cynthia" You're right, those…
A very cool question came in to Ask Gardenerd from Trevor Pratt this week: "How geographically dense does the distribution of pollinator gardens have to be in the LA area to support bees and other interesting threatened species of pollinating organisms? I am not sure what the problem is but it seems they need a network. Pollinators are neat." Great question, Trevor. The good news is that statistically speaking, bees and other pollinators in urban areas like Los Angeles are…