Ask Gardenerd: Protecting Blackberries
We got a good one from Ask Gardenerd this week: "Hello, our blackberries are thriving this year, probably because of all the rain we got in SoCal, but I am…
Prune blackberry canes that have turned brown. Leave green canes in place.
Ask Gardenerd: Pruning Blackberries
As we look into the corner of the Gardenerd Test Garden, we see the need for blackberry pruning. Someone else in the Gardenerd community did the same thing and asked:…
Food grade barrels are best for use in vegetable gardens.
Ask Gardenerd: Tap Water Concerns
Here's a question urban gardeners ask themselves at least once while standing next to a garden hose as the smell of chlorine wafts across the yard. George from Wisconsin proposed…
A volunteer tomato sprouted from under our compost storage tub.
Ask Gardenerd: How to Get More Volunteer Tomatoes
I do believe my favorite question to date just came in to Ask Gardenerd from Jeff Bremer: "Hi Christy, How do I encourage volunteers? Over the years in my tomato…
Side shoots form tiny heads of broccoli you can harvest for at least a month.
Ask Gardenerd: Saving Broccolini Seeds
This terrific question came in from an inquiring mind this week: "Last spring I had a very tasty crop of Broccolini. I was impressed enough to save seeds at the…
Fresh oranges from our tree
Ask Gardenerd: Citrus Fruit Tree Care
The questions keep flowing in this time of year. Here's the latest from Jim: "How much water and fertilizer do I need for 2 y o blood orange tree. And…
Kellogg's Breakfast Tomato
Ask Gardenerd: Pruning Tomatoes
Summer is the perfect time for this question from Jeff Bremer: "Hi Christy, What's your opinion on pinching-off the "branches" that sprout out of tomato plants? Some of my friends…
Ask Gardenerd: What’s Eating My Cabbage and Spinach?
Ah, pests. Here at Gardenerd, we like to say that having a garden without pests is like having children and expecting them to be well behaved all the time. It's…
Ask Gardenerd: Frost Dates?
Here's a question we get on occasion at Ask Gardenerd: "Many garden books and seed packets refer to timing in the garden in terms of the date of the last…
Food scraps in a worm bin
Ask Gardenerd: Maggots in My Compost
We get this one a lot at Ask Gardenerd, so we thought it would be good to answer it in print: "Help! I just opened my compost to little tan…