Sage Advice Archives - Page 6 of 24

Acorn squash (or maybe not?) flowers and sets fruit.

Ask Gardenerd: Squash Vine Borers

A troubling question came into Ask Gardenerd this week from Jennifer: "I'm a new gardener (4 years), and EVERY SINGLE YEAR, vine borers eat my zucchini plants. But I keep planting them because they are my favorite!! None of my friends have this problem. I don't understand. I've moved them in the garden, planted marigolds, used DE, used foil at the bases, done "surgery" on my plants...and nothing works. Every June they all die and I am devastated. What else…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 21, 2017
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments

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 afraid the birds will get them before us, like they did with our blueberries. Do you have any tips and tricks for proper bird netting installment over blackberry bushes? Any brands or techniques you could recommend? - Micky" Good question, Micky. There are several approaches and bird netting is one…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 17, 2017
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments

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: "I believe you mentioned it is time to prune blackberries, but what's your method? My Seattle friends say they all cut the plants off at ground level and tear out the runners invading new territory. My plants are 2 years old. What is best pruning method for the maximum yield…

Post author:Christy
Post published:December 6, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:12 Comments

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 it this week on Ask Gardenerd (edited for length): "Hi, A few years ago I noticed that my garden never looked as good after I watered it with tap water as it did after a rain. At first, I attributed it to laziness: maybe I was stingy since I had…

Post author:Christy
Post published:November 29, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments

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 garden, a few volunteers would appear each season. Last year, in hopes of getting a lot of volunteers (for this year) whenever a tomato was damaged or half-eaten by some critter, I buried it in the soil. However, this year, not one volunteer arose. Is there anything I can do…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 12, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:12 Comments

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 end of the season. I've since learned that Broccolini is a cross between Italian Broccoli and Chinese Broccoli (a form of Kale). Was my seed saving a waste of time? If I try and plant these seeds, will they revert to one of the two parent plants? - Ed Callahan"…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 23, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:1 Comment

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 do those minimums change in hot or cold weather? My leaves have 2-color leaves, green near midrib and yellowish towards outside Why?" Jim, you might not like my answer, but it is the answer to many a gardening question: it depends. Fertilizer and water needs depend entirely on your soil.…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 28, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:1 Comment

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 don't pinch at all, but my neighbor pinches his plants back so he has only one "stem." Thx, Jeff " Ah yes, to pinch or not to pinch, that is the question. What are we pinching? Side shoots and suckers. Side shoots are additional vines that grow from the base…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 22, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments

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 unrealistic. Most garden pests are telling us something, and the rest we can usually deal with easily without chemicals or harmful pesticides. Here's a question that came into Ask Gardenerd this week: "Hello, I am very new to gardening and I just started my first vegetable garden in February. It…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 8, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:3 Comments

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 frost. For example: "Wait to plant until 3 weeks past the date of the last frost." I recently purchased a great garden planner and all dates are calculated based on the date of the last frost. We live in Mar Vista and we very rarely get a frost. How do…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 7, 2016
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments