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Read more about the article Experimenting with Biochar

Experimenting with Biochar

Ever heard of biochar?  Maybe the term "Terra preta" rings a bell?  Back in 2008 National Geographic published an article about a discovery of man-made nutrient-rich soil in the Amazon. Yes, man-made. It appears that by layering soil, charcoal, pottery sherds (yes, that's the correct spelling), and plant and animal wastes, the soil was transformed from nutrient-poor, desolate soil into the fertile ground that grew sustenance for ancient jungle inhabitants. I remember reading about it and thinking, "Hey, this could save ...

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Read more about the article Pesto Madness

Pesto Madness

This is the time of year when the abundance of basil in the garden can often overshadow the need in the kitchen. What's a gardener to do?  Make pesto, of course.

Whether you preserve pesto by canning or freezing, you can make the flavors of summer last a long time. To start off the pesto season, I took a field trip to Pesto Madness, the Learning Garden's annual fundraiser.  


David King, the illustrious leader of the Learning Garden, was giving a ...

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Read more about the article Fall Clean Up – Cleaning Tomato Cages

Fall Clean Up – Cleaning Tomato Cages

With another tomato season drifting into the past, it's time to clean up the cages and put them away for the winter. If you are one of the fortunate few whose tomatoes were not struck with blight and plan on surviving into January, ignore this post. For the rest of us, here's what to do:

1) Pull off all plant debris

2) Set your tomato cages in the sun away from your growing area

3) Hose down the cages with water
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Read more about the article Harvesting Watermelons

Harvesting Watermelons

Just in the nick of time, our watermelons are ready to harvest before summer ends. How do you know they're ready?  Consider this post to be a companion piece to our watermelon Tip of the Week Podcast, visual aid style, that illustrates the tell-tale sign that watermelon is ready for harvest.

There are old wives tales about the sound that watermelons are supposed to make when ripe. You can also look at the underside of the melon to check whether ...

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Read more about the article Petaluma Seed Bank Field Trip

Petaluma Seed Bank Field Trip

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company holds a place in the heart of many an organic vegetable gardener. Their gorgeous seed catalogs are the industry standard of "garden-porn", with beautiful pictures of hundreds of varieties many eyes have never seen before.

While away on a writing retreat, I stopped by their West Coast store, the Seed Bank. It is aptly named because it is located inside an old bank. A corner building in the center of town proudly displays Heirloom Seeds in the two-story bank windows. You can't miss it.
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Read more about the article Harvesting Seeds: Nematicidal Marigolds
Golden Guardian marigolds reduce root-knot nematodes

Harvesting Seeds: Nematicidal Marigolds

As you pull out your tomato plants this fall, check the roots for galls. These are lumpy swellings that indicate that you might have nematodes living in your soil that are stunting the tomato plant's growth. (You can learn more about it from our Got Nematodes podcast)

We had that problem last year so we planted Golden Guardian Marigolds, the roots of which contain a toxin that kills harmful nematodes. Now it's time to harvest the seeds and turn the crop under so it can do its job.
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