Our 5-year-old hive up and died the other day. About a month ago, we noticed a pile of dead bees outside the hive. We didn't think much of it at the time. We've seen it before and nothing bad happened. We inspected and everything looked active and fine. But then...Bee death. It appears to have taken several weeks for most of the bees to leave or die, but when we cracked open the hive the remaining bees numbered in dozens…
New growth brings hope of delicious rewards this spring. As the weather warms up, plants burst forth with young leaves, flowers, and foliage. It's also an early swarm season for bees; we've rescued 3 swarms so far from the same location in the Gardenerd Test Garden. Spring flourish, indeed! Enjoy these shots celebrating spring this week. Spring Flourish Never a dull moment here at Gardenerd. Happy spring gardening!
Today’s guest post is by Hydroponics & Aquaponics blogger Jonathan de Araujo. Read more of Jonathan’s articles at uPONICS.com. The Science of Aquaponics The science of aquaponics is as much fascinating and forwarding-thinking as it is simplistic and age-old. Aquaponics has really only been making waves over the last few decades despite the practice dating back thousands of years. The reason behind this trend is a heightened interest in organic foods, sustainable living, and self-sufficient lifestyles. So what is aquaponics…
In honor of National Library Week (April 8-14...okay, I'm late, but who cares?) I'd like to share info about the Little Free Library program. Perhaps you've seen them: a small box with a slanted roof and a window revealing a stack of books, located along the front edge of a property line as you walk by. Little Free Libraries are places to take a book or return a book for free. They've been around for years, but I'm just getting…
It's spring, evidenced by the sudden appearance of bee swarms everywhere. I've received 3 requests from friends in the last 2 weeks to help find someone to rescue a bee colony that has swarmed into their backyard, water meter, or nearby tree. And then one showed up at Gardenerd HQ. Bee swarm rescues should be done by professionals, or at the very least, a beekeeper who has all the proper equipment on hand: A bee suit with veil and gloves…
Our latest project came together quickly. The client's yard had been remodeled a few years back, and the designer left a flat patch of mulch for a future vegetable garden. Enter our space-filler garden. The client has two dogs, so she wanted taller beds to keep the dogs from jumping into the veggie patch. We installed 4 18" tall raised beds with room for doggies to walk around between them. The garden gets a little morning and late-afternoon shade, but…
Busy times, people. Spring planting is on! We're planting gardens (our own and clients'). Squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, basil, and edamame are all going in the ground. Some from seed, some as transplants. It's that anxious waiting game to see what will sprout. What a great time to be alive! Enjoy these moments every day. Here's what's growin' on in our spring Test Garden these days. Get out there and plant something!
We grew celeriac for the first time this winter, inspired by a celeriac soup we tasted a couple years ago. It grows like celery but the part you eat is underground, rather than the stalks above. Don't get me wrong, the whole plant is edible, but celeriac was bred for the root, so that's our focus today. Celeriac is ready to harvest around the same time as celery. The identifying factor is when the shoulders of the root are visible…
Spring brings a renewed sense of hope to our daily lives. We spring clean, we clear out the cobwebs; out with the old, in with the new. Such is the case with the Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast. For 10 years, we posted a weekly tip in 2-minutes or less. We ranked in the Top 5 gardening podcasts the entire time. It was fun, but after 10 years and 473 podcasts (and a book compiling all of those into…
We have a new addition to the Gardenerd family: three spring chickens! Our three existing ladies are nearing retirement age, though they are still productive, and we wanted a boost in our supply. We've never raised chickens from chicks before, we've always purchased 10-14 week-old pullets, so this is new for us. We jumped in head first, with the guidance of the folks at Malibu Feed Bin. We didn't have any equipment for raising chicks, but knew they needed a…