Wordless Wednesday cilantro
Cilantro bolts to seed all over the yard. The bees love it and we'll let it re-seed for another round.

Wordless Wednesday: June is Nearly Here

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: June is Nearly Here

Despite bouts with the flu, our recent bee loss, and discovering one of our new hens is a rooster, we're still hopeful about gardening as June approaches. Here are some photos to inspire you even in hard times. Setbacks are part of gardening. Even the smallest victories help keep us going. We're celebrating the harvest every day, and we're plugging away at the problems. Enjoy your garden no matter what is happening in life.

Betty Billy
Betty turned out to be a Billy

Chickens: When Betty is a Billy

Continue ReadingChickens: When Betty is a Billy

When you ask the cashier at the feed store whether the chicks she's ringing up for you have been sexed, and her answer is, "Ninety percent!", you know your odds are really 50/50. From there it's a waiting game to find out whether Betty is a Billy, unless you know the tell-tale traits of chicken sexing. We waited. And now we have a problem. Regulations in Los Angeles dictate that no one may own keep a rooster unless 100 feet…

Barbara_Spencer
Barbara Spencer of Windrose Farm

Podcast: Tomato Tips with Barbara Spencer of Windrose Farm

Continue ReadingPodcast: Tomato Tips with Barbara Spencer of Windrose Farm

If you haven't discovered the new Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast format, now's your chance. This week's guest is Barbara Spencer of Windrose Farm. We interviewed her at TomatoBration at Ocean View Farms Organic Community Garden awhile back about her farm, and we asked about her tomato-rearing process. Barbara shares her tomato tips for raising healthy tomatoes with Gardenerd listeners. Barbara Spencer This Week's Tip We're not going to reveal the awesome tip Barbara shared on the podcast this…

Bee Death what's left
Only a few dozen bees remain in the hive.

Bee Death

Continue ReadingBee Death

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…

Wordless Wednesday Sage
Tri-color sage lends beauty to any garden. Perfect for container gardens.

Wordless Wednesday: Spring Flourish

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: Spring Flourish

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!

Aquaponics Overview-01
Fish waste feeds plants. The only input is fish food.

The Science of Aquaponics

Continue ReadingThe Science of Aquaponics

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…

Cicero quote library and a garden
Cicero would provide the perfect words for my LFL.

Little Free Library comes to Gardenerd

Continue ReadingLittle Free Library comes to Gardenerd

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…

Bee Swarm
A swarm of bees in a tree.

YouTube: Rescuing a Feral Bee Swarm

Continue ReadingYouTube: Rescuing a Feral Bee Swarm

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…

Galbraith space-filler garden finished
The completed garden will feed the family tasty vegetables year after year.

New Edible Space-Filler Garden

Continue ReadingNew Edible Space-Filler Garden

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…

Wordless wendesday loofah
Loofah seedling is ready to be planted out after hardening off.

Wordless Wednesday – Spring Planting

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday – Spring Planting

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!

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