03-31-09 Spring Along with Me

3-31-09 Spring Along with Me In This Issue: March in the Garden Planting Tomatoes Gardenerd Tip of the Week: Free Mulch Product of the Month: Gardenerd Recycled Grocery Tote 1.…

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04-19-08 Welcome to Spring

4-19-08 Welcome to Spring  In This Issue:     1. Clearing the Cobwebs for Spring     2. Organic Gardening Classes - Coming in May!     3. Gardenerd Tip of the Month…

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About Us

Contact Us Yvette Roman Photography Mission StatementGardenerd is designed for people who have a healthy sense of humor about their obsession with organic gardening, and who have a thirst for…

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Like a Moth to the Apple

A new question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:

“Hi, My mom has a very good fuji apple tree, but we lose a lot of apples to worms. Is there a natural, organic, non-Monsanto something that would help deter pests?  Thank you, -Michael”

I’m so glad that you are seeking an alternative method to prevent this problem!  It’s so easy to grab a bottle off the shelf and start spraying. Let’s see what we can do to get you on the road
to apple tree salvation. …

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Italy Travelogue: Farmers’ Markets Abroad

In the last few years, Los Angeles has seen an abundance of Farmers’ Markets popping up all over town. People are longing to get back to the way things used to be, by buying fresh local produce
straight from the farmer. Well, in Italy it still is  the way it used to be, and nothing proves it more than a visit to a Farmers’ Market.

There are many towns, even cities, in Italy where supermarkets do not exist. Instead the locals get their food needs met by stopping at the baker on the …

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When to Pick an Avocado

This week a question came in from a student at my Santa Monica College class:

“I am wondering what is the best time (or how do I know when) to pick an avocado [off a tree]. Thanks and I really learned a whole bunch in your class! Best, John”

Now I confess, I told John to send his question in to Ask Gardenerd because I didn’t know the answer. We joke around here at Gardenerd that if I can’t …

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Harvesting Pomegranates

Do you ever wonder how the first person ever figured out how to do certain things?  Like who figured out that rhubarb stalks are tasty eating, but the
leaves are poisonous?  Or who figured out that soy beans have to be cooked in order to be digestible?  If you’re wondering who figured out how to open a pomegranate without getting
red stains all over themselves, I can tell you – it was my friend Lynn Jordan.

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Scale – Not the Weighing Kind

A question came in this week about scale:

“I have two large tree mallows (grown as shrubs) with a very heavy scale infestation. A local nursery recommends using a petroleum oil spray. Is there another effective, greener
solution?”

Yes, I can definitely suggest an alternative to petroleum sprays, but first – a little understanding about what scale is:

Scale is an insect, but it looks and behaves more like a mollusk. There are soft …

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