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Kumquats R Us

Let it be known that the kumquats are here. Lots of them. More than we know what to do with.

We planted a kumquat tree as an appetite suppressant for my husband. During “snack attack” moments, instead of opening the refrigerator, he wanders out to the front yard and eats a few kumquats. (He
also drinks grapefruit juice for the same reason). The flavor is so powerful – that combination of tart and sweet – that he desires nothing for several hours after …

Testing Sunlight

Here’s a recent question that came in last week:

“I have lots of shade but some sun in my front yard. Combination of city trees, large bushes I don’t want to part with etc. I seem to remember a device that one can put in a spot to determine
the amount of sun it gets per day. I want to try to incorporate veggies into the landscape and this would help tell me where. Do you know where I might find this and …

Golden Rule Garden

And so we continue with the adventures in Willits, CA during the 3-day Grow BioIntensive workshop…

The workshop took place in a most unusual location, what I can only describe as an intentional community of horse people. There were homes and stables
(in fact, this is where Sea Biscuit used to live back in the day), but it was isolated from the main highway and was centered around a faith-based community gathering space where our little garden
class took place.

…

Ecology Action Farm

It’s been busy here, launching the new website and 2 new products for the holiday season, so blogging has taken a back seat until now. These blog
entries are really my favorite things to do (besides harvesting succulent veggies while laughing in the face of commercial agriculture), and writing them gives me an excuse to venture out to
new territory.

So we continue with the Grow BioIntensive workshop that I attended in the …

Huntington Revisited

As a guilty pleasure, or let’s say…a business expense, I renewed my long-lost membership to the Huntington Library and Gardens this spring. I haven’t been in years (since gas prices went up – it’s a bit of a drive to get there from where I live). In fact, I hadn’t been back since the Huntington opened their Chinese and Children’s’ Gardens. I was really looking forward to seeing the “new to me” installations, and sauntering through the rose garden and other old stomping grounds.

Let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. My first stop was the Shakespeare Garden, which …

An Ailing Meyer Lemon

A desperate plea came in this week that sounds like a 911 call:

“New meyer lemon dwarf tree doing poorly, yellow leaves, flowers dropped off. So sad….Help! Suggestions?”

You said the magic word – new. I’m guessing that your lemon tree is suffering from transplant shock in some way. It can take around 3 weeks for a plant to show signs of it, but chances of survival are pretty good , especially in winter, if you address it right away. Here’s what I can say about it and other possible problems your tree might be suffering from:

Yellow leaves – There are a …

What’s a Fig to Do?

A savvy gardener writes in:

“My young mission fig tree has very few fruit forming, can I use an organic fertilizer now to encourage more fruit output?”

In general, the best time to fertilize fig trees is in spring and as needed until late summer (which is now for Californians) – so go ahead and fertilize your fig. Many fig trees don’t require
fertilizing at all, but there may be some conditions that are contributing to your low fig yield:

Fig trees can take up to two years to produce fruit from their planting date. You mentioned that your fig is young, though I …

Squirrels: Cute and Fuzzy, or Destructive Rats in Pretty Coats

A desperate gardenerd writes in:

“Help! Squirrels are devouring the fruits (or vegetables) of my labor. My sweet little tomatoes, my succulent squash–all gone. They’re cute little animals and all, but they’re not that cute. How can I deter them?”

Alas, I hear your cries. I’ve gone toe-to-toe on a few occasions with our well-dressed woodland friends, and my mother has shared stories of the same decimating her yard as well. They stare defiantly at me (sideways out of one eye) as I threaten them with death, seeming to say, “bring it on.” There are many reported techniques that work – some better than …