Gardenerd Appearing in Mar Vista

Continue ReadingGardenerd Appearing in Mar Vista

Hey local gardenerds, here's a chance to get something for free!

I will be giving a free organic gardening lecture at the Mar Vista Farmer's Market on Sunday, May 18th at 10:00 a.m.  We will be set up at the Mar Vista Community Council booth with plenty of chairs for everyone. 

The Mar Vista Farmer's Market is located at Venice Blvd. on Grand View, by the post office.  Wear a hat, and come get the free scoop on gardening this spring.

http://marvistafarmersmarket.org/

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Hello Garden

Continue ReadingHello Garden

Gardenerdiness seems to be a theme this week.  Why fight it?  This is just too darn cute to pass up...

So I was at my brother's house visiting my niece, when my sister-in-law and I got to talking about gardening.  She's been into gardening for awhile and says the "h" in "herbs" because she's Welsh.  There's a long history of proper gardening in Great Britain, and you might imagine my sister-in-law to be pretty straight laced and formal because of that.  The truth is, I don't know many straight-laced Welsh gardeners with fuchsia hair and chunky black leather Doc Martin's that lace up to the knee. She's a ...

Gardening at Night

Continue ReadingGardening at Night

Warning: This blog entry is a pure, unadulterated display of Gardenerdiness. 

Tonight I satisfied a desire I've had for years - to garden in the dark, after the sun has completely set.  It's a desire I've never been able to indulge in because my gardening space, the community garden, closes at sunset.  Now that I am a homeowner, the world is my oyster, so to speak, as far as living out my nighttime gardening fantasies.  Now, I'm not talking about gardening outside where it's well-lit.  I'm talking about piercing the night's dark shroud with good old fashioned geek gear - a head ...

Going Native

Continue ReadingGoing Native

An enthusiastic gardenerd writes in:

"Where can I get a variety of CA native plants are cheap or free?  I've got a 30 X 25 foot area that has been cleared of weeds, etc and is screaming to go native!"


Congratulations on the weeding, first of all, and secondly your decision to go native.  There are a  lot of ways to get native plants for your area, not all of them are legal.  It really depends on how quickly you want to your garden to take shape.  Here are a few suggestions:

Let's start with Free.  The most free way ...

Read more about the article Grass Growing for Beachside Folks
Need a lawn alternative? Buffalo grass works in many circumstances

Grass Growing for Beachside Folks

Continue ReadingGrass Growing for Beachside Folks

We got a new question in this week:

"I live 1 mile from the beach and have very sandy soil and a very sunny yard. I can't grow grass, keep grass or prevent grass from burning. Help!"

Is it safe to assume that you've tried out different watering schedules, primarily avoiding watering between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m?  If not, try that first.  You may need to water more often for shorter periods of time, depending on the type of grass you have, so that the water stays near the root zones, instead of washing out past them.  You would also ...

Growing Tomatoes in Florida

Continue ReadingGrowing Tomatoes in Florida

A Florida gardenerd wrote in recently:

"I live in Orlando, Florida and I know that every place has its season to grow vegetables. I am interested in growing tomatoes and green peppers to start. Don't know anything about it, and want to know how to grow them organically. Thank you for your help."

You're smack in the middle of the ever changing Zone 9 over there in Orlando.  According to several sources, that area has been shifting between zone 10, 9a, and 9b for the last 50 years.   Sandy soil, tropical heat and sudden frosts, right?

I did some research and ...

Tool Talk for Spring Gardening

Continue ReadingTool Talk for Spring Gardening

The newest Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast is available online.  We probably won't be posting these on this blog for much longer, now that iTunes is podcasting them.  For help with subscribing, visit the home page of Gardenerd.com.  Or you can search for Gardenerd under Podcasts on iTunes.

Tool Talk for Spring Gardening
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Upside-Down Tomatoes

Continue ReadingUpside-Down Tomatoes

Recently some students in the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series asked about growing tomatoes upside-down.  I can happily say that I've done that without any special equipment - and it works! 

One year, on the patio of our apartment, my husband and I decided to take a regular hanging planter and plant a tomato in it.  Instead of staking it up, we let the vines hang down.  It flowered, it set fruit, the fruit ripened and we ate well.  There are a couple of caveats, however, to be aware of when using a regular hanging planter:

1) The branches do bend or crease at the ...

Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast

Continue ReadingGardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast

This week's Tip of the week is our first that is broadcasting on iTunes.  You can subscribe by going to iTunes (which is downloadable for free) or you can visit our home page and click on the Podcast icon under the Latest Gardenerd News.  For those with less inclination in the ways of the computer.  Just click below and listen.  Enjoy!


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