Tips Archives - Page 2 of 15

Venice Garden Tour 2011 Review

Every gardenerd needs to "fill the well" sometimes, to take in beauty and inspiration that will generate ideas for future gardening projects. Today was filled with sparks of gardening inspiration at the Venice Garden Tour. There were 31 houses on the tour, so we set out on foot to take them all in.

Venice Beach, for those who aren't familiar, is an eclectic town populated with artists, architects, landscape designers, and hippies. It was the epicenter of pushing the envelope in the 20s, where the world's first swimsuit competition was held. It's the ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 11, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:0 Comments

Potash Deficiency

A new question dropped into the Ask Gardenerd inbox this week: "Lovin' [your] podcast since 2009! My soil test recommends 15-0-15 for potash deficiency. Organic sources would be....what?

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 21, 2011
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:0 Comments

Gardenerd is Mar Vista’s Bounty Hunter

Gardenerd's Christy Wilhelmi became a columnist for Mar Vista Patch.com this week writing the weekly Farmer's Market report, Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter. If you love the Mar Vista Farmer's Market like we do, you can sign up on Patch.com to get the latest news about what's fresh at the Farmer's Market delivered right to your inbox.

This week's story is all about the strawberries. Even if you don't live in the Los Angeles area, you'll find some great tips about ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 12, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:0 Comments

Growing Kale – Ironman of the Garden

There's a thing that happens when someone discovers kale for the first time. They become addicted to it. Well, maybe not addicted, but if their experience is anything like mine was, they can't get enough of it. My intro to kale was with Esalen's Raw Kale Salad and I've been growing kale ever since.

What kind of kale is best? It depends upon your preference. Many people like the color and texture of Italian kale, also known as Lacinato (laa-chee-nah-toe) or Dinosaur kale, and because it is not ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 6, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:4 Comments

Bamboo Insanity

Oh, the trouble with bamboo... here's a question that came in this week on the subject: "I attended a class of yours a few years ago. Since then, we had a planter built in my yard out of railroad ties. There was a think fabric base placed underneath to block out weeds and bugs. As we prepared for spring planting this week, we discovered that bamboo has infiltrated everything. It grew under the fabric base and worked it's way through…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 22, 2011
Post category:Sage Advice

Phytoremediation Update – Sad News

I'm supposed to be a garden guru with a bountiful garden year-round, right? When crops fail or disease sets in, my husband is thoughtful enough to remind me that a true gardener's approach to gardening is experimentation, and more specifically trial and error. So in the spirit of true gardening, I present my latest error.

You may remember that I spent the winter growing milk thistle and chicory in my community garden plot to remove some excess zinc from the soil. Included in the results from the initial soil ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 3, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:1 Comment

How’s that Broccoli Coming Along?

Experimentation yields results - just not always the results we expect. Such is the case with our trail planting of the Italian broccoli, Cavolo Broccolo a Getti di Napoli. The picture on the seed packet indicates that this sprouting broccoli is harvested mainly for it's leaves, but those leaves (and the shoots of sprouting broccoli) are reported to be slender and spear-like.

Well... not so much.

While it's true that this is a ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 23, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:0 Comments

Squash Bug Battles

A question came in last week from a concerned gardenerd:

"As we start to thaw (and possibly refreeze this coming weekend) out here in NE TX, I'm planning my garden for 2011. We will be starting seeds this weekend and a friend has offered us the use of their greenhouse, as long as we share our harvest - no problem. My question as I start planning, and remembering last year, what can be done about Squash Bugs? I lost the battle last year, due to a back injury that put me in ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:February 9, 2011
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:5 Comments

Ladybugs – Nature’s Aphid Brigade

For some unknown reason, my Swiss chard is covered - no, make that enveloped - with aphids. I have fed the plants with worm castings and compost and worm tea. I have sprayed them off with a strong hose blast. I have squished the aphids with my bare fingers. I have pleaded and begged for them to go away, to no avail.

My next plan, as a last resort before pulling out the chard, would be to try laying down a layer of tin foil around the base of each plant, to reflect ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 27, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments

Storing Garlic – Sprout Not, My Friend

A great question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:

"If I braid my garlic and hang it in my kitchen, how long will it keep? When I buy garlic and the store and put it in my fridge, it begins to sprout after a month or so. Will the same thing happen to my braided garlic?"

Would you believe that it depends upon the variety of garlic you choose to grow? The truth is that, like onions or apples, some varieties are known for better storage than others. ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 26, 2011
Post category:Sage Advice
Post comments:1 Comment