African gardens put ours into perspective
In March I traveled throughout South Africa and Lesotho, where I visited a number of farms, nurseries, and home gardens. On my return flight, I recalled the G.K. Chesterton quote, “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set...
Drip irrigation versus micro-sprinklers for fruit trees
My experience is that, while both drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers work well to deliver water to fruit trees in Southern California, they come with advantages and disadvantages. And one method is not best for all situations. Because of this, even in my own single...
Smart planting of avocado trees where soil is heavy and rainfall is high
You can get lucky and plant an avocado tree in your yard and find success on your first try. But for many people, myself included, it takes killing a few trees to learn how to grow an avocado successfully in a particular situation. One situation that many people find...
Avocado tree clones itself
Unlike many other fruit trees, avocados are hard to root. Rooting is where you cut a branch off a tree and stick it partly in the ground or a container so that the cut branch will form roots where it is buried. It's a way of copying, or cloning, a tree. Try this with...
March in Jacques’ food garden
Spring has sprung. See what's ready to eat -- and what's in bloom -- in the diversified San Diego County food garden of Jacques: https://youtu.be/GT_9NRoLD00 Ever eaten an ice-cream bean? Do you have a favorite loquat? Do you share Jacques' chop-and-drop perspective...
Stewarding trees: The avocado in the bananas
Stefan was driving, taking me on a tour of avocados in South Africa, but he took a turn on a dirt road into a banana plantation. We got out of the truck and I followed him into the dark and humid canopy of green acres and acres of Dwarf Cavendish plants. We walked...
February in Jacques’ food garden
What's ripe in February on the fruit trees and other edible plants in Jacques' eclectic food garden? A lot of citrus and more. Have a look: Do you grow some of these same plants? Do they also taste good in February? See other months in Jacques' garden: January, March....
Rejuvenation pruning of stone fruit trees
On peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and pluots, I want all of my fruit within reach. So I prune these stone fruit trees down to a height of about seven feet. But I also want my trees to make fruit at chest height, and waist height. I want the fruit within reach...
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