Avocado variety tasting and Q&A with John Schoustra
On August 23, you can join John Schoustra in a tasting of six varieties that are in season at Apricot Lane Farms in Moorpark, Ventura County: Pinkerton, Hass, Nabal, Reed, Lamb, and Gelado. Schoustra is the orchard manager at Apricot Lane. In addition, he cultivates...
July in Jacques’ garden
What is to eat in July in Jacques' rich food garden in Southern California? Apples, pears, and nectarines. More apples, peaches, and goji berries. Cape gooseberries? What are those? You must join me for a tour and some tasting, plus a tip on how to trap green fruit...
Supporting The Yard Posts
My goal with The Yard Posts is to help others grow food at home, with a focus on vegetables and fruits -- especially avocados -- in Southern California. How do I do this? I write short articles – “posts” – each Friday, and I augment each post with photos and sometimes...
Growing bananas in Southern California
Among the first words out of my two year-old son’s mouth every morning was, “Can I have a banana?” He would have eaten five a day if allowed. So I was hearing the call to grow more in our yard. Here in Southern California? Can you really grow bananas? Climate for...
The Gwen avocado tree: a profile
In 1956, when Bob Bergh began developing new varieties at the University of California, Fuerte was the most popular avocado in California. Frustrating for farmers, some Fuerte trees were fruitful whereas others were not. And Fuerte trees made more avocados in certain...
June in Jacques’ garden
Now we're into summer and the stone fruits are ripening in abundance, as are less common treats that Jacques grows that you might not have tried, such as Kei apples and Surinam cherries (which aren't actually apples or cherries at all!). Come along:...
Girdling Lamb avocado trees to get fruit every year
While I like many things about the Lamb variety of avocado (one of which is how late the fruit can hang on the tree), one of its weaknesses is that it tends to make a lot of avocados one year but little the next. Alternate bearing, this is called. So a handful of...
What to do in a Southern California food garden in June
June is the lush month. June is the jungle month, particularly toward the end. The days are at their longest and they are warm, so the garden begins to look verdant and tangled in a most wonderful way. Melon vines overtake your walking paths. Corn stalks tower...
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