What’s a “Jumbo Hass” avocado?
I found this display in a Sprouts market in San Diego County last week. Such displays selling "Jumbo Hass" avocados can be found in many grocery stores in California during August and September. What's a "Jumbo Hass?" Is it a really big fruit of the Hass variety, or...
GEM avocado tree next to Bacon has most fruit
I was touring a grove in Ventura County that had some large GEM avocado trees and many of them had respectable crops, but then I came to one whose branches were cascades of new fruit. The other two people I was with also stopped in their tracks to admire the amount of...
Using swimming pool water on vegetables and fruit trees
This summer, I emptied our small, above-ground swimming pool twice and used the water on my vegetables and fruit trees. What were the results? Thus far, I haven’t observed any response in any plant that indicates the water was harmful. Swimming pool water has the...
Lessons from the September 2024 heat wave
Rather than a whimper, summer in Southern California often goes out with a bang, with a heat wave around Labor Day. I’m glad this one is over, as at my place it was 100-degrees or higher for nine days straight. But before putting it in the back of my mind, I want to...
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...
Protecting fruit from birds
My goal is to see birds as garden teammates -- as they eat insects that can be pests, such as aphids -- and not as enemies as they peck the fruit on my trees. As far as my experience goes, the best way to accomplish this is to prevent birds from access to the fruit....
Avocado trees as “efficient factories,” with Mary Lu Arpaia
Farmers and home growers don't always want the same qualities in an avocado tree. But both value efficiency. A farmer wants to get many pounds of avocados out of a given area of land. Likewise, a home grower wants a lot of avocados out of the precious yard space that...
Why only one variety of avocado in grocery stores? with Mary Lu Arpaia
A thought-provoking, one-minute clip of Mary Lu Arpaia, who heads the University of California's avocado breeding program, setting the context and asking the question during last week's seminar of the California Avocado Society: Now, what do you think is the...
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