by Greg Alder | Oct 11, 2016 | Avocados, Resources |
While there isn’t a great single resource for growing avocados at home, the best of what’s available is a handbook written for commercial farmers that is edited by Gary Bender, former farm advisor in San Diego County. He taught my Master Gardener class on...
by Greg Alder | Oct 9, 2016 | Resources |
Gardeners and farmers are kin, and I’ve found myself listening incessantly to a particular podcast where one farmer, Chris Blanchard, interviews other farmers. The Farmer to Farmer podcast has given this gardener wheelbarrows of food for thought. Some of my...
by Greg Alder | Oct 2, 2016 | Misc |
He’s two and a half years old now, so I decided it was time to let him sow some of his own. He really enjoyed sprinkling the lettuce seeds; I let him sprinkle way too many since he found it so fun. But probably his favorite part was getting his hands mucky while...
by Greg Alder | Sep 15, 2016 | Misc |
What’s this? It’s a garden on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon where lush squash, tomatoes and peppers are growing behind these pads of cactus. Huge cedars and healthy Japanese maples partly shade the garden. I find the scene...
by Greg Alder | Apr 11, 2016 | Misc |
Walking around the San Diego neighborhood of South Park yesterday, I noticed that most yards had ornamental plants (giant bird of paradise, bougainvillea, lawn, Mexican sage, ficus, magnolia), but I came upon one that made me reminisce. It had peach and apricot trees,...
by Greg Alder | Mar 16, 2016 | Misc |
A truckload of mulch is overwhelmingly pleasing: the sweet foresty smell, the rich brown color, the thought of tree roots flourishing beneath it and even reaching up into it to eat and drink. There are few things you can do to please your trees more than spread a...
by Greg Alder | Mar 7, 2016 | Avocados, Resources |
Here is the best overall resource on grafting avocados that I’m aware of. Written by some of the most experienced people in the world, and specific to California conditions, it is a publication called “Propagating Avocados” from the University of...
by Greg Alder | Feb 26, 2016 | Misc |
Compare Cass and his placenta tree to one year ago here. You might also like to read: “My boy and his placenta tree turn three.” ShareClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new...
by Greg Alder | Dec 27, 2015 | Misc |
The front half of our yard — since it’s a yard of an acre, I can say the front half-acre — was stripped of its native vegetation when we moved in. That has always irritated me, particularly because next to nothing replaced it. There was a single...
by Greg Alder | Dec 8, 2015 | Misc |
For Cass, the choice of planting his placenta under a Fuerte avocado tree was obvious, but for Miles, born last week, the options felt overwhelming at times. First, we didn’t know if we were going to have a boy or girl. Before Miles was born we did decide that...
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