by Greg Alder | Sep 1, 2017 | Fruit, Misc |
Chuck Ingels is one of the main authors and technical editors of The Home Orchard, the best book available on growing deciduous fruit and nut trees for home gardeners in California, and at last week’s Master Gardener conference in Long Beach I attended a presentation...
by Greg Alder | Jul 21, 2017 | Misc |
Well, it depends what you mean by productive, but for me, I had the goal of growing almost all of the fruits and vegetables my family could eat when we moved into our house in July of 2013. Actually, 80% was the arbitrary number I had written in my notes. So...
by Greg Alder | May 12, 2017 | Misc |
Yesterday, I opened the door and my two sons, ages 1 and 3, ran straight for the blueberries. After they’d worked those plants, they dropped down to the strawberries, and then the garbanzo beans, and then the broccoli, and then the peas, and then the carrots....
by Greg Alder | Jan 13, 2017 | Misc |
How can the un-local Davis Garden Show be the best one for Southern California? It’s partly that the radio show/podcast is that good, and it’s partly that co-host Don Shor grew up in La Jolla and knows about growing plants here...
by Greg Alder | Nov 12, 2016 | Misc |
I have a challenge for you: Can you tell them apart? Which one is tomato and which is persimmon? And how do you know — color, sheen, blossom end marking, shape? The answer is found in the comments. Share Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)...
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,...
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