Earwigs, pill bugs, slugs, and snails: stopping their damage to your vegetables
One downside to the wet winter and cool spring we've had is that earwigs, pill bugs, slugs, and snails have found this weather heavenly, and they continue to munch on my vegetables even during these first days of summer. But I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. I...
Shovel don’t lie
Nick and Anna-Marie told me they had planted a white sage in their backyard, and the plant’s tag said it was a “compact” version but it had grown over five feet tall and wide. I looked out their back door to see the plant. There it was: A robust white sage with flower...
Beware of rootstock suckers on avocado trees
If I owned a nursery, each time I sold a fruit tree I would attach a flyer that explained rootstock suckers. Too many innocent fruit trees get overtaken by their rootstock while the gardener doesn't notice . . . until: "Why are my oranges sour?" "Why is my plum tree...
Advantage of multiple avocado pollenizers
An avocado pollenizer is a tree of a different flower type that is used to help another tree make more fruit. For example, a Zutano avocado tree is often planted as a pollenizer among Hass avocado trees on farms because the Zutano is a B flower whereas Hass is an A....
The grayest May?
My grandma is sick of the gloom. She's ready to go somewhere to find the sun. She has lived her entire life in the Los Angeles area, and she wondered aloud the other day, "Can you remember a year that was this gloomy for so long?" "Funny you say that because I had...
The Yard Posts food gardening calendar 2023
The new calendar is ready! See the order page here. What is this calendar? It helps Southern California food gardeners by listing for each month which vegetables to plant, how to care for different kinds of fruit trees, and guidance on watering. It’s based on my...
Fruit tree pests and diseases: I am not afraid
I am not afraid of so-called fruit tree pests and diseases. They're just critters who also like to feed on our fruit trees. I say "also" because they're just like us, they're looking for a tasty snack too. They don't munch on our fruit trees out of personal vendetta....
Wisest way to harvest GEM avocados
This spring of 2023, I harvested avocados from a GEM grove multiple times and documented what I observed, in terms of fruit maturity, flowering, fruit drop, harvest timing, and selective harvesting. This first video was shot in late April. In the video, I speculate on...
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