What to do in a Southern California Food garden in September
In September, summer turns to fall, but summer never goes willingly in Southern California. It always kicks us with one last heat wave. When I was a kid, school started right after Labor Day, and that first week back at school was always the hottest of the year. (Hot...
Growing avocado trees in containers
It's baffling out there. Advice about growing avocado trees in containers comes from every direction and often conflicts. Should you use a potting mix that includes organic materials? Which kind of pot should you use? What's the best variety for growing in a...
Eliminating ants from potted plants
When ants have made a full-time home in the rootball of one of my potted plants, I use a cheap, non-toxic substance to get rid of them. It's called water. I'll explain how I go about this using the example of one of my coffee plants, which last week became the home to...
Kellogg’s Breakfast tomato in Southern California
Last week I was with my cousin Paul as he bought a large heirloom tomato at a farmers market and then made breakfast with it the next morning: toast with mayonnaise, hunky slices of tomato, and salt. It looked like the right thing to do. So when I got home I picked a...
Tomato skin cracking: Why? How to prevent?
Last summer, many of my tomatoes were cracking near the stem and I couldn't figure out why. Based on consulting some books and getting some advice from a farmer friend, I thought some possible causes were "inconsistent watering," intense sunlight from temperatures...
California avocado superbloom 2023: UPDATE
On May 5, I posted a video titled, "California avocado superbloom 2023." In it I showed a large Gwen avocado tree that looked like a massive yellow ball of flowers, and I gave my thoughts on why this tree and some others I had seen around Southern California were...
MacArthur avocado: a profile
Thomas Shedden's mother lived to age 95. Avocados formed a large part of her diet, and it was Shedden's belief that his mother's longevity and good health was due to this. In her honor, Shedden named an avocado that he discovered after her, MacArthur being his...
Native bee nesting blocks
A few years ago I built a nesting block for native bees. I was hoping to increase their numbers by giving them an attractive nesting site so that I could in turn receive their pollination of my vegetables and fruit trees. I additionally planted flowers. My efforts...
Recent comments