Avocados for sale, 2023
Thank you to everyone who ordered avocados in 2022. It was a joy to share with you different varieties and to connect you to the farmers throughout Southern California who grew them. For 2023, I'm predicting the following harvest schedule: January: Fuerte,...
Tools for pruning fruit trees
My son and I were pruning our macadamia nut tree when his loppers couldn't cut through a branch. I saw that they were undersized for the branch. "Don't force it," I said. "If it feels like you have to use a lot of strength, it means you need a different tool." I gave...
Growing vegetables in raised boxes
Is it best to grow vegetables in raised boxes? Best for the vegetables? Best for you? Even though I grow my vegetables in the ground in my current garden, growing in raised boxes might be right for you. I'll go through the pros and cons of growing vegetables in...
Growing avocados in California’s Central Valley
At times I feel more in common with folks growing avocados 300 miles north of me in California's Central Valley than I do with those just twenty miles west in Encinitas. A coastal location like Encinitas is never hot and never cold whereas the Central Valley is...
Meet Frank Meyer, of the Meyer lemon
I spotted this sign in a Starbucks the other day, featuring a coffee that is claimed to have Meyer lemon in its flavor profile, and I wondered how that would make Frank Meyer feel. Initially, he might shake his head because he clearly requested that no plant be named...
Lessons of winter, 2021-2022
A couple more days and it’s March, in which starts spring. But before we move on, I’ve pulled three lessons from the past winter. 1. Consequences of 28 degrees The coldest night of this 2021-2022 winter in Southern California just passed, on February 23-24. My yard’s...
When to pick oranges and tangerines
A friend asked me how to know when to pick the tangerines from his tree. My first thought was, it's obvious, you pick them when they taste good. But then I remembered that for some people gardening is full of rights and wrongs; he was afraid there was a correct or...
Simple composting
My first experience composting was when I dug a hole in the ground and filled it with food scraps, garden waste, pig manure, and peach tree trimmings. Each night when I went outside to relieve myself before going to bed, I found a wild dog harvesting from the compost...
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