Why grow food at home?
Sometimes gardening feels like a leisure activity, but sometimes it feels like work: weeds, aphids, gophers, heat waves. At which times I think, Why not just buy all my food at the grocery store? It’s so convenient. You show up any day and choose from all sorts of...
Growing avocado trees from seed
Seeds aren't trash. The best avocado varieties in the world have all come from someone planting a seed. Gwen, Fuerte, Hass, Nabal, Reed, etc. They all came from seeds -- seeds that someone allowed to grow. Maybe you want to try your luck and see if a seed you plant...
When my yard grows up
Chance had a problem and a rough idea of the solution. Grasses were taking over his family's vegetable garden, especially the pathways. Meanwhile, he was raising rabbits for meat. Rabbits eat grass but they also eat vegetable plants so he needed to build a...
Protecting tomatoes from heat
This is a short video of what I do to protect my tomatoes when the heat hits: Find shade cloth at a good nursery near you or online at Peaceful Valley (Grow Organic) or Johnny's. All of my Yard Posts are listed HERE Learn HERE about how my Yard Posts are purely...
Cucumber varieties for Southern California, 2022
My kids were eating lunch but they weren't eating the cucumbers on their plate. "It's bitter," one said. We were on the road and had bought two cucumbers at a farm stand. The first tasted great, but sure enough, the second was bitter -- even in the middle, even after...
Tomato varieties with disease resistance for Southern California
How's your tomato year? Mine is 50/50. In part of my garden, I have grown varieties that don't claim any disease resistance; they are open-pollinated varieties that are different shapes and colors. They are delicious, and the plants produced well for a while but are...
Citrus, ants, and HLB: the latest research
Yesterday, I attended a citrus pest management field day at Rancho Guejito put on by the University of California. The focus was on the disease Huanglongbing (HLB) and ants. I've attended many similar lectures and research updates on these topics over the...
Carpinteria Community Garden
Since I was a kid, my extended family has gathered for a week every summer to camp at the beach in Carpinteria. Just below Santa Barbara, Carpinteria is on the north end of Southern California, at least the way I draw the lines. I think of Southern California as being...
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