What happened to the Gwen avocado?
In 1984, a new avocado variety was patented by the University of California and released to growers. It was called Gwen, and it showed great promise. Gwen was estimated to produce approximately double the amount of fruit per acre compared to Hass, the standard...
Freezing tomatoes from the garden
When I have a good tomato year and end up with more fruit than family and friends can eat, I freeze the extras. There are other ways to preserve tomatoes -- drying, canning, etc. -- but I choose freezing because of how fast and easy it is. Freezing tomatoes The...
What to do in a Southern California food garden in October
"Why are those leaves on the pistache tree yellow?" asked my three-year old son. "Soon they'll all be yellow -- and orange and red -- and then they'll fall. That's why they call this time of year Fall." Truth is, in Southern California it's mostly the leaves of...
Growing dragon fruit in Southern California
When my friend Brad started growing dragon fruit some years back, his friend Simon told him not to bother with any variety except S-8. “I’ve tried all the other ones,” Simon told him. “Don’t bother. Just grow S-8.” “But I have to try them for myself,” Brad had replied...
When to transplant vegetable seedlings?
The question is, At what size should you put a vegetable seeding into the ground or a bigger pot? The answer is, At any size before the seedling is rootbound. Rootbound means the roots in the container are crowded and circling, especially at the bottom. Let me...
“Sustainable Food Gardens” by Robert Kourik: a book review
I was in Robert Kourik's neck of the woods this summer, and at that time I happened to be reading his newest book, "Sustainable Food Gardens." While camping along the Russian River up in Sonoma County, I considered how different his part of California is compared to...
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...
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