Grafting onto citrus rootstock suckers
Citrus trees often shoot up branches from down low on the trunk. If low enough -- below the graft union -- then these "suckers" are from the rootstock. In a sense, these are dangerous, and it's important to remove them immediately. See details on why and how in my...
Interplanting vegetables
We had spent the afternoon swimming in the Tsoaing river, which would swell with water after each summer rain, and we were hungry. Masopha led us to his family's field nearby where they were growing corn with watermelon underneath. He picked a couple of watermelons....
Why no avocados on your tree?
In July it becomes evident whether your avocado tree will have a crop to eat next year. Do you see small avocados on the tree now? Do you see many? If your answer to either question is no, then this post should give you a clue as to why not. If you have an...
Old Reed avocado trees
https://youtu.be/MYcCI-TvO2U All of my Yard Posts are listed HERE
Night gardening
Last night my wife and kids were out of town so I did what any husband and father might do with an evening alone. I put on my headlamp and gardened in the darkness. I planted tomatoes and tomatillos, and then I sowed a row of corn, and then I scouted around for...
What to do in a Southern California food garden in July
Stay cool. Make shade. Have a drink. Go to the beach. Harvest in the morning. Harvest in the evening. It's summer for all of us now -- inland it's felt like summer for a month already; but within a mile of the beach, it usually only starts feeling summery around the...
Highway 99
A few weeks ago, on our way back down from a friend's wedding in Oregon, we decided to take our rented RV on Highway 99 rather than the faster Interstate 5. I should say that I decided to take Highway 99. From Red Bluff in the north to Bakersfield in the...
Dealing with root knot nematodes in a vegetable garden
Over the past few summers, some of my vegetables have performed worse and worse because of damage from root knot nematodes. What are root knot nematodes? They're microscopic worm-like creatures that live in the dirt and bore into the roots of plants and interfere...
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