Succeeding at tomatoes
The first way you succeed at tomatoes is by having realistic expectations, which was the main point of my previous post, “Failing at tomatoes.” The second way is by learning to manage the things that go wrong with your tomato plants and their fruit, and this is the...
Don’t spray for citrus leafminers
Back in the winter of 2015, a neighbor noted how poor my lime tree looked. She said her lemon tree didn't have those "curly leaves" because she sprays it. A couple days later she brought over a blue bottle of the stuff she uses: Bayer Advanced -- Fruit, Citrus and...
Failing at Tomatoes
Your tomatoes aren’t perfect like these of mine? Your plants don’t still have vivid green foliage in late summer? Mine do. You are failing. This is the message that some gardeners receive. This summer, I’ve heard from a number of first-time gardeners who feel like...
What to do in a Southern California garden in August
In August we pass from mid summer into late summer, and some plants never want the season to end, such as the macadamia below. New growth at the top of the tree. Other plants start to look tired in August. Look at this weary butternut squash vine that I planted back...
Growing summer lettuce in Southern California
“Lettuce, a cool-season vegetable, is extremely sensitive to high temperatures,” it reads on page 385 of the California Master Gardener Handbook. Well, the average high temperature in the summer in my neighborhood of Southern California is the low 90’s . . . but let’s...
Avocado fruit drop: Why? When? How many?
In the spring you see flowers on your avocado tree that soon become green fruitlets. Wonderful! Your tree is making avocados! Then they start dropping. What did you do wrong? Why is this happening? When will it end? How many are going to fall? Why avocados drop:...
Snow Queen nectarine tree: a profile
Gave my neighbor some Snow Queen nectarines from our tree the other day and she sent me this text: “Greg, those nectarines were by far the most delicious things we have had in our entire life.” Now, my neighbor is really friendly, and maybe she just wanted to...
Five ways to get more fruits and vegetables from less water
My perspective is that I want to water fruit trees and vegetable plants enough so that they thrive -- not just survive -- while also trying to get the most production out of every drop. This is, of course, much easier said than done. But here are five strategies that...
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