California Avocados: a delicious history, by Rob Crisell (book review)
Did you know that you live in Avocado Land? “The citizens of the Golden State can make a better claim for having ‘invented’ the avocado than anyone else,” writes Rob Crisell in the opening chapter of his new book California Avocados: A Delicious History. I did not...
Old guava trees in Southern California
Guavas don't get as big as some other types of fruit trees. And they certainly get bigger in the tropics than they do here. The biggest guava tree I've ever seen was on a coffee farm in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. Old guava tree on coffee farm in Monteverde,...
Fires, Farms, and being Neighbors
Do you remember my interview with John Schoustra? He is – I thought about this for a while to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anyone or exaggerating – the most innovative, open-minded, and experimental avocado farmer I know. (Please refresh your memory by checking this...
What to do in a Southern California garden in November
November is cool. The barometer falls to an average high of 73 this month, in my yard, which is about the same as most yards in Southern California. And the average daily evapotranspiration rate is only 0.08 inches in November, a threefold decrease compared to the...
The wild grape of Southern California
It grows in ravines and near creeks. It grows up sycamore trees. The wild grape of Southern California can cover a massive area, but you can tame it and grow it in your yard too. On December 28, 2015, I cut a few pieces from a vine in a canyon near me and stuck them...
Growing zucchini in Southern California
My job is to grow food for my family. Some crops I grow because we all love to eat them (Cara Cara oranges, for example), some crops I grow because just one of us is a big fan. My wife needs her zucchini so I've learned to sow, plant, water, and harvest them....
Supporting The Yard Posts
My goal with The Yard Posts is to help others grow food at home, with a focus on vegetables and fruits -- especially avocados -- in Southern California. How do I do this? I write short articles – “posts” – each Friday, and I augment each post with photos and sometimes...
Reed avocado high-density grove
In 2018, I first visited this grove of Reed avocados. The trees had been planted ten feet apart. In avocado-world parlance, they call that "high density" planting. Traditional tree spacing is more like twenty feet apart. But then the farmer further added a tree in...
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