Where to get avocado scion wood
"I wanted to ask about your avocado tree," I said. "Everybody wants to pick my avocados!" the man replied. We were standing in his driveway next to an old Fuerte. "I don't want any avocados, actually," I said. He looked disappointed. "I've been picking avocados off...
The easiest automatic irrigation
Some years back, I wanted to plant fruit trees in a new part of my yard, but there was only a faucet over there. I handwatered the trees at first, but when that work became too much I set up the easiest form of automatic irrigation. It consists of only five parts....
Fruit trees can bloom after stress
Aren’t fruit trees supposed to bloom in spring? Then why do some of mine have flowers here in October? My pluot trees have a few flowers (those on Flavor King pictured above). Also with a few flowers are my Pink Lady apple, Fan-stil pear, and Blenheim apricot. ...
Fertilizing vegetables with compost: pros and cons
October being one of the two transitional times in the vegetable garden in Southern California (March being the other), it is a month when I usually add compost to the beds. So compost is on my mind right now. I’ve been using compost to fertilize my vegetable gardens...
Training young avocado trees
The good news is that even if you don’t train your young avocado tree to the perfect shape, the tree can still ultimately be healthy, balanced, and fruitful. I should know. I’ve got a number of mature avocado trees that perform well but that I wish I had trained...
Growing small blackberry and raspberry bushes on stakes
Maybe you don’t have much yard space, or maybe you don’t need a bushel of berries, or maybe you don't want to invest in a trellis support structure. By tying the berry canes of a single plant onto a stake you make the bush's footprint smaller -- you can even grow it...
Fall is fast, until it’s slow
I stayed up late last night sowing seeds into module trays in my garage. It’s the dawn of the new season -- fall -- yet I’m afraid of time passing me by. You want to get certain vegetables growing by now, on the cusp of the fall equinox: brassicas, lettuces, greens....
Interplanting a strawberry patch
My Aunt Renee always grew the family’s best strawberries in her garden in Corona, where she had a permanent strawberry patch near her garage. All she did each year was rake out a few old or dead plants and add new ones to fill gaps. With a permanent strawberry patch,...
List of all Yard Posts
Recent comments