Realistic garden expectations

Realistic garden expectations

“Oh, good to see you have weeds too,” said my neighbor as we walked through my vegetable garden. I've felt just like that when visiting other gardens, haven't you? Here’s a fact that should give all of us a feeling of relief: In the best gardens and on the best farms...

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Painting the trunks of fruit trees

Painting the trunks of fruit trees

I planted this pluot tree for my grandma a few weeks ago and made sure to paint its trunk to protect it from the sun; I hadn’t so protected a pluot tree that I planted for my mom eight years ago and look what happened. Pluot tree with sunburned trunk. I’ve seen a lot...

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The Fuerte avocado tree: a profile

The Fuerte avocado tree: a profile

I was speaking with an avocado farmer from South Africa, and he asked me about my favorite avocados to eat. That’s hard to answer, I started. But I told him that recently I’d had some Kahalu’u and Jan Boyce avocados that were very good. I turned it back to him,...

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Growing fruits and vegetables for kids

Growing fruits and vegetables for kids

First I grew fruits and vegetables for myself. Then I grew for my wife (Happy Valentine's Day!). Now my plantings are largely directed toward feeding our three children -- and the kids don’t like to eat the same stuff we do. Let me share what I’ve found our kids -- as...

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Growing cilantro in Southern California

Growing cilantro in Southern California

Cilantro is my favorite feral plant in the yard. It pops up in pathways, under fruit trees, over by the fence. And I do still plant some in my garden beds. Yearly routine I haven’t bought cilantro seed or plants for years because I’ve got a routine that keeps the...

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Beware of rootstock suckers on citrus trees

Beware of rootstock suckers on citrus trees

My orange tree above looks fine, right? That’s what I thought until I crouched down and noticed this little devil: That branch growing from the base of the trunk — that’s the little devil. It’s not a branch of my orange tree; it’s rootstock. Citrus trees are usually...

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Welcome . . .

I'm Greg. My goal is to help you grow food at home, with a focus on vegetables and fruits -- especially avocados -- in Southern California. I write a new "Yard Post" every Friday.

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