Thank you, Floyd Zaiger

Thank you, Floyd Zaiger

I never met the man, but Floyd Zaiger made my yard taste better. I grow some of his apriums, like Cot-N-Candy. Cot-N-Candy aprium. I’ve got a tree of his nectaplum, SpiceZee. SpiceZee nectaplums. I’ve got his cherry for warm-winter places like Southern California,...

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The Hass avocado tree: a profile

The Hass avocado tree: a profile

Everybody wants to beat Hass. The world over, breeders are looking for that golden ticket: to create a new avocado variety that has a combination of characteristics superior to Hass. There are some contenders. Who will eventually knock King Hass from the throne? This...

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Natives at the roadside, 2020 update

Natives at the roadside, 2020 update

On Monday morning I was watching the bees feed on the flowers of a black sage plant at the edge of my yard by the road. Two of my neighbors walked by, and one said, “Your plants are beautiful.” “Thanks!” I said. Then I thought, The beauty of these plants has nothing...

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How to harvest avocados

How to harvest avocados

The main question is: Should you just pull the avocados off the tree, or should you carefully clip the stems when you harvest avocados? Let me tell you what I do and explain why. Harvesting avocados by hand Whether my feet are on the ground or I’ve climbed up into a...

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Growing ‘Green Finger’ cucumbers

Growing ‘Green Finger’ cucumbers

I didn’t much like cucumbers until I grew ‘Green Finger.’ I didn’t love to eat them, and I was frustrated while growing them. From my garden, too often they were bitter, and I never could figure out how to consistently prevent that. Insufficient or uneven watering...

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Hydrozoning

Hydrozoning

What’s hydrozoning? It’s grouping plants with similar water needs. You put those plants next to each other, or you put them on the same irrigation line. And I haven’t always done it -- to my great irritation, and to my plants’ hardship. Here are three examples of...

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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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