Pink Lemonade blueberry bush: a profile
A pink blueberry is like a pink orange: it’s a gimmick, but it works. I grow a Cara Cara orange tree and I grow a Pink Lemonade blueberry bush because they taste as good as their traditional counterparts, plus they dazzle the eyes. But should you grow a Pink Lemonade...
Feral avocado tree in San Juan Capistrano
Avocado trees are not supposed to be able to grow on their own in Southern California. Here our rainfall is far less, and our rainfall pattern is completely opposite, compared to where avocados grow wild. In most of Southern California, we average 10-16 inches of rain...
Fruit tree pest management ideas worth trying
Last night I spoke with the Orange County chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers about dealing with pests of fruit trees, and they contributed so many ideas worth trying that I have to share a few. Squirrels Someone showed me a method that her husband developed...
Pomegranate flowers
I’ve got pomegranate trees that produce reliably, but I know others who don't and I want to help them. So this spring I’m learning more about pomegranate flowers and tree fruitfulness. Join me. Pomegranate flowers, from start to finish This week, on one of my trees I...
What to do in a Southern California garden in June
June is the lush month. June is the jungle month, particularly toward the end. The days are at their longest and they are warm, so the garden begins to look verdant and tangled in a most wonderful way. Squash vines overtake your walking paths. Corn stalks tower...
Sharwil avocado tree: video profile
Where does the Sharwil avocado variety come from? How does it grow? Does it fruit well? Is it an A or B flower? Would it be a good one for your yard? (Coming soon: a full written profile of the Sharwil variety.) Your support enables me to keep ads off this website and...
Carmen avocado tree: video profile
I put together this video profile of the Carmen variety of avocado tree to complement my profile post (found here). While the post is more comprehensive than this video, some aspects of the Carmen variety are nice to see in action. Also, in the video I have made sure...
Growing fava beans in Southern California
My kids are getting to the ages where they specialize in certain garden activities. The ten year old makes guacamole for the family, from harvesting all the ingredients to chopping and mashing them up. The eight year old enjoys potting up seedlings. And Reeve, the six...
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