More photos; fewer words
I crack up whenever I think of this comment someone made to my wife: "I really like your husband's blog, except there are so many words." Maybe not this week? Here are ten photos that capture aspects of this past summer, with captions that I've trimmed and trimmed....
Using the evapotranspiration rate to water your garden better
How often do you adjust your irrigation timer? How do you estimate how much to water your fruit trees or vegetables? The local evapotranspiration rate is a great guide in answering both of these questions. What is the evapotranspiration rate? Evapo-transpiration is a...
Tomato varieties for Southern California, 2019
It so happens that every tomato variety of the seven I’m growing this summer has done well and tastes good enough to justify planting again next year. They're all a little different, and I’d be selfish not to tell you about them. Small-fruited types Blush tomatoes....
Unirrigated fruits and vegetables in Southern California, summer 2019
I haven’t watered this lime tree for three years now and yet it still gives us more limes than we can handle -- and limes of high quality. I don’t know for certain why it no longer needs my irrigation, but I have a suspicion. Step back and take a look at the tree's...
Starting brassicas in summer
Growing good broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts in Southern California is all about timing. Summer is not the best time to grow "brassicas" but it is a great time to sow them. You get the seeds started in summer (I've started as early as June 21, the...
Who helped you grow your lunch?
I was innocently making lunch when my mind started following trails about where I got each ingredient, and by the time I ate the avocado toast I tasted not only bread, avocado, lemon, onion, and tomato, but a lot of memories too. The bread wasn't one of them. Dave’s...
Summer collection of Yard Posts, 2019
Here I've selected just over a dozen posts on topics relevant to summer food gardening in Southern California. These are the posts that I reread this time of year. Enjoy! WATERING The best way to water a vegetable garden How much to water a fruit tree in Southern...
Dealing with squirrels in a food garden
When we moved into our house six summers ago, no one had lived here for a few months, and squirrels dominated the yard. The boulder in front of the house (pictured above) had oranges filling its crack. I soon learned that this was the squirrels’ stash. Over the course...
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