Why are my oranges splitting?

Why are my oranges splitting?

It's December, my oranges aren't sweet yet, but they’re splitting. Oh no! Happens every fall, actually. Just as the cool nights start to turn the rinds from green to orange, and just as the first rains arrive, navel oranges begin to split. My orange tree whose fruit...

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The Bacon avocado tree: a profile

The Bacon avocado tree: a profile

Below is my Bacon avocado tree, which is older than me. I don’t know who planted it, and it’s on public property.  Okay, so this isn’t officially my Bacon avocado tree, but it feels like that sometimes because I’ve been picking its fruit and paying attention to...

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Easy weeding after first rain

Easy weeding after first rain

There’s this slice of time a few days to a few weeks after the year’s first rain in Southern California when you can knock out thousands of weeds in minutes with a simple tool and little effort. The first rain falls -- and by rain, I mean at least a half-inch, which...

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Charles Dowding

Charles Dowding

Having received our first rain of the season in Southern California, Charles Dowding is more relevant to us than he was a week ago. Dowding is a market gardener in England, rainy England. And he goes beyond growing and selling wonderful vegetables to writing,...

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Should you get chickens?

Should you get chickens?

Our yard feels boring right now. For the first time in a few years there are no chickens running around. Should we get a new batch of chicks soon? Would you like to add chickens to your own yard? Let’s take a pros and cons approach. What do you get out of having...

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White powder on avocado branches

White powder on avocado branches

Is it a disease? Is it a beetle boring into the tree? It looks scary when your avocado branches have volcanoes or streaks of white powder on them. What is that white stuff? It is the dried sap. When a branch is injured in some way, the sap runs just like your blood...

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Santa Ana winds and your garden

Santa Ana winds and your garden

Santa Anas cause many things. They mess up your hair, they put dust into your eyes, they make your lips crack and your throat feel dry, they make the power company shut off your electricity, and of course, they make fires run wild. Santa Anas also make for good...

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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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