Winter gardening in Southern California
Winter in Southern California is a season of unique gardening opportunities. What follows is a collection of winter Yard Posts -- both recent and from a few winters ago -- related to only this season. I'm sure you'll find some you've never seen or others you may like...
California Bees and Blooms: a book review
California Bees and Blooms has become my guide to a more lively, colorful, and fruitful yard. Just a few mornings ago, I photographed bees collecting pollen on a California poppy flower, one of the first to open this winter. There was lots of buzzing and flashes of...
What kind of avocado tree do you get when you plant a seed?
I begin with the story of two avocado trees grown from seed. These trees are related yet separated by about ten miles and eighty years -- and they illustrate a thing or two about what kind of tree you can expect when you plant an avocado seed. Seedling avocado tree...
Using wood chips as mulch for vegetables
It’s raining as I write this, which brings to life right out my window all of the things I like about using wood chips as mulch around my vegetables. The chips are soaking up the rain so there’s no run off; they’re protecting the soil surface from erosion or crusting...
Dwarf, Semi-dwarf, and Standard citrus trees: What are they, really?
Back in 2014, I wanted to plant some citrus trees along the north side of my driveway. I knew the varieties I wanted, and I envisioned planting about five trees that would ultimately grow into a citrus hedge. But the hedge couldn’t get too wide or it would choke the...
Growing garlic in Southern California
Garlic is the easiest crop to grow in a Southern California garden. Can you think of an easier one? If you use garlic in the kitchen, and you have a garden, there’s no reason not to have some growing out there through the winter. I’ll explain why garlic is so easy,...
Getting rainwater from a barrel to your plants
Collecting rain is easy. Above is how we did it in Lesotho. The real challenge is in getting that collected rainwater to your plants. This week I spoke about collecting and using rainwater in a garden with the members of the Dos Valles Garden Club in Valley Center,...
Protecting avocado trees from cold
My attitude toward protecting avocado trees during winter cold snaps has evolved. I once lived close to the beach where I never thought about protecting my avocados in winter. Then I moved inland and watched the temperatures dive at night but shrugged at first, “Well,...
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