Fall/Autumn watering of fruit trees and vegetables
It is the middle of fall and we’re running downhill right now. Can’t you feel it? Dusk already descends before dinner time. Sweatshirts are desired in the morning. And you can comfortably water potatoes in the afternoon in a Kion costume. (Halloween never ends when...
Which vegetables can I plant now in Southern California?
Below are a handful of excellent answers to this question. They are downloadable tables, calendars, and monthly guides with more details. I know they'll help you get the right vegetables planted at the right time here in Southern California, correct timing being vital...
Growing vegetables under fruit trees
Melon vines take up too much garden space. This past summer, we grew all of ours away from the vegetable beds. I planted them under fruit trees where they had room to roam. In the photo above, a Sweet Crimson watermelon is growing “under” a young Hellen avocado tree....
Growing broccoli and cauliflower in Southern California
Broccoli and cauliflower are a couple of my favorite vegetables to grow if only to watch my uncivilized children eat them. Aren’t kids not even supposed to like broccoli? Mine eat the heads straight off the growing plant. Planting broccoli and cauliflower in Southern...
Preparing a garden for a summer vacation
Most years, we spend a couple weeks visiting friends and my wife’s family in Oregon at the end of summer, and my garden has to fend for itself. How to prepare it for my absence? I worked extra hard for this September’s vacation because it was going to be a full three...
Do you know the leaves in your garden?
"Did you see any kitties in the backyard?" my mother-in-law asked my son. "No, they were hiding in the avocado tree," he said. They were. Only it wasn't an avocado tree. This was a backyard in Oregon. But the leaves of the tree were similar to those of an avocado. See...
Where and how to buy good avocados
If buying from a grocery store . . . Buy avocados from California The first thing I look for is where the avocado was grown, and if it’s not from California I almost never buy it. We get imports from Mexico, Chile, Peru, and a few other countries. None of these...
Using wood chips as mulch for fruit trees
Almost any mulch under a fruit tree is better than no mulch, but there are many ways in which wood chips are the best of mulches. Wood chips are what comes out of a chipper machine when a tree trimmer puts branches through it. Wood chips are bits of leaves, twigs,...
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