Category Archives: Blog

Quicker Compost

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Christy

Here’s a question that came in last week:

“How can I speed up composting without spending a lot of money. Cover it with a tarp?  Helga”

Hi Helga,

There are a few things you can do to try and speed up your compost production, and none of them cost money: 

The first is to build a bigger pile – at least 3 x …
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Paying Your Gardening Skills Forward – by guest blogger Greg Holdsworth

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Christy

Awhile ago, when I referenced a really cool article about using household supplies in your garden, I heard from the author himself, Greg Holdsworth of Plano,
Texas. Since then we’ve been trading emails and sharing cool garden stuff. I asked Greg to be a guest blogger some day and he just sent me his latest publication.  He’s got some really
good ideas to share here. Take …
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Mulch Solutions for a Weedy Garden

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Christy

It’s getting busy here at Ask Gardenerd this week. Here’s another question that came in:

“Is there an easier way to keep the weeds down in my flower garden besides using preen covering, & then putting wood chips on top of the preen?”

Hi there, 

I’ll admit, I actually had to look up Preen because I’d never heard of it. I see that you’re talking about a corn based weed suppressant, correct?  

Okay – so there are two things that help weeds grow: water …

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Garden Rip-Off?

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Christy

A really interesting question came across my desk today:

” Hi I am not sure how to put this but I think I got ripped off. I hired a guy from a well known garden center to help me build a raised 8×10 garden that I had last summer (not raised) so he
advised me to buy 36 total bags of soil including manure,etc. Yet there was not enough and had to buy more, ending up with 50 bags and cinder blocks. The soil is …
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Dill You Be Mine?

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Christy

Once again, it’s confession time.  I’ve killed a lot of dill in my day.  You name it – transplants, from seed, little hopeful plugs – I’ve killed them all.  I was beginning to wonder if dill was just a houseplant … Continue reading →

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Propagating Lavender from Cuttings

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Christy

Here’s a question from a former student:

“Hey Christy,  I took your Organic Gardening Class at SMC a few months back and I am well on my way to creating my first Organic Garden!  I was wondering if you had any information on
starting plants from cuttings. We have a giant English Lavender plant next door and I’m not sure how to start a plant by cutting. Thanks Christy! Gurie”

Howdy Gurie!  It’s great to hear that you’re …
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Gardenerd at the LA Garden Show this weekend

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Christy

It’s that time of year – garden tours (like the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase last weekend, and the Venice Garden Tour this weekend), and garden shows
abound. This weekend, April 30, May 1 & 2, we are participating with a Gardenerd booth at the LA Garden Show at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens.


There are plenty of things to see and do at the Garden Show, including design …
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Dragon Tongue Beans

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Christy

A while back I mentioned that I was planting a new heirloom variety that I’d never grown before. Well, today the first harvest of said heirloom plants.   Dragon tongue
beans are making quite a show in the garden, right next to the …
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First Garden

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Christy

A new question came in this week:

“This is my first garden and I have a picket fence. Is this good enough protection from intruders? Also, do I need to plant my seeds in trays first or can I put them directly in the ground?,
Thank you from Jackson, MI., Theresa,  P.S. I loved your braiding the garlic video. great job. I think i will grow garlic also.”

Thanks Theresa, we had fun putting that garlic braiding video together. Now, about your picket fence…

…
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Woolly Pocket Wall Garden

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Christy

In preparation for this weekend’s Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase, I wanted to create a display that demonstrates how wall gardens are yet another way to grow
food in small spaces. So I took up the challenge of figuring out how to hang Woolly Pockets on my backyard fence that is completely destroyed by termites and is hanging on by wishful thinking
and wire.

Ordinarily Woolly Pockets can be attached to any wall, …
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Posted in What's Growin' On | Tagged , , | 3 Comments