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Category Archives: Sage Advice
Kale and Aphids – not a tasty treat
It must be that time of year again… here come the questions about aphids:
“The leaves on Russian kale plants have a gray aphid looking bug on them. They cluster on the leaves. How to get rid of them and keep them off. Water doesn’t seem to do much.”
First of all I have to say that if you planted your kale in fall, the plants are probably just finished for the season and should be pulled. My kale plants bit …
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Hot Pepper Tutorial
A fun question came in this week to Ask Gardenerd:
“I am growing a pretty decent size garden in Santa Monica, and I very much appreciate your tips and help! (i.e. Mulch Pit in Culver City). We are culinary people who have
found a true love in gardening. We had great success last year in most of our endeavors (38 tomato plants thanks to your fabulous cradle structures) but one category we fell short in was our
peppers. We tried to grow several types …
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Wildflowers in Clay Soil
A recent question came in:
“Hi Gardenerd!, I enjoyed your podcast about the wildflowers, and as I already had mine purchased, I have a more specific question. Mar Vista = Clay. After weeding, can the seeds just be
scattered or does the soil need amending? I bought a Xeriscape blend, and when I started weeding, I was SHOCKED by the density of clay, wet clay at that after all this rain; but, it does drain as
there is no puddling. Raised beds for wildflowers …
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Posted in Sage Advice
1 Comment
Death of a Garden
A great question came in this week:
“Hi, I started a 8×10 garden in my backyard full of veggies and herbs this past summer, yet everything has died except for a few herbs because I did nothing when it froze here in Dallas…What
should I have done if anything to have saved it and how can I start growing things now and what is best to plant. Thanx from newbie gardener…. “
You’re not alone this winter. In fact, unless …
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When Aphids Attack!
A great question came in this week from a cauliflower gardener:
“I was so excited to have just harvested my first cauliflower! It was big, beautiful and infested with little grayish white bugs! (aphids, I think?). I couldn’t salvage it because there were
literally hundreds embedded just beneath the tops of the florets. I have several other cauliflower plants growing, some are new, some almost ready to harvest. Is there anything I can do to prevent
future infestations?”
First of all, congratulations …
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Posted in Sage Advice
5 Comments
Winter Citrus Bounty
During the summer months, I’m famous for my lemon sorbet. I use Meyer lemons from the tree outside the back door and feed the finished product to my
girlfriends when we get together for high tea or some other summer thing that girls do. Now that it’s winter, not many people are thinking about lemon sorbet, except for my friend Orna, who has
a tree full of lemons and doesn’t know what to do with them. She recently …
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Posted in Sage Advice
3 Comments
White Grubs in the Garden
A gardener wrote in recently:
“Hi, I am trying to learn how to Organic Garden. My 25 x 5 raised garden bed has a major grub worm infestation. Every foot I dig, there are 10 or more grub worms. They
destroy any seed I plant. I applied milky spore all over my raised garden bed. What else should I do? I would love to be able to grow onions and beets this spring. I will greatly appreciate any
and all suggestions or advise for …
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Posted in Sage Advice
7 Comments
Aromatherapy for Fruit Flies
While developing the Gardenerd Hand Care Kit, I met Sue Dwiggins. She’s a blender – an aromatherapy specialist with a company called Essential Three. She and her sister happened to be in town and were helping out at Soaptopia when the owners of the shop and I were working out the details
of the new product. They helped create the signature scent that is in the Gardenerd Hand Care Kit.
Killing Laurel Sumac
An interesting question came in this week:
“I’d like to eradicate some Laurel Sumac in my yard. Do you have any
natural remedy I could use to do this. I thought I read at one time you
could make a potion of vinegar and baking soda and make a small hole in
the trunk and poor mixture down it. Of course, I can’t find where I
read this and don’t know portions so if you know of anything it would
be greatly appreciated. Thanks”
I’ll admit that I’m …
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Re-purposed for the Garden
A fellow Gardenerd wrote in last week to offer a tip on inexpensive alternatives to Floating Row Cover or Garden Fabric. Here’s what she said:
“Suggestion from a friend that I tried and it works: For brassicas and
anything that attracts moths/eggs that are not beneficials, cover the
plants, especially the younger ones, with bridal veil tulle. It’s so
light you don’t need to stake it, the sun and rain penetrate, and you
can move it around so easily. It’s < $2/yard at Joanne’s and you can
get so …
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