Category Archives: Sage Advice

Flying Green Things

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Christy

A new question came in to Ask Gardenerd:

“Hi, I’m an organic gardener growing my own food in Hollywood. I have a
well-established herb garden, but all of the sudden my herbs seem to be
infested with teeny tiny green flying insects that swarm around when I
shake the plants. They seem most attracted to my woody herbs (rosemary,
oregano, thyme) but are also in my mint. Any idea what they are and
what I can use to reclaim my crops? Thanks.”

Those flying green things are most likely one of the many varieties of aphids on our …
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Rabbit Retribution

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Christy

Gardens are springing up everywhere – providing snack bars for woodland creatures all over the globe.  Here’s a question that came in last week:

“Dear Gardenerd, I am starting a garden in my back yard.  I would LOVE to
convert my useless front lawn into an edible estate but can’t spend
thousand of dollars on a fence to keep out the wild rabbits.  Do you
have a simpler suggestion to keep the rabbits at bay? Thanks, Caroline”

I can make a few suggestions, but honestly a fence is the best answer. 
Rabbits burrow, so any fence you put in needs to go down at …
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Zucchini Mishaps

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Christy

An intriguing question came in last week:

“Dear Gardenerd,  I just planted my garden and am looking forward to summer
harvests, but wanted your advice on my zucchini.  Last year, in the
middle of summer, the leaves turned gray and the plants eventually
died.  None of my other veggies were effected, but this also happened
the year before last as well. Is there anything I can do to avoid this
transpiring? thanks so much, Pascal“

Not that this is an answer to your question, but I have to commiserate and say that last year was a rotten year for squash in my …
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Ants on My Artichoke!

Posted on May 7, 2009 by Christy

Here’s a new question that came in this week:

“Dear Gardenerd, How do I keep the pesky ants off of my precious
artichokes? I soaked the ones I harvested and still found some. . .
ugh! Please help!     –  No Ants On My Tree”

Ants are, in and of themselves, not harmful to a garden.  That said, they are the harbinger of bad things because they have a symbiotic relationship with aphids.  They consume the sticky sweet sap that aphids excrete and in exchange they will take the aphids from place to place.  It’s the ultimate dealer-junkie relationship.

There are …
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Vegetable Gardening in Colorado Springs

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Christy

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to grow things in specific parts of the country.  Here’s one that might apply to other places in the US:

“Hi there!  I live in Colorado Springs, CO – where it’s really cold for
about 7 months of the year, with snow off and on. We want to start our
own backyard veggie and fruit garden, but don’t know where to start.   We
are not sure if much will grow out here.  Our family eats a vegetarian
life style…for health and other reasons.  Any tips or contacts out
here? Thanks and GREAT …
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Growing Stone Fruit from Seed

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Christy

A great question came in this week:

“A friend gave me 2 peach trees from the peaches that had fallen from
his trees. Will the trees produce the same peaches as the parent trees?”

The answer is yes, your peach tree will most likely produce fruit like its parent.  While apples tend to not reproduce well from seed, stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, apricots) tend to carry forth the traits of its parent.  I tore out an article from a magazine last year that explains how to start stone fruit trees from seed.  It’s an excellent read by Lee Reich Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Veggies & Fruits for Shade, and other great questions

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Christy

A new gardener wrote in this week:

“Hi Christy, I have 2 questions for you. Well a lot of questions, but
I’ll limit this to 2.   First question: I’m getting ready to build 2
4’x8′ raised beds in my backyard. The spot I’d like to use would have
one of the beds be in full sun, but the other one would be in shade for
the first half of the day. Are there veggies that would do well in part
shade, or should I have both beds in full sun to maximize my options
and production? I live in San Jose, so it’s …
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Compost at the Ready?

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Christy

All the spring garden questions are coming into Ask Gardenerd this week.  Here’s one now:

“Hello! I’m about to start spring planting so I need to amend my soil a
bit. I have a barrel of compost that has been doing its thing for about
10 months. It’s mostly done, but there are still some chunks of leaves. Should I use this compost now or do I need to wait? thanks!“

I’m guessing that your compost set up has been one where you add material to it and let it sit, correct?  This would be considered cold composting (which is a misnomer …
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Starting Seeds to Perfection

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Christy

There seems to be a theme this week about seed-starting:

“This is the first time I’ve been to your website and I heard about it
on the news. I came to see what all the fuss is about, and ended up
with lots of answers. So here’s my question:  I have tried to grow
vegetable plants from seed indoors, then plant them outdoors and usually
end up with a small sprout then they die and I never even get to
introduce them to the great outdoors. I’ve tried different soils,
watering habits and containers but to no avail. Do you have any tips,
or better …
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Organic vs. Non-organic seeds

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Christy

Another great question came in to Ask Gardenerd:

“I don’t understand what the difference is between organic seeds and
regular seed packets.  Are there any benefits of purchasing organic
seeds?  Can I buy regular seeds and just grow them organically with the
same results?”

The short answer to your question is yes, you can essentially get the same results with regular seeds as with organically grown seeds.  Here, for the record, is the difference:

Organic seeds are just that – organically grown.  In other words, grown using sustainable methods from start to finish.  No pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, all on land …
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