Category Archives: Sage Advice

Cornell’s Vegetable Variety Site

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Christy

I stumbled upon a site this week that is a must see for home gardeners.  It’s a site to register the varieties of whatever vegetables you are growing in your garden so that other gardeners can find varieties that grow well in similar climates and visa versa.  Okay- it’s hard to explain, but just check it out:

http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/

I registered a few of my favorite tomato varieties as well as some varieties that didn’t do well in my coastal area.  This can become a very useful resource for planning your next garden.

Enjoy!
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Squirrels: Cute and Fuzzy, or Destructive Rats in Pretty Coats

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Christy

A desperate gardenerd writes in:

“Help! Squirrels are devouring the fruits (or vegetables) of my labor. My sweet little tomatoes, my succulent squash–all gone. They’re cute little animals and all, but they’re not that cute. How can I deter them?”

Alas, I hear your cries.  I’ve gone toe-to-toe on a few occasions with our well-dressed woodland friends, and my mother has shared stories of the same decimating her yard as well.  They stare defiantly at me (sideways out of one eye) as I threaten them with death, seeming to say, “bring it on.”  There are many reported techniques that work – some better than …
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Planting Asparagus Crowns

Posted on June 29, 2008 by Christy

A gardener up in Nova Scotia writes in this week:

“Greetings from
Hirtle Island. I want to plant an asparagus plot this year. Because deer are such a problem I am considering
planting them in a large planter – kind of like a raised bed, though maybe not so raised. (I hope to use an old, rotting boat.) This way I can build a metal wire cage over them.
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Pinch Those Suckers

Posted on June 14, 2008 by Christy

A Master Gardenerd wrote in recently:

“Can you talk about pinching off some of the branches of tomato plants? Some people do and some don’t. Is it necessary and how does one do it?”

Good question.  This is one of those concepts that breaks the hearts of many a gardener.  The thought process goes something like this, “If I pinch off the branches, then I’ll get
fewer tomatoes… I don’t want fewer tomatoes…but they say that if you pinch them off, your tomatoes will be bigger and better tasting.”  In a nutshell, that’s the reason for
pinching off branches.  It isn’t absolutely necessary, but …
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Squeaky Clean and Bleach Free

Posted on June 6, 2008 by Christy

A gardenerd recently wrote in:

“I don’t live in California to attend your classes, however I am interested in a bleach-free cleaner for garden tools, clay pots, bird baths and suet feeders.”

Ah – good question – thanks so much for asking.  We talk a little bit about cleaning clay pots and such in the Small Space and Container Gardening class, and while a 1-to-10 part solution of
bleach is recommended on many websites that I’ve researched for cleaning clay pots, you can also use a similar ratio of vinegar and water to clean as well.  The key ingredient in
cleaning …
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Saving Arugula Seeds

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Christy

A new question came in on the wire this week:

“My crop of arugula has bolted / flowered. How do I get the seeds so I can store them and plant again next fall?”

I have fond memories of saving arugula seeds – my first seed-saving experience, in fact.  It’s about as easy as it gets when it comes to seed-saving.  Here’s how it works:

Your arugula will send up little white flowers with dark veins.  It sounds like this part has already happened.  Then little seed pods will form along the stem.  These can be
eaten fresh but beware, they are very spicy …
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Worm Compost Care & Use

Posted on May 17, 2008 by Christy

A new question rolled in this week in Ask Gardenerd:

“I have a worm bin that is great for disposing of my kitchen scraps but I really don’t know what to do with the liquid it produces. Also I don’t know how often to “harvest” the compost
produced.  I am new to your website and am so happy I can ask questions. Thanks for your help. – Emily.”

Well Emily, first of all, thunderous applause for using a worm bin!  Kudos all around.  Worm bins, as you already know, are a great way to dispose of your kitchen waste, and to
make wonderful …
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Going Native

Posted on May 3, 2008 by Christy

An enthusiastic gardenerd writes in:

“Where can I get a variety of CA native plants are cheap or free?  I’ve got a 30 X 25 foot area that has been cleared of weeds, etc and is screaming to go native!”

Congratulations on the weeding, first of all, and secondly your decision to go native.  There are a  lot of ways to get native plants for your area, not
all of them are legal.  It really depends on how quickly you want to your garden to take shape.  Here are a few suggestions:

Let’s start with Free.  The most free way …
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Having a Ball with Pillbugs – NOT!

Posted on April 19, 2008 by Christy

A really great question came in this week:

“Dear Gardenerd,
Help! The sow bugs seem to have taken over. If they’d leave some strawberries for ME, I might cut them some slack, but they eat them ALL!!  I saw some Praying Mantis eggs at Whole Foods… will
they really rid my garden of the ill “pill” sow bugs?”

Ah, yes, our friendly neighborhood sowbug.  Actually – I found an interesting piece of info to settle the discrepancy once and for all about the differences between sowbugs and
pillbugs.  It comes from Louise Kulzer in a feature called the Bug of the Month …
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Tomato Recommendations

Posted on April 9, 2008 by Christy

Our adventurous tomato cage gardenerd writes in:

“Can you recommend particular tomatoes that you have had success with. I am building your cool tomato cage and am inundated with the choices available in tomatoes.”

I can recommend a slew of heirloom tomatoes that have worked for me, because honestly – that’s all I’ve grown before.  Depending on where you live, your hardiness zone or the topography
of your landscape, you can find tomatoes for all climates. 

As for my recommendations: We are very near the coast in Southern California where I garden.  We get a marine layer for a few months that …
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