Category Archives: Sage Advice

My, What Trellises You Have

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Christy

A question came in this week to Ask Gardenerd:

“I was cycling in Silverlake and saw your garden you’ve setup for a greyish building! It looked great!  I was especially intrigued by the interesting bean & tomato trellises you have. I
know this is technically “consulting”, but where can I get my hands on some of those for my garden?”

You must mean the Dream Center Garden that I’ve been working on for over a year now. We
planted 24 tomatoes and nearly 100 peas in just …
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Bamboo Insanity

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Christy

Oh, the trouble with bamboo… here’s a question that came in this week on the subject: “I attended a class of yours a few years ago. Since then, we had a planter built in my yard out of railroad ties. … Continue reading →

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Preparing for Blight

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Christy

A question came into Ask Gardenerd this week, which brought back memories of our sad summer last year:

“I have some kind of blight that returns to my tomatoes every year. One tomato that survived and re-sprouted after a severe cutting back was the first to develop it this year. I had to remove it
and trash the foliage. Do you have any idea what this is, and what I need to do to prevent it?”

Arg, blight. It’s such a nuisance, isn’t it?  First off, you did …
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When to Pick an Avocado

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Christy

This week a question came in from a student at my Santa Monica College class:

“I am wondering what is the best time (or how do I know when) to pick an avocado [off a tree]. Thanks and I really learned a whole bunch in your class! Best, John”

Now I confess, I told John to send his question in to Ask Gardenerd because I didn’t know the answer. We joke around here at Gardenerd that if I can’t …
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Squash Bug Battles

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Christy

A question came in last week from a concerned gardenerd:

“As we start to thaw (and possibly refreeze this coming weekend) out here in NE TX, I’m planning my garden for 2011. We will be starting seeds this weekend and a friend has offered us the use of
their greenhouse, as long as we share our harvest – no problem. My question as I start planning, and remembering last year, what can be done about Squash Bugs? I lost the battle last year, due to a
back injury that put me in …
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Storing Garlic – Sprout Not, My Friend

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Christy

A great question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:

“If I braid my garlic and hang it in my kitchen, how long will it keep? When I buy garlic and the store and put it in my fridge, it begins to sprout after a month or so. Will the same thing
happen to my braided garlic?”

Would you believe that it depends upon the variety of garlic you choose to grow?  The truth is that, like onions or apples, some varieties are known for better storage than others. …
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Gingerly We Grow

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Christy

A great question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:

“Hi Christy, I want to try growing ginger in my zone 24 garden. I’m planning to start with a store bought (or farmer’s market if possible) piece. Do you have any experience or tips for growing
ginger? Thanks!”

I’ve grown ginger once before, when a neighbor at my community garden handed me a rhizome they had just pulled from their own garden. It had plenty of growth on it already, so I just
…
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Rock Dust for a Rockin’ Garden

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Christy

I love it when I get questions to which I don’t know the answer. It gives me a chance to learn more too:

“Hi, I have read of the benefits of using rock dust in the soil and wanted to know your experience or opinion about using it. Also, do you know of a source in the LA area?  Thanks,
Alan”

Alan, I’ll be honest – I’ve never used rock dust in my garden, but I’ve done a …
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Compost Queries

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Christy

A question came in this week from a Gardenerd student:

“I’m sharing a Biostack [compost] bin with my neighbors in my apt complex and the question was raised on whether or not it’s acceptable to put whole fruit, apples, oranges, etc. into the bin. I’m
trying to keep the bin simple for people so I am hesitant to tell people to cut up their fruit to help accelerate the composting, but my neighbor thinks they should be. Can you tell me what the
…
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Chard on the Brain – Recipes for an abundance of Swiss Chard

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Christy

When a gigantic bouquet of Swiss Chard appeared on the porch the other day, an image of the jam-packed fridge came to mind. This was going to
require some thinking. It was time to pull out the big guns, and by “big guns” I mean that it was time to ask the Gardenerd Community for help.

I put a call out in the last Weekly Update and got a couple of good recipes from fellow chard lovers. …
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