Category Archives: Sage Advice

Growing Weeds on Purpose – Wild Edibles

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Christy

A question came in this week:

“Balcony gardening question – Is anyone growing wild edibles in pots – such as purslane,dandelions,lambs quarters,wood sorrel,etc.?“

This is the first time anyone has asked me how to cultivate weeds deliberately, but it’s not the first time the idea of eating weeds has come up in conversation. While most people simply forage for
them, there are many benefits to the plants you have listed here, and with caution, you can cultivate them …
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Scale – Not the Weighing Kind

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Christy

A question came in this week about scale:

“I have two large tree mallows (grown as shrubs) with a very heavy scale infestation. A local nursery recommends using a petroleum oil spray. Is there another effective, greener
solution?”

Yes, I can definitely suggest an alternative to petroleum sprays, but first – a little understanding about what scale is:

Scale is an insect, but it looks and behaves more like a mollusk. There are soft …
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Testing Sunlight

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Christy

Here’s a recent question that came in last week:

“I have lots of shade but some sun in my front yard. Combination of city trees, large bushes I don’t want to part with etc. I seem to remember a device that one can put in a spot to determine
the amount of sun it gets per day. I want to try to incorporate veggies into the landscape and this would help tell me where. Do you know where I might find this and …
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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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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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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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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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Materials for Raised Beds

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Christy

It’s spring, and everyone is out in the garden. This question came in this week:

“What type of material do you use for constructing raised beds? We’ve done some raised beds in redwood, but we are concerned that they will rot. What is a safe and long lasting sealer to use for
wood raised beds? or are there other economical composite materials to use in constructing beds?  Thanks, Yasi”

Great question, Yasi. I’ve built raised beds out of many different …
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Composting, Worms and Shade Gardening

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Christy

Another great question came in this week:

“Hello, I have a worm bin that I use to throw all my compostable items in such as veggies,eggshells, paper etc. I also have a big compost bin next to my worm bin, it is about a quarter full. I
throw junk mail and grass clippings, tree clippings, whatever is too big for my worm bin goes in this big bin. Could I add worms to this big bin as well to aid in the speed of the …
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