Here are four tasks that gardeners in Southern California should do this week: Monitor plants at least every other day during warm weather and every day during hot weather to catch wilting, irrigation, pest, disease, weed, and other problems early. Maintain or add mulch; consider adding extra mulch to a total depth of 1 1/2 […]

Down and Dirty Southern California Gardening A weekly GardenZeus article series to help gardeners succeed in Southern California’s unique climates and growing conditions. Post 13: Tips for “Summerer” Gardening In Hot Southern-California Areas (Summerer Part 2) The high heat of late summer to early fall is normally the quietest part of the year for gardening […]

See customized advice and information for growing tomatoes in your Southern California zipcode Don’t know your GardenZeus California Climate Zone? Enter your zipcode at GardenZeus.com. GardenZeus receives commissions for purchases made through links on this post. Midsummer through late summer can be a challenging period for gardening in hot Southern California areas, with the proportion of […]

Growing pumpkins in California can be rewarding. Here are 6 tips for growing pumpkin that will maximize your success: Pumpkin blossoms are not usually harvested or eaten because they tend to be more bitter than zucchini and summer squash blossoms.   Pumpkins resting directly on soil may be prone to rot. Mound mulch under pumpkin […]

Down and Dirty Southern California Gardening A weekly GardenZeus article series to help gardeners succeed in Southern California’s unique climates and growing conditions. Post 12: Summer and “Summerer:” The 5th Season for Gardening in Southern California (Summerer Part 1) In Southern California we have five seasons for gardening: the same four that everyone knows, and […]

GardenZeus expert Darren Butler appreciates roses as much for their ability to discourage mammalian pests as for their blooms and fragrance. He considers cut rose canes the best solution to many small-area garden pest problems such as grazing by wild bunnies, cats using beds or pots as litter boxes, digging by raccoons, and similar mammalian […]

One of the great pleasures of vegetable gardening is harvesting and eating vine-ripened tomatoes. Tomatoes are fully ripe when in full color and slightly soft. Tomatoes may be harvested when under-ripe and allowed to ripen, and many varieties will ripen fully if harvested green, but generally will not have the same full flavor or sweetness […]

See customized advice and information for growing tomatoes in your Southern California zipcode Don’t know your GardenZeus California Climate Zone? Enter your zipcode at GardenZeus.com. GardenZeus receives commissions for purchases through links in this post. As a longtime gardener with an ever-untamed inner child, I still respond to hornworm infestations more like I would to finding […]

Down and Dirty Southern California Gardening A weekly GardenZeus article series to help gardeners succeed in Southern California’s unique climates and growing conditions. Post 11: Nontoxic Habitat Traps for Earwigs Did you know? Earwig pincher appendages at their rear-ends are more curved in male earwigs, and more straight in female earwigs. European earwigs provide an […]