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Common Problems With Carrot Roots
Small, shallow, and forking roots: Many a gardener has spied colorful, wide shoulders at ground level on maturing carrots, and happily anticipated eating luscious carrot roots of several inches in length, only to discover at harvest that these root crowns disguise multiple tiny or tough unpalatable roots going sideways within the top inch or two […]
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Mildew: A Common Problem With Zucchini Plants
Mildew is a common problem with zucchini plants. How do you know if your zucchini plants have mildew? Can it be prevented? Are all mildews serious? What is mildew? Powdery and downy mildew are the most common leaf-diseases of squash in many portions of California. They appear as a whitish circles or whitish layers on […]
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Quick Tips for Harvesting Zucchini and Zucchini Blossoms
Gardeners growing zucchini are often blessed with large numbers of blossoms and fruit. Here are a few tips on how to harvest your bounty: Tools. Use a sharp knife or garden scissors to harvest zucchini, making a cut on the stem about a half-inch to an inch above the fruit. Avoid the temptation to pull […]
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What do you do when your lettuce bolts?
With the advent of consistently warmer to hot weather in much of Southern California, many of the cool season leafy green vegetables, such as lettuce, will have flowered and gone to seed, or bolted. Those gardeners who live in Southern California areas with significant coastal influence may still be able to grow these leafy green […]
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How Well Do You Know Pumpkins? Take Our Quiz!
How well do you know pumpkin cultivation and lore? Take our short quiz to find out. The 5 questions are arranged approximately from easiest to hardest. See correct answers at the end of the article. 1) What is the best advice for growing pumpkins among the options listed? a) Plant pumpkin seeds in […]
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Pumpkins and Companion Planting
Because lack of pollination is a primary reason for poor yield, GardenZeus recommends encouraging bees to visit your pumpkins by planting borage, nasturtiums, rosemary, oregano, and other heat-tolerant, bee-attracting herbs and plants nearby. Allowing vegetables like radishes and carrots to flower and persist in your garden through spring and summer may also attract bees and […]
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Down and Dirty 6: No Tomato Harvest When You Did Everything Right
June 3, 2017
Down and Dirty Southern California Gardening
/ Nothing But Tomatoes
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: C. Darren Butler
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 6: No Tomato Harvest When You Did Everything Right A gardener or landscaper can do everything else right, and still have plants that underperform, struggle, or even die from problems related to soil […]
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3 Uses for Lavender
May 31, 2017
Organic Gardening: Flowers and Ornamentals
/ Organic Gardening: Herbs
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: Ann Clary
As Decoration. Once harvested, avoid packing stems tightly in vases, which will allow them to dry naturally. Lavender flowers remain fragrant and attractive, and may be kept on display for extended periods of time, although they may be a bit messy as they drop fine dried petals over time. Lavender flower are traditionally dried in […]
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Getting to Know Garden Pumpkins: A GardenZeus Guide to Types, Species, and Characteristics
GardenZeus earns commissions on sales made through links in this article. There is no additional cost to you. What exactly is a pumpkin? Botanically speaking, that’s not a simple question. There is no such species as Cucurbita pumpkinitis. Is pumpkin a type of squash? Yes. Do all pumpkins belong in the category of winter squash? Consensus suggests yes. […]
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