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4 Tips for Harvesting Snap Peas
Snap peas are delicious and nutritious. Here are some tips to maximize your harvest and your enjoyment. When to harvest. Snap pea pods are sweetest and most tender in cool weather when they are young and while still increasing in size. GardenZeus recommends harvesting when pods have swelled but before they are fully plump. GardenZeus […]
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Six Common Problems and Non-Problems With Pole Bean
Gardeners growing pole beans see a range of issues: some are problems, some are not. Here is a quick overview. Problems With Pole Beans Blossom drop: Bean plants will drop blossoms due to low humidity, excessive smog or air pollution, dry soil or uneven water, wind, excessive soil nitrogen, daily or consistent high temperatures above […]
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Growing Cucumbers in the California Home Garden
What would life be like without cucumbers? The more popular and perhaps more charismatic garden vegetables such as tomatoes and zucchini may generate more excitement and dedication from gardeners and cooks, but nothing could replace cucumbers for their texture, crunchiness, and their many uses both fresh and pickled in the kitchen. At the same time, cucumbers can […]
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3 Tips for Growing Cucumbers in Coastal Southern California
May 12, 2017
GardenZeus Southern California
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: C. Darren Butler
Time your planting carefully. Cucumbers can be fussy. They grow and fruit best in full sun at temperatures from 55° to 85°F, with optimal growing temperature between 65° and 75°F. They tend to be sensitive and stressed at temperatures above about 85°F and below about 50°F. In Southern California Coastal areas, plant pre-germinated cucumber seeds or seed […]
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Down and Dirty 3: My Garden Crash-Landing in the San Fernando Valley
May 11, 2017
Down and Dirty Southern California Gardening
/ 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 3: My Garden Crash-Landing in the San Fernando Valley Well, that didn’t turn out as I expected. I don’t know how many times I said that, along with many enthusiastic and colorful […]
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The Alphabet Soup of Tomato Disease Resistance
May 11, 2017
Nothing But Tomatoes
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: Ann Clary
Tomato seeds and plants may be sold with a string of letters after their variety names. These are codes for disease resistance. Common letter codes include: A Alternaria stem canker F Fusarium wilt FF Fusarium, races 1 and 2 FFF Fusarium, races 1,2 and 3 N Nematodes T Tobacco mosaic virus St Stemphylium gray leaf spot […]
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GardenZeus Tips for Fertilizing Tomatoes During the Growing Season
May 11, 2017
Nothing But Tomatoes
/ Organic Gardening: Vegetables
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: Ann Clary
Tomatoes are heavy feeders, and perform best in rich, living soil with sufficient organic matter and calcium. GardenZeus recommends providing additional nitrogen and nutrients to tomatoes after transplanting and again once tomatoes begin to produce fruit. Add nitrogen in the form of diluted urea or a cup of chicken manure diluted in 4 gallons of water […]
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Encouraging Cucumber Pollination Through Companion Planting
Because lack of pollination is a primary reason for poor yield, GardenZeus recommends encouraging bees to visit your cucumbers by planting them near borage, nasturtiums, rosemary, oregano, and other heat-tolerant, bee-attracting herbs and plants. Traditional lore suggests that close planting with some of the aromatic herbs in the list above and others including sage in […]
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3 Tips for Maintaining Lavender
May 7, 2017
Organic Gardening: Flowers and Ornamentals
/ Organic Gardening: Herbs
/ The Mighty Garden Archive
By: Ann Clary
Pinching and Pruning. In general, lavenders need frequent, somewhat aggressive pruning, pinching back, and harvest to maintain an attractive, compact form and avoid becoming leggy. Prune more aggressively after blooming from spring to fall for general cleanup and removal of spent blooms. Lavenders bloom on the current season’s growth. Use caution when pruning or pinching […]
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