February is an important month for completing winter gardening tasks before the traditional arrival of spring in March. Here is Darren’s general list of February gardening tasks for existing vegetable and herb plants, designed for those who live near downtown Los Angeles or in inland valleys. For a customized list of gardening tasks by plant and […]

Part 4 in the GardenZeus series “Gardening Tips for Rain and Rainstorms” It’s easy to damage your soil structure by walking in cultivated areas after rains. If you have not implemented a plan in your garden or landscape to prevent soil compaction, it’s best to stay off the soil when it’s wet. See Part 2 […]

Part 3 in the GardenZeus series “Gardening Tips for Rain and Rainstorms” How does rain compare with water from your hose? Rain is much better for plants. Rainwater carries traces of airborne pollutants, but is free of the minerals, chlorine, and chloramines that many cities add to municipal water. Chlorine is put into city water […]

Part 2 in the GardenZeus series “Gardening Tips for Rain and Rainstorms” Have you ever seen brown or burned leaf tips or edges on your landscape plants or houseplants? This is usually caused by excessive salts in your pots or soil. Salts are minerals that are soluble in water, many of which plants need in […]

Part 1 in the GardenZeus series “Gardening Tips for Rain and Rainstorms” Have you ever stopped to realize that because of dry summers in most of California, garden vegetables, agricultural crops, and annual flowers may live out their entire lifespans, from germination through harvest, without ever receiving a drop of natural rain? California is climatically […]

by Darren Butler with Ann Clary What to do after putting away holiday decorations? For avid California gardeners, January is the time for planning your winter or spring garden and ordering seeds. Seed availability and turnaround time for orders is usually best early in the year, in January through early February, before the national seed-ordering […]

GardenZeus receives commissions for purchases made through links in this post. There is no additional cost to you. Heirloom? Open-Pollinated? Organic? Confused by the many different terms used to describe seeds? Unclear as to exactly what each term does and does not mean? Then read on for brief explanations of the common terms used in […]

GardenZeus receives commissions for purchases made through links in this post. There is no additional cost to you. Despite the cooler weather and intermittent rain, for gardeners who live in Southern California’s coastal areas, January can be an excellent month to plant cool-season vegetables, such as chard and spinach. Below is is GardenZeus expert Darren Butler’s list […]

Despite the cooler weather and intermittent rain, for gardeners who live in Southern California’s inland areas, January can be an excellent month to plant cool-season vegetables.  Below is GardenZeus expert Darren Butler’s list of tasks for gardeners considering planting cool-season vegetables in January. To see customized recommendations for varieties and cultivars for each vegetable and purchase seeds […]