Recent Blogs

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

| July 25, 2012 | 3 Replies

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About the Radishes…

About the Radishes…

| July 23, 2012 | 6 Replies

About the Radishes… I had such trouble germinating carrots after the rains of March dried up, that I thought I would try seeding them in a deep pot. I bought a wooden tub with wheels, and direct-seeded it using the same technique as planting lettuce in a pot, (see my Late Bloomer episode!) except I […]

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Parrots are BA-ACK!

Parrots are BA-ACK!

| July 23, 2012 | 9 Replies

I was just starting a blog post about my radishes, when the carrying-on outside my office window rang a familiar bell. I grabbed my camera and ran outside and a group of seven green, wild parrots were congregating in the top branch of the tree. Want to hear what I hear?

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Know What This Is?

Know What This Is?

| July 22, 2012 | 11 Replies

I spotted this on a sunflower leaf about 8PM last night, and didn’t realize what I was looking at. I believe this is the back end. John Dunstan’s “Total Metamorphosis” video makes it quite clear that this is one stage of a ladybug transformation. This little creature was racing along beside the one above, which wasn’t […]

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Tomato Trouble!

Tomato Trouble!

| July 21, 2012 | 8 Replies

I spent most of yesterday fussing over my tomatoes. I “didn’t get the memo” (from the movie “Batman Begins”) about pruning. As vines towered four feet over my head, I had to channel my inner contortionist to crawl into the jungle and clean up a big pile of limp or shriveled leaves and branches. That’s […]

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Dapple Dandy Plumcot!

Dapple Dandy Plumcot!

| July 20, 2012 | 3 Replies

I don’t have a Dapple Dandy Plumcot tree, but, I wish I did! I have a regular plum tree. See my blog post “Plum Silly” . My neighbor gave me a bag of Dandy Dapple Plumcots (or Pluots) that her friend grew in Visalia, CA, and I’ve never tasted a better plum hybrid! Whereas plumcots and apriplums […]

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Harvesting New Potatoes!

Harvesting New Potatoes!

| July 20, 2012 | 6 Replies

Harvesting new potatoes is something I enjoy more than almost anything in the garden. One stem and it’s leaves had shriveled and turned brown, and that’s when my neighbor, C.L., had told me it was time to dig for potatoes. This was my first find from my second batch of potatoes. Then I found two more […]

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Gardens of Woodside – Episode 14

Gardens of Woodside – Episode 14

| July 19, 2012 | 5 Replies

Kaye gets out of her front yard garden for a little inspiration, and visits beautiful Woodside, California. In this episode, she checks out the Woodside Library California Native Plant Garden and the Woodside Elementary School garden. With guest, teacher Brian Myrtetus. Watch here or higher resolution on YouTube.

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Crane Fly

| July 18, 2012 | 2 Replies

Crane Fly – I spotted this impossibly long-legged, mosquito-like insect on my cherry tomato plant today, and since I’m keen to attract beneficial insects to my garden, grabbed a photo and went to the internet. I learned it is a crane fly. I think I can spot the ovipositor, so I’m assuming it’s a female just taking a […]

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Create an Insectiary!

Create an Insectiary!

| July 17, 2012 | 4 Replies

Create an insectiary in your garden to attract beneficial insects! In “Wild Farm,” episode 15 of “Late Bloomer,” we meet Lisa Putnam and her sister Kathleen, who are master gardeners and they take us on a tour of Lisa’s family farm in Woodside, CA. Lisa explained that her insectiary brings in beneficial insects which eat the […]

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