INSECT ZONE AFFECTED MONTH(S)Bean Aphid 14 June to August 18 May to July Cabbage Looper ...

Here in Northern California the almond blossoms are in full bloom. it won’t be long before other nut and fruit trees follow. Bulbs planted last fall have poked through the soil and are getting ready to bloom, some have already done so. Spring is my favorite time of the year. Spring came ...

I spent the first ten years of my life on a farm in the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Everybody had farms back then, yet they all had kitchen gardens for their personal use. I imagine that stemmed from the Victory Gardens during World War II. When we moved to Southern California I ...

Starting a new garden blog is always a bit intimidating because I don’t want to leave any reader out. I have beginning gardeners to long time gardeners who may or may not enjoy the basics of gardening. All gardeners start out the same, by deciding what they want to grow and by looking ...

For some reason I never think about ants this time of year, until I see a trail of them moving in. It’s like they have automatic radar to where it’s dry, warm and cozy for them during winter months.The first defense against ants getting close to your house is by keeping your outdoor plants ...

Viruses are complex single molecules that act like living organisms. There are more than 200,000 of these marauding molecules to an inch. To identify viruses, plant pathologists usually group them together by what they do to the plant. Viral diseases often show up as a distortion (puckering or ...

Plant pathologists consider a vegetable to be sick (diseased) when it doesn’t develop or produce normally because it is being attacked by some living organism.A typical leaf or stem infection has the following appearance: a sunken, brown center is bordered by a tan or yellow area that is ...

Fungi are minute non-green plants that exist everywhere in the garden soil. One pound of soil contains up to 225 million of them. Like bacteria, some fungi break down organic matter into nutrients that can be used by vegetables. In contrast, other fungi attack live plants. With the exception ...

Even though it’s only August you may already be too late to plant a fall garden. But keep in mind that some vegetable varieties can overwinter, while many of the root vegetables do well when covered with a thick layer of mulch or straw and stored in the ground until you need them. Oriental ...