I'm not at all a Seinfeld fan, but for some reason, Kramer's Festivus holiday jumped out of my head and into the title of this entry.  I guess that his enthusiasm for celebration was so similar to what I have been feeling when I'm out in the garden these days.  Something new has gone in the ground each day this week.  The promise of new life, new varieties and (crossing our fingers) no gophers has taken over my head. 

Here is a quick list of what has been planted from seed this week:

Lettuces - 6 different heirloom varieties

Arugula

Mustard Greens

Golden Chard

Orach ...<< MORE >>

Our adventurous tomato cage gardenerd writes in:

"Can you recommend particular tomatoes that you have had success with. I am building your cool tomato cage and am inundated with the choices available in tomatoes."

I can recommend a slew of heirloom tomatoes that have worked for me, because honestly - that's all I've grown before.  Depending on where you live, your hardiness zone or the topography of your landscape, you can find tomatoes for all climates. 

As for my recommendations: We are very near the coast in Southern California where I garden.  We get a marine layer for a few months that ...<< MORE >>

Those who signed up on the Gardenerd website and downloaded the Top 5 Organic Gardening Tips will appreciate this one.  A gardener wrote in today:

"What kind of store do you find the fencing for tomatoes? I don't think they have it at Home Depot. Would it be more like a farm supply store or some kind of fencing company?"

Admittedly, I found my fencing in the exact size I needed in the discard pile at the community garden where I have a garden plot.  However, there is another person nearby who uses the same kind of fencing in ...<< MORE >>

We got a new question in this week:

"I live 1 mile from the beach and have very sandy soil and a very sunny yard. I can't grow grass, keep grass or prevent grass from burning. Help!"

Is it safe to assume that you've tried out different watering schedules, primarily avoiding watering between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m?  If not, try that first.  You may need to water more often for shorter periods of time, depending on the type of grass you have, so that the water stays near the root zones, instead of washing out past them.  You would also ...<< MORE >>

A Florida gardenerd wrote in recently:

"I live in Orlando, Florida and I know that every place has its season to grow vegetables. I am interested in growing tomatoes and green peppers to start. Don't know anything about it, and want to know how to grow them organically. Thank you for your help."

You're smack in the middle of the ever changing Zone 9 over there in Orlando.  According to several sources, that area has been shifting between zone 10, 9a, and 9b for the last 50 years.   Sandy soil, tropical heat and sudden frosts, right?

I did some research and ...<< MORE >>

On Saturday, we rounded out the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series with the final class on Pruning, Tools and Tool Care.  We talked tools.  A lot of tools.  We talked about hand tools, larger tools, watering tools, and pruning tools, all with their special purposes.  Seven fellow gardenerds discussed everything from pruning a geranium to sanding rust off an old set of hand pruners. 


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The newest Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast is available online.  We probably won't be posting these on this blog for much longer, now that iTunes is podcasting them.  For help with subscribing, visit the home page of Gardenerd.com.  Or you can search for Gardenerd under Podcasts on iTunes.

Tool Talk for Spring Gardening
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Shhhhhh... there's sleeping.  Actually, they're not sleeping, they're growing big and strong.  I'm talking about my little baby seedlings that were started indoors about a month and a half ago.  It almost brings tears to my eyes to see how big they're getting in such a short time.  Really though, this is the most fun I've had in ages.

My husband must think I'm crazy because I keep barging into his office, kneeling down on the floor and looking eagerly over the trays of seedlings at least 3 times a day when I get home from work.  If I could ...<< MORE >>

Recently some students in the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series asked about growing tomatoes upside-down.  I can happily say that I've done that without any special equipment - and it works! 

One year, on the patio of our apartment, my husband and I decided to take a regular hanging planter and plant a tomato in it.  Instead of staking it up, we let the vines hang down.  It flowered, it set fruit, the fruit ripened and we ate well.  There are a couple of caveats, however, to be aware of when using a regular hanging planter:

1) The branches do bend or crease at the ...<< MORE >>

A new article I recently wrote for Low Impact Living has been featured on this week's How-To-Tuesday.  Low Impact Living is a great website with tons of ideas on how to go green in your home and lifestyle.  Check out the site and this blog posting:

Organic Gardening 101 - How-To-Tuesday

Happy Gardening, everyone!

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Today we completed the third installment in the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series on Seed-starting, Transplants and Heirlooms, and I think this was my favorite class so far.  There's something about nursing little babies (I mean the seedlings, not the beginning gardeners) to life.  We started the class with an overview of seeds - how to store them properly, how to interpret the seed packet information, and how to test for seed viability. 

Then we moved on to discuss the difference between heirlooms, open-pollinated seeds, and hybrids.  It was good to review those differences, since I constantly have to look ...<< MORE >>

This week's Tip of the week is our first that is broadcasting on iTunes.  You can subscribe by going to iTunes (which is downloadable for free) or you can visit our home page and click on the Podcast icon under the Latest Gardenerd News.  For those with less inclination in the ways of the computer.  Just click below and listen.  Enjoy!


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