Jupiter Grapes in SoCal garden, one of the best grape for maritime climates, not just the South East U.S.
Good Grapes for Less than Ideal Climate: Jupiter

Good Grapes for Less than Ideal Climate: Jupiter

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Coastal Southern California, sunset zone 22, is generally not considered an ideal grape growing climate.  Nevertheless, we have had great success with a few grape varieties over the last decade and a half.  Between my friend across the street and I, we have grown Black Monuka, Fantasy, Glendora, Niabell, Eastern Concord, Canadice, Flame, Perlette, Interlaken, Einset, Marquis, Neptune, NY47616, and Jupiter.  More than once during a shift at the CRFG booth at the Green Scene I get asked to recommend…

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blue tiled bathroom at our house
Vintage Tile Scrapbook

Vintage Tile Scrapbook

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Preserving the Look of Our 1940s House In remodeling and decorating, we try to respect the original character of our 1944 mid century home, and for our housing track, as well as most California homes from the 1920s to the 1960s, ceramic tile surfaces and counter tops were all the rage when they were first built.  It has been frustrating that there are so few sources on TV and the web for preserving or recreating retro designs or original vintage…

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Long Beach Residents want Backyard Chickens, Bees, and Dwarf Goats

Long Beach Residents want Backyard Chickens, Bees, and Dwarf Goats

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I usually like to post links to TV and newspaper articles related to backyard chickens all together on a different page, but this one hits a bit closer to home and was on the front page of the local paper yesterday.  Excerpt taken from the Long Beach Press Telegram, June 18th, 2012. Residents want Long Beach to allow livestock by By Greg Mellen Staff Writer LONG BEACH – If urban farm advocates have their way, several meetings last week could lead…

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How to a gorgerous garden with chickens free ranging
10 Tips for Gardening with Backyard Chickens

10 Tips for Gardening with Backyard Chickens

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Having a nice yard and garden as well as eating fresh homegrown produce is something many of us enjoy, including backyard chickens. Here are some of my favorite gardening practices for keeping happy free range chickens and still having a productive garden for the family. Don’t keep more chickens than you really need.  The more chickens you have, the more damage you get.  I can’t stress this one enough. Fence off the vegetable garden area with permanent fencing.  Picket fences…

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DIY homemade carpenter bee houses native bee
Making Carpenter Bee Houses [DIY Project]

Making Carpenter Bee Houses [DIY Project]

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Hoping to provide refuge and bring more solitary bees, like the native Valley Carpenter Bee, into our yard, the kids and I created homemade carpenter bee houses over the weekend.

what is the huge black bee
Valley Carpenter Bees: A Local Mass Die Off

Valley Carpenter Bees: A Local Mass Die Off

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Over the course of the last few weeks, I have been dismayed to find more than a half dozen dead female Valley Carpenter Bees, Xylocopa varipuncta, in both the backyard and the front yard.  I don’t think the dog is responsible for their deaths because I also found one on the ground at K’s house across the street last week. Plus, the dog doesn’t hunt bees out front, nor have I ever seen him go after these, just honey bees. Disclosure:…

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buy crfg loquat tree big jim strawberry vista white
Big Jim Loquat

Big Jim Loquat

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Loquats are one of the earliest fruits to ripen around here in the Springtime, usually around March and April, just before the first of the Baba Raspberries. Our Loquat tree is still pretty young, just having started its 4th year in the ground, but it was about 2 years old in a 1 gallon can when it came to live here.  Although the tree is still small, we harvested many dozens of loquats this year, which was enough for us…

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Weird Egg

Weird Egg

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Have you ever gotten a weird egg? The first time we got one, it sure seemed bizarre.  If you keep chickens long enough, you are bound to eventually get one, too.   My neighbor came over and asked me last week “Why is her Easter Egger laying shell less eggs?”  She is not the crazy chicken lady that I am, and has yet to read every chicken book she could get her hands on.  This was her first chicken to…

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How do I deal with a yucky aphid infestation

How do I deal with a yucky aphid infestation

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Well, it turns out, I actually need to deal with it by DOING NOTHING. I was out weeding and deadheading on Wednesday afternoon and I was dismayed to find so many aphids on the new growth of my Mexican Flame Vine, Senecio confusus.  My first instinct was to start squishing or get out the high pressure hose nozzle! But after taking a closer look, the vine was also covered in newly emerged tiny lady bug larvae.  They discovered the problem…

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My worst Gardening Mistake…

My worst Gardening Mistake…

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Although I am pretty adept at gardening, I have to admit that I have made more than my fair share of dumb gardening mistakes. After 15 years at Hanbury House, that list of mistakes has grown pretty long. If someone was to ask me to name the number one worst thing I did on that list, it would have to be when I used black landscape fabric. I used it in the front yard beds near the porch, under the…

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