Warm weather has returned to SoCal because I caught a Black Soldier Fly in the house today. Most people would say that the flies and larvae are gross! However, I was thrilled to catch it, and I promptly gave her to my neighbor who has been hoping to establish them in her own compost without having to buy them. I also gave her a few scoops of our compost that has had plenty of the larvae present in the past….
Spring has officially begun. As a gardener I watch the pattern of shadows move across the yard throughout the year. In December my Camellias were in full sun in the back yard against the house, and now they are covered under the canopy of the Chinese Elm tree again, where they will be safe from the harsh summer sun. The vegetable garden is almost fully exposed to the sun again as well. By June it will all be sunny, and…
What Is Biosecurity? Biosecurity is what you do to reduce the likelihood of an infectious disease being carried into your backyard and to your chickens by people, animals, equipment, or vehicles. Good biosecurity helps keep infectious disease from spreading to your chickens and causing illness or death. I am not an expert on avian diseases, but just like with plant diseases, practicing prevention and sanitation is important and far easier than trying to cure a disease. I agree the following…
About 5 years ago, I read about promising early results with newly developed low chill sweet cherries called Minnie Royal cherry and Royal Lee cherry. Well, when I told my neighbor/ friend / fellow gardener about the new trees, she was up for the experiment and had a little bit of room. I grow all sorts of low chill fruit trees, but ran out of room myself for new stuff quite awhile ago. After 3 years of her “testing” the…
Average Local Fruit Harvesting Calendar in chronological order* Limes – Nov 10 – Apr 30 Strawberries – Feb.10 – June 30 Loquats – March 30 – May 10 Blackberries – May 8 – July 8 Blueberries – May 1 – June 30 Boysenberries -May 10 – July 5 Cherries – May 1 – May 31 Peaches – May 20 – August 15 Nectarines – May 20 – August 15 Plums – May 15 – August 5 Figs -(breba crop/ crop…
Local Spring Plant Sales, Classes, and Garden Tours 2010 – Scroll down for listings When it comes to Spring plant sales and tours, I am like a anxious child anticipating Christmas morning. I have had many of these dates blocked on my calendar since the fall. I don’t always buy stuff, but I enjoy looking, learning new techniques, and seeing what’s out there. Here is a short list of the sales and tours around me that I recommend or am…
For a long time the greywater bin was hidden away behind perennials and was a family secret. There were strict laws in California prohibiting its use without special building permits. However, on August 4th, 2009, in response to growing concerns over our severe drought, the state Building Standards Commission voted to pass the new California greywater code (Chapter 16 in the CA Plumbing Code) which allows residents to dispel washing machine and shower greywater into their landscapes without needing a…
As an urban chicken keeper, I get a lot of questions. Here are the ones I answer most frequently:1) How long do chickens live? I know a lady with a 15 year old hen. Most sources say 5 to 8 years. 2) Don’t you need a rooster for them to lay eggs? No. Think about it…does a human female need a male around to release an egg each month? Ummm, no! Same with chickens. 3) Do they wake up the…
We ordered our first baby chicks (only pullets) from a hatchery. However, my 8 year old daughter wanted to see them hatch from eggs. We live in the city and no one that keeps hens has fertile eggs around here. We had to come up with an alternative, so we turned to the natural grocery stores that carried ” Fertile ” eggs for eating.She loves to create all sorts of stuff so she built an incubator with my help on…
I have observed the average cost to purchase chickens in the urban parts of Los Angeles County and suburban Orange County is higher than other areas, especially compared to what is reported in other parts of the county. When I look around further inland on BYC or craigslist toward Lancaster, Riverside, or San Bernadino, the costs generally decrease slightly. On the flip side, there seems to be more free roosters listed around here, since most folks can’t keep them. Check…