Pierce Disease Resistant Grape Vines for Southern California

July 11, 2013

...’ and has determined that it is a first generation hybrid (F1) between the native V. californica and a wine grape (Vitis vinifera) cultivar known as ‘Alicante Bouschet’. This grape, ‘Alicante Bouchet’, is unusual in that it has both red skin and red flesh – most red grapes and red wine gets its color from the skin only. Pearl River This mysterious vine came from the equally mysterious Papaya Tree Nursery. The talkative and knowledgeable owner of P...

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Biochar: Miracle or Gimmick?

Mr. Homegrown

May 17, 2013

Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

12 Comments

...a decrease in growth in some plants and higher yield in others. In the Arboretum and St. Paul campus sites, we noted similar results, but more crops seemed to decline with biochar than without it. There’s nothing new about biochar. It was in use by native peoples in the Amazon region before Columbus. Hopefully this study will help clarify what types of soils and what crops benefit most from its use. Do you have an opinion about Biochar? Leave a co...

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Creating a Moon Garden

Mr. Homegrown

July 17, 2014

Design, Gardening

2 Comments

...s stand out even more. We’re lucky in Southern California to have a lot of native plants with silvery grey leaves (an evolutionary adaption of dry climate plants). Masses of silvery grey leaves stand out well at night. Include a contrasting background. Light colored flowers and plants stand out better at night if they are in front of a dark background–a dark green bush or the shade of a large tree. It’s not all about plants. Including light colore...

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Picture Sundays: Name This Flower

Mr. Homegrown

April 21, 2013

Picture Sundays

6 Comments

...I planted our parkway with a California native wildflower mix from Theodore Payne last year. This flower was the most successful and reseeded itself. But I lost the seed package and don’t know its name. Identify it and you win bragging rights . . . Update: Dree wins bragging rights! It’s Elegant clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata)....

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A Review of Masanobu Fukuoka’s Sowing Seeds in the Desert

Mr. Homegrown

December 4, 2012

Gardening, Miscellaneous, Permaculture, Reviews

4 Comments

...tate the landscape most effectively regardless of whether those plants are native or not in order to achieve what Fukuoka calls a “second Genesis.” As he puts it, I would mix the seeds of all plants–forest trees, fruit trees, perennials, vegetables, grasses and legumes–as well as ferns, osses, and lichens, and sow them all at once across the desert. Nativists will cringe at this suggestion but to me it makes a lot of sense. Fukuoka says that these...

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