Gardenerd Tip of the Week

This Tip Of The Week looks at great heirlooms (and open-pollinated seeds) that you can grow this fall.

If you live in the southwest, then chances are you have seen Bagrada bugs. This Tip Of The Week explores the differences between the Bagrada and Harlequin bugs, as well as provides additional links for reference.

This time of year, we’re getting a lot of emails about powdery mildew from coastal areas. It’s an airborne fungus, so it’s difficult to avoid or prevent, and once established it’s a challenge if not impossible to eradicate.

This week's Tip Of The Week explores the similarities and differences between harvesting onions vs. garlic or shallots.

By installing a bat house on the side of a building or up on a pole, you can invite bats to take up residence, and work to control pests in your garden.

Putting down a layer of mulch (that being anything organic – leaves, wood chips, etc.) at least 3 inches thick will trap moisture in the soil and help keep it there. 

The deadly disease the Citrus Psylid carries, Huanglongbing (HLB), continues to be a threat in California. This week's tip of the week tells you how you can help!

Gardenerd provides three great recipes to celebrate this summer squash, including Zucchini Cobbler, Zucchini Fritters, and Garden Fresh Lasagna.

Colorado potato beetle can destroy all your hard work in no time by eating away the leaves, leaving just skeleton stems. There are several approaches you can take to mananage them. 

Kathleen Jacecko, founder of TeachingGreen.org, has been educating children and adults about living lightly upon the earth through her presentation on sustainable living. 

You can also increase your chances for happy fruit and roots by rolling out red plastic mulch at the base of each plant. Find more tips for tomato care on the Gardenerd website.

A recent article in the Huffington Post revealed a study conducted by Ecology Center, which analyzed 179 common garden products for toxic levels of BPAs, heavy metals and other contaminates. The results were pretty telling.

This week’s tip comes from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, with helpful suggestions to maximize your sweet potato yield.

You can participate by counting and identifying butterflies in your garden and neighborhood, and reporting your findings to certain organizations for analysis. 

This May 6-12, the US Composting Council is encouraging everyone to start a compost pile at home or school. Find a composting activity to celebrate!