I waited two full years with our young pluot trees before doing what everyone* said we would need to do: Apply a copper-based fungicide. *“Everyone” in this case includes the tree nursery where we bought the trees and our local master gardeners, both of whom advocate organic growing and are better at growing fruit than I am. (Copper-based treatments are safe for organic growing, BTW. When a product has the OMRI label, it means that it can be used on organic produce. That doesn't necessarily...
4 days ago • 4 min read
Do I need to go out and cover the citrus / avocado / other frost-tender plant tonight?! Have you ever asked yourself that question? It’s one thing to check the weather forecast for your area, but the actual microclimate around the specific plant you’re worried about is a whole other question. Here is a detailed discussion about measuring weather and microclimates in home gardens (available as both a podcast and a written article) between two of my favorite online people: Farmer Fred Hoffman,...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Are you thinking about the holidays yet? Is the Black Friday madness closing in around you yet? As I write this, there is a little "Claim Black Friday deal" button at the top of my screen urging me to upgrade my email subscription. What does business software even have to do with holiday gifts?? Because I'm a business owner, however, of course I'm thinking about Black Friday, whether I want to or not. Starting about a month ago, I was bombarded by marketing *for* marketing: Services aimed at...
16 days ago • 3 min read
In an alternate life, my family and I are living in a town called Squamish, in British Columbia. Because it’s green and beautiful and full of moss and ferns. Because it’s close to extended family and to mountains and BC ferries. And because we spent a lovely family vacation there a few years back. For many practical reasons, we actually live in California, but we check in on Squamish from time to time. Throughout the fall when it was 70ish and sunny here, it was frequently around 33 degrees...
23 days ago • 3 min read
On day 3 of a heat wave, I found myself having hot chicken soup for 2nd breakfast. Yes, I've been too hot for many days. Also, it's back to school season and I have a cold. By lunchtime it will be way too hot for hot soup, and I expect dinner will be something cold out on the patio again. However. For my health, even if it's just a placebo effect, I need some broth today. So. 10:30 am soup it is! I like soup. And I like 2nd breakfast. Maybe the weirdness isn't the combo, it's that I've never...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Our end of summer sale kicks off tomorrow, Thursday September 4th at noon Pacific time! Don't want to hear about the sale? That's ok. Click here to turn off all emails about the sale. You'll stay on the regular email list. Because of the sale, Seedurday's regular newsletter is coming out today, and it's a big topic. Here goes . . . I’ve heard and read it many times this summer: Vegetable gardening is a waste of money. “The only thing that’s cost effective to grow is zucchini! Lolz.” “The...
3 months ago • 8 min read
From the heaviest duty to the very most minimal, Labor Day weekend can be whatever you want in the garden. I happened to hit two extremes of gardening this last week and thought I'd share them as inspiration for your maximum, or dainty, or somewhere in between projects. Chipper day madness: Living in a high fire danger neighborhood, we have a wonderful service called chipper day. To encourage residents to clear out excess vegetation, you can put as many branches as you want out in the street,...
3 months ago • 3 min read
When I was in design school 20 (!) years ago, the Liu lecture series ran under the headline “Rule Breakers.” The series, going back to 1997, brings established names in design, art and architecture to talk about their careers and show us behind the scenes of their work. “Rule Breakers” was the theme for the ‘04 - ‘05 school year, and was such a cool name at the time! In one catchy title, it summed up innovation, and outsider-ness, and some of that Gen X counter cultural feeling that Spyke...
3 months ago • 3 min read
A few evenings ago I went outside and heard . . . crickets. I don’t mean that in the metaphorical sense of hearing nothing, which is what I’ve been hearing for pretty much all of the 10 years we’ve lived here. I heard actual crickets in our actual back yard for the first time. The neighbors across the street who live in a big house on a very big double lot have always had crickets. Arriving home on a summer evening I would hear them, but by the time I got into my own house? Crickets...
3 months ago • 3 min read