Event:Tomatomania comes (again) to LA - Mar 27-29

The annual Tomatomania will arrive in Los Angeles on March 27-29. You can find more information, including all the locations for Tomatomania around the country on the web site at Tomatomania.com.

Here is a video I shot at last year's event.



iPod Ready Video

Elsewhere Online: Step by Step How to build a Cold Frame

OMG! Check out this ridiculously detailed story, complete with photos, on building your own cold frame. Excellent!

Step by Step How to build a Cold Frame
from Garden Desk by Marc and Renee

Last year I posted about the new Cold Frame that I built and I was asked to write a more detailed how-to post. I bought the materials to build another one, but never found time to build it... until now.

Read the entire article

What's happening in my garden?

Image via Wikipedia

It has been a rainy week here in Los Angeles. Thank goodness, as even with substantial rain in the last 2 days, we are still running behind our yearly average. This is always a big deal here in LA as it effects everything from our gardens to overall water rationing.

Checking out the garden during a break in the rain, I notice that there is a lot going on. Some of the azaleas in the front garden are blooming and this is beginning of an overall bloom throughout that area. All the azaleas and 2 planting of raheolepsis are all pink and bring a cheerful note to the garden.

The paperwhites are almost finished at this point, with the snowbells blooming in different areas. The showiest display right now are the large daffodils I planted a few years ago. It is always great to see them return year after year. A few pop up among the purple lantana and lavender plants giving a boost to the local UCLA fans. The purple and gold theme is one of the few planned effects I created. Nearly everything else is haphazard or the produce the previous owner's hard work.

The wisteria went from buds to leaves in about one day, as the rains arrived. I would have liked to neaten it up a bit before it left dormancy, but I guess I will have to make do with with a mid-season pruning after it blooms.

The mature elm tree in the front garden is also showing signs of life again. While it does enter a dormant period, it doesn't seem to last that long. The ash trees go dormant for an even shorter period, though. They often don't lose every last leaf before budding and sprouting new foliage.

Every rain may be our last for the season and it is always surprising when we look back and remember that the last rain occurred 6, 7, 8 months ago. Growing up in Ohio, rain was a year-round occurence, so even after 23 years, I am still amazed at the near-desert conditions in my adopted home.

Elsewhere Online: How to use plant stakes correctly

Image by Tie Guy II via Flickr

If you are planning on doing some planting of larger trees or shrubs in your garden, this article is a must-read before you start. I have several trees in my garden that will have to be removed very, very carefully, as they have rebar stakes deeply embedded in their trunks. This will prevent me from grinding out these stumps, should I ever need to remove these trees. Not fun. Starting your new plantings correctly is very important.

How to use Plant Stakes correctly

from Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas by scrobins@westnet.com.au (Stuart)

In most garden activities there is rarely a "RIGHT" or "WRONG" way to perform it. Yet, when it comes to applying plant stakes it pays to do it correctly. At best, a poorly applied plant stake may fail to do it's job, while at it's worst your maligned stake could injure, maim or even fatally wound the plant it was trying to help.

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