In March 2016, on a whim, I bought a pineapple plant for my Sunnyvale garden. I know. I transplanted it to a larger pot but made the mistake of a too shallow pot. It grew a little and eventually in July we harvested our pineapple. If I was thinking of serving drinks in it, I would only need a shot …

This is a photo of a YUGE pot. It holds 66 gallons. For 15 years it held an apple tree but neither the tree nor the pot were satisfied: We rarely got apples. Admitting defeat, I discarded the apple tree; repainted the pot to The Sky Is The Limit Blue; and re-potted our Black Mission Fig tree. This was a …

Feijoa salsa is a great use of the fruit. The tropical aroma and taste of the fruits are complemented by the sweet red onion, the fruity habanero pepper, lemon juice, cilantro and tomatoes. The taste is similar to other fruit salsas like mango, kiwi, or peach. Ingredients: 1 lemon 6 feijoa 1/2 red onion handful of cilantro 1 to 2 …

It’s October in our Sunnyvale garden so the feijoa tree (aka pineapple guava) is dropping its fruit. I filled a 4 gallon bucket. The fresh fruit has a great taste but a short shelf life of a few weeks. It does not freeze well. In past years I have shared the fresh fruit with friends, family, co-workers, and interested people …

“The sweet fruition of an earthly crown” – Christopher Marlowe Here it is mid-October and the first rains of winter are falling. The pomegranates split open very quickly when wet. For tips on growing: See Pomegranates

Okay, these chiles are not from my Sunnyvale garden, but I want to share… The official New Mexico state question is “Red or Green?”. The Hatch chile peppers are grown in the Hatch valley, and along the entire Rio Grande, from northern Taos Pueblo to southern Isleta Pueblo, are a signature crop to New Mexico’s economy and culture. The chile …

Directions It is peak tomato season (late August). All of the planning and execution is for this. Looking at seed catalogs in the dead of winter. Warming up your seedling trays in February. Transplanting to larger pots in April. Planting in containers in May. We have gotten a lot of tomatoes from our 20 pots. We have eaten them fresh. …

In 2016, our Black Mission fig tree is having a bumper fall crop. Here is the first partial harvest. I am not sure the reason why. About ten years ago I planting a young tree in a tall ceramic pot (about 20 gallons). I have been watering the fig tree more regularly (using drip irrigation). It has also received more …

This past month I was not doing much in the garden. I was remodeling the kitchen for over a week. Then I was on vacation in the Pacific Northwest for ten days. The drip irrigation mostly worked while I was gone. Marie discovered one morning that a 1/4 inch feeder hose had popped out of the larger 1/2 main line …

You know you are from Santa Clara Valley when you can remember the smell of morning in the summertime. The sky is gray and damp with the low marine layer.  You open the door and it hits you: The wonderful smell of garlic from Gilroy in the South Coyote Valley. Even as far away as Sunnyvale, forty miles to the …