Resources for my Permaculture Observation class
Permaculture is a design system that begins with “what is” and launches from that starting point into “what will become.” Rather than making a strict decision about the final outcome from the very start, the designer begins with what is already on the site.
We learn to work with Nature as our partner. We learn how to work with — rather than against — the influences to the site. How do people/animals already use this space? How do wind/sun/heat/weather affect it? What thrives here, and what isn’t thriving?
In this class, we practiced training our eyes to see — what is needed, what do we need to do next in this space. What do we need to shore up, and what should be re-worked? What is the garden asking for?
Here are some resources we mentioned during class:
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The cool season can be some of the most productive months in our Southern California Gardens, and the Brassica family is the star of the show.
In case you missed it, there was a well-written article in the LA Times about sea level rise and the California coastline. According to the article, the sea is now rising here on the west coast faster than anywhere in the world.
In the wee hours of the night — say 2 or 3 in the morning — if you lie awake in bed, what do you hear?
Are you old enough to remember when George H W Bush’s snarky response to global warming was that we should get more air conditioners? Nothing could be further from the truth.
In August 2018, LA Times reporter Steve Lopez took two weeks of his blue bin contents to the recycling center to find out what he was doing right and wrong.
Bugs in your garden are an indicator, not a “problem” to be fixed. They’re an indicator of an imbalance in your overall garden system.
If you 
I’ve caught the milkweed bug. It all started with an accidental visit to a City of Santa Monica building near Santa Monica airport. They had planted milkweed outside the building, 18+ plants by my count, and there were TONS of monarch larvae, with lines of chrysalises along the building’s siding. A few adult monarchs fluttered about, checking the place out. I wanted a milkweed patch at my place!