Resources for my Soil Building class
When we pull harvest from the garden, week after week, we are taking from the garden ecosystem. We are taking from the soil. Here in Southern California, where we can harvest year-round (with a seasonally-appropriate crop mix), that means we…
Gardening with crutches update
Today marks the 7-month anniversary of when I fell down the stairs and broke my ankle. What a journey this has been! Thanks to physical therapy (amazing!) and then doubling up on yoga classes at LiveYogaWellness, my progress climbing back…
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…
Manufacture microclimes
One of the big advantages of container gardening is that you have so much ability to adjust the immediate local “climate” your plants are growing in. If a plant is baking in too much sun, you can pick up the…
Help in planning your Cool Season Garden
Resources from my talk at the Seed Library of Los Angeles: VegGardens365 app Vegetable Crop Rotation Wheel Why rotate your crops? The Legume family Crop rotations in Southern California – when to change seasons The Secrets of Soil Building John…
Planting Your Cool Season Garden – Sep 21
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. Brassicas include kale, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, cabbages, turnips, radishes, arugula, and…
Sea level rise in California
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 sounds of silence
In the wee hours of the night — say 2 or 3 in the morning — if you lie awake in bed, what do you hear?
Air Conditioning and Global Warming
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. A recent Guardian article shows us how air conditioning…
What is recyclable in Los Angeles?
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.
