Building water-saving features with urbanite
Today was our first earth-building workshop. Since I’m a little lean on earth-building handouts, here’s a substitute. It’s not particularly about earth-building, but it is about earth-wise construction. It’s about building with “urbanite,” which is a name for reused broken concrete.…
How to Build a Garden Sink
You pull a carrot from your garden and take it to your kitchen for dinner. Before you can put it on your kid’s dinner plate, you have to wash it. A mess of black dirt spatters all over your kitchen…
What we can do about water use
We have a “use it once, then send it away” attitude about many earth resources, and water is just one of these. Right now, we’re feeling the pinch because of the California drought. But these times are a reminder to shift…
Wish Bricks
Make a wish. Write it down. Put it into an adobe brick. The community will gather around your wish, for years to come. Here’s how …
Asphalt Demolition Party – April 25
What’s your opinion about asphalt, really? Wouldn’t you love to be there as nearly 1000square foot of it meets its demise? Too much stress at work, or school? Frustrated with insufficient action on political issues? Wouldn’t you love to take out…
Cob Oven workshop – June 6,7,13,14
Earthen ovens are cheap to build, fun to use, and provide a baking environment that is impossible to recreate in the kitchen. Ben Loescher will conduct a 4-day hands-on workshop this June, to teach you how to make your own earthen…
Root knot nematodes
Yesterday in the Community Garden, we discovered that we are experiencing an attack of Root Knot Nematodes. The beets we pulled up had failure to thrive, failed to form a beet root, and had tons of tumor-like growths on the hair…
Adobe Brickmaking hands-on workshop – May 9, May 16
This Earth Day, get in touch with Adobe. California schoolchildren learn about it in 4th grade when they study the Missions. But did you know it’s part of the cutting edge of sustainable architecture and building with local materials. On May…
Designing an Edible Landscape – May 30
What makes a great garden? Healthy veggies. Enthusiastic gardeners. Abundant bees and earthworms. Is yours a home garden where you’re trying to juggle family and food production? Or a school garden where you’re trying to get volunteers and students involved?…
Drought-tolerant food plants
Vegetables and food plants that thrive in low water conditions in Southern California … Amaranth African basil (Ocimum kilimandscharicum) Arugula sylvetta – the small-leafed, intensely-flavored perennial arugula Arugula (W) Chicory (W) Grapes Cowpea / blackeyed pea – especially the varieties…