Fear and Action
Fear. It’s that chill that creeps up your spine. That awful, churning hot knot, deep in the pit of your stomach. The tremble that makes your hands feel powerless. The freeze-up, that tempts you to inaction. But you can’t give…
What everybody ought to know about Energy
If you’ve ever looked for an iron-clad case that the fossil energy supply is out-of-control, over-the-top destructive –of planet, wildlife, people’s health and culture– then check out Energy, the latest publication of the Post Carbon Institute. The word “breathtaking” has become…
Backyard Wildlife Habitats
Elements of Backyard Wildlife Habitats 1. Food 2. Water 3. Cover 4. Places to Raise Young 5. Sustainable Gardening –from the National Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program * Water * Cover * Open ground * Mulch * Nectar sources * Fruit…
A Gratitude Economy
In many spiritual circles, it is popular to talk about gratitude. Gratitude encompasses much more than a quickie “thank you.” It implies a much deeper state of mind, one that practitioners realize will position you to receive even greater abundance.…
Hau to be erotic: going deeper into the gift economy
Gifts have the function of bonding communities together. … If your entire life is nothing but money transactions, … then you don’t have community because you don’t need anybody. — Charles Eisenstein, Amsterday Sept 2009 http://youtu.be/cS07gM74tww My dad just gave…
Getting Wise about Water
Southern California has a bizarre relationship with water. The water that flows from your tap or garden hose in Los Angeles comes from hundreds of miles away, from the Owens River Valley, from the Colorado River, or from the State…
The One-Finger Test
In the Community Garden at Holy Nativity, we used what we call “the one finger test.” That means you take your finger and stick it into the garden soil – about one inch down into the soil. The soil down…
Long and Slow and Deep
When your one-finger test says the soil needs water, apply the water long and slow and deep. When people lightly spritz an area, with “making the surface turn brown” as their guide, the water does not penetrate to the root…
Water the Soil, Not the Plants
We have an unfortunate construction in the English language in that we typically say “I need to water my plants.” But thinking back to the Soil chapter, and the fact that all garden watering reverts back to what is good…
In the Cool of the Night
For dry summer months, LADWP’s watering regulations aren’t limitations, they are good gardening sense. Don’t water if it’s running off the surface (fix the surface problems – see “sandy soils” above). Don’t water before 4pm or after 9am because evaporation…