Resilience
The idea of resilience comes from the study of ecology. It’s really about how systems, settlements, withstand shock from the outside … that they don’t just unravel, and fall to pieces. … It’s about building modularity into what we do,…
About “Economic Resilience”
When it comes to change-making, I tend to be the person you’ll find wielding a shovel, either literally or figuratively. Although I spend plenty of time talking in meetings, I feel happiest when I’m out there getting things done. With…
Debt: Borrowing money in times of Economic Contraction
When my kids were younger they used to play a game in which everything they said was turned opposite. Up was down, hot was cold, yes was no. As we enter a contracting economy, virtually every assumption and expectation we…
Why edible landscaping?
• Edible landscaping puts the city footprint to use.• Your landscape water performs dual duty – aesthetic AND food production.• Edible landscaping helps cut the oil use, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions of importing your food.• Health: You can control…
A fungus among us
Compost and mulch, compost and mulch, I had heard it a million times. But Lowenfels and Lewis’s book was an eye-opener. Certain of our edible plants prefer soils which are heavily populated by bacterial soil life. Others of our edible…
About the Legume family
Members of the Legume family – peas, beans, and all their cousins – are superstar soil-builders. In partnership with certain beneficial bacteria, legumes can capture nitrogen from the atmosphere and lock it into the soil where other plants can access…
“Fertilizer” versus fertility
The term “fertilizer” is undeniably a marketing person’s invention. Looking to the roots of the word, “fertilizer” should be that which actively creates fertility. But once we understand that the true sources of soil fertility are a rich abundance of…
Bermuda grass containment in a frost-free area
Be prepared to dig, and redig. Dig out every little tiny bit, every single white stolon. In the months and years that follow, each time you see a Bermuda sprout, dig it out, including the white stolon. When you pull…
The Bad and the Ugly: Bermuda grass
Many garden books promote methods such as the “Lasagna method” where you layer materials such as cardboard, black plastic, compost, mulch, etc., onto grass and create a garden. In Southern California we must evaluate such recommendations carefully: Does the person…
Soil workhorses
daikon radish (can break up clay), a favorite of Fukuoka burdock, similarly deep and powerful root chicory, burnet, lamb’s quarters, dock – described as “deep rooted” by John Jeavons (J2) beets, comfrey – accumulate potassium (J2) clover – accumulates nitrogen…