When I spent three days learning the ways of GROW BIOINTENSIVE (GB) with John Jeavons and his team at Ecology Action in Willits, CA in 2009, two of my instructors were Margo and Dan Royer-Miller. They were completing several years of training and were about to move to their own farm to implement the GB methods in a real-life situation. Some of you may remember that Dan was my inspiration for building my own solar food dryer. Here is Dan's…
Plants can take you down memory lane. This week, my dear gardening friend and Master Gardener, Sarah Spitz, shares some of her plants and the memories they spark. Here's Sarah: For almost thirty years, I have lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment, converted into a Santa Monica condo, where I put in some French doors off the bedroom and created a step-down brick patio with a lot of containers. It’s a tricky space; everything needs to be lifted up for…
The latest food adventure from Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter is ready for your perusal. Find out about Masa Tamales, where you can find some of the best savory tamales in town: Tamale Lady: Spotlight on a Mar Vista Farmers Market Vendor
Bagrada Bugs on the Loose Have you seen orange and black bugs, usually traveling in pairs, all over your cole crops? If you live in the southwest, then chances are you have Bagrada bugs. This pest has been growing in population and this year it’s infesting farms and gardens with vigor. We're squishing bagrada bugs with bare hands. That's how jaded we are now. Little buggers. Bagrada hilaris (commonly known as a painted bug) is often mistaken for a Harlequin…
If you live in the southwest, then chances are you have seen Bagrada bugs. This Tip Of The Week explores the differences between the Bagrada and Harlequin bugs, as well as provides additional links for reference.
And now something for those with little ones. Ruth Steinberg, founder of Little Saplings.org, is committed to helping kids find a love of gardening. I had the pleasure of meeting her electronically awhile back, but when we finally met in person, I could see that her enthusiasm for gardening with children was infectious. She specializes in fostering curiosity and play in the garden, and she's here today to share her story and some ideas for doing the same ...
A Billion Acts of Green – This Earth Day is another opportunity to step up, or step out of routine and find ways to reduce our impact on the planet. Whether you are trying to reuse items, eliminate plastic bags from your life, recycle electronic waste, conserve water, or rally to change legislation, you can find an event in your area to support the cause. A Billion Acts of Green is a listing of Earth Day events nationwide that can…
This week's guest blogger is David King from the Learning Garden. He's a great friend and an amazing gardener who does more for the Los Angeles gardening scene than I have space to write. Today he shares his helpful tips for managing apple scab. Take it away David!
For many of us wanting to grow more food on our own, fruits and nuts from trees comprise a major part ...
This time of year, we’re getting a lot of emails about powdery mildew from coastal areas. It’s an airborne fungus, so it’s difficult to avoid or prevent, and once established it’s a challenge if not impossible to eradicate.
I just completed a 5-day composting intensive workshop presented by Alane O’Rielly Weber. Much like my experience with Jon Jeavon’s Grow BioIntensive workshop, this intensive class has re-swizzled the way I think about everything underground.
I knew about the Soil Foodweb, the intricate web of microbial life that exists in the soil and facilitates nutrient uptake in plants (which was first written about by Dr. Elaine Ingham), but I didn’t quite have a handle on how to create a healthy environment for ...