Get the Lead Out
We put a lot of care into our gardens, but we don't always know what else is going into it. This week's Tip of the Week gives you protection from the elements.
Cocoa Mulch
Mulch has many uses, including keeping weeds at bay. This recycled material adds more than color and coverage to your garden, it smells like chocolate!
Garden and Soul
This week, an article I wrote was featured in the Inner Light E-news - the monthly newsletter put out by The Ray.org. The article is an excerpt from a book I'm working on that I hope to finish this year. It takes a look at gardening in a whole new light. I hope you enjoy it.
Garden and Soul ...
Re-purposing a Lawn
Last week something happened to Sandy Young's front lawn. It got smaller. Or rather, part of it became a vegetable garden.
Sandy had been wanting to decrease her carbon footprint for awhile and decided that she could save some gas money driving to and from the grocery store (even though she already drives a Prius) by growing vegetables on her front lawn. She had been entertaining the idea of ripping out part of her lawn, and after taking a class from the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series, she decided to put what she learned into practice.
Sandy is a do-it-yourself kind of woman. She already ...
Building a Compost Sifter
Back in the middle of winter, we purchased a subsidized compost bin from the City of Los Angeles. Our Bio Stack has been hard at work in the back yard, thanks to my husband's new fascination with composting. When I say fascination, I mean obsession. He's become obsessed with adding kitchen waste and yard trimmings to the compost bin at any opportunity. Forget about waiting until there's enough for a layer of green or brown. Anytime the kitchen waste bucket is half-full, it's "time to feed the compost bin". It's cute actually. My husband has never really been ...
Nature’s Umbrella
Summer can be a scorcher for tender greens and other plants. Keep plants cool and happy with this strategic tip of the week.
Planting Asparagus Crowns
A gardener up in Nova Scotia writes in this week:
"Greetings from Hirtle Island. I want to plant an asparagus plot this year. Because deer are such a problem I am considering
planting them in a large planter - kind of like a raised bed, though maybe not so raised. (I hope to use an old, rotting boat.) This way I can build a metal wire cage over them. ...
Give your Herb Garden a Massage
Get up close and personal with your herbs and other plants to help keep bugs away. Learn this handy tip for keeping herbs pest free.
Keep Corn all for Yourself
Jeff Cox lends us a tip of the week on this first day of summer. Learn his handy tip for keeping earworms out of your corn.
No-Dig Gardening in the Times
One of my students from the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series sent me this article that appeared in the LA Times last Thursday. It thought I
would share it with you here. It's a great story with how-to instructions for building no-dig soil and raised beds (without borders). There is also information about a
farm exchange program where you can learn a lot by volunteering on a farm.
http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-nodig12-2008jun12%2C0%2C55177.story
Thanks, Ramon, for sending this nice tidbit!
Hey folks, you can get the books mentioned in the article by clicking on the links below:
...
Thanks, Ramon, for sending this nice tidbit!
Hey folks, you can get the books mentioned in the article by clicking on the links below: