I just spent two hours pulling weeds in the front yard. At least I think it was two hours. It could have been 20 hours and I wouldn't have noticed the difference; my mind was elsewhere. There's something very therapeutic about the act of doing repetitive physical movement that let's the mind go off into the space where it can solve the problems of the world.
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Since Gardenerd.com is a proponent of organic gardening and environmentally friendly living practices, we are always looking for ways to spread the word about how to conserve energy, prevent pollution and give back to the earth. The LA Stormwater Program contacted us and asked if we could publish one of their articles that would help promote their cause. We are pleased to present this important message from the LA Stormwater program:
I don't like being cold and wet. I'm pretty clear about that. There is one time, however, when I actually go out of my way to lose all feeling in my hands and soak myself to the bone - harvesting in the rain.
There's nothing quite like the smell of wet soil and ozone mixing together as you tromp through the mud. Sticking your hands into an overgrowth of leaves to pick plump peas is somehow more satisfying than when all is dry. Seeing leaves weighed down with rain, they emit a dark green that only comes to ...
Today, December 22nd, is Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere. The shortest day and longest night of the year. From here on out, the days get longer until Summer Solstice in June. What a glorious thing to look forward to.
In celebration of the solstices and equinoxes, I try to spend time out in nature, and today was no exception. I spent the morning in my garden at Ocean View Farms. Since the last few days included heavy rain and wind, I was wondering what I'd find when I got there. To my surprise, everything was still in ...
It's raining in Los Angeles today. A glorious, drizzly rain. While most Angelenos would complain about the gloominess, Gardenerds rejoice! There is something about rain that nourishes the soil and plant life more than any irrigation system could do. Even more importantly, it helps to ease the drought conditions all over.
One of my goals as a new home owner is to incorporate a rain barrel into our water management system. Rain barrels collect runoff from the roof and rain gutters, which funnel the rainfall down drain spouts. The drain spouts usually feed to a pipe that takes the runoff out to ...
I had a little car trouble a couple weeks ago and had to rent a car.
As a companion piece to the Thanksgiving Tip of the
Week, it seems appropriate to dedicate a little bit of time to the subject of
planting bulbs. When I first started gardening with flowers, I didn't know
anything about inedible plants. I loved color and fragrance, but was too
intimidated to try roses or climbing vines. So I started with
bulbs.
Growing bulbs really couldn't be easier, or less
of a commitment. Basically you dig a hole, you drop in a bulb and you bury
it. Then you wait for spring. There are more ...