Read more about the article What to do with Overgrown Green Beans
Green bean overload. We filled a 1 gallon bucket from our 4 square foot patch of bush beans when we got home.

What to do with Overgrown Green Beans

Continue ReadingWhat to do with Overgrown Green Beans

It happens to even the most savvy gardener. You go out of town on vacation and when you return, there are beans...lots of beans. Not just any beans, overripe beans. Tough, fibrous, partially mature beans that are still green. What to do? We're exploring the possibilities. When are green beans overripe? It's pretty easy to tell when green beans have gone too far. You can see the outline of individual seeds bulging inside the pod. The pods themselves will be…

Read more about the article Field Trip: Community Gardens in York, England
Brambles of black and raspberries lined pathways.

Field Trip: Community Gardens in York, England

Continue ReadingField Trip: Community Gardens in York, England

If there's one thing the English do well, it's gardening. Many of our traditions and ideals about what a proper garden should look like come from the English. As a resident of a drought-stricken area, I've had to peel these ideals away from my brain over the years, to embrace a different aesthetic. Now and again, though, it's nice to see a lush garden where it rains more than 9 inches a year. During our stay in York recently, we…

Read more about the article In Memoriam: Josh Hover
Josh and a DIY client prepping to paint her new fence.

In Memoriam: Josh Hover

Continue ReadingIn Memoriam: Josh Hover

Gardening is about life cycles, we deal with life and death every day. When someone prized is taken too soon, however, it is a tragedy. I write today to honor a friend and colleague, the carpenter who took my visions and built them into realities, who was taken from us two weeks ago: Josh Hover. Josh came to Gardenerd by way of Daniel Mayorga, my landscape professional who installs my garden designs. Josh and Daniel knew each other since Kindergarten,…

Read more about the article No Compost Bin? No Problem!

No Compost Bin? No Problem!

Continue ReadingNo Compost Bin? No Problem!

Today's infograph comes from Fix.com, where they've assembled a quick and easy guide for using your kitchen scraps in your garden without a compost bin. It's an simple way to turn garden waste into garden gold without much effort through small batch composting. Don't have enough space for a bin (or two)? Try trench composting. Small amounts of kitchen waste is buried in trenches around the garden. Over time it breaks down to create rich soil for planting a few…

Read more about the article Corn Fail – Rats Again!
Our sad corn after a rat attack.

Corn Fail – Rats Again!

Continue ReadingCorn Fail – Rats Again!

We're growing Glass Gem popping corn this year, but we may not get to see the results because we've got rats again. They're more aggressive than ever this year, probably because we gave them an in. In dealing with the corn worms that burrowed into each ear, we went digging for each one, found them, and destroyed them. But that left behind an opening: loose husks to entice rats. By pulling open each ear, we undid nature's protection and exposed…

Read more about the article Fireworks – A Toxic Tradition?
Fireworks over Los Angeles

Fireworks – A Toxic Tradition?

Continue ReadingFireworks – A Toxic Tradition?

I was in town for the 4th of July this year. Usually I'm celebrating our freedom by backpacking at around 9,000 feet in the pristine silence of the Sierras over the 4th of July holiday. I had no idea Los Angeles turned into a war zone in my absence. We celebrate with fireworks. The literal sound of bombs bursting in air is the sign of our celebration. It's a beautiful sight, but a few things occurred to me as I…

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