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
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
The latest post from Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter is available for viewing. Find out more about a great new farmstead cheese maker who's living the dream.
The Dairy Goddess Comes to Mar Vista
...
There's something romantic about Romano beans. Maybe it's the history, being associated with Italy, or maybe it's the fantasy of standing on a terrace with a platter of grapes and Parmigiano-Reggiano, overlooking a Tuscan vineyard.
Romano beans are typically grown to be eaten fresh, as a flat bean. If picked when tender, they snap and add sweetness to classic dishes like braised beans and cool, summer salads.
...
The 2012 Summer Olympics, with all of its pageantry and intense competition, runs the gamut featuring "26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines," according to Wikipedia. But we feel that the Olympic Committee has left a few important garden-related sporting events out of the competition this year. Perhaps we'll see one of these Top 5 Gardening Events at the Olympics next time in Rio:
1) ...
Mark Rainville is back to finish his series on making bokashi. In today's post, find out how to use this great fertilizer/compost to grow a thriving garden. Back to you, Mark...
In the previous two posts we discussed the history behind bokashi, described a basic definition, and explained the process of mixing bokashi bran. In this post we will ...