Read more about the article Recipe: Blackberry Jam
The recipe makes about 2 pints

Recipe: Blackberry Jam

Continue ReadingRecipe: Blackberry Jam

Blackberry season comes on strong, and if you don't embrace it, your garden will have an understory of rotten blackberries within a month. We've already frozen 3 pints of berries, and made blackberry ice cream. We're still picking 2 cups a day. Next up: jam. This recipe we found on The Easy Homestead uses no pectin and no cane sugar. It uses  honey (which we have in abundance at the moment, thank you, bees) and half an apple instead. I…

Read more about the article Wordless Wednesday: Gardening for a Healthy Planet
Let artichokes go to flower. We'll save seeds from this Winnetka Purple artichoke for the Seed Library of Los Angeles.

Wordless Wednesday: Gardening for a Healthy Planet

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: Gardening for a Healthy Planet

I can't believe I have to refer back to this article I wrote in February, but it's more appropriate than ever now. While it's comforting to see the rest of the world stand up for the planet in the absence of US participation in the Paris Climate Accord, as gardeners we have our work cut out for us. Here are some images to help inspire your spring and summer garden endeavors this month. Gardening makes a difference. Let's garden for…

Read more about the article Guess What! Tree Kale Does Go to Seed
Flowers appear at the tip-top of our tree kale plant.

Guess What! Tree Kale Does Go to Seed

Continue ReadingGuess What! Tree Kale Does Go to Seed

I've heard colleagues say that tree kale never goes to seed, that it can only be propagated by cuttings. Well, my 10-foot tree kale would beg to differ. It's gone to seed after falling over in a wind storm (probably stress-induced) while it continues to produce tasty leaves. Tree kale is a perennial vegetable lauded by the permaculture community because it forms deep roots (obviously deep enough to withstand falling over in a wind storm). We propped that baby back…

Read more about the article Being Prepared
Food grade barrels are best for use in vegetable gardens.

Being Prepared

Continue ReadingBeing Prepared

A building caught fire in our neighborhood recently, leading to a power outage for two hours. The lack of internet and electricity, even for a short time, reminds us how dependent we are upon these modern conveniences. A recent article in the LA Times about Dr. Lucy Jones and her research of earthquakes and the San Andreas Fault brought even more clarity to the fact that we are SO not prepared for a natural disaster. Sure, we've got camping equipment…

Read more about the article Design: Vertical Patio Garden Delight
The vertical garden is planted with spring and summer crops.

Design: Vertical Patio Garden Delight

Continue ReadingDesign: Vertical Patio Garden Delight

We recently created a tidy vertical garden for a busy business woman in Marina del Rey. Her condominium patio didn't allow room for a full-sized garden, and tight quarters limited her sun exposure to one wall. Her patio housed a collection of random containers, some with leggy plants long overdue for re-potting. We took steps to unify the patio to enhance her new vertical garden. Our first step was to re-do the patio to remove infiltrating tree roots. The client…

Benefits Of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Continue ReadingBenefits Of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) changed the way farmers do business. No longer do they have to go through a middle man to reach the consumer, they can sell direct. It means a larger share of profit and a stronger relationship with the consumer. In many cases, the CSA model has saved the farm. If you can't grow your own, join a CSA. Here's some interesting info on the history of CSAs, and a few tasty recipes for this season's veggies.…

Read more about the article Wordless Wednesday: May
Fresh strawberries from everbearing plants. We love Seascapes! Feed with kelp emulsion every two weeks.

Wordless Wednesday: May

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: May

May is here and the garden begins to show signs of fruit. Flowers have been going off since April, but now is the time for summer fruits and veggies to jump into action. A few simple actions can help your garden prosper this spring/summer and even next spring.

Read more about the article YouTube: Trees and Shrubs for Bees
Rosemary is flowering now. We'll prune it back by a third when flowers finishing.

YouTube: Trees and Shrubs for Bees

Continue ReadingYouTube: Trees and Shrubs for Bees

We continue our Plants for Pollinators Series with Honeylove.org. Our latest video gives you helpful suggestions for trees and shrubs you can plant for the pollinators in your life. They need pollen and nectar throughout the year, and some of these trees and shrubs bloom during the dearth, when other flowers are done for the season. This list is just the beginning. Depending on your hardiness zone, native trees and shrubs are your best bet. Consult your local native plant…

Read more about the article Corn Failure A.K.A. Starting Over
Silks out at 1-foot tall. UGH!

Corn Failure A.K.A. Starting Over

Continue ReadingCorn Failure A.K.A. Starting Over

In a small-space garden, the beds aren't always ready when it's time to plant new crops in the ground, so if we start seeds in flats, we close the gap between pulling winter crops and planting spring/summer crops. Every year we start our corn seeds in a deep seed flat in order to get a jump on the season. By the time the peas and lettuces are done, our corn seedlings are already 6-inches tall and ready for transplanting. This…

Read more about the article Build a Rocket Stove
Build up 4 more layers, alternating them like the layer below and place an old oven rack on top.

Build a Rocket Stove

Continue ReadingBuild a Rocket Stove

What's a rocket stove, you ask? It's a stove designed to use 80% less fuel for heating, cooking and canning. How can you build a rocket stove in less than an hour? We've got you covered right here. Rocket stoves are usually J-shaped, which allows campers, homesteaders, and permaculturists to feed twigs and sticks into the hook end of the J for a roaring fire to cook over at the top of the J. We have friends who professionally build…

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