Read more about the article Crop Rotation Basics
Write it all down to keep track of plant locations from season to season.

Crop Rotation Basics

Continue ReadingCrop Rotation Basics

Crop rotation is an essential part of a healthy organic gardening. Why? Plants take up specific nutrients and can leave behind diseases in their wake. Moving crops to new soil each season ensures that diseases don't build up in soils, and nutrients are more evenly extracted across the garden. But we often get asked, "what is crop rotation?" Crop rotation is simply rotating crops from one bed to another each season, and avoiding planting any specific crop in the same…

Read more about the article YouTube: Honey Harvesting Tricks for Home Gardeners
Bees take advantage of arugula that has bolted to seed in last week's heat.

YouTube: Honey Harvesting Tricks for Home Gardeners

Continue ReadingYouTube: Honey Harvesting Tricks for Home Gardeners

It's honey harvesting time and we documented our latest harvest so you can see how it's done. We provide visual aids in this video for our favorite way to get bees out of the super you plan to harvest. We show you our harvesting equipment (handmade by our friends at Honeylove.org), and our other favorite tools to use during the process. Homegrown honey is the best. It's wild, it's treatment-free and it's raw. No heating, no filtering, just crushed and…

Read more about the article Wordless Wednesday: October Gardening
8 different kale varieties are protected by floating row cover. No cabbage moths/worms here!

Wordless Wednesday: October Gardening

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: October Gardening

Fall gardening is in full swing. Here are a few prompts for October tasks and enjoyments. There's still much to do to get the fall garden ready, but we're enjoying the process. Happy fall gardening to you!

Read more about the article Field Trip: Gourmandise Grain Conference
Presenters at the Conference all have Twitter or Instagram handles to follow.

Field Trip: Gourmandise Grain Conference

Continue ReadingField Trip: Gourmandise Grain Conference

When someone says "whole grains" my ears perk up. Homesteaders try to make food as often as possible with unadulterated ingredients. Whole grain baking and cooking is an ongoing effort that requires education, persistence, and experimentation to get right. Enter the 2016 Gourmandise Grain Conference. Imagine an entire day dedicated to baking, milling, and cooking with whole grains. The WHOLE grain--meaning flour that includes the bran and germ--made into pastas, grain bowls, breads, and sweet treats. Sounds like heaven, right? …

Read more about the article Field Trip: MoonWater Farm
Recycled ficus trees enclose a pond and seating area for contemplation.

Field Trip: MoonWater Farm

Continue ReadingField Trip: MoonWater Farm

We hear more and more about urban agriculture and small farms cropping up in the middle of big cities. MoonWater Farm, the collaborative effort of Kathleen Blakistone and Richard Draut, is exactly that. But MoonWater Farm is more than just a homestead microfarm, it's a learning experience for kids of all ages. Want to learn how to milk a goat or build an inexpensive compost bin? Have a burning desire to take care of horses or create a dry garden?…

Dazzling Blue Kale
Dazzling Blue Kale, the best of both worlds.

National Kale Day 2016

Continue ReadingNational Kale Day 2016

National Kale Day is here! It's a chance to celebrate one of the best (IMHO) brassicas in the world. Brassica? It's short for Brassicaceae, the family to which kale belongs. Along with broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kohlrabi, collards and...wait for it...turnips, kale is a highly nutritious and great-tasting vegetable that no winter garden should be without. Kale tolerates frost (we've seen photos from fellow gardenerds of their kale growing under a mound of snow), and flavor improves with frost.…

Read more about the article Gardenerd’s YouTube Channel Hits 5,000 Subscribers!
Find YouTube videos on how to prep raised beds for fall planting and more at the Gardenerd YouTube Channel.

Gardenerd’s YouTube Channel Hits 5,000 Subscribers!

Continue ReadingGardenerd’s YouTube Channel Hits 5,000 Subscribers!

Gardenerd's YouTube Channel was born in April, 2009. It sat dormant for awhile but slowly over the years we've added helpful, instructive videos to help you grow organically in your own back or front yard. Thanks to you, fellow gardenerds, for helping us grow. Yesterday, we reached a milestone: 5,000 followers. Some of our most popular videos include How to Braid Garlic, where you can take your summer harvest and turn it into a functional kitchen decoration. How to Prune…

Read more about the article Bill Mollison – Father of Permaculture
The finished keyhole and flower garden, freshly planted

Bill Mollison – Father of Permaculture

Continue ReadingBill Mollison – Father of Permaculture

You may have heard that Bill Mollison, considered one of the fathers of Permaculture, passed away this week. He lived from 1928-2016 and saw, I imagine, dramatic changes in our ecosystem during his lifetime. This Australia native spent his life teaching the principles of Permaculture to thousands if not millions. Through his work, his legacy lives on. I never had the chance to meet Bill Mollison, nor take any of his classes (though running away to Australia for a Permaculture…

Read more about the article Honey Tasting Tips
Get your own tasting wheel from UC Davis.

Honey Tasting Tips

Continue ReadingHoney Tasting Tips

While attending the Heirloom Expo 2016 we discovered there would be a honey competition, that is to say, a contest for the best tasting honey. Since we are at or near honey harvesting time, it's appropriate to share a few tips if you plan to have your own honey tasting this fall. Honey tasting is fun, but more complex than you might expect. To keep it light, you can score the results from "best tasting" to "not so much." Judging …

Read more about the article Wordless Wednesday: Esalen Garden
Monarchs love all the flowers on site.

Wordless Wednesday: Esalen Garden

Continue ReadingWordless Wednesday: Esalen Garden

If you've never been to the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, you need to do whatever it takes to get there. The Esalen Farm and Garden encompasses all the best of biointensive agriculture, beauty, and spiritual connection to the land. It's a must see. If you can't add it to your itinerary soon, here are some photos to tempt you.

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