I had the good fortune to be introduced to Shalane Respondek and her world of LEED certified property development. She brought me in to design a vegetable
garden for her new Malibu property over the summer. They were still finishing the house and major landscaping projects, so it would be awhile before we could start on the garden, but the ideas
were flowing from the beginning.
I saw …
While I was co-teaching a workshop up at the Esalen Institute earlier this year, I met Jesse Carmichael and his mom. They were taking the class together and found it to be a bonding experience to learn about gardening together. When I got home, Jesse called me and asked if I could design a vegetable garden for him.
Interestingly enough, what started as a simple vegetable garden evolved into a full-fledged drought tolerant front and back yard landscaping project. Here’s what it looked like before:
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The Associated Press published an article today about the dramatic increase in home gardens this year. It seems that as a whole we are facing the challenges of our declining economy with a shovel. Here in Mar Vista we’re doing our part to cut back on water usage, pesticides and chemical fertilizers, as well as growing our own food. As a result, there seems to be a lot to show for it – including the upcoming Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase. On April 26 from 2-6 p.m., homeowners throughout the city will be showing off their Xeriscape, low …
A question came from Santa Cruz, CA this week:
“I want to get a fig tree that will produce fruit we can eat and need some advise. We live in Santa Cruz County, CA in an apartment with no private yard (or dirt) so it will have to be in a container. We have a patio area that is tucked into a corner of the building and gets full sun most of the day. What type of tree, container, soil, etc. should I get? Thank you,Michelle”
Hi Michele,
Santa Cruz falls under Hardiness Zone 9a-10a, so you’re in good company for growing figs …
This week's tip of the week will save you money if you think ahead - and order ahead. Get your fruit trees and berries while you can.
In a bit of a diversion away from the usual subject of vegetable gardening, I am pleased to report that our front yard no longer lies barren. Plants – actual plants now reside in the space that once was a flatland of mud and weeds. No longer the embarrassment of the neighborhood, we can now hold our heads up high – and even smile – as we approach the front door.
If you’ve been following the previous segments about this project, you’ll remember the exciting plant removal, and pathway and irrigation installation. (It’s really worth comparing …
Another great question came in this week at Ask Gardenerd:
“[I] did the soil test today. Turns out the pH is 6.0-6.5. The N,P, and K were depleted (even paler than depleted). No wonder my cover crop in this virgin soil is defeated. What is your recommendation to get these elements into the soil?”
First of all, I want to raise my hand and testify with you that I, too, have gotten the same test results in my garden at times. If soil could walk, it would have been the walking dead. That said, there are many ways to get …
Some of you may know that we bought the house we live in a couple of years ago. It took almost a year to renovate, and we finally moved in last April. Now that we’ve been living in the house for a year – and tackling indoor projects as well as building the raised bed garden, it has come time to give some much needed attention to the outside of the house – namely the front and back yards.
We have been scheming and planning for awhile now, and interviewing contractors. We found a great landscape designer who could …