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A Gardenerd’s Wish List, 2010

Each year it is a family tradition to form a wish list in October for holiday gift-giving ease. Inevitably, my wish list gravitates toward garden gear. I’m sure my family is sick of it by now, but
when you’re a gardener, what else do you need?

It has become a Gardenerd tradition to share the wish list on the blog, not to solicit gifts, but to revert back to childhood and dream big together. Here’s what I hope Santa brings this year:

Patriot Electric …

Back to the Ranch – Huntington Style

I’d been dying to see the secret Huntington Ranch for over a year. Back then, I read an article in the Huntington Library and Garden’s monthly newsletter about the
development of a new vegetable garden on the property. I searched and searched each time I went to try and find its secret location to no avail.

Then an invitation to an all-day symposium for professional garden nerds hit my inbox, and when I saw that the events of the day …

A Dream Garden for the Dream Center

“It all started with a butternut squash,” she said. About a year ago I got a call from Nina Girvetz asking for help on a garden project. She said that vacant
lot next door to her church was the perfect place for a garden, and when her friend Dru Hammer handed her a butternut squash, they knew it had to happen.

The residents of the Dream Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping inner cities, have taken refuge there …

Front Yard Veggies in Manhattan Beach

We got one step closer to our goal of replacing all lawns in Los Angeles with useful growing spaces. The Winship family had a front lawn that
wasn’t serving them, and it was the only area of their property that had full sun for growing vegetables (as is the case with many homes).

I met with them to discuss what they wanted in a vegetable garden: raised beds, enough room to grow herbs, and something they could …

Malibu Vegetable Garden Delight

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 …

Drought Tolerant Design and Veggies

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:

…

Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase

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 …

Growing Figs in a Pot

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 …