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Read more about the article Mega Garlic

Mega Garlic

Garlic was one of the very first things I planted when I started gardening 16 years ago.  There's something about the magic of putting a clove in the ground and getting a bulb back at the end of the season that made me want to try it immediately.  That first year, my boyfriend and I planted garlic cloves in unamended clay soil (clearly we didn't know anything about compost at the time).  We watered it every day and watched it grow.  7 months later, we harvested what has become the best garlic I've ever grown in my life.  ...

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Read more about the article Rabbit Retribution

Rabbit Retribution

Gardens are springing up everywhere - providing snack bars for woodland creatures all over the globe.  Here's a question that came in last week:

"Dear Gardenerd, I am starting a garden in my back yard.  I would LOVE to
convert my useless front lawn into an edible estate but can't spend
thousand of dollars on a fence to keep out the wild rabbits.  Do you
have a simpler suggestion to keep the rabbits at bay? Thanks, Caroline"

I can make a few suggestions, but honestly a fence is the best answer. 
Rabbits burrow, so any fence you put in needs to go down at ...

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Read more about the article Where the Recycling Goes

Where the Recycling Goes


A while back, I met Kathleen Jacecko of Teaching Green, and have since been on her mailing list of newletters filled with ideas for sustainable living.  Last month, she published an entry about a field trip she made to the Materials Recovery Facility - a.k.a. where the recycling goes.  I have always been fascinated with recycling (my first environmental passion after gardening).  I thought the ...

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Read more about the article Gardenerd at Esalen

Gardenerd at Esalen

As I write this, I'm sitting in the lodge at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA.  When last I was here, I was particpating in a 5-rhythms workshop.  This time I'm on the teaching side of things.  Like a miracle that fell in my lap, I was invited to co-teach a workshop on the Heart of Organic Gardening with Shirley Ward, the fabulous woman in charge of the farm and garden at Esalen.  With Shirley and a few other guest teachers, we've been immersed in the wonder of Esalen's soil structure, composting production, seed-starting and transplanting schedule, ...

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Read more about the article Vegetable Gardening in Colorado Springs

Vegetable Gardening in Colorado Springs

We've been getting a lot of questions about how to grow things in specific parts of the country.  Here's one that might apply to other places in the US:

"Hi there!  I live in Colorado Springs, CO - where it's really cold for
about 7 months of the year, with snow off and on. We want to start our
own backyard veggie and fruit garden, but don't know where to start.   We
are not sure if much will grow out here.  Our family eats a vegetarian
life style...for health and other reasons.  Any tips or contacts out
here? Thanks and GREAT ...

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Read more about the article Spring has Arrived

Spring has Arrived

Sunday was the first day I was able to walk around outside without a jacket on.  In fact, I brazenly put on a tank top and walked to the farmer's market.  It was heavenly!  The spring sun is officially warming our skin and soil. The smell of that subtle change in the air lets us know, at least here in Los Angeles, that spring has finally arrived. 

We often take it for granted in Los Angeles, given that the weather's subtle changes often go unnoticed.  We are admittedly accustomed to consistent weather - sunny and warm all year ...

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Read more about the article Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase

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 ...

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Read more about the article The Gardens of Esalen

The Gardens of Esalen

We took a trip up the coast, our California Adventure we called it, through San Luis Obispo, Big Sur, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and then we visited Napa before heading down Interstate 5 to get home.  We were blessed with the most beautiful weather, the kind, as my husband says, that explains the reason for high real estate prices. 

We saw monarch butterflies fluttering in the trees and elephant seals basking in the sunshine along the shore.  It seemed to be a good time for all things natural.  The gardens were no exception.  We spent 3 days at ...

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