Tag Archives


Rabbit Retribution

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Christy

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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Where the Recycling Goes

Posted on May 12, 2009 by Christy


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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Gardenerd at Esalen

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Christy

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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Vegetable Gardening in Colorado Springs

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Christy

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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Spring has Arrived

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Christy

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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Starting Seeds to Perfection

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Christy

There seems to be a theme this week about seed-starting:

“This is the first time I’ve been to your website and I heard about it
on the news. I came to see what all the fuss is about, and ended up
with lots of answers. So here’s my question:  I have tried to grow
vegetable plants from seed indoors, then plant them outdoors and usually
end up with a small sprout then they die and I never even get to
introduce them to the great outdoors. I’ve tried different soils,
watering habits and containers but to no avail. Do you have any tips,
or better …
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Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Christy

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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Eco-Farm in Santa Cruz

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Christy

Back in January, during our
California Adventure trip, we spent a day on campus at University of
California, Santa Cruz.  The campus is built within a forest, so you
could be walking along a pathway and suddenly find yourself in the
center of a cathedral of redwoods. 

One of our stops at UC Santa Cruz was the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS). “The mission of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food
Systems (the Center) is to research, develop, and advance sustainable
food and agricultural systems that are environmentally sound,
economically viable, socially responsible, nonexploitative, and that
serve as a foundation …
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The Gardens of Esalen

Posted on January 29, 2009 by Christy

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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Winter Harvest

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Christy

After being gone for 10 days up the coast of California during what could be called the most beautiful summer-like winter weather Northern California has ever seen, my husband and I have returned to find the gardens thriving.  Some veggies are just coming into fullness, while others – like the Osaka Purple Mustard – are finishing up.  We came home to find a bright yellow flower shooting out the top of overgrown mustard greens (we couldn’t possibly have kept up with the production of those giant leaves).  We also found tiny, bright white, waxy cauliflower heads starting to …
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