The power of buying local food
“Buy Local.” Why do we keep saying that? Why is it important? What does it accomplish? How: Buy your food from the most local producers you can find. For instance my farmers’ market often features vendors as close to L.A. as Moorpark,…
Fruit Tree Pruning winter series
Arborist Pieter Severynen has a wealth of wisdom to share. In this 3-part workshop series you’ll learn how to make each pruning cut count – you’ll be able to tell the reason you made that particular cut! You’ll learn how…
Bread Baking classes this autumn
Dana Morgan and Linda Preuss (of L.A. Bread Bakers) will be offering three sourdough bread baking classes this autumn for beginners and intermediate bakers. Come join the fun! These will be hands-on, get flour everywhere kind of workshops! Oct 22:…
When you don’t have any land
Do you love the idea of vegetable gardening and edible landscaping? Do you wish you could participate – if only you had access to land? If land is your problem (inadequate space, an unwilling landlord, whatever) then my newest booklet…
How do you get rid of Bermuda grass?
Many popular garden books promote methods such as the “Lasagna method”: You layer materials such as cardboard, black plastic, compost, mulch, etc., on top of grass and create a garden. In Southern California we must evaluate such recommendations carefully: Does…
Alderman peas
If the only peas you’ve ever tasted are those chalky greyish marbles from the grocery store’s freezr section, you’re really missing out! Alderman peas are sweet, tender, and delicious. They’ve got a depth of flavor, a “greenness,” that gives them…
Designing an Edible Landscape – Nov 5
A one-day workshop with Joanne Poyourow What makes a great garden? Healthy veggies. Enthusiastic gardeners. Abundant bees and earthworms. (Oooh I love it!) Whether you’re interested in creating a home garden or a school garden, you’ll learn what to consider as…
Late-summer Fruit Tree Pruning workshop – Sept 10
note: if you missed this workshop (or if you attended and enjoyed it) we are working out the details to have Pieter teach a 3-part series in January 2017. stay tuned! A late summer pruning can really help shape your fruit…
Urban Seed Saving – Oct 8
Do you want to join the efforts to conserve heirloom vegetable seeds? Do you want to create your own vegetable varieties? This hands-on workshop covers plant reproduction for the major vegetable plant families, cross-pollination, preserving varietal purity, seed storage, and cleaning…
Drought-ready gardens
We know already that it’s gonna be a long hot summer. And (despite LA Times misleading headlines) Southern California is STILL in extreme drought conditions. That means we’ve got to adapt our gardens. Here’s what I’m doing at mine: