by Greg Alder | Sep 30, 2022 | Misc |
I was in Robert Kourik’s neck of the woods this summer, and at that time I happened to be reading his newest book, “Sustainable Food Gardens.” While camping along the Russian River up in Sonoma County, I considered how different his part of...
by Greg Alder | Sep 23, 2022 | Misc |
Sometimes gardening feels like a leisure activity, but sometimes it feels like work: weeds, aphids, gophers, heat waves. At which times I think, Why not just buy all my food at the grocery store? It’s so convenient. You show up any day and choose from all sorts of...
by Greg Alder | Sep 9, 2022 | Misc |
Chance had a problem and a rough idea of the solution. Grasses were taking over his family’s vegetable garden, especially the pathways. Meanwhile, he was raising rabbits for meat. Rabbits eat grass but they also eat vegetable plants so he needed to...
by Greg Alder | Sep 3, 2022 | Misc |
(Click here to go directly to the Support Options page) As the tagline says, my goal with this website is to help others grow food at home, with a focus on vegetables and fruits — especially avocados — in Southern California. How do I do this? I write...
by Greg Alder | Aug 5, 2022 | Misc |
Since I was a kid, my extended family has gathered for a week every summer to camp at the beach in Carpinteria. Just below Santa Barbara, Carpinteria is on the north end of Southern California, at least the way I draw the lines. I think of Southern California as being...
by Greg Alder | Jul 1, 2022 | Misc |
Last night my wife and kids were out of town so I did what any husband and father might do with an evening alone. I put on my headlamp and gardened in the darkness. I planted tomatoes and tomatillos, and then I sowed a row of corn, and then I scouted around for...
by Greg Alder | Jun 24, 2022 | Misc |
A few weeks ago, on our way back down from a friend’s wedding in Oregon, we decided to take our rented RV on Highway 99 rather than the faster Interstate 5. I should say that I decided to take Highway 99. From Red Bluff in the north to Bakersfield in...
by Greg Alder | Feb 26, 2022 | Misc |
A couple more days and it’s March, in which starts spring. But before we move on, I’ve pulled three lessons from the past winter. 1. Consequences of 28 degrees The coldest night of this 2021-2022 winter in Southern California just passed, on February 23-24. My yard’s...
by Greg Alder | Feb 11, 2022 | Misc |
My dad never made me learn plumbing, but I’m making my kids learn to grow their own food. Growing fruits and vegetables is one of the few skills I have, and I would be neglectful if I didn’t pass it on to my three children. I watched my dad repair plumbing equipment...
by Greg Alder | Jan 21, 2022 | Misc |
For several years, I have recorded which flowers I see bees feeding on in my yard and elsewhere in Southern California. Below is a list that I compiled based on these notes. Month by month, it shows which flowering plants that I’ve seen many bees consistently feeding...
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