Lessons of winter, 2021-2022

Lessons of winter, 2021-2022

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...
Why grow food at home?

Why grow food at home?

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...
When my yard grows up

When my yard grows up

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...
Carpinteria Community Garden

Carpinteria Community Garden

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...
Night gardening

Night gardening

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...
Highway 99

Highway 99

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...
Our kids will thank us later

Our kids will thank us later

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...
Posts from other yards, 2021

Posts from other yards, 2021

I revel in visiting other yards and farms, where I learn so much. This past year I got around a bit, and below are a few of the remarkable things I saw and lessons I took away, presented in chronological order. January 4, 2021. How far north can lemon trees grow...
The Yard Posts food gardening calendar 2022

The Yard Posts food gardening calendar 2022

Ready for pre-order now, the Yard Posts food gardening calendars are being printed. What is the purpose of this calendar? It helps Southern California food gardeners by listing for each month which vegetables to plant, how to care for different kinds of fruit trees,...

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