by Allison Starcher A good pair of pruners is beloved by gardeners, treasured like a chef’s favorite knife. Sharp enough to do harm but, in skilled hands, a precise tool. Sometimes referred to by their French name, secateurs, pruners have a spring that holds the...
Growing Your Own Food How to build and fill a raised garden bed Riding out the pandemic, safe at home, has changed my relationship with my environment and with food. I’m cooking more and spending lots of time in my yard! Having a continuously productive fruit...
Everything in every cell of your body was once a biological or elemental part of your environment, originating in the soil, air, and water. You came from the earth. Like all living things, your life is supported by the Earth, and one day your physical body will return...
Gardening, even in temperate Southern California, is guided by the calendar. Each seasonal phase brings the promise of new beginnings and the letting go of past glories. The transition from 2020 to 2021 feels like a jail sentence drawing to an end, a culmination, a...
Did you know that you can grow your own beverage plants? Coffee’s a challenge in California, but tea gardens are becoming a thing (and not just another fad). You can grow herbs and teas in your flower bed, containers, or even indoors with the right conditions...
