Gardening with Elementary School Kids

Gardening with Elementary School Kids

I’ve written about gardening with kids before, but after working with elementary age kids in a garden club at the local grade school, I’ve learned a lot more about how kids and gardens work together. I am not a teacher, and I have had no 

California’s New Composting Law Effective Today

California’s New Composting Law Effective Today

As a gardener, the new law that makes it mandatory for homes and businesses to separate food waste from trash is exciting to me. All that food and yard waste that was once going to a landfill (where it would compost anaerobically, creating methane) will 

Buying Into a Better World

Buying Into a Better World

I don’t talk about “big” subjects much. This is a gardening blog, and gardening is about taking care of little things, for yourself and your family. However, a year of global pandemic, epic wildfires close to home, extreme weather all around the world, and a 

So, Um, Yeah

So, Um, Yeah

I know you’re freaking out, because I am freaking out. We’re all freaking out. A little more or less, depending on time of day, amount of media consumed, number of dependents we’re supposed to home school, percent of productivity we’re expected to be at, etc, 

Is Gardening Worth it?

Is Gardening Worth it?

In his humorous memoir, The $64 Tomato, William Alexander devotes an entire book to the existential question every home gardener has to face: is the cost of my gardening worth it, in the end? Cost here is not just money (though that is a significant 

November: Gardening through the Winter Blues

November: Gardening through the Winter Blues

It’s November in the Bay Area. That means rain. Rain brings slugs. Slugs bring rotting fruit. Walking through the garden can be pretty gruesome, especially after a rain shower. The tomatoes, still producing a decent amount of fruit, are bursting from the excess water, and 

Waste in the Garden

Waste in the Garden

Garden waste is unavoidable, but there are ways to reduce it through better planning and understanding of both your consumption and the plants you grow. I am not a farmer. My yield in the garden does not determine whether my family eats or not–we don’t