Sow Wild Landscapes

12/28/2016

Ecosystems are important!

Food Tank spoke with Dr. Steve Gliessman, professor, farmer, and Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems.

09/09/2016

Let us help you accomplish your goals to have a more water wise and ecologically friendly landscape that is pleasing to the eye and benefits your well being.

Here’s a shot of well-loved lawn. Habitat for girls and dogs. A frame and a path and a place to PLAY. But not all lawn is well-considered or well-used, even when it's over-fed and watered and cared for.

Three things I was really pleased with in the Cultivating Place podcast about lawn replacement from yesterday was the opportunity to discuss the questionable nature - and longterm environmental cost - of artificial turf, the second was the opportunity to articulate the critical importance of the healthy natural water cycle allowed for by permeable surfaces and disturbed by the human proliferation of non-permeable hardscape - and the concept of run-off and “urban drool”. You just can’t remind any of us enough - me included - of this cycle and why eliminating run off where we can is so valuable. Finally, I was just so energized by the passion and excitement that Renda Glick and Terry Kiser now have for their front garden. That new-garden love is contagious in the very best of ways. The powerful happiness of witnessing someone fall in love.

Let me know what you think.

To read more: http://jewellgarden.com/Links-and-Resources.php

To listen to this week’s episode or subscribe to the podcast: http://mynspr.org/post/cultivating-place-removing-lawn-becoming-gardener

09/09/2016

Hey everybody, just wanted to check in. We had a bit of a false start getting going with our business. Dan's work as a wildlife biologist really took off this year and he has been quite busy. Katie has also been busy raising our two beautiful children and starting them out at school.

We're hoping to start building our portfolio with the help of friends and family. This new water year we would like to collaborate with you on landscape and garden projects at an introductory discounted rate.

Thank you all for being patient with us. We've been feeling a little bummed we haven't been able to devote the time to one of our passions. Luckily Dan's work schedule slows down when it's time to start planting!

09/07/2016

Dare to think about how much better flowers and trees are for your health and the health of living things compared to a lawn.

In the spring of 2015, this suburban California front yard was all turf. Today, after the removal of 109 sprinkler heads and the lawn, it's a habitat friendly drought tolerant garden and the homeowners are gardeners. In the wake of the ongoing drought in the state of California the state and many municipalities have offered incentives for homeowners and businesses to replace their thirsty lawns with native and drought tolerant “plantings”. Writer and activist Michael Pollan once wrote that "when an American rips out his or her lawn, they become – perforce – a gardener." This week on Cultivating Place (link to listen to in bio), we'll explore this idea from two sides, that of CalWater, a publicly traded water provider in Northern California which for the last two years or so has challenged water users to reduce their water use, and has offered financial incentives to homes and businesses who replace their grass lawns with drought tolerant gardens. We’ll also hear from a homeowner who took this challenge and experienced a "life-changing event."

09/01/2016

What we're after...

09/01/2016

If you are interested in encouraging bats on your property. They also have plans for bat houses. http://www.batcon.org/resources/getting-involved/bat-houses/install

08/23/2016

Food is all around us, and some down right super foods too!

These often overlooked fruits and veggies are both packed with nutrients and indigenous to the U.S. and Canada.

08/12/2016

Integrated animal care

I think my chickens might be spoiled… I don’t make sweaters for them or anything, but they do have a completely-remodeled chicken coop… And GMO-free, organic feed… And all the kitchen scraps they could ever want… And homemade essential oil coop spray… And herbs in their nesting boxes… I realize I ju...

07/31/2016

I absolutely love this plant and this interview!

California Native Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta ssp. californica), is a California and Oregon native deciduous nut tree or shrub growing from 3 - 50 feet, used in garden plantings or woodland parks it will bloom early in the spring, with yellow catkins hanging from the bare branches. In the Autumn, it's foliage turns bright yellow.

In my interview with Stefani Bittner on the most recent episode of Cultivating Place she recounts her own history growing up in a gardening family - with flower and vegetables in all seasons. She notes many good reasons and ways to incorporate beautiful and the edible or otherwise useful plants throughout our gardens. Perhaps the most compelling of these to me was her discussion about connection - how when we garden we are looking for and building connection, and pointing out how the ability to harvest from even your ornamental landscape plants increases your level of connection with the plants - and the place. This really resonated with me and encouraged me to look at the cultivated areas around my home and consider where I might add larger scale edibles (like trees and shrubs), were there plants that I didn't love that could be replaced with edibles I did love? And I even went as far as to consider - where there edible NATIVE plants from my region that would be beautiful, feed me and feed my larger environment/wildlife? It's a fun game, try it.

I am now wondering if I could get our native hazelnut to grow in my back border......hmmmm?

Here's the link to the interview: http://mynspr.org/post/cultivating-place-stefani-bittner-and-beautiful-edible-garden-and-its-multilayered-harvest

06/29/2016

The no-see-em biting flies are bad at our place in the month of June. We will have to make some of this to help with the extreme itch that comes along with the bites.

Harness the natural healing power of the plantain herb in this easy to make salve. It's perfect for minor cuts and burns and a great addition to your first aid kit.

06/27/2016

So many regenerative ways to feed your chickens on site!

Years ago, as the cost of commercial chicken feed skyrocketed, I found myself in search of a more creative option.   At the time, I experimented with rotating the flock on pasture and successfully cut my feed cost in half.   After that, I experimented with free ranging and cut my costs by 90%!   …

03/30/2016

The wildflowers are going off around here!