• Classes, Community Events, Education, Eliza, Things to Do

How to Build a Permaculture Garden Class, Part 1 & 2

This Saturday Eliza is going to be showing a small group of people how to install a permaculture garden by actually doing it — the best way to learn! If you prefer to learn hands-on, this class is going to cover a myriad of permaculture techniques and design elements. Even better is that in the process, we’ll be putting in…

• Classes, Community Events, Education, Eliza

SC Organic Growing Conference Placeholder

I taught two classes at last Saturday’s SC Organic Growing Conference — one on farmscaping and the other on southern passalong plants for permaculturists. I promised everyone to put the handouts online, which is still on my todo list. Being me, I got sidetracked reading some new studies and expanding my farmscaping spreadsheet so the official blog post with the…

• Backyard Chickens, Beekeeping, Canning, Catalogs/Nurseries/Sources, Charity/Causes, Community Events, Compost & Amendments, Education, Farms, Flowers, Fruits, Garden DIY, Heirlooms, Herbs/Spices, Intensive Space Gardening, Kitchen Gardens/Potagers, Local Eggs, Local Honey, Microclimates, Orchard Trees, Ornamental Edibles, Soil & Fertility, Things to Do, Vegetables

How to Feel Inspired by an Urban Farm

Our city’s Urban Farm Tour is over for this year and by all accounts was a great success — GOFO sold out of tickets early in the day and had to scramble to print even more of them! I hope everyone who toured came away feeling inspired, I was so impressed by all the enthusiastic visitors we met at our…

• Beneficial Insects, Edible Flowers, Garden Design, Garden DIY, Garden Philosophy, Geology, Home Improvement, Intensive Space Gardening, Kitchen Gardens/Potagers, Ornamental Edibles, State & National Parks, Things to Do, Vegetables

How to Be Even More Excited About Home Than Wherever You Vacationed (Garden Photo Essay)

Don’t get me wrong — I love vacations. Edisto Island in May was paradise and our family spent June bonding on a cross-country trip. One thing I learned on the way to California and back was that your home’s location is everything — but you can certainly add your own personal touches. Click for larger photos. If you get an…

• Community Events, Farm Stands, Farmers Markets, Farms, General Philosophy, Livestock, Restaurants, Ripe in Fall, Ripe in Spring, Ripe in Summer, Ripe in Winter, Things to Do

How to Find Local Food

Whether you’ve never even grown a houseplant or your family sucks down all the fresh cukes from your garden so fast that you need an extra basket with which to make pickles, you can probably find what you need from a local source.

• Asian Edibles, Catalogs/Nurseries/Sources, Eggplants, Italian Edibles, Kitchen Gardens/Potagers, Ornamental Edibles, Plant in Spring, Ripe in Fall, Ripe in Summer, Solanaceous/Nightshade Family, Unusual Vegetables

How to Grow Eggplants Faster than the Flea Beetles Can Kill Them

A common problem for southern eggplant-lovers are flea beetles. Though they resemble their namesake in appearance and behavior, flea beetles would rather turn our eggplant foliage into Swiss cheese than drink blood. Some of us would prefer the bloodletting since a large infestation of beetles can kill a crop before it even sets flowers! Fortunately for organic gardeners everywhere, there…

• Artichokes - Globe, Aster/Lettuce Family, Kitchen Gardens/Potagers, Medicinal Plants, Microclimates, Ornamental Edibles, Plant in Fall, Plant in Spring, Ripe in Summer, Unusual Vegetables

How to Grow Globe Artichokes in the Southeast

This is a vegetable I am still experimenting with to get a formula that really works, but I thought I’d share my observations so far. Out of growing them collectively (but not consecutively) for about 5 years, I’ve harvested artichokes in two different seasons. One year they were nicely sized and tasty, the other year they were a little small…