Please join us on tax day, April 15th at 2:00 pm for a lecture on edible gardening at the Descanso Gardens. Here’s the description:

Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne, authors of “The Urban Homestead” and the blog rootsimple.com, discuss creating a garden that is not only beautiful but delicious! Part of “Get Dirty: A Garden Series by Descanso” on Third Tuesdays. Public admission to the Gardens and the lecture is free of charge the third Tuesday of the month.

Hope to see some blog readers there–perhaps we can walk around the garden after the lecture.

For more information on the Descanso Gardens please see descansogardens.org.

I’m honored to be on a panel discussion with some of my favorite LA gardeners and food preservation freaks. Please join me at the Santa Monica Public Library on May 1st for a panel discussion on backyard gardening and food preservation:

Santa Monica Farmers Market 2014 QUARTERLY PANEL SERIES

When:  Thursday, May 01, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Free and open to the public

Where:  Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Blvd.
MLK Auditorium

SAVORING THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR

Gardening and preserving stories and strategies to improve your quality of life and your bottom line.

Backyard gardening and food preservation are growing popular trends, but in the real world, what can these practices do for you individually, and for the community around you? Do we create a wider consciousness of community when we grow, preserve and share the products of our own labor and that of local producers?  How does it affect the household bottom line and your overall quality of life?  Join the conversation with local practitioners, professionals and community organizers about their experiences.

Featuring:

Paul Buchanan
Chef-Owner | Primal Alchemy

Erik Knutzen
Blogger | Author | Rootsimple.com

Florence Nishida
Master Gardener | Natural History Museum | Los Angeles Green Grounds

Susan Proffitt (Mrs. Josh Wattles)
Founder & Administrator | Nichols Canyon Co-op

Moderator:

Sarah Spitz
KCRW | Master Gardener | Master Preserver

Update: This event has been canceled. Hopefully we can put another one together soon.

California is in the midst of a frightening drought, which is why I’m happy to be participating in a one day seminar on Sunday, March 23 on the topic, “Tending Our Vegetable Gardens in a Drought.” Here’ the 411:

Los Angeles is in a severe drought condition and spring planting is just beginning. As stewards of our gardens how can we be respectful of this drought and still have our favorite veggies and fruits this year? Many of our old summer favorites are summer water guzzlers.

And what do we do about our lawns, the biggest water guzzler of all?

With 95% of our state in drought conditions and 91% of which is severe, this rainstorm has done very little to prevent the water shortages we will have this year. What techniques can we use in the urban setting to utilize city water for our gardens without wasting this precious resource? How can we support the health of the soil while respecting the drought?

Step out of your comfort zone and come and join sustainability experts author and blogger Erik Knutzen and Master Gardeners Ken and Jeanne Berry for a discussion on all of this and more. Drought conditions are as old as the Earth and there are cultures that have developed efficient water management techniques for their own environments. There are fruits, vegetables, grains and herbs that have adapted to more drought tolerant conditions than their temperate climate cousins.

Let’s not be reactive to the drought, but be proactive to tending our gardens based on our climate. We will have seeds for spring and summer planting and will have hands on activities.

We are pleased to have seeds for the participants from SeedsNow.com and Bountiful Gardens.

Date: Sunday, March 23, 2014

Time: 10-4

Place: The Berry Urban Farm, Woodland Hills, CA.

Price: $35.00

Contact information: [email protected] or 818-884-6118 or 818-599-5636. Make check payable to Ken Berry, 3506 W Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505. Payment is only confirmation of registration in class. Details of class including address will be sent upon confirmation of registration.

We’re proud to be co-hosting an interior earthen plaster workshop by adobe masters Kurt Gardella and Ben Loescher. The workshop will take place at the home of John Zapf and will thus be your chance to meet the architect of our chicken run and yet to be built man cave. Here’s the info on the workshop–hope to see some of you there:

Date: Thursday, May 1, 2014, 9am to 5pm

Location: The class will be conducted in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles and will be hosted by John Zapf and Root Simple. Coffee and nibbles will be provided at the beginning of the day; lunch is included.

Workshop Description: Earthen plasters are a great way to finish just about any wall substrate in the home. They create a soft, breathable final plaster layer which regulates humidity, odors and sounds like no other wall finish can. This May, Kurt Gardella returns to California for a one-day intensive workshop to teach you how to finish your existing wall substrate (red brick, poured concrete, concrete block, drywall, old plaster finishes) with an earthen plaster mix using affordable, off-the-shelf bagged clays and sands. Attendees will leave the class with the knowledge necessary to finish their own walls using inexpensive materials that can be easily found at any pottery supply store. The class is suitable for homeowners, building professionals and do-it-your-selfers. No prior experience is necessary.

Topics Include:

• clay sourcing, testing and preparation (bagged clay screening & soaking)
• sand sourcing, testing and preparation (bagged silica sand screening)
• importance of aggregate grain variation in plasters
• finish coat straw selection and preparation (fine chop)
• finish plaster tool overview and usage
• strength additive overview, preparation and mixing (wheat paste)
• earthen plaster finish coat mixing, application with hawk and trowel
• earthen plaster finish coat surface finishing techniques (sponge, hard metal trowel, plastic trowel)

Instruction Type: This is a hands-on class. Attendees will have the opportunity to get dirty and use tools and equipment typical of earthen finishing. Due to the course format, enrollment will be limited to 10 individuals. Instruction will occur primarily indoors.

Instructors: Kurt Gardella teaches adobe construction at Santa Fe Community College, is Director of Education for Adobe in Action, and is certified as an earth-building specialist by the German Dachverband Lehm. Ben Loescher is a licensed architect, founder of adobeisnotsoftware and principal of golem|la, an architecture firm specializing in adobe construction.

Registration: $50 per person (click here to pre-register online)

Questions: Please do not hesitate to contact Ben by email at [email protected] or by phone at (760) 820-5326.

Kurt Gardella, who built our adobe oven, will be teaching a few online classes. More information after the jump.

Continue reading…