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Category Archives: ecosystem
Birds in the garden
Perhaps because the garden is very luscious this year, there are a lot of birds. Sparrows raise their chicks and peck for insects. A cardinal pair nests nearby. There is always the robin couple who raise their broods on the … Continue reading
Posted in ecosystem
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Insects in the garden
I was asked a good question the other day about insects. Do I spray? Actually, no, I don’t spray because I have an organic garden and I don’t want to kill beneficial insects when spraying the destructive ones. That said, … Continue reading
How much water?
Since I hail originally from Los Angeles and grew up there during another drought not quite so severe, I was intrigued to read about how much water it takes to grow the common foods we eat. Vegetables and fruits, not … Continue reading
Posted in ecosystem, superfoods, watering
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Land of milk and honey?
I recently visited my family in Los Angeles, my hometown. Here in Chicago where I live it’s still frigid and the ground rock hard so imagine my pleasure to see this tangerine tree growing in the front yard of my … Continue reading
Posted in backyard microclimate, ecosystem
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Talking peas
The New York Times ran a blog commentary Saturday If Peas Can Talk, Should We Eat Them? about new research showing that, when suffering drought conditions, peas send out a biochemical message through their roots to other plants about adverse growing … Continue reading
Posted in backyard microclimate, ecosystem, snap & snow peas
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What to grow to fill your plate
I spoke on What to Grow to Fill Your Plate at the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice program this past January at KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation’s Soil to Plate weekend of speakers and symposia. There were many impressive speakers and … Continue reading
Posted in backyard microclimate, creating & caring for a garden, design & layout, ecosystem, fertilizing, harvesting, healthy soil, location, seeds and plants, sunlight, superfoods, watering
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Butterflies and a hummer
More black swallow tail caterpillars in the garden. Once again on the fennel. Discovered that the laying butterflies like fennel, dill and parsley fronds because they make the caterpillars that eat them poisonous to birds and other potential predators. Hungry. There’s a … Continue reading