From The Ground Up

05/15/2016

yes!

05/01/2016

Latest blog is up, first one in 2 years!

http://www.sproutfromthegroundup.com/here-we-be/

It has been been quite some time. Happy Spring. Last […]

02/26/2014

Growing Food without Water http://wp.me/p3sYej-88

For the past year we’ve been experiencing the greatest drought of our time, one for the record books indeed. The last few months my recent backyard gardening has involved being even more aware of my water usage not only in the yard but in my home… [ 1310 more words. ]

11/21/2013

Gardening by the phases of the moon is a technique that can speed the germination of your seeds by working with the forces of nature...What do you think about this?

11/21/2013

Winter is in the Horizon http://wp.me/p3sYej-7W

What to Grow Cool cole crops. Kale (really delicious after it’s exposed to frost) is a dependable crop anywhere. Many varieties are reliably hardy down to zero, in the bay area we don’t worry about that. Collards are equally…

11/13/2013

wow.

10/16/2013

October Healing

Let’s start off with some quick October gardening tips From The Ground Up: What a pleasant time to be outside cleaning up summer veggie beds. While doing so, be sure to shovel in some yummy manure, compost & a lovely … Continue reading →

09/01/2013

Quite a slope in this small, compact backyard. Simple raised boxes fit perfect in this space. The existing soil consisted of compacted clay, with strong winds billowing above. We did a simple method of sheet mulching within every box. Imagine an organic matter-layered cake. Consisting of the existing soil surface, slashed vegetation, soil amendments, a thick layer of cow manure, cardboard, a healthy layer of nutrient-rich compost, mixed with another thick application of manure, followed by a bedding of straw. Our fall-winter harvest here is soil. With the coming rains, these layers will brake down into healthy earth, ready for early spring plantings.

08/19/2013

Imagine ivy within these pics...all over the backyard!! Bricks, wooden boards and wine barrels were scattered and covered throughout. Using what the site had to offer, we created a new garden box for food & began adding micro greens/herbs to the wine barrels. Creating healthy soil in the new box will be our main harvest through fall & winter. Adding colorful native flowers and shrubs throughout the site will be next. The sun shines here for at least 6 hours, everything here is positioned for maximum sunlight.

07/31/2013

Mental Health Lessons from the Garden

According to Craig Chalquist, PhD and department chair of East-West Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, says there is a growing body of research on horticultural therapy. Gardening has the ability to lift depression. It can…

07/30/2013

Quick small morning harvest from the backyard this morning!

07/10/2013

Soil: The Staff of Life

It all begins with the soil. No matter how healthy & organic your choice crops may be, without rich, loamy soil, these plants will have a challenging time coming into fruition. There is so much information and scattered data on … Continue reading →