Compost Happens

One my favorite local newspaper columnists is Adina Sara, who writes "The Imperfect Gardener" over at the MacArthur Metro. She lives about four blocks southeast of me, so that's pretty local (although our neighborhood is rich with writers - Ericka Lutz to the north of me, and Elmaz Abinader maybe a hundred yards south).

Adina has now published a memoir of her garden called "The Imperfect Garden" which you can buy at Laurel Bookstore, Amazon, or through Adina's site linked above.

I was just poking around my back yard and peered into the compost box I started in the summer of 2007, just before I was diagnosed with this latest bout of cancer. I managed to add kitchen scraps and yard trimmings to it for a while. Then last winter I left the lid off because I could see it was way too dry. I also added a few spades of clay from the weed patch in the back.

No matter how lackadaisical you are about compost, your pile will eventually turn into decent mulch. Today the core of the heap is rich black gooey stuff: yum. It's surrounded by undigested dry leaves and weeds though. Some people might stir their compost to get it to rot evenly. Not me. I am probably going to spade up the good stuff from the middle and start adding more kitchen scraps. I'll speak to the gardener again about dumping the grass clippings in as well. And guess what - I let my boys pee on the compost heap. Yes I do. You don't think that's any worse than what the cats, raccoons, skunks, squirrels and roof rats do all over the place, do you?

Compost happens.

Slow Gardening

The NY Times finally prints a gardening article that totally expresses my philosophy.

Slow Gardening.

I call it Darwinian gardening - if it can't survive my neglect, then it doesn't belong in my garden. Native plants do well in such conditions.

And when I first saw a picture of a bottle tree, I said: I HAVE TO HAVE THAT. But I don't want to risk putting it in the front yard here in Oakland, for fear passing rowdies might be tempted to do the wrong thing.

But the back yard. Now there's an idea... a bottle tree in the back yard! Must start collecting blue bottles (my favorite color).

Meanwhile, look for local gardener and writer Adina Sara's new book, part memoir: The Imperfect Gardener. She's another gardener whose ideas resonate.

Welcome to Forage Laurel!

Think global, eat Laurel



Welcome to Think Global, Eat Laurel, a blog devoted to food, gardening, food preservation and more in Oakland's Laurel District.

We live in an urban neighborhood full of gardens; our bus lines can take us to San Francisco, our email lists are full of "lost chicken" notices. Gardeners, beekeepers, poultry ranchers, permaculturists, bicycle activists, high tech workers, artists, writers, musicians, tradespeople, teachers, civil servants, laborers and scientists live in our neighborhood. We are one of the most diverse zip codes in the country. Our weather is terrific, a Mediterranean climate, and our yards are full of trees and plants that bear fruit year-round.

This blog will be a gathering place for Laurel District foodies: people who want to can produce, people who garden, people who like trying new restaurants and want to gossip about the latest, people who forage for food and people who forage for information on how to live a sustainable, pleasurable life here in 94619.