Green Gal

Our sunflowers are almost blocking our back mailbox, which is where our landlord collects energy and water bill checks from us. We might have to figure out how to divert its growth to one side or the other... but hopefully, he likes sunflowers! The other day, I planted a number of seeds, including some kale in an old soy yogurt container. I set the container inside an old Earth Balance butter container so I can water it from the bottom. I also moved a tomato plant from inside to the backyard, and put one of my aloe plants from the front porch into the back because I think it needs more sunlight. Tomatoes, basil, jalapeños, cactus, aloe, and some pots that haven't sprouted yet but contain pea seeds (I think!). I moved the little hippopotatomus to this side of the garden. Some more new seed plantings, including broccoli, kale, and arugula. The broccoli from this summer is still alive but has been devoured by caterpillars (I think). The nasturtium on the side yard is gr...

"For 25 years, the National Bioneers Conference has connected thousands of people with practical, visionary solutions for humanity's most pressing environmental and social challenges." This year was my first time attending the National Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, CA, and it was one of the most incredible experiences I've had in the realm of sustainability work. To capture why it was so incredible, I will start with a metaphor that continued to make its way into workshops and conversations throughout the weekend: Bioneers, for me, brought the many threads of "sustainability" - environment, people, ecology, biodiversity, diversity, justice, equity, celebration of difference, purpose, conversation, art, climate, water, community, etc. - into a beautifully, vibrantly, amazingly woven cloth that held all of us in its embrace for a weekend, bringing us in contact with new ideas and new people, encouraging us to smile and relax and sink into the realities...

This afternoon I've got a photo summary of what's growing on in the garden to share with you all. I've been busy preparing for National Novel Writing Month , and work at UC Santa Cruz has gotten a lot busier lately--but I haven't forgotten about the blog!  I attended the National Bioneers Conference this past weekend in San Rafael, and I will be writing a report of what I learned and experienced this weekend. I'll post it on here soon! Enjoy the photos, and let me know if you have ideas for plants I should start growing in the garden this fall! Remember that you can click on them for a larger view. Surprise mushrooms appeared one day in this pot that should be growing peas. They look like Dr. Suess trees to me! A photo from the National Bioneers Conference I attended last weekend. More on this coming soon! The sunflowers are getting huge!  Sunflower bud. Lots of green growth under the sunflowers.  Tomatoes.  Basil.  J...

 Awhile back, I planted some tomato and cilantro seeds in the same container. They've grown a bit since planting, and today was the day to transplant them into separate containers. The cilantro are most valuable to me since it's a little past tomato season anyway, so I transplanted the two tomato plants to new containers and left the cilantro in this one. Even if the tomato plants die from being transplanted, at least my cilantro will (hopefully) survive and thrive. I also decided to incorporate a small handful of worm compost into the tomato plants' new homes. I searched through the worm bin for small bits of worm-free, decomposing food-free worm compost. I added a small amount to each new tomato plant container and mixed it together with potting soil. I was careful in transplanting so that the roots of each tomato plant were only exposed for a couple seconds. Hopefully they survive this change. I have kept all three plants on the windowsill inside the house...