Author Archives: zack

Volunteer Bay

Posted on December 2, 2011 by

Umbellularia californica, to be exact.  There isn’t a whole lot of it at my elevation (~3k), but it’s fairly common elsewhere in these parts, usually at lower elevations, in stream and river canyons, closer to water.  That being said, at … Continue reading →

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Andean Vegetables

Posted on November 28, 2011 by

The first frost arrived a couple of weeks ago, damaging the leaves of the Bolivian sunroot (also called yacón) – no surprise there.  I’ve grown this plant for years – I like the tubers, which have a subtle flavor that … Continue reading →

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Alliums, And Lots Of ‘Em

Posted on November 22, 2011 by

Some of my favorite food plants are in the genus Allium.  Garlic is one of my favorite garden plants (read about it here, here, here, here and here), and I have it in the garden proper and the food forest. … Continue reading →

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Creep Year

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

The first year they sleep The second year they creep The third year they leap So goes the old saying about perennials. This has been the creep year (year 2) for a number of perennials in my garden.  Two that … Continue reading →

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Critical Mass

Posted on November 11, 2011 by

I have sort of come to the conclusion – inasmuch as I can come to a conclusion this early in the process – that where I garden, building a food forest is about critical mass.  It’s a very different aesthetic … Continue reading →

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Misery?

Posted on November 7, 2011 by

Mountain misery (Chamaebatia foliolosa), also know as bear clover and kit-ke-dizze, is one of the native ground cover plants throughout this part of the Sierra, and I have it in abundance on my property, including throughout the very sunny parts … Continue reading →

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Feed Your Soil, Not Your Plants: Cover Croppin’

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

Cover cropping is, in my view, one of the best things you can do for your soil, and one of the easiest. Here’s how it works: You plant some seeds – I usually use a mix of legumes (vetch, bell … Continue reading →

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The Great Rhubarb Divide

Posted on October 27, 2011 by

I’m especially fond of plants that are easily propagated, either by seed or division or cuttings.  Rhubarb (Rheum x hybridum) is just such a plant, and one of my fall chores – not every fall, mind you, but every 3 … Continue reading →

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Adventures in Biochar – Part II

Posted on October 25, 2011 by

It worked! I ran into significant challenges specifically related to the design of my retort (as detailed here), but when I opened the barrel last night (in the dark, with a flashlight), I was greeted by a barrel full of … Continue reading →

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Adventures in Biochar – Part I

Posted on October 25, 2011 by

Saturday last I drove into town to try to procure two 30 gallon metal barrels for my biochar retort kiln project.  I had in mind a two-barrel system similar to this one only larger, with a 30-gallon drum nestled inside … Continue reading →

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