In our design for the Rosmead Garden we have included several espalier fruit trees to maximize production in our small space without losing much room or sunlight. We plan for one of these to be an avocado. Typically, avocado trees grow very large and cumbersome – 5 to 8 feet at maturity. This would take up most of the small kitchen garden … Read More
Meet the Rosmead Garden Our friends who have volunteered their yard and enthusiasm live just off the cutest lane called Rosmead Place. With the park, shopping, and Town Hall around the corner, we are excited about the prospects of this garden becoming a central teaching opportunity. This also challenges us to design for a more aesthetically oriented population, combining sustainability, high yields, … Read More
We are well acquainted with the cucumber, grown all over for pickling and salads, but the rare tropical varieties from Sri Lanka and India surprisingly receive far less airtime. Kekiri, technically classified as a cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is much harder and less sweet than cucumber cultivated in the West and research suggests the variety is more closely related to the melon. Due … Read More
Now a little over one year into our Intrepid Gardens experiments, we are re-assessing and implementing new designs before the monsoons in May. Before we get into the to-do’s, we have to be honest about what worked and what failed. The poly bag towers were complete failures on the scorching roof garden. This was obviously a disappointment after seeing great results in … Read More
A recent documentary by AHOOHA films provides a FREE and richly detailed introduction to tropical permaculture – the methods, vegetation, animals, eathworks and more – for anyone to use and share. Heavily cited are two neighboring sites in Northern Thailand, including the Panya Project, with a climate and vegetation similar to what we are working with in Sri Lanka. Download the video … Read More