2011 Edible Garden Descriptions
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When Gwyn bought her house in 1992, the garden, other than the well-established fruit trees in the back, was lawn and dying camellia bushes. She acquired a couple of beehives and has been beekeeping for 19 years. She is in awe of these little creatures and the family enjoys the honey.
The first landscaping change Gwyn made was to roto-till the front lawn and attempt to rejuvenate its dead clay soil. Over the next couple of years, she planted fava beans, vetch and mustard greens during the winter and roto-tilled them in during the spring. After a couple of years, the soil was alive with worms and she planted a field of winter wheat. They harvested 25 lbs. of wheat that June, threshing it on a sheet in the backyard and separating the wheat from the chaff using a house fan.
After 5 years, the front garden soil was wildly fertile and the summer gardens, Mediterranean one year, Mexican another, etc., provided about 90% of what the family ate. She replaced old fruit trees with new ones (notably a still wildly prolific Asian pear). Then came children and a break from regular gardening for about 10 years.
Gwyn believes that it's really important for everyone, especially young children, to know where their food comes from and to participate in its growth, harvesting and preparation. Over the past 5 years, she has put this belief into practice in her own yard and started "guerilla planting" in every available space, both in her yard and on the "Willows Island" in front of her house. She especially appreciates the help of Jorge DeLoera, who has come to treat these gardens as his own, who did all the brickwork to redo the front and back patios, and who regularly helps take care of their new flocks of poultry.
In 2010, Gwyn installed raised beds in the front which establish some semblance of order and a flock of chickens arrived. The "girls" give the family no end of pleasure, not to mention some eggs, with their trundling around and commenting on all aspects of garden life. This year, she brought in a pair of American Buff geese and two Indian Runner ducks, who are still getting acquainted with life on this suburban farm. Goats next? Who knows!?
Most of us are descendants of farmers. Gary's paternal grandmother grew up on a family homestead in Northern California and, later, raised chickens on every property on which she lived. She and his grandfather retired back to the land in the late forties and raised livestock and grew corn. Gary's maternal grandfather was raised on a tobacco farm in Virginia and, later, gardened and raised chickens in Southern California. His mother followed in the family tradition by planting a garden every spring in their backyard in Montana.
When Gary moved to the Peninsula to teach in the late sixties, he felt the tug of his family tradition to start his own garden. At first, he followed his mother's model digging furrows, dropping in seeds and creating an orderly row of whatever vegetables they were prone to eat.
In the seventies, John Jeavons opened up a whole new world for Gary, and he began to grow veggies organically in raised beds, chose seed companions to maximize growth, and began to make homemade compost. His family also learned to eat new foods. Later, Gary and his students started a garden and employed John's "French Intensive" method. One day, they were invited by a parent, Beverly Rudolph, to visit her backyard "Urban Homestead." Gary remembers her lesson to the students about raising rabbits that if you take part in the eating, you should take part in the killing.
Over the years, Gary's own garden near downtown Palo Alto was shaped by the sum of these experiences. On their year-round, backyard urban-homestead, Gary & Carmen grow a large portion of their food including berries and fruit trees which produce fresh fruit throughout the year. Their chickens produce enough eggs for them to eat and share, and this year, they added a bee hive to pollinate the neighborhood plants and produce honey!
The experience doesn't stop there, however. There are larger concerns that a person may choose to address: rainwater catchment; permeable pavers for flood control; drought-resistant native flowers to reduce water use; purchasing wind or producing solar power; preserving, drying or freezing vegetables for later consumption; and at all times, treating the entire property as a sustainable system. Come see what Gary & Carmen have done and share your ideas with them, so everyone can learn together.
Palo Alto #2
The Stoumens moved to their house six years ago and bought a house the neighbors called "the gravel pit." There was nothing living on the whole property except for one hydrangea in the front and one redwood tree in the back; gravel was everywhere.
O'Malley has always grown vegetables and had dreamed of an all edible landscape. The entire back yard is now filled with vegetables and the front has fruit trees, grapes and citrus. The Stoumens placed three fruit trees of different varieties but the same species in each hole. For example, three different varieties of apples in one hole looks like a multi-trunked tree because all of the branches have the same leaf shape.In addition, each variety ripens at a different time, up to a month apart, prolonging the season.
The path to the back yard is lined with cucumbers, asparagus, thornless blackberries, pole beans, swiss chard and lettuce.
All the vegetable beds in the back yard are lined up in a north-south direction so that they do not shade each other. Even though the beds are on automatic drip, each bed runs through a spigot so that every bed can be controlled separately. The blueberry and raspberry beds are planted permanently but the others can be rotated. The tomatoes have strings hanging from a bamboo trellis with tomato clips holding up the plants eliminating the use cages.
About a year ago, the Stoumens built a small chicken coop. O'Malley's husband is an architect so the coop is beautiful. The chickens now have their own website www.workdaychickenpictures.com but also play a big part in helping the garden thrive and stay organic. Their manure is, of course, valuable, but before O'Malley plants each bed, she runs a roll of chicken wire around it that reaches over to the coop and lets the chickens work on the bed all day. They eat bugs, larva, slugs, snails and their eggs. In their greenhouse-shed, she raises organic wheat sprouts which automatically rinse three times a day and are fed to the chickens daily. Three peaches and three apricots shade the coop.
All the hardscape, driveway, walkways and patio are pervious to allow the rain to seep into the ground and not run off.
Palo Alto #3
The Hartingers have had an organic edible family home garden in Barron Park for the last 18 years. They love the fresh vegetables and believe that they often taste better than what one can purchase. That's especially true when grazing for fresh peas or cherry tomatoes! "Some members of the family like to be outside working in the dirt and watching the many changes in their backyard ecology. They are also inspired to garden as sustainably as possiblet. They don't grow all of their own food but take special joy in eating the foods that come from their own space."
Over the years the Hartingers have made enhancements to their backyard and garden including increased composting, raised beds, solar power, drip-irrigation, and most recently, backyard chickens. Last year they decommissioned half of their lawn, sheet-mulched the space and started growing more food. They have multiple apple trees, oranges, lemons, apricots, and figs. The Hartingers grow vegetables and compost crops year round. In the summer, they will be growing tomatoes, basil, peppers, eggplant, squash, beans and sunflowers. In the winter they generally grow potatoes, kale, fava bean, onions, garlic, lettuce, broccoli, and chard. Their garden beds rotate dimensions and crops fairly quickly and they have been able to continually improve the soil and growing conditions with compost crops/nitrogen fixing, double digging, and crop rotations.
Palo Alto #4
Bob believes we ought to use our land like we should use ourselves: for beauty, health, inspiration, and joy. He sometimes becomes sad walking down most streets and seeing that very little distinguishes one front yard from another. People keep their yards tidy, but they don't put life energy into them! The front yard is treated as empty space separating the house from the street. People fill that space with a patch of lawn, a few shrubs, and a tree. Years go by, little changes, and people feel no connection with the earth or with the nature in their own yard. Bob wants to celebrate the life that grows in his yard.
Bob decided to tear up his old shrubs and lawn and plant an edible garden in the front, side, and back yards. It's now very beautiful. People walk by and stop. They breathe in the magic of the garden. Sometimes people tell Bob that they go out of their way to walk by his house because it inspires them. That's what an elderly lady in a walker told him not long ago. Imagine, she can barely move around but she wanted to walk by the house to see what was cooking and drink in the magic.
Bob grows many vegetables and fruits. What would a garden be if it were not beautiful and magical' He brings many flowers into the garden which in turn bring in bees and butterflies. Some of the edibles you will find in Bob's front yard garden are: pineapple guavas, figs, nectarines, cherries, Asian pear, Santa Rosa plum, blueberries, sweet basil, thornless blackberries, grapes, olive trees, scented geraniums, lavender, yarrow, peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes.
Bob's side yard showcases a work bench, mini-green house, espaliered'apples, small pond, strawberries, grapes, figs, pomegranates, tomatoes, sweet basil, and an herb garden along the house. The raised beds in the back are separated by a flagstone pathway.
The rear of the yard is devoted to four chickens and four ducks. These wonderful creatures provide an endless supply of eggs as well as nutrients to feed the garden. They also enjoy eating his weeds and snails.
The grass is "no mow" tall fescue. It's tall and waves when the wind blows. A beautiful woman once told Bob that when she passed his house, she had an urge to roll in the grass. He offered an extended invitation.
Palo Alto #5
The Common Ground Garden (CG Garden) was established in 2007 to illustrate the GROW BIOINTENSIVE techniques developed by John Jeavons & Ecology Action, as well as to provide a living classroom and education space for the experiential aspects of classes taught through the Common Ground Garden Supply and Education Center.
At the heart of the garden is 2000 square feet of biologically intensive cultivation which follows all 8 principles of GROW BIOINTENSIVE. By using deep cultivation, close plant spacing, composting, and companion planting, biointensive agriculture strategically uses biological cycles to build a healthy garden ecosystem that accelerates the soil building processes that exist in nature. Every year, sixty percent of the growing area is dedicated to growing crops that build soil fertility by producing abundant biomass for making soil-building compost.
The CG Garden is showcasing some unique (and delicious) biomass superstars: tall, fast growing Native American Red Mandan corn, nutritious and protein dense quinoa, bushy Golden Giant Amaranth, and multi-use, super hardy sorghum. High-calorie crops include maturing garlic, young potatoes and jerusalem artichokes. By using only open-pollinated seed, the CG Garden hopes to raise awareness about preserving heirloom and traditional seeds, which allows gardeners to be truly self-sustaining by saving & replanting their own seeds year to year.
The sheet-mulched orchard area is home to juvenile fruit trees, young strawberry plants, comfrey, alfalfa, artichoke, cardoon, and meandering squash. A young hedgerow of natives will grow into a lush green perimeter, demonstrating the use of water-thrifty native plants. The rain water harvesting system near the tool shed demonstrates the importance of rain water in a sustainable food growing system.
Come see the wonderful heirloom varieties of tomatoes and peppers donated by the Santa Clara Master Gardeners and Collective Roots.
Zuzanna Drozdz, the Garden Coordinator, has been managing the garden since May 2010. Ecology Action is grateful to the Palo Alto Christian Reformed Church for their generous donation of this space for the CG Garden. Without the support of the PACRC, this garden & the work done here would not be possible.
Mike and Mary's quest to master organic gardening began 12 years ago when they purchased their home in Los Altos. Their side and back yards have gone through several landscape evolutions beginning with the removal of a 1,200 square foot lawn in the side yard, then planting a row of fruit trees in the backyard, adding a sisterhood of chickens, and most recently building a new set of raised beds out of rock. It all adds up to a diverse veg-o-rama landscape.
Highlights of the Gospe Garden include:
- The egg-laying trio of Sadie, Ruby, and Cleo
- A wide variety of fruit trees, including apple, stone fruits ' apricot, peach and plum, and citrus mandarin, naval, and Valencia oranges; Eureka and Meyer lemons, limes and grapefruit
- Loganberry patch
- Vegetables include an asparagus patch and artichokes, corn, eggplant, green beans, tomatoes, peppers (bell and jalapeno), potatoes, zucchini and butternut squash
- Herb beds include basil, cilantro, chives, dill, garlic, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme
Los Altos #2
In Corrie's garden, her love of rabbits, music and organic gardening are evident. When she and her husband, Rick, built their house in 2001, the lot was devoid of any vegetation except for the pittosporum hedge in the front yard. With a clean slate, they hired two landscape firms within 8 years to create the garden rooms on the property. Corrie comes from a cooking background, and she loved the idea of growing organic food to feed her family and rabbits. So, 10 years ago, she began growing her own vegetables and fruits year-round.
The courtyard provides a low maintenance area for growing salvias, roses, dahlias and other various flowers and shrubs. Tucked into the front landscape are "All-in-One" almond, Fuyu persimmon, Pink Pearl apple, and Osbourne Prolific fig trees, along with various herbs.
The backyard is the secret garden you can't see from the street. A long walkway lined with jasmine, honeysuckle, fremontodendron, climbing roses and deutzia bring you to the rabbit room'an area where the house rabbits can frolic during the day before returning indoors at night. Tucked around the rabbit room are various citrus trees, most in pots.
Along the fence are espaliered apple and pear trees that look out into the vegetable "room." In spring and fall, 6 beds contain fruits and vegetables including an olallieberry vine, a Blenheim apricot tree, tomatoes, squash, artichokes, eggplants, pole beans, sunflowers, and strawberries. Many pots surround the beds and contain carrots, blueberries, tomatillos and herbs. The trellis is covered with scarlet runner beans. Growing on the arbor are Chinese cucumbers and gourds.
The patio contains a teak dining table and is surrounded by seating walls and two very prolific Perlette grape vines growing on the arbor. Facing out towards the back fence is the grass area. Beyond the grass is a hidden meditative room which features a pondless riverbed surrounded by a stacked slate wall with flagstone and thyme underfoot. The sound of water, wind chimes made from different materials, and birds contribute to outdoor music and the sense of peacefulness in the backyard.
Corrie is a musician and teacher. Her garden gives her inspiration every day.
When Patricia and Thierry bought their home, they inherited conventional ornamental landscaping, including over 20 rose bushes. They have gradually redesigned the front and backyard with fruit trees, vegetable and herb beds, plus native and drought tolerant plants to create a thriving suburban ecosystem.
By replacing the lawns in the front and backyards with companion plantings of edible flowers, herbs, vegetables, and hardy native plants, their property has become a lively haven for many species of birds, bees other wildlife. All of their gardening is done using organic methods.
Patricia and Thierry love to cook with fresh ingredients so enjoy planting heirloom varieties for flavor and beauty.
Patricia & Thierry's front yard features four raised beds: three are used for rotating plantings of vegetables and strawberries, and their newest raised bed contains blueberries. The front yard also features a kitchen herb garden, a very productive Meyer lemon tree, and an avocado tree grown from a pit, and yes, it does produce avocados! A spectacular stand of Matilija Poppy replaced the side lawn along the driveway.
Their backyard was designed to be compatible with their family of three dogs, while providing spaces for vegetable gardening, wildlife habitat, and an outdoor dining area. A key feature is the raised bed planting unit they built from a ready-made kit which included a watering system, trellis, and a gate to keep their edibles safe from their canines. There are young apple and pomegranate trees and more herbs for the kitchen. The dining area under the pergola is shaded by Thompson Seedless and Red Flame grapevines. There is also a patch dedicated to green globe and Italian violet artichokes. Recently, they reclaimed the formerly weedy side of their house by sheet-composting to build up the soil and have planted an interesting variety of little known heirloom beans.
Transforming their gardens has transformed their lives and brought so much enjoyment and satisfaction that Patricia began volunteering with Common Ground to plan the annual Edible Landscaping Tour, and she also advocates for edible landscaping by writing articles using the pen name Urban Artichoke.
Mountain View #2
Four years ago, the Sheridan's dug up their front lawn and replaced it with vegetables and fruit trees. Doing so achieved multiple goals for their family; they have garden fresh vegetables throughout the year, and they have "incrementally reduced" their contribution to water intensive, wasteful agricultural practices. Each year they have enjoyed caring for their gardens, and as a consequence, they have also learned much about their neighbors and have had the benefit of the remarkable taste of vegetables freshly picked from their own garden.
Because the lot they live on is not large, they try to make use of all the space in the front, back and sides of their house and use the micro-climates to their advantage. In the winter, the front yard has best sun, so they grow salads, fava beans, leeks, chard and spinach. In the spring and summer, they grow those same vegetables in their side-yard and backyard, making room for traditional hot weather summer vegetables in the front yard. They use composting and rotation of legumes throughout the year to add nitrogen to the soil. From April until July, they try to plant at least two dozen bush bean plants each month interspersed among other plants or in plots whose soil is in need of rejuvenation. By October, they will have removed most of the summer vegetable plants and will have planted. Fava'beans and other winter crops that will be ready for harvest by February.
Mountain View #3
Chez TJ is a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant in downtown Mountain View, located in a circa 1894 Victorian house. George Aviet and Thomas J. McCombie acquired the home and converted it into a restaurant in 1982. Over the past 30 years Chez TJ has become known for creative, delicious, and beautiful food.
Behind the house is a 30x50 space which probably served as a kitchen garden for the original residents. In 1989, at the request of the chef and owner, renowned author and garden designer Rosalind Creasy created an edible garden with paths and raised beds. An early photo of the garden can be seen on page 18 of the new edition of Edible Landscaping. Over the next twenty-some years the garden was maintained more or less depending on the enthusiasm and availability of the restaurant staff. By 2008 the garden had been untended for several years.
In 2008 Louise Christy, a friend of the owner's family, started looking enviously at the bare garden. She saw opportunity for an avid gardener, an enclosed space with beautiful bones, paths and beds, waiting for someone to work it. George gave Louise free rein to take over the garden and she has been deep in the dirt ever since. A few amazing meals at the restaurant each year and the satisfaction of seeing others enjoy and use the garden provide ample compensation.
The Chez TJ garden is a hard-working potager. With few exceptions, all the plants can be used in the kitchen. Executive Chef Joey Elenterio and pastry chef Erica Waksmunski browse the garden daily and whenever possible use it as the source for garnishes, herbs, flowers, and other greenery in their dishes. In addition to a wide variety of herbs and edible flowers, the garden includes currant tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, leeks, lettuces, arugula, mizuna, and radishes. Perennial plants include raspberries, pomegranate, Meyer lemons, tangerine, and Kumquat. No pesticides are used, and Louise tries to keep flowering plants in the garden at all times to attract beneficial insects. Beds are amended with compost and organic fertilizer, and most irrigation is via in-line drippers.
Please enjoy your visit to Chez TJ's Garnish Garden. Just walk around the back of the restaurant from either side you can't miss it.