CompostGal: Consulting, Landscaping & Education

I’m always thinking a season ahead. So I decided to look at the drought map for CA. That sent me down another rabbit hole so.... I present to you the US drought map for 2021. So, an immediate and usual response is:... But there are ways to maximize the water you use and save your existing trees and shrubs. Drip irrigation: placed under a layer of mulch saves water and reduces evaporation Mulch!!! I know I go on and on about mulch, but it works! Weed suppression, moisture holding, helps regulate soil temps too! Greywater- laundry to landscape systems don’t require permits in CA (check your state). Wash and rinse water are diverted from your washing machine to your garden (perennial plants, including fruit trees). You have to change soaps, but it’s a great way to reuse water. There are permitted systems that allow for water diversion from the shower Compost (y’all knew it was coming). Increase the water holding capabilities in your soil with 1-2 inches of compost Rainbarrels : water in rain barrels can be stored indefinitely. The options for these can range from DIY to massive systems. Gather as much as you can. Plan ahead and you can weather through the summer months. I’ll be covering each of these recommendations in the weeks ahead. There will be links and resources available. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

Soil testing with one of the Stopwaste urban farm partners! This clay soil has been transformed by the use of compost, straw mulch and cover crops

I stumbled across this picture the other day and had to share. If his face looks familiar you’ve probably seen him either with a local beekeepers group or at a local farmers market. Always friendly and super knowledgeable! I first met Russel Shaffer in 2006 as part of the Alameda County Master Composter program. On graduation day he pulled me aside and encouraged me to continue with this work. That there weren’t too many people who looked like us and that more would be wonder...ful and necessary. 15 years later I am always reminded of his words. Sadly, he’s no longer with us and his absence is deeply felt. But....his spirit lives with me always. Thanks so much Russel!

Are you a renter but interested in gardening, but not sure where to start? The Ecology Center is hosting a webinar this Saturday at 11am especially for you! We will cover ways to engage the property owner, different types of gardening and how to create a lil space for food and/or flowers. https://ecologycenter.org//sustainable-gardening-for-ren/

Ahhhh peach blossoms! for no leaf curl and for a wonderful bounty!!!#peaches #perennials #fruittrees

Because of scarcity Water will now be traded on Wall Street. It’s important now for us to conserve where we can and make our soil work to retain water longer. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/361135

Feeding and watering my compost bin today! Pulled back the brown layer and discovered lots of activity in the pile! Sow bugs, collembola. All working hard to break down my veggie peels, plant trimmings and coffee grounds! #compost #composting #collembola #sowbug #compostrules

Soooo excited! COMING SOON my very first website! I wanna give super BIG thanks to my friend Pam Steffen who is doing ALL the heavy lifting in creating the website! You may remember her work in designing my new masks!!!

Blue skies and beautiful Fall leaves ! Time for compost piles, hot beverages , baking and a lil raking. Planning for Spring and some Netflix watching . Take pleasure in the small things.

This sounds amazing! Wish I had a place for them to graze! Hey West Oakland! Do you have some land that needs weed control, even blackberry? Check out the info below!

Mullein has been super helpful during the early days of fire season here in CA. I just got some seeds this year, so I will be adding it to my garden for sure!!!

So I’m hardly ever on Linked in, but I kept getting notifications for two weeks straight! Once I finally checked in I was greeted by well wishers for my 8th anniversary in business! Tbh I totally forgot!!! So...8 years?! Time is flying! 8 years of lawn conversions, gardening workshops (in-person & ZOOM), sheet mulch parties, soil testing, client gardens, videos and countless convos about gardening, hunger, social justice, carbon farming and of course, COMPOST! I’m very gratef...ul that I get to do work that I just ! Grateful for my supportive friends, family, clients and colleagues. Thanks to my fellow gardeners who keep me on my toes, ask amazing questions and share our love of playing in the soil and growing fun plants!!! Compostgal

Walking in Martinez! #martinezcalifornia #redwood #rosehips #protea

Projects for the garden today: water plants, weeding, amend annuals with fish emulsion, pick produce & maintain compost pile (aerate, add , add layer of greens & top with brown layer). #fishemulsion #composting #compost #sidedressing #compostbin #decomposition #gardensofmartinez

I worked with Stopwaste last week presenting Backyard Composting Webinar. If you are ready to start your own compost pile, please check out the recording below!

Not that I’m going to parties these days ! #soilhealth #compost #carbonfarming #mulch #castings #perennials #covercrops #nochemicals #ipm

This Tuesday my colleague and partner-in-soil Trevor Probert will be presenting a webinar about carbon farming practices!

Spending this last Thursday in November in the garden! Apparently my garden still thinks it’s summer! #mediterranclimate #gardensofmartinez #containergardening #peppers #chilis #jalapeno #shishitopeppers #urbangardening

Welcome to a new crop of gardeners to the page! If you live in a temperate climate just let those tomatoes and peppers keep on growing until the first rains destroy them. You can plant winter crops under or next to your existing summer plants. Once the summer ones die off you are all ready for fall!

I had the pleasure of partnering up with Sustainable Solano yesterday to talk about perennial edible plants . If you missed it, here’s the recording of the webinar. They’ve also included the link to our last webinar on container gardening!

These veggies grow great in containers too! Super nutritious and perfect for you beginning gardeners. If you’ve never planted anything before in your life....these are the plants and season to start with.

Sorry folks but we are gonna have to postpone this class today . There are some technical difficulties. My apologies, but hope you can make it to the rematch.

Garden in transition #gardensofmartinez #growyourown #urbangardening #containergardening #hellobrassicas #byebyenightshades

That’s great advice! With Fall here (officially, cause it’s still so hot ), now is the perfect time to start your own compost bin!!! Start collecting those leaves that have fallen and store them in a dry place.

What a difference two weeks makes! The caterpillars took the milkweed down and made the 20 ft trek across the yard to make a chrysalis! #monarchcaterpillar #monarchbutterflies #chrysalistime #milkweed