April 13, 2026
How to Grow Bottle Gourd (Dudhi / Lauki) in Southern California
Most seed catalogs do not really prepare you for it. They tend to show the more attention-grabbing forms, like the birdhouse gourds. Those can be drie...
Grow
Growing at home
Practical Southern California gardening, with food plants, native plants, soil, water, shade, heat, and seasonal timing treated as parts of the same place.
Native plants
Home landscapes connected to local habitat and place.
Vegetables
Food gardening through Southern California seasons and heat.
Soil and water
The practical foundation for resilient gardens.
Garden examples
Places to visit for ideas you can bring home.
How to Grow
Growing guides
February 8, 2022
Guide to Growing Citrus in Southern California
If live in a house in Southern California there is about a 50% chance you already own at least one citrus tree. Here is everything you need to know to...
January 26, 2022
Growing Hemp At Home
Hemp is an ancient crop, but there are a lot of myths about it. After about 100 years of oppression, the U.S. finally fully legalized the farming of h...
January 19, 2022
How to Grow an Indigo Plant
Indigo was once a popular natural dye, providing the name to the color. Today it makes for an interesting ornamental plant and acts as a soil builder.
December 13, 2021
Why Grow Sunflowers
Few plants are as American as the Sunflower. There are over 70 varieties of sunflowers, most are from North and Central America, with only three from...
December 7, 2021
How to Grow Blackberries and Raspberries
Blackberries and Raspberries are a sweet, tart bundle of flavor.
Native Plants at Home
Planting with habitat in mind
February 28, 2022
Fabulous Fabaceae: The Pea Family with Bean, Lentils, Pulses and More
Everything to know about the amazing nitrogen-fixing Fabaceae family.
February 1, 2022
Growing and Propagating Yucca Whipplei
“Chaparral Yucca,” “Foothill Yucca,” or “Our Lord’s Candle,” this show-stopping succulent has a fascinating lifecycle and so many uses.
December 27, 2021
California Sagebrush: Artemisia Californica
Calfornia sagebrush is one of the most iconic plants of California chaparral communities, it is extremely drought tolerant, and has great medicinal an...