We had an amazing meeting in January with Norma Ritchie, who talked about Growing Real Organic Food in Living Soil in the ground and in containers. We learned how microbes can purify our soil of toxic chemicals. She’s a Certified Soil Advisor and works with closed loop organic systems. She started at the Venice Community…
Tag: Organic Gardening
Pomegranate Taste Test
Organic Garden Club Members had a blast mingling during Paul Talley’s Pomegranate Taste Testing! We tried six different varieties, going from sweetest to more astringent: Sogdiana, Sirenevyi, Parfianka, Karakalinski, Syunt, Ariana. Every variety was delicious and rich in heart, brain, and digestive health properties. Many of our members are growing pomegranates in their backyards! Paul…
Organic Regenerative Agriculture in Camarillo
We had a fabulous Organic Garden Club meeting! Longtime local farmer, Phil McGrath, told us the history of his family and their 150 year old farms in Ventura County. They originally came from Ireland and started farming on the Oxnard Plain in 1871. They started out as sheep farmers. Phil’s great-grandfather had fourteen children. Around 1920,…
A Celebration of Heirloom Foods
Last week, September 10 – 12, 2024, was a celebration of Heirloom Foods at the National Heirloom Exposition, sponsored by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Ventura, CA. Table after table filled with gorgeous displays of hundreds of unique varieties of veggies and seeds. Showing just a few: Paul with his Greek Red Butternut Squash, petite…
Summer Seed Party
Eighteen Organic Garden Club members enjoyed planting cool season veggie seeds in Bill Brandt’s lovely garden. We planted six 6-packs on each flat with Michael Wittman’s special Blue Sky Living Soil! We used Baker Creek Heirloom seeds and Botanical Interests Organic seeds. We soaked the planted seeds in Michael’s rich mix of Blue Sky nutrients! We…
Michael Wittman – Brix Level Workshop
At the Organic Garden Club meeting, Michael Whitman, Blue Sky Biochar, spoke about BRIX testing for our plants. BRIX measures the sugar content of the plant or tree. The higher sugar levels create better nutrition density and creates a better immunity against insects. You should test the BRIX level in the early afternoon and test…
School Garden Fruit Tree Planting
What a great time Organic Garden Club members had planting seven fruit trees (4 avocados, 2 cherimoyas, and 1 lemon) and weeding the future herb garden at One Spark Academy for middle schoolers. We donated lots of compost and an apple tree! Fortunately, we had an electric auger to dig the holes. Organic school gardens…
It’s Organic Blueberry Season!
Organic Garden Club members enjoyed a beautiful sunny day at One Acre Farm in Santa Rosa Valley picking organic blueberries. Owner, Scott Bahler, gave us a terrific presentation at our Organic Garden Club meeting in April on growing organic blueberries at his One Acre Farm! Scott started One Acre Farm in 2017 with his friend…
Organic Food Gardening
Organic permaculture gardening has the power to restore ecosystems, promote soil health, and create a sustainable future for generations. Several of our Organic Garden Club members, like Dr. Jeff Bass, have made hugelkutur mounds, a centuries old permaculture technique, in their backyard, where they started with tree logs, dirt, compost, sticks, twigs, and more compost…
Andy Lopez – The Invisible Gardener, “Don’t Panic, It’s Organic”
At our Organic Garden Club meeting, Andy Lopez told us about soil biology and why it is important in healing your plants and growing abundant organic veggies and fruits. He has over fifty years of magic in the garden, finding wholistic connections to attain maximum growth, working with Mother Nature for a better environment. Soil…
Organic Garden Club of Ventura County 