Green Living

As a kid, I liked school, I liked studying & yes, I even I liked homework.  Now as a young adult missing her school days, I’ve transferred my nerd energy towards weekend workshops.  Luckily for me – and for you – Los Angeles is full of incredible sustainability workshops on anything from kombucha to composting.

I want to share my five favorite things about the “Creative Green” Organic Gardening workshop that I recently attended.  If the class sounds up your alley, check out their full list of workshops on topics including sustainable kitchens, green Holidays, meditation, composting and more!

1.     A Good Teacher: The sustainability coach behind Creative Green, Deborah Tull, has a rich story to tell.  She grew up in Los Angeles, but as a young adult studied sustainable lifestyles and architecture in communities around the world, spending seven years as a monk at the Zen Monastery Peace Center in Northern California.  But about 3 years ago, when visiting Los Angeles, Deborah found that there was so much positive momentum around going green in her home town, that her energy would be best used helping to further the movement through her consulting and workshops.  Deborah has a soft, insightful & disciplined tone about her that I really enjoyed.

2.     Attitude Toward Gardening: I liked Deborah’s idea that we each approach a garden the way we approach life.  Some people like to study the books first, others just wing it, others simply find it as a meditative activity (see photo above).  Deborah suggested, no matter your personal approach, that you focus your attitude on growing soil versus growing plants.  From that foundation, we got into the nitty-gritty of crop rotation, by which you have a schedule for rotating “heavy feeders” (like tomatoes, basil, strawberries), “heavy givers” (like legumes, clover, alfalfa) and “light feeders” (like root vegetables).  We also learned that some plants can actually be either friendly or antagonist towards one another.  For example, whole beans don’t like beats or onions, but they love carrots and cucumber.  It’s like a little high school clique.

3.     Integrative Pest Management: A big part of being a beginner organic gardener is figuring out how to keep the bugs from eating all your goodies.  Deborah’s advice? Be an expert observer; the earlier you catch an issue, the more creatively you can come up with a sustainable solution.  For example, if you notice earwigs, place a pot upside down on a stake with newspaper dipped in soy sauce.  Bizarre, yes!  But better than chemical sprays, no?  Here we re-used a “Red Vines” container to house any unwanted bugs or rocks we found while digging. Also, notice the simple fence they put up to keep out any larger critters.

4.     Hands-On Approach: The class was about 3 hours.  The first-half or so was spent in a more lecture/note taking style.    In the second-half we got our hands dirty and learned how to double dig (versus single dig) the soil to prep it for a new planting.  Here I am adding gypson and compost to the 12” wide row we dug up.

5.    Beginner’s Tools with Advanced Options: I found that I was given many simple tools to get started, while also being inspired by more complex concepts that I could delve into down the road. In fact, I drove straight over to Sunset Nursery (link) to buy an adjustable sprayer, compost, mulch and starter veggies to finish up some loose ends on my two new raised garden beds, shown above.  I am already enjoying fresh mint teas, fried sage soup toppings, jicama dill salad and can’t wait for my winter veggies to sprout.

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Contact Information:
For questions or to RSVP for any of Creative Green’s variety of workshops, contact Deborah Tull.  Phone: 323-935-1214.  Email:  creativegreen@hotmail.com.  Website:  http://www.creativegreen.net.  In addition to their workshops, Creative Green also offers home & business consultations and green school programs.

Upcoming Workshop Schedule:
•    Sunday, November 1, 4:00-6:00 pm = The Art of Living Green on a Budget, at Liberation Yoga in Hollywood, Price: $25

•    Saturday, November 21, 1:30-4:30pm = Organic Backyard Gardening, at a Private home in Glassell Park/Eagle Rock, Price: $35

•    Saturday, November 14, 12:00 -2:00 pm = The Green Kitchen: Cooking for Personal and Planetary Health at The Strawberry House in Encino Hills, Price: $40 (and part of the proceeds go to greening a preschool)

•    Sunday , November 15, 1:30-3:30pm = The Sustainable Kitchen: Cooking for Personal and Planetary Health, at Liberation Yoga in Hollywood, Price: $25

•    Saturday, December 12, 12-2:00 pm = How to Have a Green Holiday Season at The Strawberry House in Encino Hills, Price: $20

•    Saturday, December 19, 1:30-4:30pm = Organic Backyard Gardening, at a Private Home in Glassell Park/Eagle Rock, Price $35

Since I’ve not yet taken any of Creative Green’s other classes, I would love to hear from other students!  Please feel free to share your thoughts in our comments below.  Happy Gardening!