078 Mark Lakeman on City Repair

...the community architecture and planning firm Communitecture. He is also an urban place-maker, permaculture designer and community design facilitator. And if you’re on the West Coast of the US, you have a chance to participate in a series of workshops this month. For more information visit marklakeman.net. To find out about events in Los Angeles visit change-making.com. If you want to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 5...

Read…

My Apologies to the Skunk Community

...k: raccoon and skunk diets overlap considerably. Both are highly adaptable urban foragers. In the case of our raised beds, both the skunks and raccoons are digging for figeater beetle larvae (Cotinis mutabilis). These huge larvae must be a delectable treat, the equivalent of a raccoon and skunk sushi party. Maybe I should overcome my squeamishness and join in the nightly feast. A plate of Cotinis mutabilis larvae ceviche could just be the next hip...

Read…

Saturday Tweets: Starlings, Chipmunks and Maple Syrup Season Lessons

...com/RvU0ax5Cii — Lyanda Lynn Haupt (@LyandaHaupt) May 12, 2017 Caught raiding birdseed, chipmunk yields haul https://t.co/QUatfa977T — Root Simple (@rootsimple) May 12, 2017 Ghost Lanes: Angled “Scarchitecture” Reveals Historic Urban Roads https://t.co/Bbr8h3AbHp — Root Simple (@rootsimple) May 8, 2017 What I Did Wrong This Maple Syrup Season #DIY #homesteading https://t.co/OnXcnVpcbp pic.twitter.com/Ji1xdC6fsD — Eric Rochow (@GardenForkTV) May 12...

Read…

Summer Nights in the Garden at the Natural History Museum

...tenance plants out there, and one that’s perfect for our dry L.A. climate. Urban homesteading experts Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne are here to help you plant your own succulent and give you tips on keeping them alive. Supplies are limited. Available to participants on a first-come, first-served basis PAINTING! Don’t have a green thumb? Stop by the painting booth and that can soon be changed. Artist Peter Tigler brings participatory image making to...

Read…

Apartment Parking Lot Gardening in East Hollywood

...start a garden even if you don’t own a house and how an otherwise useless urban space can be put to good use. R.J. says: I wanted to be able to give my granddaughter the experience of gardening while she was growing up but as both my daughter and I live in apartments, and have no space for gardens I needed to come up with a solution . So based on the “Square Foot Gardening Book by Mel Bartholomew I built two 5 ft. x 1 ft. square foot garden boxes...

Read…