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Global Climate Change
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GROUP DETAILS
Created: Mar 08, 2008
Updated: Oct 11, 2009
Membership: Open
Semi-Private
Eco-Friendly Hillside Gardening and Terracing
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Areas of Focus [Edit]
Permaculture | Sustainable Agriculture | Gardening | Biomimicry | Composting | Urban Revitalization | Urban Ecology | Seed Conservation | Environmental Education | Culture and Sustainability | Sustainable Building | Organic Farming | Community Participation | Wildlife Ecology | Recycling and Reuse | Democratic Participation | Agroecology | Sustainable Communities | Sustainable Living | Appropriate Technology | Sustainable Transportation | Urban Forestry | Water Supply and Conservation | Watershed Management | Arts Activism
About [Edit]
Ecofriendly Hillside Gardening and Terracing
Got slope? Hillsides are challenging for gardening because of runoff and uneven infiltration of water, erosion and erosive drainage, difficult access, and soil that is often infertile. In most areas of LA County, hillsides are also the last territory we’ve left for wildlife, so gardens near these areas often face intense pest pressures from squirrels, gophers, deer, rabbits, raccoons, rats, birds, and other critters. Standard terracing methods are costly, rely on manufacturing and transport that create pollution, and depend on unsustainable fossil fuels.
How can gentle to moderate slopes be terraced using mostly local materials, with minimal cost, and environmentally friendly methods? What is the best way to lay out terraces? How tall can terraces be made safely using these methods? Can steep slopes be terraced using ecofriendly methods and when so, how can this be done safely? What’s the best way to develop fertile soil in newly terraced beds?
In this intermediate course on hillside gardening that goes beyond organic into ecofriendly and sustainable, we’ll answer these questions and many more. Topics are expected to include ecofriendly terracing methods, from swales and bolstered swales to perched and pinned rock-filled gabions, planning and installing cheap, effective, ecofriendly terraces; integrated pest management and pest exclusion in the WUI (wildland-urban interface); intensive, ecofriendly, high-yield gardening methods; soil fertility and biodiversity; watering methods for hillside gardens; permaculture approaches to food gardening; intensive fruit-and-berry production and orcharding in terraces; philosophical and spiritual approaches; and more. A large fraction of the course material is based upon my own experience and invention and is available nowhere else.
This course can save you years of mistakes and frustration, and thousands or tens of thousands of dollars of unnecessary expense in trying to garden effectively on slopes in Los Angeles County, and will put you well on the way to obtaining large yields in formerly fallow hillside areas. The course host’s history, experiences, and methods for running a small organic farm and managing pest problems organically on a hillside property in Topanga will also be discussed.
Topics that WON’T be covered: standard terracing methods including those using cinderblocks/ferrocement, poured concrete, and interlocking prefab blocks; basics of organic gardening, including standard composting, seed-starting, and similar topics; and ornamental design/gardening.
There will be demos but little to no hands-on work during class. Hands-on work may continue after the class on some days, so please plan accordingly.
Course difficulty: 4 out of 10. Organic and hillside gardening experience and familiarity with basic construction methods recommended but not required. Beginners or those with no experience working in landscapes should expect difficulty. Intermediate gardeners should expect that time will be spent on basics.
Course dates: June 7, 14, 21, 28 (Saturdays) from 9:30 AM to 12:45 PM with short breaks only (arrival encouraged by 9:00 AM). Demos and hands-on work may continue after 12:45 PM on some days.
Course location: Greenleaf Canyon in Topanga. Access is from Topanga Canyon Blvd, and requires driving more than mile through difficult, narrow, bumpy, sometimes unpaved private and variably maintained roads, with steep dropoffs beside the road in some sections. The site is accessible to normal street vehicles but these must be driven slowly and cautiously.
Course fee: $210 for early registration through May 30. Special bring-a-friend early-registration price of $385 per couple making a combined payment. $240 per person for registration after May 30. There will be an additional $50 fee and additional requirements to receive a course certificate.
Reading List (required for a certificate only): TBD, if any.
Darren Butler is a Consulting Arborist, Ecological Designer, and Landscape Specialist. His recent projects include designing and developing food forests in residential landscapes, which are forest-like systems that produce food with minimal maintenance once established. He has appeared on several episodes of "Weekend Gardening" for a large international television audience as an expert horticulturist and landscaper, on NPR radio, in newspapers, and other media. He has taught Sustainable Landscape Design and Diagnosing Plant Problems for the University of California Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles, Small-Space Food Gardening at Descanso Botanic Gardens, and is working with the Getty Villa to develop and teach gardening-related workshops. He holds many landscape- and plant-related certifications and licenses. In 2007 and 2008 he developed curriculum for and taught certification programs in Sustainable Biointensive Gardening and in Edible Landscaping. He currently serves on a statewide advisory committee for all University of California Master Gardener programs, and is a speaker at the upcoming 2008 University of California Master Gardener Conference. He has been gardening since childhood, and developing expertise in Southern California gardening since 1996.
Got slope? Hillsides are challenging for gardening because of runoff and uneven infiltration of water, erosion and erosive drainage, difficult access, and soil that is often infertile. In most areas of LA County, hillsides are also the last territory we’ve left for wildlife, so gardens near these areas often face intense pest pressures from squirrels, gophers, deer, rabbits, raccoons, rats, birds, and other critters. Standard terracing methods are costly, rely on manufacturing and transport that create pollution, and depend on unsustainable fossil fuels.
How can gentle to moderate slopes be terraced using mostly local materials, with minimal cost, and environmentally friendly methods? What is the best way to lay out terraces? How tall can terraces be made safely using these methods? Can steep slopes be terraced using ecofriendly methods and when so, how can this be done safely? What’s the best way to develop fertile soil in newly terraced beds?
In this intermediate course on hillside gardening that goes beyond organic into ecofriendly and sustainable, we’ll answer these questions and many more. Topics are expected to include ecofriendly terracing methods, from swales and bolstered swales to perched and pinned rock-filled gabions, planning and installing cheap, effective, ecofriendly terraces; integrated pest management and pest exclusion in the WUI (wildland-urban interface); intensive, ecofriendly, high-yield gardening methods; soil fertility and biodiversity; watering methods for hillside gardens; permaculture approaches to food gardening; intensive fruit-and-berry production and orcharding in terraces; philosophical and spiritual approaches; and more. A large fraction of the course material is based upon my own experience and invention and is available nowhere else.
This course can save you years of mistakes and frustration, and thousands or tens of thousands of dollars of unnecessary expense in trying to garden effectively on slopes in Los Angeles County, and will put you well on the way to obtaining large yields in formerly fallow hillside areas. The course host’s history, experiences, and methods for running a small organic farm and managing pest problems organically on a hillside property in Topanga will also be discussed.
Topics that WON’T be covered: standard terracing methods including those using cinderblocks/ferrocement, poured concrete, and interlocking prefab blocks; basics of organic gardening, including standard composting, seed-starting, and similar topics; and ornamental design/gardening.
There will be demos but little to no hands-on work during class. Hands-on work may continue after the class on some days, so please plan accordingly.
Course difficulty: 4 out of 10. Organic and hillside gardening experience and familiarity with basic construction methods recommended but not required. Beginners or those with no experience working in landscapes should expect difficulty. Intermediate gardeners should expect that time will be spent on basics.
Course dates: June 7, 14, 21, 28 (Saturdays) from 9:30 AM to 12:45 PM with short breaks only (arrival encouraged by 9:00 AM). Demos and hands-on work may continue after 12:45 PM on some days.
Course location: Greenleaf Canyon in Topanga. Access is from Topanga Canyon Blvd, and requires driving more than mile through difficult, narrow, bumpy, sometimes unpaved private and variably maintained roads, with steep dropoffs beside the road in some sections. The site is accessible to normal street vehicles but these must be driven slowly and cautiously.
Course fee: $210 for early registration through May 30. Special bring-a-friend early-registration price of $385 per couple making a combined payment. $240 per person for registration after May 30. There will be an additional $50 fee and additional requirements to receive a course certificate.
Reading List (required for a certificate only): TBD, if any.
Darren Butler is a Consulting Arborist, Ecological Designer, and Landscape Specialist. His recent projects include designing and developing food forests in residential landscapes, which are forest-like systems that produce food with minimal maintenance once established. He has appeared on several episodes of "Weekend Gardening" for a large international television audience as an expert horticulturist and landscaper, on NPR radio, in newspapers, and other media. He has taught Sustainable Landscape Design and Diagnosing Plant Problems for the University of California Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles, Small-Space Food Gardening at Descanso Botanic Gardens, and is working with the Getty Villa to develop and teach gardening-related workshops. He holds many landscape- and plant-related certifications and licenses. In 2007 and 2008 he developed curriculum for and taught certification programs in Sustainable Biointensive Gardening and in Edible Landscaping. He currently serves on a statewide advisory committee for all University of California Master Gardener programs, and is a speaker at the upcoming 2008 University of California Master Gardener Conference. He has been gardening since childhood, and developing expertise in Southern California gardening since 1996.
Comments from prior students: