From Cows to Concrete

From Cows to Concrete
Author: Rachel Surls
Publisher: Angel City Press
Total Pages:
Release: 2016-05-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781626400313

What? Los Angeles was the original wine country of California, leading the state's wine production for more than a century? Los Angeles County was the agricultural center of North America until the 1950s? And where today's freeways soar, cows calmly chewed their cud? How could that be? Los Angeles, the capital of asphalt and Klieg lights, was once a paradise filled with grapevines and bovines, so abundant with Nature's gifts that no one could imagine a more pastoral place? Los Angeles County was the center of an agricultural empire. Today, it is the nation's most populous urban metropolis. What happened? Where did the green go? As Americans connect with gardens, farmers markets, and urban farms, most are unaware that each of these activities have deep roots in Los Angeles, and that the healthy food they savor literally had its roots in L.A. This book is for all who treasure the country's agrarian history.

Field Guide to California Agriculture

Field Guide to California Agriculture
Author: Paul Starrs
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 504
Release: 2010-07-06
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0520265432

"This book brings to life one of the most creative (and necessary) human endeavors and makes understandable the incredible complexity of California agriculture, one of the world's most daring experiments in feeding itself. A valuable resource that should be read by everyone—not just those of us who farm, but all of us who depend on farms."—Michael Ableman, farmer, photographer, and author of From the Good Earth, On Good Land, and Fields of Plenty. "No understanding of this state is possible without an understanding of its agriculture; that's how important this subject is."—Gerald Haslam, author of Workin' Man Blues: Country Music in California "A fascinating, intriguing, and sometimes even humorous exploration of California's agriculture, from broccoli to marijuana and beyond. At long last, a book everyday people can read to understand the state's biggest industry."—Louis Warren, University of California, Davis

California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening

California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening
Author: Claire Splan
Publisher: Cool Springs Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2012-04-30
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1610582764

California abounds with edible selections to grow in the diverse conditions of the state. California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening addresses the critical elements of climate, soil, sun, and water that affects growing success. More than sixty fruits, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers are highlighted, and helpful charts and graphs for planning and planting the garden are included.

The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in Southern California

The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in Southern California
Author: Geri Galian Miller
Publisher: Timber Press
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2016-01-13
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1604695617

Grow your own food in the Golden State! There is nothing more regionally specific than vegetable gardening—what to plant, when to plant it, and when to harvest are decisions based on climate, weather, and first frost. The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in Southern California, by regional expert Geri Miller, focuses on the unique eccentricities of California’s gardening calendar, which include extreme temperatures and low rainfall. The month-by-month format makes it perfect for beginners and accessible to everyone—gardeners can start gardening the month they pick it up.

The Los Angeles River

The Los Angeles River
Author: Blake Gumprecht
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2001-04-30
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9780801866425

Winner of the J. B. Jackson Prize from the Association of American Geographers Three centuries ago, the Los Angeles River meandered through marshes and forests of willow and sycamore. Trout spawned in its waters and grizzly bears roamed its shores. The bountiful environment the river helped create supported one of the largest concentrations of Indians in North America. Today, the river is made almost entirely of concrete. Chain-link fence and barbed wire line its course. Shopping carts and trash litter its channel. Little water flows in the river most of the year, and nearly all that does is treated sewage and oily street runoff. On much of its course, the river looks more like a deserted freeway than a river. The river's contemporary image belies its former character and its importance to the development of Southern California. Los Angeles would not exist were it not for the river, and the river was crucial to its growth. Recognizing its past and future potential, a potent movement has developed to revitalize its course. The Los Angeles River offers the first comprehensive account of a river that helped give birth to one of the world's great cities, significantly shaped its history, and promises to play a key role in its future.

No Dig

No Dig
Author: Charles Dowding
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 631
Release: 2022-09-06
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 0744077753

Work in partnership with nature to nurture your soil for healthy plants and bumper crops - without back-breaking effort! Have you ever wondered how to transform a weedy plot into a thriving vegetable garden? Well now you can! By following the simple steps set out in No Dig, in just a few short hours you can revolutionize your vegetable patch with plants already in the ground from day one! Charles Dowding is on a mission to teach that there is no need to dig over the soil, but by minimizing intervention you are actively boosting soil productivity. In fact, The less you dig, the more you preserve soil structure and nurture the fungal mycelium vital to the health of all plants. This is the essence of the No Dig system that Charles Dowding has perfected over a lifetime growing vegetables. So put your gardening gloves on and get ready to discover: - Guides and calendars of when to sow, grow, and harvest. - Inspiring information and first-hand guidance from the author - “Delve deeper” features look in-depth at the No Dig system and the facts and research that back it up. - The essential role of compost and how to make your own at home. - The importance of soil management, soil ecology, and soil health. Now one of the hottest topics in environmental science, this "wood-wide web" has informed Charles's practice for decades, and he's proven it isn't just trees that benefit - every gardener can harness the power of the wood-wide web. Featuring newly- commissioned step-by-step photography of all stages of growing vegetables and herbs, and all elements of No Dig growing, shot at Charles’s beautiful market garden in Somerset, you too will be able to grow more veg with less time and effort, and in harmony with nature - so join the No Dig revolution today! A must-have volume for followers of Charles Dowding who fervently believe in his approach to low input, high yield gardening, as well as gardeners who want to garden more lightly on the earth, with environmentally friendly techniques like organic and No Dig.

Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening

Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening
Author: Pat Welsh
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2013-10-29
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1452126984

First published in 1992, Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening sold well over 40,000 copies and received great critical acclaim. The completely revised and updated edition includes 40 new color photographs plus new information on perennials, ornamental grasses, geraniums, and more. Monthly chapters discuss relevant gardening topicsclimate, plant selection, soils, fertilizers, and wateringand are accompanied by handy checklists to help gardeners stay organized. An assortment of sidebars and rules of thumb will prove useful to gardeners in any region. Beautifully photographed and written in Pat Welsh's warm and practical style, this is an indispensable guide for every southern California gardener.