Permaculture Gardening for Year-Round Home Harvests
Welcome to my Southern California permaculture garden!
Learn how I grow unique fruits, vegetables, and herbs year-round for fresh, seasonal recipes.
This is the space where my lifelong love for growing things comes together with the fresh, seasonal dishes you see here on the site.
I have spent my entire life living in Southern California and have loved to garden since I was a child.
Over the years, my backyard food forest has become the heartbeat of my kitchen.
There is a special kind of magic when you walk outside, harvest a handful of fresh herbs or a basket of sun-warm produce, and head straight inside to create a meal.
Of course, it’s also fun to have a snack outside – fresh from the tree, vine or plant.
My philosophy is simple: when we understand how to nurture a plant from seed or cutting to harvest, we develop a special relationship with the food we eat.
Gardening is a beautiful journey, not a destination, and I appreciate the daily process just as much as enjoying the fruits of my labor. 👩🌾
Whether you have an expansive plot of land, a few raised beds, or just a small sunny patio with room for some container herbs, you can cultivate a deeper connection to what you eat.
A Permaculture Approach to Year-Round Food 🍋
My approach to gardening is rooted in permaculture principles, with consistent food production as the ultimate goal.
You won’t find traditional, long rigid rows or formal raised beds in formation here.
Instead, my backyard food forest flows naturally.
Plants are tucked in mindfully along pathways, and new additions are continually woven into the existing mix.
I utilize a blend of planting methods to make the most of the space.
Some plants go straight into the ground, while many others thrive in containers.
Because of our incredible climate, achieving year-round food is very possible, and that is exactly what I aim for.
I spend time in my garden daily, and my goal is to walk outside every single day of the year and find something fresh to eat, while still having extras to share with friends and neighbors. 🧺
To make this sustainable for the long haul, I intentionally keep my fruit trees on the smaller side.
I don’t need giant trees that require massive ladders to pick.
By managing their size, maintenance and harvesting is manageable.
Keeping the trees smaller also allows me to plant multiple varieties of the same type of fruit.
Rather than having one massive tree with 100 pounds of figs ripe at the exact same time, I grow many different varieties of figs that ripen progressively, giving me a steady, manageable harvest throughout the entire season. 🌳
Growing in the Extreme Southern California Sun ☀️
Gardening in USDA Hardiness Zone 10b comes with an incredible set of opportunities, along with some unique challenges.
We get intense summer heat beyond the summer months, and our Southern California “full sun” often goes way beyond the standard six hours a plant tag recommends.
Over the years, I have learned how to work with this climate rather than against it.
- Year-Round Abundance: Because our winters are mild, we have the luxury of growing things like tomatoes and peppers as perennials. When you protect them well, these plants can overwinter and continue producing delicious harvests for multiple years. 🍅
- The Chill Hour Balance: Our annual chill hours are a puzzle that varies from year to year. They are plenty for certain fruit varieties, when others simply won’t thrive here. I have spent years testing and observing which specific varieties love our climate, and I love participating in local garden groups and learning alongside fellow members of the California Rare Fruit Growers to see what succeeds. 🥑
- Microclimates and Extremes: While we are known for heat, we do get some nights that dip below freezing. Navigating these quick shifts takes a little strategy, which I will share with you. ❄️
From the Ashes: A Story of Renewal 🔥
A few years ago, my relationship with this land was tested in a major way.
An intense wildfire swept through our canyon.
A wall of flames came onto my property, and while our local firefighters heroically saved the home, the land around the home was scorched.
Some trees and plants took a direct hit from the flames, while others simply could not survive the radiant heat from the intense wall of fire.
It was heartbreaking to look out at a blackened landscape, but nature is incredibly resilient and so are gardeners.
Since that day, my plan of bringing the garden back better than ever has been well under way.
Rebuilding this space from the ground up gave me a blank canvas and some fresh perspective.
The plan is to blend everyday, dependable backyard favorites with unique, hard-to-find varieties, whether it’s a rare fruit you might have never seen before, a fun heirloom tomato, or a stunning pink-fleshed apple. 🍏
What You Will Find Here 📖
The garden section of this website is designed to help you plan, plant, and harvest with confidence, no matter when or where your garden grows.
As you explore the articles on the Mama Likes To Cook, you will find practical, hands-on advice rooted in real-world experience.
- Propagation & Techniques: From starting seeds to other propagation techniques, I will show what I’ve learned along the way and how to grow plants successfully. 🌱
- Tools & Equipment: I only talk about the tools that I actually use on a regular basis. You will get straightforward, practical insights into the equipment that makes gardening efficient and enjoyable. 🛠️
- Specific Varieties: I will introduce you to the exact varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs growing on my property, detailing how they perform and why they earned a spot in my garden. 🍇
- The Garden-to-Table Connection: Each directly connects back to the kitchen, helping you grow with a delicious culinary end-goal in mind. 🍳
I am so glad you are here to share in this journey of soil, sun, and seasonal cooking.
Stay tuned and enjoy the journey as new articles are added regularly!
The Garden Index 🗂️
Figs
- Propagation
Squash
- Chayote
Sugarcane
- How to Grow from Cuttings
Garden Books 📚
