Voila! Ventura Lawn Vanishes!
Posted on 09. May, 2012 by pamela in G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Education, G3 In The News, G3 Media, G3 Partners, Homeowner, HOWs, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Rain Gardens, Surfrider Foundation, Ventura County, Watershed Notes
Surfrider Ventura GAP Workday Site
The lawn at 1538 San Nicholas St. in Ventura vanished last week in anticipation of the Ventura Surfrider Ocean Friendly Gardens Garden Assistance Party Workday on May 12. The GAP Workday is the fourth and final event in the creation of an Ocean Friendly Demonstration Garden through a California Coastal Commission Whale Tail Grant for the County of Ventura. Since March, the grant has enabled more than 35 people to attend a Watershed Basics Class and Hands-on Workshop: Site Evaluation, as well as subsidizing a professional training Core Concepts Workshop. People who received scholarships to the Core Concepts Workshop are paying it forward by assisting G3′s Pamela Berstler and Renee Roth (Ventura/Santa Barbara G3 Regional Coordinator) in fulfilling the mission of the grant: to build an Ocean Friendly Garden in a highly visible residential site through neighborhood involvement, sparking change within a community. Learn more about what’s happening by reading the OFG Article Ventura Breeze 5.2.12 contributed by John Burke, a.k.a. LAJOHNNY, licensed landscape architect and recent CCW Ventura survivor.
Dan Long's Lawn Before GAP Workday
Since the grass on this property was mostly kikuyu and warm-season bermuda, a sod cutter was employed to remove the bulk of the organic matter on top. In preparation for the Workday, homeowner and environmental advocate, Dan Long, will be tackling some hand removal of the largest clumps of remaining grass roots and stolons. Dan also is arranging delivery of the materials: plants, compost, mulch, paper for sheet composting, and downspout redirecting supplies. Oh, and food too! Sign up for the event so we have enough pizza.
APLD Docents Ocean Friendly Gardens In Mar Vista
Posted on 22. Apr, 2012 by pamela in APLD, G3 Associates, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 Education, G3 Partners, Homeowner, Los Angeles/South Bay, Neighborhood Walks, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Surfrider Foundation
The Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase featured several Ocean Friendly Gardens that were docented by enthusiastic and knowledgeable APLD Greater LA District members. Each of these gardens was pre-qualified by an APLD or Surfrider member, who then worked with the landscape designer and homeowner to highlight the Conservation, Permeability, and Retention (CPR) elements of the garden. OFG signs were prominently and proudly displayed, and more than 1,500 visitors got a chance to interact with activists and designers who are making a difference in their watershed.
Joel Lichtenwalter, Crystal Robinson, and Richard Hayden from APLD GLA joined Steve Williams, Jacky Bolbat, and Paul Herzog from Surfrider’s OFG Committee in celebrating at the “After the Tour” Party, held in the OFG designed by G3 Associate, Joel Lichtenwalter. Other gardens on the tour included those designed by G3 Associates: Marilee Kuhlmann, Sheri Powell-Wolff, Jacky Bolbat, Tom Rau and Karen Stern, Marianne Simon, and John Tikotsky. The folks from Grow Native Nursery at the VA Hospital in Westwood, CA, joined in the festivities; their plants were featured in many of the OFGs. The fabulous Shirley Bovshow breezed into the party, showered everyone with her irresistible smile, and documented all the fun for her ever-growing audience.
Matilija Ojai School Yard Habitat
Posted on 23. Dec, 2011 by pamela in Build Habitat, G3 Associates, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 Media, G3 Partners, Living Soil, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Rain Gardens, School Yard Habitats, Ventura County, Video
G3 Qualified Trainer, and NEW Ventura County Regional Coordinator, Renee Roth, has been working with the Matilija Junior High School in Ojai, CA for more than two years to transform a pesticide-adled lawn area into a US Fish & Wildlife School Yard Habitat.
Renee Roth at Matilija Ojai SYH
Renee gave G3′s Pamela Berstler a tour to show off the sheet mulching, grading, and drainage that already has been done. An examination of the mulch pile, made as G3 recommends, with fresh tree trimmings, yielded a couple of surprises including the iPod video (above) and millions of FUN-GUYS (mycorrhizal fungi) building their soil-food-web.
Renee has secured funding for this transformation from a US Fish & Wildlife School Yard Habitat Grant. School personnel and students contribute time and energy to move the project along. The objective is to have a completely CA native landscape that absorbs all of the rainwater generated by adjacent hardscape surfaces. So this project is also an Ocean Friendly Garden!
For more information about the Matilija Ojai School Yard Habitat, check out Renee’s website. http://matilijasyh.com/home/
Oxnard Residents Learn HOW To Lose The Lawn
Posted on 13. Dec, 2011 by pamela in Build Habitat, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 Education, G3 In The News, G3 Media, G3 Partners, Homeowner, HOWs, Living Soil, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Rain Gardens, Sod Story, Speaker Series, Surfrider Foundation, Ventura County, Video, Watershed Notes
Oxnard's Newest Ocean Friendly Garden
G3 led a series of Hands-on Workshops (HOWs) sponsored by the City of Oxnard, to help people understand how to transform their lawn into an Ocean Friendly Garden using significantly less water, with healthy, living soil supporting CA native plants, and retaining the rainwater from the adjacent roof of the home. Ten homeowners followed the series from the Watershed Basics Class (held in a classroom), through the Site Evaluation, Sheet Mulching a.k.a. Soil Lasagna, ending with Planting & Irrigation.
Making Soil Lasagna In Oxnard
The resulting Ocean Friendly Garden, or “Sponge Garden,” is an inspiration to the entire neighborhood and all residents of Oxnard, demonstrating Surfrider Foundation’s tenets of C.P.R. – Conservation (native plants, no chemicals used to remove turf, drip irrigation), Permeability (healthy, living soil created through sheet mulching), and Retention (downspouts re-directed into the landscape sponge).
The City of Oxnard Ocean Friendly Garden is located at 2820 Hill Ave., and is visible from the street. Please do not walk on the property. The garden is best viewed from the sidewalk.
This Oxnard Lawn Will Soon Be Gone!
65 Cooks In Garden Making Soil Lasagna
Posted on 06. Dec, 2011 by pamela in G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Design Studio, G3 Education, G3 Partners, Homeowner, HOWs, Living Soil, Los Angeles/South Bay, Ocean Friendly Gardens, Professional, Rain Gardens, School Yard Habitats, Speaker Series, Surfrider Foundation, Watershed Notes, West Basin
Making Soil Lasagna At Torrance West High
A huge and enthusiastic group joined G3′s Pamela Berstler at Torrance West High School’s Sheet Mulching Hands-on Workshop, sponsored by City of Torrance, West Basin MWD, and Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens Program. This landscape transformation is the brainchild of two teachers at Torrance West High- Betty Burkhard (AP Environmental Studies) and Ann Cortina (AP Biology) – who started this process a year ago by attending a Watershed Basics Class in the City of Torrance.
AP Teachers Ann Cortina and Betty Burkhard
The West High AP students are integrating the real-life experiences of building an Ocean Friendly and Schoolyard Habitat (under US Fish and Wildlife’s Schoolyard Habitat Program grant) in the approximately 12,000 sq. ft. area between two buildings (totaling approx. 17,000 sq. ft. of roof space for runoff) into their classwork. Chuck Schaich, Conservation Coordinator of the City of Torrance is spearheading the city’s support of the project. For this HOW, the City of Torrance provided tools, wheelbarrows, free city mulch (from fresh tree trimmings), and the invaluable expertise of Omar, a Torrance Public Works employee (shown in group picture in middle wearing orange).
Soil Lasagna Covers 2,000 Sq. Ft.
This area was previously turf/weed covered, so sheet mulching is the most cost and effort-effective way to convert the weedy greenery into luscious loamy soil. We call the process “Soil Lasagna“. Look at the steps below, and you’ll see why. Check out our Resources Posts for more information about how to Sheet Mulch and where to find the materials used to make “Soil Lasagna.”
G3 Mama’s Best Recipe For Soil Lasagna: 
- Call Dig Alert or other service that will mark where electrical, plumbing, and cable lines come on to the property.
- Start with grass or low-growing weed-covered damp soil. If lawn is cool-season turf, mow to lowest height, leaving clippings in place and proceed to #3. If lawn is warm-season turf, like Bermuda grass, remove as much of the organic matter as possible. If hand removal is not practical, then at the very least, use a sod cutter to remove the upper growth. Hand removal of warm-season turf is preferred, with digging out as many rhizomes as possible.
- Flag all sprinkler heads. Remove soil around them and, if they are on swing joints, make sure the heads are 2″ or more above existing grade.
- Remove the soil from all hardscape surfaces and between planters or other lawn areas that are not to be affected. Cut away at least 12″ – 24″ wide x 6″ – 10″ deep. Be careful of irrigation lines that might be placed against the hardscape surfaces. Dig carefully!
- Sculpt the site for capturing rainwater (See Building Sponge Gardens). Pour Aerobic Compost Tea or a 2″ or more layer of good compost or worm castings into the catchment areas.
- Broadcast Premium Humate from Tri-C Enterprises on top of the damp soil. Follow instructions on the bag for coverage (approximately 50 lbs./1,000 sq. ft.). Alternatively, you can apply Aerobic Compost Tea or a 1″ layer of good compost or worm castings.
- Cover the soil with Painters’ Paper or Cardboard, being careful to overlap any edges by at least 6″ – 8″ and to cover every part of soil with paper/cardboard — no gaps, even at the trenched edges!
- Water the paper/cardboard thoroughly so it is completely wet. Be careful not to step on the paper/cardboard and rip it!
- Cover immediately with 4″ – 6″ of living mulch (fresh tree trimmings comprised of both wood and leaves, predominately no larger than 1″ – 2″ in diameter).
- Water mulch thoroughly so it penetrates to the bottom layers. Use your hands to push away mulch to be sure it is completely wet.
- Cook for 4 – 6 months, if possible, watering occasionally when the mulch dries out.
- Every 30 – 45 days, check progress of decomposition. If the lawn is not decomposing, add worm castings, good compost, or Aerobic Compost Tea, water thoroughly, and cover with another 1″ – 2″ of living mulch.
