7 November 2010: This is the result of the past weeks' hard work: I trucked in some vegetable mix from Aptos Landscape Supply, added my home made compost, milled lumber and built some raised beds, and, just before a good soaking, planted garlic, leeks, transplanted parseley, and put in some lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage seed.
This year's cover crop consists of bell beans, fava beans, vetch, and rye.

In 2007, I prepared a hillside overgrown with poison oak for terrace planting. First we sprayed the poison oak selectively with roundup, and once the plants had dried up they could be pulled without danger. Next we used old half rotten logs from the same hill side to build retention walls. Lastly, we leveled the terraces and added horizontal swales along the back of the terraces.

I amended the soil with lime, phosphor, and horse manure. Then I covered the soil with cardboard and finished with a thick layer of straw.