Friends keep asking me how I’m enjoying Substack. My answer: it’s like being on the internet 15 years ago. Readers are engaged, generous with their comments, and open to absorbing more than 150 words. Fellow Substackers are likewise supportive. So I hope it stays just as it is! (More context: Substack was in the news last week for raising a new round of funding; having raised a lot of money myself and seeing what it can do to companies, I found my teeth clenching as I read about it. There’s a slogan in Ojai that says, “Keep Ojai Lame.” For Substack, I’d say, “Keep Substack Quaint.”)
Sketch of our future herb/vegetable planters (the empty rectangles at the top and right).
An example of the aforementioned reader engagement happened the other week, when I asked the following in a Chat:
I would love your help planning our herb and vegetable garden in Ojai! Our landscape architect gave me the following assignment:
“There is space for about (QTY 75) 4" herbs in the planters. Big plants like squashes, tomatoes, etc. will require more room and thus the count would decrease depending on how many you'd want to include. If you send me a list of 75 plants to start, I can then add or subtract quantities depending on the species.”
Please let me know your thoughts on the best cooking herbs and small vegetables to add to these planters for a climate that’s cool and damp in the winter and hot and dry in the summer. Please be as specific as possible.
Our cleaned-up landscape plan.
90+ comments later, I had my list. Actually, that’s not totally true. My daughter, Addison, who is home from college, got roped into collating the list. I put the results at the bottom of this newsletter in case you’re curious and looking for ideas yourself. As much as I appreciated the specific plant species recommendations, I was especially interested in—and grateful for!—your counsel on how to approach gardening.
I wrote my first book, The Cook and the Gardener, about a kitchen garden at a French chateau where I worked in my early 20s. I also designed and planned an extensive herb garden on the property. And yet, beyond small pots on our Brooklyn terrace, I’ve never had my own garden. One of the draws of California is the promise of lemon trees, delicate squashes, and Thai basil on call.
The evolution of the herb garden I designed in the 1990s at the Château du Feÿ in Burgundy, France.
Here’s some of your excellent advice:
“Stick with Mediterranean plantings for best results and to save on water. People may not realize how blazing hot Ojai gets all the way into October. Our last SoCal home was on the east side of Ventura, so very similar climate but slightly lower high temps. We ripped out the boring “developer’s special” in the front yard of water-sucking lawn, roses, and birch trees to replace them with smooth stucco terraced walls, beds filled with artichokes, white Genoa fig trees, olive trees, all the Mediterranean herbs and seasonally tucked in tomatoes, eggplants, basil, and peppers. Remember pollinators like bee balm, lavenders, salvias like Russian sage, coreopsis, cosmos, and nasturtiums for edible flowers. Favorite herb: variegated lemon thyme for its versatility to make savory dishes and fruity/jammy desserts and cocktails pop.” - Mary Chelton
“I have found that growing a little of a LOT of varieties works best unless you are planning on canning/freezing/dehydrating/sharing.” - Lydia Canan
“Once you decide on a list, you need to look at a chart on companion planting. I plant Borage next to squash plants now to discourage squash bugs, for example. Many of the herbs will work well to either attract or repel pests and pollinators.” - Justawhoaman
“I’m a neighbor and also currently planning a new garden. Do you plan on going to the Ojai farmer’s market? That will really change how you use your garden. We find we prefer fruits/veg from specific vendors to growing our own, so are choosing not to grow those. Also, do you have friends in the area with other gardens? Reciprocal trading is a great perk of living around here and you might want to pick things that your pals aren’t growing!” - Victoria Fine
“I’m in Ojai, and heartier herbs like rosemary, sage, and lavender are wonderful as landscaping. Less great in the garden. I just planted strawberries, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, zucchini, and melon, and so far they’re all very happy. Tomatoes grow beautifully here as well, but need full sun.” - Sarah Fain
“Perhaps consider using a combination of wicker cloches, ollas, and an herb/flower border, which can reduce pest pressure to almost zero!” - Laurie Cambra Seplow
“Rosemary can grow into a hedge in our CA Mediterranean climate; would not put in a veg bed. I would focus on herbs you use regularly, including chives, dill, parsley, cilantro, so they are always handy if you don’t want to go to the store.” - Josephine Lewis
“You don't say how much you will be traveling, but I think about that some years. I also think about how much of something I want versus what I can produce in a small garden (sweet peppers for roasting or cannellini beans are no-go’s because I can't grow enough to save them for the winter; sweet peppers are a farmer's market purchase). In the end, I grow what I love and what I can eat or save or give away. That has forced me to come to terms with my garden and not grow three zucchini plants! My garden has taught me patience and to pay attention to the little things.” - Audrey Coffman
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