Here’s a little gem of a website I found by googling: “energetic bespoke couture”. The brand is Hunandi Bespoke Couture and they are from South Africa. I am just drooling over the beauty of their designs – imagining  someone cutting these amazing fabrics and tailor making them just for me? So dreamy!

Read their beautiful description of what they do:

With having put intricately crafted garments on the backs of men and women across South Africa for just over a year, we are proud to welcome you to Hunadi. Hunadi is a signature clothing brand for the tasteful and discerning individual. We pride ourselves in our bold luxury fabrics, sourced from all corners of the world. Attention to detail and immaculate finishes come standard when you purchase a signature Hunadi piece. Our client sessions are intimate and professional, where we tailor make the garment of your dream. All Hunadi garments are produced on our very own shores by some of the the best trained tailors.

 

My NEWburbia fashion vision consists of bespoke fashion that is made locally or that has a wonderful adventure of a story behind it’s origins. In my NEWburbia, clothing will resonate peace, collaboration, fairness, abundance, support, beauty, and will be made just for me – my body, my lifestyle, my essence. So that when I wear clothing (which isn’t always my first choice) that it speaks volumes about who I am or more importantly what I am a stand for during the power that is the gift of my lifetime.

What is your NEWburbian fashion vision?

***Send me your answers in a comment and if I reach 200 comments by April 23rd I will randomly choose (names in a hat style) one of you to receive a one-of-kind bespoke energetic piece of jewelry made by my father and I. The retail cost will be equivalent to $1000.

Here are some examples of work me and my father have done together. The winner’s piece will be made just for them and will take into account the energetic power of the stones and the chest and favorite fashion neckline of the wearer. You’ll need to befriend me on facebook too so I can see some of your photos and get a feel for who you are and what you are out to create in this world. This necklace will act as your taliswoman.

It will take at least one month to design and create and winner will be responsible for shipping. Who ever I choose randomly will get a message from me and we can work out the details from there. So please share this post and maybe YOU’LL be the winner!

Living in southern California afforded us the weather to grow year round and a small yard was enough to cultivate the basic necessities… tomatoes, potatoes, lettuces, cabbage, onions, and even corn.  As a teenager I turned a very small patio into a salsa garden oasis and, in pots, grew enough tomatoes, onions, garlic, chili peppers & cilantro to satisfy my salsa cravings.  My desire to grow and live off of the land has persisted and today I am working on turning my urban patio into an edible gardener’s paradise.

What started off as hard, clumpy clay like dirt has been converted into raised beds full of rich organic soil.  I am now learning how to battle insects, blight, powdery mildew and manage the needs of each plant as I transform my small space into a sustainable, organic garden.  Join me on a journey of living Green in the City!

This was the “garden” when we started, a lot of old plants and soil that was impossible to even dig in, let alone create a garden.

 We started by digging trenches to delineate the beds.

Next concrete was poured and the irrigation piping put in. The first sets of bricks were laid.

Then the “dirt” and red brick overlays were installed.  Our beautiful new garden was born.

Brick beds are one option, but you can create garden beds out of wood and do them yourself quickly and economically!  Here’s a great link to Earth Easy and their guide to building your own beds from various types of wood, on the site you’ll also find a build it yourself video  http://eartheasy.com/grow_raised_beds.htm.

Before creating the garden beds, I used pots for the tomatoes, onions, peppers and anything else we could think to fit in them.  I still use pots for some lettuces, strawberries, a dwarf lemon tree, and the grapefruit tree.  Do not be discouraged by either lack of space for beds.  Containers can be found free on Craigslist and Freecycle or inexpensively at a garage sale or thrift store.

Currently we have an orange, tangerine, lime, pomegranate, grapefruit, lemon, avocado, and chardonnay trees.  We’re also growing kale, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, snap peas, mixed lettuces, spinach, artichokes, shallots, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts, cilantro, Vietnamese cilantro, rosemary, and oregano.  All of this in a yard only 25X30 feet of mostly concrete!  You can do this on your patio too.

A recent broccoli harvest.  We’ve still got some in the freezer.

 As you can see we still have a lot growing in the containers.

Here, in the front of our place, we’ve got two containers, one with strawberries and the other with kale, onions, spinach, arugula, and green lettuce.

A few things to keep in mind when starting your urban edible garden is organic pest control – we have a huge snail & aphid problem and have lost numerous plants because of them!

Also, find out which zone you are in, this will guide you when selecting appropriate plants for your location & season.  This is a good link to help you find your zone with your zip code http://www.gardenweb.com/zones/zip.cgi

In future posts I’ll discuss organic pest control options, compare some organic products and tips on how to make your own anti-pest solutions!

I’ll also share some more tips on what to plant and when, especially in Zone 10, where I am located.  I’m also going to start to compost, something that I’ve wanted to learn about and do.

Thanks for reading and sharing in my passion of edible gardening and living Green in the city!