Everything grown here is connected. Not metaphorically — biologically, microbiologically, through soil, through air, through the insects that move between containers. This page is the map. Start anywhere and follow the threads.
"The earth I tread on is not a dead inert mass. It is a body, has a spirit, is organic."
— Henry David Thoreau
This is a container garden at 1,170 feet in the Santa Monica Mountains — above Beverly Hills, in the chaparral, where the marine layer comes in most mornings and the afternoons run long and bright. The soil is not the ground. Every plant lives in a container, in living soil that was built intentionally: worm castings, kelp, neem, crab meal, rock dust, oyster shell, pumice for drainage, coco coir for structure. The microbial layer is active. The soil breathes.
Six cannabis cultivars anchor the grow — ranging from a 50-year-old African landrace to a cutting-edge triploid engineered for seedless production. Twelve heirloom tomato varieties surround them. Chiles, herbs, fruiting crops, melons, flowers. An insectary designed as a complete field condition: vertical pollinator signals, mid-layer activity, ground-level nectar, aromatic scent dispersal. Nothing here is random. Everything was chosen.
The documentation on this site is part of the garden's function. Every variety profiled, every decision recorded, every season logged. This is a garden that knows what it is and intends to keep knowing.
Thirteen heirloom varieties covering the full range of what a tomato can be — from tiny Spoon Tomatoes tracing back to Central American origins, to three-pound Giant Belgium beefsteaks, to the Principe Borghese preserved in olive oil through winter. One per family: Orange Hat, the gift variety.
Six chile varieties from four continents — Italian frying peppers, Japanese shishito, Brazilian biquinho, the wild Chiltepin ancestor of all cultivated chiles, an Eastern European ajvar pepper, and a compact ornamental red. Pages coming.
Five fruiting crops outside the tomato and chile categories — a Brazilian ground cherry, a Mexican watermelon-grape, a rare Mexican tomatillo, a marbled eggplant, and an Italian summer squash. Pages coming.
One melon variety this season — Kajari, from India, a small striped fruit with exceptional sweetness and an unusual flavor profile. Grown vertically on trellis with individual fruit slings.
Four culinary herbs distributed across the garden as scent anchors, companion plants, and kitchen staples. Basil near the tomatoes. Cilantro for the beneficial insects. Cuban Oregano as aromatic ground cover. Dill for the insectary.
Nine flower varieties for color, structure, nectar continuity, and pollinator attraction. Two amaranths, two sunflowers, zinnia, yarrow, calendula, nasturtium, and nicotiana for the night pollinators. Pages coming.
The insectary is not a collection of individual plants. It is a designed field condition — four overlapping layers that together create continuous insect activity across the cannabis and tomato sections throughout the growing season. Every plant in the insectary was chosen for a specific functional role within the system. This page is a living document. Plants are added as the season develops.
Tall structures visible to pollinators from a distance. Orient insects into the garden system.
Mid-height continuous bloom. Keeps pollinators active through the day across the garden.
Low and trailing plants at container edges. Primary habitat for hoverflies and parasitic wasps.
Aromatic plants that mask crop signals, confuse pest navigation, and create sensory atmosphere.
✦ Living document · Updated as the insectary grows · Last updated 2026 Season 1