A few gardening principals:

#1  Always organic; no chemicals, pesticides.  The guy who owned the Carmel property before me lived here for fourteen years.  He just drank beer and delivered mail.  So I feel the soil is pure.

#2  Plant from seeds. There are times I use seedlings; tomatoes, artichokes, but I really like the feeling of growing from seed.

#3  I am trying to avoid annuals.  Maybe because I am getting old and feeling that it's easier to have perennials that just keep coming up. I also enjoy rescuing plants.  Nothing too serious just taking abandoned or near death plants and planting them somewhere in my system.

#4  Use compost made on my property as much as possible.

#5  I want to believe that drip irrigation is the best thing in the world, but after 20 years the jury is still out.