Edible Earth Designs, it's owner and founder, Mark are highly recommended! I'll tell you why.... I'd probably lose your attention if I went into every reason why Mark is an incredible person and as knowledgable of a permaculturalist as there is. It would end up being a novel. So I will try to highlight what you'll need to know as a perspective client. First and foremost, Mark is an honest, hard working, bright-eyed, down to earth person, who has a passion for his field that is hard to find and match, in any field. He is as warm of a person as he is intelligent about permaculture and it's multifaceted landscape of information contained within. Mark's knowledge seems to be never ending, so bring a pen and paper to try to capture as much of it as you can. He's a great teacher and will emphasize the most important things you'll need to know, happily repeat anything you didn't catch or didn't understand and leave you in wonder and awe as to the balance and harmony you can achieve specifically in your space. Mark will walk your space/garden with you, get a feel for what your wants/needs/goals are, then make suggestions based on them from his years of experience and endless pit of knowledge trapped between his ears. His enthusiasm is infectious and he'll transform your space/garden into an incredible area, with plants, edibles, flowers (attracting pollinators) and hardscaping (really whatever you'd like) that will work in harmony. Afterwards, you will get to share all the knowledge you learned with anyone who visits your garden. Biggest take aways from what he did for my garden was helping understand the importance of planting dynamic accumulators to help feed my soil and surrounding plants. Plating nitrogen fixing plants that pull nitrogen from the air (assisted by beneficial bacteria) storing it in its roots in nitrogen nodules which will feed the soil when it dies off and the next root it comes into contact with it. The importance of mulching my beds which help keep my soil from drying out, protects root systems, provides habitats for beneficial insects and breaks down to provide beneficial nutrients for your plants and soil. Lastly, chopping and dropping everything that comes out of your garden. It's full of nutrients and there is no sense in pitching rich material into the green bin for it to be hauled away. Some of my favorite plants he introduced me to are Comfrey, Ceanothus and Nicotiana Tomentosa! I've been lucky to have been born with a green thumb (whole family really) and have been relatively active in gardening my entire life. With that said, Mark sparked something in me that I didn't know was there, awoke something. Maybe it was the knowledge he passed along, or the fascinating plants I get to tend to now, I'm sure it's a mixture of all of it. But I can truly say, my life and garden has been enriched by Marks presence and his enthusiasm for permaculture has permeated throughout me which I pass along to others near daily. Thank you Mark for everything! read more

Few people have a true passion for the work they do day after day - Mark is one of them and I was lucky to have his help on our brand new backyard and to enjoy the fruits of his labor at the Permaculture Garden around the corner from my house. Thanks to my getting to know him I have enjoyed many different types of fruit which I would not have expected to at all in this area. The satisfaction of having a yard that looks beautiful and produces food is such a gift! In addition to having practical knowledge, solid work ethics and honesty Mark will teach you a great deal about your garden and light a fire in your that helps you enjoy it much more because you will learn about your plants and look at them with a different awarness. I can't say enough about how hardworking and wonderful this team is. Don't be fooled by the Santa Monica address - they split their time between LA and San Francisco. They build and maintain gardens in both regions. read more

Mark's enthusiasm for creative and practical solutions for backyard gardens is incredible. With San Francisco's nano-climates it really takes a deep understanding to know what fruits and veggies are going to do well where. His advice has either saved several of my crops from failing or helped bolster the bounty. I highly recommend Edible Earth Designs to anyone looking for a garden design or installation for growing food at home. Within a few months time you could have your own organically grown herbs and foods that you harvest in your slippers. read more

Mark has helped us to move from small attempts in the backyard to full on renovation into something beautiful and enjoyable. I love how Mark had a vision for working with what we had and adding to it in such a remarkable way. We have added fruit trees, planter areas, mulch and wood chip areas, fire pit, etc. Mark has gone above and beyond to give us a great garden and keep it maintained in a fun and reasonable way. We always appreciate how he uses his knowledge to share permaculture secrets, involves the kids in the education process, and generally offers helpful input. read more

This review is way overdue. Mark and his team are amazing. We've been a client of Mark's for almost 2 years. What started as a simple maintenance of a newly done front landscape while growing some edibles in a few planters boxes, has now become a complete revamp of a weed infested backyard with very hard clay. As an experiment, Mark threw seeds everywhere to break up the clay. The side effect was helping us realize which parts of the yard flourished. And with that knowledge, we can tailor the final design of the yard, optimizing where to grow what, and where to leave space for gathering. Through the 2 years we've grown watermelons, tomatoes, passion fruit, artichoke, squash, multiple variations of kale, basil, Armenian cucumbers, blueberries... The list goes on. We've tried things we've never heard of. He takes our feedback and adjust the plan as needed. To be honest, we probably waste some of his efforts by not harvesting more. Mark is very patient and willing to go at your speed. The yard revamp speed is due to us since we've been doing some remodeling. So Mark has been strategically planning what to do next such that the work won't be a waste of effort. I can't wait to get our design done and march towards a beautiful, edible, and relaxing backyard. If you're looking for an edible landscape/gardening team that knows what they're doing and love what they do, contact Mark before he can't take anymore clients. read more

Mark Abraham - Passion fruit! - Gardeners Near Me - Ojai, California

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In March, Mark created my edible garden. Last week, I had my first sampling: beets, swiss chard, kale and tomatoes. One word: WOW! Not being one to go out of my way to ingest vegetables, I have to confess, this was one of the best sensory experiences I've ever had in my mouth! Not only is it yielding delicious food, the garden is a feast for the eye. Mark wove a variety of flowers into the garden scape that literally has passersby stopping and praising. Mark is committed to creating a self-sustaining, eco friendly gardens. He does great work. read more

Mark at Edible Earth Designs is by far the most knowledgeable gardener, landscaper and permaculturist I've ever met. His incredibly vast knowledge of developing and maintaining agriculturally productive ecosystems is fascinating to learn about and implement. What I enjoyed most was that it was truly a collaboration, we saw our ideas being incorporated, but also learned of new, less costly, more resource efficient ways to make use of our outdoor space. Mark's services have been invaluable and I am eternally grateful for all the work he's done. We had a great experience and highly recommended Edible Earth Designs to everyone we know. read more

They were so helpful in sharing information with me. Even though I was unable to use their services I sensed a strong ability to go above and beyond to meet their customers needs and the person that helped me over the phone took extra time and care to point me in the right direction. read more

I hate gardening, but if you can eat your garden, now that's a totally different story. Man, nothing's better than fresh veggies from your own garden. That being said, once in a while you meet a person who strikes you as someone truly passionate about what he/she does and Mark is one of those people. The first time I met him he evaluated my backyard and gave me the best options on how to clean it up and what can potentially be done with it so it's not always a jungle. I could tell in conversation that he's extremely knowledgeable and cares deeply about what he does. Then he gave me the best estimate (yes, I called like 5 services), got rid of a long expired weed tarp, cleaned up my overgrown wasteland all in a day's work. Then over the next 6 months or so, transformed what used to be weeds hell into fruit and veggie harvesting paradise, all while patiently educating me on all the details about organic and sustainable gardening practices, and how to maintain and nourish the land by planning and cutting different cover crops. His monthly maintenance are priced very reasonably and he does such great work. There I thought I killed everything I touched, but now I'm eating tomatoes, cauliflower and chards harvested from my own garden! Heck, beats not eating my labor 1000x. Maybe one day he can even convince me to plant some powers, ha! read more

Had a very good experience working with Mark. First off I thought communication with him was excellent. He returns calls and shows up exactly when he says he will. Secondly, I was happy with the price quoted. I now have a fab edible garden with a passion fruit vine (!) and all kinds of veg, fruits and herbs. This has been made all the easier to maintain as Mark installed a drip irrigation system, so we never need to worry about watering and there is no run off into the rest of the yard. Mark worked very hard and quickly to get the job done and I will certainly work with him again. He is very knowledgable and happy to explain about all the different plants and he will go out of his way to make sure they blossom. Once are garden has matured a little I will add some pictures. read more

Mark transformed our backyard from a concrete wasteland into a terraced garden full of vegetables, herbs, fruit trees and flowers, reusing the existing building material. His sense of design and "fit"for the space is awesome. No more buying bags of salad! Also, Mark took the time to explain the different types of plants to our family, including our kids. The installed automatic irrigation system makes watering a piece of cake. We look forward to working with Mark to keep the garden maintained throughout the seasons. read more

Let me tell you if you want an awesome garden design that is functional, beautiful, and great service then this is it! I was searching for someone to help me transform my backyard space into a garden at a reasonable price that would actually listen to my requests. I called Edible Earth Designs and spoke to Mark who was came by for a consultation the same day and had wonderful ideas. Once he got the project going he stayed within my budget and even added some extras on the house. The service was great, he followed up with me and now I love my garden masterpiece! He also taught me so much and it made me a better owner of this wonderful garden. I would highly reccomend this place if your looking for someone to design your yard and do the work at great price and a smile on their face! read more

When I moved into my house last year the back yard was a sandlot, filled with dog poop. trash, and other assorted goodies. No one had done anything with it for decades. It looked like hell and I couldn't imagine how I was going to get it revived. I learned about Mark's business, just a few blocks away from me in the Excelsior, gave him a call, and the rest was history. He spent considerable time developing a plan for the garden in consultation with my husband and me, and practically overnight, transformed it into a backyard paradise. We have dozens of edibles--e.g., blueberries, strawberries, kale, potatoes, tomatoes, leeks, artichokes, lettuces, cucumbers, and so on--many different types of shrubs, vines and flowers, fruit trees, and herbs. It's a joy to hang out on the patio looking at the garden in the evenings. Recently he strung lights on our Palm tree, providing us with a quasi-topical effect that looks awesome. He's got a great personality, is reliable, hard-working, and his rates are very reasonable. I'd recommend him to anyone!! read more

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Highly recommended, with no hesitation. Mark came to our new house a few months ago to help a faulty irrigation system. Not only did he solve the tricky problem, but he would not quit until all the holes were plugged and the system was operating perfectly. As new homeowners, we weren't knowledgeable about the vegetation in our yard. He knew the names of every single one of our plants, front and back yards, and helped us understand what will thrive and what won't. I don't think you can find anyone who is more knowledgeable. He gave us great creative yet practical ideas and we are looking forward to having him come back and help us implement those ideas. He stays on time and within budget and kept us posted all during the project. He truly has a passion for his work and a love for landscaping. read more

Mark called back within 30 minutes of reaching out to him. The client comments I ready are dead-on accurate. Totally professional experience. We left a message...he called back, came over, went to get some parts, came back...dialed it in quick and fixed the extremely loud malfunction in our sprinkler line which would shake the walls at 4 a.m. each morning, when the drip lines kicked in. Total bummer...he made it no big deal. 100% cool to chat with and outwardly enthusiastic about excelling in his specific professional knowledge. Great combo of customer service and put the situation at ease in no time. Many thanks. read more

Mark at Edible Earth Design did a quarter acre native plant installation for us. We wanted to restore an area that was exhibiting erosion from increased drainage and soil compaction from overgrazing. His plan included a desire to 1) build soil nutrients and 2) site fauna particular to specificity of full sun, filtered light, roadside erosion or winter creek flow. He chose a variety of native specimens from our local county plant sale. Over 225 deciduous bare-root and evergreen plugs were planted accordingly. Mark dug holes, amended rocky and heavy clay with fir mulch, provided moisture retention with heavy layers of wood chips. A biomass builder seed mix was applied to eroded areas. Water needs were researched and a system implemented. This was a unique and labor intensive project. Mark completed the task at hand with lots of hard work and a smile. We are very pleased with the outcome. read more

I was really nervous about hiring a landscaper because I knew fixing my back yard was going to be a big job, and my funds were limited. Mark was able to completely transform my parched weed-farm into a beautiful sustainable garden that supplies me with fruits and vegetables, and looks great to boot. He was able to work within my budget by finding creative uses for materials I already had on hand (crappy old tree branches? How about borders for my new beds!) and showed me tips and tricks to keeping my new spread weed free and growing beautifully. He also shared a ton of recipes and ideas for some of the stuff we planted, which as a cooking newbie helped a bunch (like, what exactly do you do with swiss chard?). I'm totally thrilled with my new back yard and can't wait to show it off to friends. It feels great to finally have a beautiful space that also supplies me with home-grown produce, and all within my limited budget. What also sets Mark apart is that he's always willing to answer my questions (is this a weed? or a vegetable?), and is easy to reach on the phone. Great service, great prices and an overall great experience. I highly recommend. read more

I recently had Mark and his partner Kate redo our landscaping in both our front garden and back yard. Up until meeting Mark, I had contacted three other landscapers, two of whom came out to our house for an hour- plus consultation. They both had lots of good ideas, but the first one I never heard back from and the second one, it took almost a month to get a one page quote (after several calls) which did not outline ANYTHING he had spoken about and just said "general weeding" - 2K. When I contacted Mark, he was incredibly responsive and came out to our house within two days time. I immediately knew upon meeting him that I would be in good hands. Firstly, he came equipped, measuring tape, camera (both of which neither of the other two landscapers had brought) and asked really specific questions about what I liked and didn't like as well as how much I wanted to tend/water the garden. Although I told him that I was actually not interested in planting anything edible beyond herbs, Mark had so many great ideas about beautiful flowering plants and shrubs that would do well in our "little micro-climate by the beach ". When I got a quote; a couple of days later, it was very specific and he also sent me pictures and links to things that he thought I would like. He also showed us a very cool program on his computer that showed our house and how the sun and shade would move over each planting area throughout the day. One the first day of work, Mark and his crew showed up promptly and did an incredible amount of work weeding, pulling items out and checking our irrigation system thoroughly. He also found several huge leeks in our drip system that we would have never known about and was gushing water (ugh!). He had a colleague of his who specializes in irrigation systems come by as well to make sure that we would not have this issue again. Everyday, that he worked he sent me a follow- up email letting me know what was going on, where we were cost wise and tracking the labor costs. I really appreciated this as I knew every step of the way where we were financially in the project. I met him and Kate at an amazing wholesale nursery to select a lot of the plants I wanted which was really helpful as we were able to lay them out prior to purchasing them to see if we liked them or wanted to make changes. Our garden is finally finished today and it is more beautiful than I could have imagined. I absolutely love it, it's truly an oasis. Mark also offered to come by when it starts to get cold and cut things back and get them ready for Winter. Lastly, on a personal note, Mark (and Kate) are such a warm, friendly and trustworthy people and I am so happy to know them. He also was so sweet to our older dog Bruno (who LOVED Kate!) and our crazy mouse catching kitten Jade! If you are looking to hire someone to make your garden sing, this is the person to call!! read more