Posts by Bret de Zordo
Too Wet Garden Solutions
Many gardening trends come and go. But a mud garden? It’s not a thing yet. Showing off carefully curated puddles of mud and bragging about stagnant mosquito breeding areas will unlikely top the list of Bay Area gardening trends. While Californians have taken the time to prepare for extended dry periods, few of us are…
Read More10 Link Throughs for FYGN
Measure Up Before You Plop Seeds Down How much space and water do I need to support my vegetable habit? This is hard to pin down as the size of vegetables and water consumption for each type varies greatly. As an easy rule of thumb, most tables and charts will recommend an inch of water…
Read MoreFYGN: Extreme Weather Solutions
In The Bay Area, we are fortunate to have relatively steady weather patterns. The cool Pacific Ocean varies only a few degrees throughout the year. The result is a deep, blue weather regulator that keeps temperatures and precipitation rather steady. However, as we’ve seen through El Nino and La Nina cycles, the Golden State can…
Read More6 lawn care tips to survive the next drought
Ensure your lawn lives, treat every year like a drought year The concept of a steady “average rainfall” is misleading. For example, 2016 saw 32.34 inches of rain while the following year only 17.53 inches fell. Of course, we do not control these variances in rainfall. The best we can do is adapt. And one…
Read MoreSan Francisco’s microclimates: As simple as fog, sun and mixed
Few places on earth host such a wide range of microclimates as San Francisco. A trip out west to Ocean Beach often requires you to don both hoodie and hat, while six miles east shorts and a t-shirt are enough to keep you comfortable. Between these east and west extremes, a spine of 40 hills…
Read MoreMaking your lawn a sign that you’re doing the right thing
Homeowners maintain millions of acres of grass. But lawns have become somewhat of a punching bag in these times of drought and growing environmental awareness. Due to past pesticide, herbicide and watering methods, much of this abuse is well-deserved. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We want lawns to become a symbol, not…
Read MoreDrought garden must-dos (and a few don’ts)
Your garden’s a great source of food. But with recurring drought, it can be hard to justify watering that head of lettuce each day. To bring a tomato from seed to salad saps more water than a comparable measure of almonds. Simple steps like planting shorter season crops and drought resistant veggies will help your…
Read MoreLawns and gardens love potassium – here’s how to do it organically
The devil is in the details, or potash in this case. By now we’ve received advice from the neighbor, corner store clerk and that one barista. Everyone has a theory on perfect organic maintenance. You might be scratching your head and muttering “but how exactly?” Everyone loves to throw around the term organic on the…
Read MoreMint, basil, oregano – Go! Quick and easy herb garden
Stop running to the store for herbs when you need them. Having fragrant cooking ingredients at hand will make sprucing up any dish, iced drink or snack, quick and easy. With this guide, we learn how to make an attractive, accessible and tasty herb garden with just a few repurposed household items (or new if…
Read MoreAs drought becomes the new normal, these grasses will save your lawn
Ever heard of sheep fescue, buffalograss or bahiagrass? As the days of wasteful lawn watering go the way of programmable VCRs, we found an article that celebrates several drought-resistant strains of grass and how to care for them. This list of grasses includes helpful cultural practices like deep, infrequent watering and changes to mowing habits.…
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