Where to plant a fruit tree
You want to plant a fruit tree in the yard, but where to put it? Here are the most important factors to consider, presented in the form of questions. The place in the yard that answers YES to the most questions below wins. 1. Is it close to the house, especially the...
Rain met drought, drought doesn’t care
It seems a tautology that rain reduces drought. Yet our water picture is so surreal that the National Weather Service just said, ". . . local rainfall in Southern California does not necessarily help the drought situation." How so? It hinges on the meaning of "the...
Coffee plant at San Diego’s Balboa Park
For a number of years, I've been watching this coffee bush mature in the Trees for Health garden in San Diego's Balboa Park. I used to live down the street from it. Lately, it has begun looking healthier than ever, with only a tiny bit of tip burn on a few leaves,...
July is a strange month to be thinking about rain, but . . .
On July 18 and 19, Southern California received a whopper of a tropical storm, and our part of San Diego County got more rain than anywhere. Our yard took in 1.65 inches, but a few miles down the road 4.1 inches fell during those 48 hours, according to the National...
‘San Diego’ tomatoes, and supporting tomatoes
'San Diego' tomatoes I shouldn't be surprised, but the variety of tomato called 'San Diego' is thriving here in . . . San Diego. Why did I wait until this year to try it? Compared to the other varieties I've grown in this yard -- including Ace, Better Boy, Pineapple,...
The economics of my rain tank
Last winter was my first with a 530-gallon rain tank. I did not buy it because I thought it would save me a bunch of money on my water bill. I bought it because rain coming off my roof and running down the driveway irritated me. It seemed wasteful....
Green beans shade house
The front of our house faces east-northeast, so in the summer the sun rises to blast our windows. They need protection. We have interior drapes, but I've wondered if the house would stay cooler if we also had something outside to absorb the sunlight before it ever...
Reusing laundry water
This is Puleng, one of my former students in Lesotho. I learned to wash by hand from her and other students at Ngoana Jesu Secondary School, and I also learned from them to reuse my laundry water on my vegetable plots. I adopted that practice in Lesotho, and I've been...
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