This series charts the conversion of a sloping 12-feet-wide by 36-feet-long long concrete yard to a garden.
One of the few things that weed cloth is good for is growing weeds. Fugitive dust settling in the gravel or wood mulch topping soon creates a potting mix perfect for rye grass, burclover or whatever seeds might blow in.
Drought has rewritten accepted orthodoxy about yard care. Among the things to do: water less often, more deeply. Rake. Compost. Squarely on the list of things not to do: fertilize, apply pesticides or use leaf blowers. Advice from a veteran garden writer about dry season good practice.
Successes, failure, a few good sources and seemingly endless engineering challenges in building an Altadena orchard that harvests local rainwater.
Lawn removal, asphalt removal, wildflower conversion crops and rainwater harvesting are touched on in this two year picture diary from an Altadena, California garden
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