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January 2010 brings temperatures in the low to mid '70s for San Diego. This is perfect for cool weather veggies and herbs, which you can read more about on the Yard Fairy blog. At my home, we've been enjoying a variety of zesty salad greens with our dinners. Here's a photo I recently took of my home grown harvest!

This month's landscaping feature is all about sheet mulching. This is a great way to enrich the soil that mimics nature as things break down on the forest floor. Scroll down to read more about how to get the sheet mulching effect for your own garden and plant beds.

As always, if you need assistance with your landscaping design, would like to have a Smart Irrigation system installed, or have any other questions about low water landscaping, please contact us at info@theyardfairy.com.

 

Diane Downey, Owner
The Yard Fairy Inc.
www.YardFairy.com

Sheet Mulching

The gardeners of today strive to create yards that are not only beautiful, but "green" in an environmental sense. Green gardens plants are grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides, instead using organic fertilizers and composts to enrich the soil. Green gardeners use things like scraps from the dinner table, clippings from lawns and dead plant material to ensure plants that thrive beautifully.

One technique that is a favorite among green gardeners is sheet mulching. Sheet mulching attempts to re-create the natural mulch in forests, the dead material on top of the soil. The mulch brings back nutrients into the soil that may have been lost and creates a healthy ground with which to work with.

Click to read more about Sheet Mulching

 

Recently I received a great question from Yard Fairy reader Natasha Papousek. Natasha asks:

How many worms do you think I'll need to start a large bin? The bin is a plastic storage container from a big box store with ventilation holes.

Yard Fairy Replies:

Hi Natasha, Happy New Year to you!

I started mine with about a pound of them, I think. The great thing about worms is that they multiply (and decrease) depending upon the food available to them. So start with that, and then let them find their own perfect population size. There is a lady in Carlsbad who sells them - http://vermicoast.com/

and this list may contain someone who is closer to you:

http://worldcentric.org/sustainability/wormcompost/#16

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