Vertical Gardens

Want an artistic twist to your garden, patio, or landscape? Wish you could grow more flowers or veggies in the space you already have? Vertical gardening is a way to add creativity, beauty and dramatic appeal while maximizing your space. If you live in an urban area with only a small patio, balcony, or deck, vertical gardening can provide room to grow. If you presently have no garden it’s still possible to grow edibles or raise beautiful flowers in whatever space you have available. Just do a web search for the term “vertical gardens” and you’ll find plenty of ideas to get you started.

Vertical Garden Center-Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia

Public vertical gardens are being constructed and displayed all over the world. The sides of buildings, park structures, and bridges are being covered with hundreds of species of plants arranged to complement each other and the results are breathtaking. The wilds of the natural world are being brought into the city, improving air quality and the emotional well-being of passersby as well.

Vertical Garden Wall at Bay Meadows

Vertical Lettuce Patch

If you are running out of space in your own garden, growing vertically may provide a solution. Growing flowering vines on the south side garden fence will provide a shaded area for plants that don’t do well in direct sun, such as lettuces, parsley, and beets. You can use the fence on the north side that encloses the garden by planting peas, beans, squash, luffa (or loofah), and melons to get plenty of southern exposure without shading other plants. If you have a solid wooden fence or building in your garden area, running string or wire attached to nails or screws vertically or horizontally will work well and enable climbing plants to flourish.

Vertical Luffa Arch

Flowering vines, such as clematis, purple passion flower, trumpet vine, moonflowers, or morning glories, are available in an amazing range of colors. They can be trained to climb a redwood trellis supported by 4’ x 4’ posts, a tepee of wooden stakes or poles wire together at the top, or a wooden arbor or archway that you pass through as your enter your garden area.

Wisteria Covered Pergola

If you have a pergola or covered shade area in your yard, putting tall ceramic or wooden planters next to the base of the supporting posts and planting climbing vegetables in them can give you an assortment of beautiful hanging squash, melons, cucumbers, grapes, or climbing flowers by midsummer. It’s also quite a head turner.

Arbor at Temple Rose Garden

Adding levels to your landscape, deck, or vegetable garden will give you more room to garden and add beauty. Think of adding a stone wall or crushed gravel pathway to turn your flower garden into a botanical garden. Put up a trellis and grow climbing roses for a burst of scent and color. Do some research online and make the entry to your home, backyard, or garden as inviting as you’ve always wanted. 

The Nourishing Gardens of Esalen

Esalen, a haven devoted to the exploration of human potential, is located in Big Sur, California. Recently, my wife, Nancy, and I had a very enriching experience while visiting with our nephew, Sam, who works there.

Winterizing Your Drip Irrigation System 2015

While much of the northern portion of United States is battening down the hatches for winter, there are areas of the country where gardening throughout the winter is feasible. More than half of DripWorks’ customers live in USDA zones 8 and 9, an area that stretches from the west coast down through the southwest and the southern states. Here, when certain measures are taken, fall and winter gardening is possible. 

10 Gardening Blogs We Love!

A quick look around will reveal the many garden blogs available online these days. The ones we enjoy the most are informational, beautiful, and contain personal insights that leave you feeling like you just visited the garden of a new found friend. Here are a few of our current favorites!

Fall Planting for Beauty and Pollination

Autumn is the best time for planting and enjoying flowering perennials. Choose fall-flowering shrubs or smaller perennials and plant them with an ample amount of well-composted soil in October* to ensure that your plants thrive. The coming rains and cooler weather will help their root systems develop fully and enable your garden to become the spectacular showcase that you, and the birds, bees, butterflies, bats, and other local beneficial insects in your neighborhood, have been dreaming of. (*Consult your local planting zone guide)

2015 Heirloom Exposition - Pure Food for the World

The sights and sounds of the 5th annual National Heirloom Exposition are just around the corner. The expo's mission: to reconnect us to the pure, healthful food of our heritage. The world is being taken over by national and multi-national corporations, whose reach has not just extended into the food industry but appears to have taken it over. The goal of these corporations is to make the most money for their shareholders, not to provide nutritious food for our health.

Iceland-Land of Fire and Ice (And So Much Water!)

The Land of Fire and Ice

Recently my wife, Nancy, and I had the good fortune to spend two weeks in Iceland, the incredible "Land of Fire and Ice". In stark contrast to the drought stricken western United States, where we live, Iceland almost appears to have more water than they can handle. We should all have such problems!

Plant Now for a Fall Vegetable Garden

Although most of the country recently experienced a terrible heat spell, two months from now we'll be wishing we had planted some vegetable crops in late Summer. Crops do surprisingly well in the cool fall weather with fewer insects and weeds, and more rain. No, I'm not talking about tomatoes and peppers, but now is the perfect time to plant brassicas, beets, carrots, chard and other cool season vegetables. These crops tend to be loaded with nutrients and taste even sweeter when they are harvested under more temperate conditions. Take advantage of these factors and extend the time that you'll get the freshest veggies from your garden.

The New and Improved 2015 DripWorks Planning Guide

A Garden Sketch Becomes Reality

We fear the unknown. It's not a failing. It's a human survival mechanism that warns us to be cautious whenever we encounter something new and potentially dangerous. Most of the time that fear is unsubstantiated and we discover the monster we imagined was much worse than the one we actually encounter. If we're lucky, we find a mentor, a guru, or guide that can lead us (often kicking and screaming) past the pitfalls in our path and around the obstacles that might trip us up along the way to enlightenment.

The same applies to learning something new, like drip irrigation. That's why DripWorks has put together the 2015 Drip Planning Guide, a condensed compendium to help you find your way to saving water, time, and money through drip irrigation. Whether you’re new to drip irrigation, or a seasoned pro, this guide is designed to answer your questions and alleviate your fears. So don’t sit there wondering if drip irrigation is for you. Jump in. We’ll have you up and growing in no time.

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Six Smart & Simple Drip Irrigation Kits

Getting Started

As we pointed out in our previous blog, July is Smart Irrigation Month, a time set aside to bring awareness to the problems presented by worsening drought and a diminishing water supply. It's also an opportunity for homeowners, landscapers, and farmers to learn about the solutions (such as drip irrigation) that are readily available to provide relief. If you’re new to drip irrigation and wondering how to get started, you won't find a faster or easier way to get up and running than one of DripWorks' complete kits. Available in Economy, Standard, and Deluxe versions, each kit is designed for a specific purpose and everything required is included for you to quickly install a drip irrigation system.

Take Advantage of Smart Irrigation Month

DripWorks is synonymous with smart irrigation and July is Smart Irrigation Month, typically the peak for water demand and the perfect time for the irrigation industry to promote efficient water use. I'm reasonably sure that any of you who receive this blog are already on board, having installed (or considering installing) drip irrigation on your property. But if you're interested in saving money on your utility bill and protecting community water supplies, then read on.

5 Drip Irrigation Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them!)

Drip Irrigation isn't really all that complex. There are just a few things that you need to consider before putting a drip irrigation system together, and once you've nailed that down, the rest is kind of like Legos for water. The trouble is, we sometimes try to take shortcuts and that can lead to problems down the line. Today we'll look at what those problems are and how you can avoid them.

DripWorks Demonstration Garden Update

DripWorks Demonstration Garden Before and After

Back in late January and early February, we published a 2-part blog about heirloom seeds and talked about what we planned to grown in our demonstration garden this year.  It is now June and the garden is both beautiful and productive. The very mild weather we've had this Spring has allowed us to plant veggies and harvest earlier than usual. The perennial beds that line the entrance to the DripWorks store are flowering profusely. Over the past month, our lunchroom has reaped the benefits (forgive the pun), supplied with an abundance of lettuces and radishes.

Drip Tubing and the History of Drip Irrigation

Drip Irrigation in Israel

Mainline tubing is a flexible polyethylene tubing used for carrying water throughout a drip system. It is designed to carry water from your spigot to your plants via emitters, sprayers, sprinklers, or driplines inserted along its length. We know that the origins of drip--or micro--irrigation, goes back to ancient times, but from where and when did the idea of modern drip irrigation come about?

May is California Water Awareness Month

Courtesy of Bob Galindo-GNU Free Documentation License

California, like many other states, is entering its fourth year of severe drought. In response, the state government has enacted new emergency water conservation regulations to safeguard California's remaining water supplies. There's only so much to go around so we need to stretch our precious water supply as much as possible. By presenting you with the flowing facts, this blog is intended raise awareness about how much our everyday activities cost relating to water use.

How Long Should I Water?

How much, how long, and when to water are some of the most challenging questions when it comes to the efficient use of a drip irrigation system. In order to establish the amount of water needed for a plant's optimum growth, there are three main factors to consider: soil type, climate, and the size of the plant or container. Over watering is contrary to the goals of a gardener or farmer employing drip irrigation. Too much water results in an oxygen depleted soil that suffocates the roots and eventually rots them.  A plant only can absorb and only needs a certain amount of water for optimum growth. Water too little and you risk the plant dying of thirst, or at best, retarding its growth. Either extreme can kill your plant in short order.

Governor Brown Demands 25% Water Reduction

As most of you know, with the snow pack at a record low in the Sierra Mountains, California Governor Jerry Brown has ordered a 25% statewide reduction in water usage. What you might not know, is drip irrigation can reduce water usage in your lawn and garden by 30-50%. If you want to do something to reduce your water usage, immediately, DripWorks can help.

This is not bluster. This is fact. 

By placing the water exactly where it is needed, drip irrigation reduces water usage to a fraction of conventional watering techniques. So put aside that watering wand and convert that water-guzzling sprinkler system to a drip irrigation system.  Start saving water, time, and money today. 

Don't know anything about drip irrigation? No problem. Our complete kits are the fastest, easiest way to convert your garden, field, or landscape to a water efficient drip irrigation. 

Still have questions? The DripWorks Call Center is open 6 am to 6 pm PST, Monday through Friday and 6 am to Noon on Saturday. Our friendly, knowledgeable representatives are ready to answer those questions and help you get started right away. Call 800.522.3747 or email us at support@dripworks.com. Save Water!

Companion Planting for the Vegetable Garden

Companion Planting in DripWorks Demonstration Garden

Though some may plant their gardens haphazardly (to each their own, I say) I like to create a plan and plant carefully for beneficial growth and insect control. With 40 years of vegetable gardening experience as my guide, here are a few things that I have learned along the way:

Setting up a Drip System

Setting up a drip system is easier and more fun than you think. Drip irrigation has become the preferred method of watering for homeowners with vegetable gardens, landscape, orchards, and decks. Farmers large and small depend on drip irrigation to stretch their water supply and produce high yield, top quality crops.

Live Power Community Farm-CSA

Horsepower at Live Power Farm

Gloria and Stephen Decater moved to the sparsely inhabited but beautiful and fertile valley of Covelo, California in 1973.  Years later they formed Live Power Community Farm, an association of involved consumers and dedicated farmers. This farm today is a 50 acre, solar electric and horse-powered, diversified, certified biodynamic CSA farm.

Planting Your Juicing Garden

Fresh vegetable juicing has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity recently; here in Northern California and all across the United States. To that end, the DripWorks demonstration garden will be growing heirloom varieties of carrots, beets, kale, parsley, local apples, and melons to provide us with the raw materials for this delicious and nutritious way to be healthy. With proper planning, you can enjoy fresh juices year round without having to resort to less fresh and potentially nutrient deficient produce from the grocery store.

Heirloom Seeds: Part Two-The History

Humans have been farming and ranching in a way that fits their local regions for thousands of years, selecting plants that grow best and collecting seeds or cuttings from these well adapted plants. The result for present day humans has been a plethora of beautiful and nutritious choices. About fifty years ago the food industry began to develop food crops for ease of shipping, long shelf life on the supermarket shelf, and standardization—not taste or nutrition. The good news is that diversity of the food supply is actually increasing, at least for those who know where to find the seed to grow it. In this series of blogs, Dripworks hopes to make it easier for our readers to learn about the tradition of growing with heirloom seed and understand why today it is more important than ever.

Heirloom Seeds: Part One-Their Importance Today

Beautiful Heirloom Beets

This is the first in a series of blogs we will be producing throughout 2015 to explain how growing organic produce from heirloom seeds will not only produce a healthier food crop, but also help protect the beleaguered pollinators (birds, bees, and butterflies) that allow fruiting trees, berry vines, and vegetables to bear crops in the first place.

New Year's Gardening Resolutions 2015

All of us at DripWorks want to wish you a very Happy New Year and hope for a year of normal weather patterns with more rainfall for the many drought stricken areas all over the United States. Our resolutions cover landscape, fruit tree growing, and vegetable gardening.