New Products for 2014!

Spring is almost here which means a 2014 DripWorks catalog should be appearing on your doorstep. We're excited about the new catalog and anxious to share all the new products we are carrying this year. With the rising cost of watering and the dwindling supply, we know that an efficient drip irrigation system is more important than ever.

Getting Your 2014 Garden Going

California River Bed courtesy of NOAA

Happy New Year! I started writing this back in January, when temps were in the 70’s. Although it was wonderfully unexpected to bask in summer sun at midwinter, the long awaited rains have arrived and couldn't be more welcome. Still, it appears we are in for a very dry year ahead. If so, gardening this year will require some creative planning. With water restrictions possible (our local water district has already implemented them), the size of the garden may depend on how much water you are allowed or can afford to use. Whether you rely on a municipal water system or a well, one thing is for sure: the supply will be limited.

Community Supported Agriculture

Robyn Van En

Back in the 70's I graduated from college in Boston, drove across the good ole USA, and settled in northern California. Riding shotgun was my friend, Robyn Van En, who needed to visit her parents on the West Coast. During our travels through the Midwest farm belt, we had many discussions about the economic struggles of these vitally important farmers and the need for healthy, locally-grown food.

Drip Irrigation in Mexico

Bienvenidos from sunny Mexico! I'm writing from our vacation home near the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, where my wife, Nancy, and I were recently fortunate enough to have a guided tour through Wirikuta, a dazzling cactus theme park located nearby. 

Gravity Fed Low pressure Systems? 

No Problem!

Do you garden at a location where there is very low water pressure (less than 10 PSI)? Is your water source a tank that is 20 feet or less above the surface of your garden? Do you collect rain water off your roof and store it?
Then DripWorks has several products that can help you put together an effective gravity-fed toolkit.

Irrigation in a High Tunnel

Depending on what you are growing in your high tunnel, there are a good number of ways to effectively supply the right amount of water to your plants.

Time to Plant Garlic Again

Few items we grow in the garden are surrounded by such a colorful history as the humble garlic. Cultures worldwide have long held garlic in high esteem, attributing it with powers both to heal and repel that which would do us harm. Sanskrit records dating back 5,000 years name it a medicine, and the Chinese have been using it as such for at least 3,000 years. Hippocrates, he of the famed Hippocratic Oath still sworn to by doctors today, prescribed garlic for everything from infections to leprosy as far back as 300 BC. Even Louis Pasteur, one of the founders of modern bacteriology, noted garlic’s antibacterial properties. More recent studies indicate garlic is efficient in the prevention of heart disease and cancer and can even help eliminate heavy metals from the body. Of course this time of year, on the cusp of Halloween, the association between garlic and vampires is unavoidable. Although many cultures, including the ancient Greeks, held the belief that garlic could ward off evil, it is central Europe we most often associate with this myth.  But all legend, myths, and superstitions aside, it’s garlic's unique flavor that keeps us coming back for more.