Irrigation Scheduling Just Got Easier!

Creating an accurate irrigation schedule can be daunting, but Valley Water has just launched a powerful irrigation scheduling tool to help take the guesswork out of how much your landscape should be irrigated.  This free tool, available to landscapes throughout California, will assist you in creating accurate, water-conserving irrigation schedules for either your conventional or smart controller.   

The Valley Water Irrigation Scheduler uses historical weather data based on your site location, along with landscape-specific inputs, such as plant type, irrigation equipment, and sun exposure, to calculate a custom irrigation schedule for your California landscape.  The Irrigation Scheduler can also accommodate drought watering restrictions, such as days per week watering limitations.  Get started to create your custom irrigation schedule at Valleywaterscheduler.com!

In addition, if you’re still using a standard irrigation controller, rebates are available to upgrade to a smart controller that uses local weather data or soil moisture readings to automatically tailor irrigation schedules to your plant’s needs. Apply for Valley Water’s Landscape Rebate Program for pre-approval!

Water-Wise and Edible Demonstration Gardens in Palo Alto

Would you like some inspiration for your garden? A wonderful resource is the Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, located at 851 Center Drive in Palo Alto. Not only does it have an “Edible” section and a “Water-Wise” section, it also has Master Gardeners on hand (see below) who can answer your gardening questions and give you tips and advice.

So go get inspired this spring!

Happy Gardening!

For more information, click here.

From the UC Master Gardeners website:

Visiting hours

• The 'Edible' Garden is open to the public Monday 9 am—12 noon, Friday 9 am—11 am (weather permitting), and when events are scheduled. The garden may be viewed over the fence when not open.

• The Water Wise Garden is open dawn to dusk.

• Open Garden Days: Both gardens are open and staffed by Master Gardeners every Saturday morning, 10 am to noon, from May through September (weather permitting). It is an opportunity for the public to explore the edible and ornamental gardens, ask questions, and get plant and garden advice.

• First Saturdays of the month frequently include a workshop.

• We welcome community volunteers during visiting hours to work and learn side-by-side with us.

Now is the time to try composting!

There are so many great reasons to try composting! And this month, there are a number of free classes available to get you started. Check out our Events Page for a complete list of classes this month.

For those who wonder whether it’s really worth it to invest time and effort into composting, here are a few good reasons to turn to composting:

• Compost provides nutrients that plants need to grow and to thrive, and provides them in a form that is easily available for plants to absorb.   In addition to the main three nutrients -nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, compost also provides important micronutrients such as manganese, copper, iron, and zinc.
  

• Want to eliminate the need for pesticides in your garden?  Healthy plants are less susceptible to disease and pests, and compost can make a difference in helping to ensure healthy plants. 
  

• Compost builds soil structure unlike soils that are damaged by relying on synthetic fertilizers.   The good soil structure that compost provides allows air and water circulation that keeps plants healthy. 
  

• Good soil structure provides habitat for beneficial bacteria, fungi and earthworms that all work to provide nutrients which plants need. 
  

• Good soil structure also provides habitat for beneficial insect predators that keep plant pests under control. 
  

Compost certainly deserves to be called Black Gold!  

Happy Gardening!! For more information, please see our Composting Page.

 By Les Kishler, former Agroecology, Chemistry, Biology teacher:  Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District.  Currently supervisor of the Los Gatos Community Garden. 

Your Winter Landscape To-Do List

Although it might be chilly and - fingers crossed! - wet outside, there is plenty for a gardener in our area to do outside and even inside. Here are our top suggestions for this season:

1) Take a class! This is a great time to take a class and hone your sustainable landscaping skills. On our Events page, we have a list of workshops that are offered either online or in-person.

2) Give your irrigation a break and turn off your sprinklers. We are now in the time of year when you can turn off your sprinklers. Keep checking on your plants and give them supplemental water if needed. When the weather warms up and the days get longer, remember to turn them back on (but check them first to make sure they are in good working order).

3) Garden Maintenance. Now is a great time to take care of some garden maintenance chores, such as pruning back certain trees, bushes and shrubs. But one thing you can do that’s very easy is leave in place any leaves that have fallen, which will act as a natural mulch - plus beneficial insects will appreciate it.

4) Remove any standing water from our recent rains to make sure mosquitoes don’t become a problem this year. Santa Clara County’s Vector Control has some great information about how to keep mosquitoes away.

Grasscycling - the greenest way to mow your grass!

Grasscycling is the practice of leaving clippings on the lawn when you mow it. Why is this a good idea? Because grass clippings:

1. contain moisture so you won’t need to water your lawn as often;

2. contain nutrients that your lawn needs, which can reduce the amount of fertilizer you need to apply; and

3. breakdown quickly and easily.

Here is an excellent link that goes into depth about grasscycling.

To help you with grasscycling, you might also consider this excellent tool: a mulching mower. According to the CalRecycles website, “Mulching or recycling mowers make grasscycling easy by cutting grass blades into small pieces and forcing them into the soil. You may also want to consider purchasing an electric mulching mower to reduce air pollution.”

Taking Care of the Community's Landscape

Here at South Bay Green Gardens, we’ve focused a lot on your own garden and landscape. But if we look at the bigger picture, we can see that our parks, creeks and open spaces are also part of our landscape and something we can all help take care of.

One great way to take care of our community landscape is by participating in a creek cleanup event. These events, which happen all over the county, are fun and a great way to make an immediate positive change in the world.

The South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition is a local non-profit that focuses on cleaning up the Guadalupe River, and Coyote and Los Gatos Creeks. Their Team 222 Program is a great way to help: All you do is commit to two hours of your time (2), on the second Saturday (2) of every other month (2) = TEAM 222.

The Creek Connections Action Group also coordinates two cleanups a year in collaboration with cities in Santa Clara County: the National River Cleanup Day (held the third Saturday in May), and the California Coastal Cleanup Day (held the third Saturday in September). For more information on how to participate in one of these cleanup events, please visit their volunteer information page.

Fall is the Time for Planting your Drought Resilient Landscape!

As fall arrives, it’s a great time to give your water guzzling yard a makeover and install a beautiful, low water use landscape instead that provides year round color and interest, habitat and food for local birds, butterflies and bees, and reduces maintenance needs.

Our cooler autumn days and nights are just right for new, tender plants. Plus - fingers crossed! - our winter rains will water your landscape for you (although you will still need to be sure these new plantings get enough regular water as they are getting established). So go get gardening!

If you would like a free, step-by-step guide to planing a sustainable, drought-resilient landscape, look no further! Valley Water has recently published a gorgeous guide that you can access for free.

Planning on taking out your lawn? To learn more about receiving a rebate for transforming your lawn into a low water use landscape in Santa Clara County, and to start the online application process, click here. Remember, to remain eligible, application submittal and approval are required before starting your project.

Saving the Rain for a Less Rainy Day

We have finally had some rain - yay! But it is not too late to install rainwater capture components in your yard. And the best part is that you can receive rebates from Valley Water through the Landscape Rebate Program! Installing rain barrels or cisterns is a great way to capture rainwater that flows off your roof and save it for a dry day. Supplementing your irrigation with rainwater saves precious potable water and can save you money as well.

Adding a rain garden element to your landscape is also a great way to keep rainwater from flowing into the storm drains. Instead, roof water can be kept onsite to percolate back into our groundwater supply, which we rely on heavily to meet our water supply needs.

This video, by Landscape Architect, Stephanie Morris, walks you through a rain garden installation project designed to capture roof runoff and replenish our groundwater supplies.

For all rebates under the Landscape Rebate Program, including the Rainwater Capture Rebates, application submission and approval is required before purchasing any new equipment or starting any work.  For more information, or to get started, visit Valley Water’s site here or call our Hotline at (408) 630-2554.     

PLEASE NOTE: SAVE WATER, NOT MOSQUITOES!

Did you know that one of the most common problems with rain barrels is mosquito breeding? Thousands of mosquitoes can emerge from standing water inside a rain barrel. Follow these three simple steps to eliminate mosquitoes:

1.       Cover the barrel and all openings

2.       Empty barrels on a regular basis

3.       Keep the lid clear of standing water

Do your part to prevent West Nile and Zika virus outbreaks! Visit Santa Clara County Vector Control District for more info.

NEW!! Santa Clara Valley Sustainable Landscape Guidelines

Hot off the press, just in time for fall planting season, Valley Water is proud to publish its Sustainable Landscape Guidelines: A Watershed Approach to Landscaping. This free 47-page guide showcases water-wise plants, landscape design tips, garden how-tos, and other resources specific to our valley.

This book has so much great landscaping information for you, such as:

• How to design your sustainable landscape

• How to water wisely

• How to take care of your soil, including mulching and compost

• How to select the right plant for your garden

• How to maintain your beautiful landscape

• And so much more!

You can download it for free here to help you plan your next garden project, including lawn conversion and rainwater capture projects that may qualify for Valley Water’s Landscape Rebate Program!

August 9, 2022 update!

This publication is now available electronically in English, Spanish, and Chinese and the English version is available in print from Valley Water’s free online shopping cart!

An excerpt from the landscape design section of the Guide.

Fall Gardening Tips

As our summer gardens seem to dwindle down, they give us a great opportunity to plan for what comes next. With a little extra tending, we can transition our gardens for the cooler weather and rip the benefits well into spring. Here are a few things that can be done in the garden in the next month or so:

• Deadhead annual and perennial flowers. This simple task will help your plants to keep blooming until the first frost. You may choose to allow some flowers go to seed for birds to feed on, or to save and share. If you are unsure about how much to cut back, Gardenista has an informative post on What You Need to Know About Cutting Back Perennials in the Fall.

• Harvest your veggies and herbs. It is always preferrable to harvest when the veggies and herbs are at its best. True, sometimes we get a wave of produce we cannot eat all at once, but you can always share with family and friends, donate to local organizations, or learn how to preserve your harvest. Some preservation techniques include sun-drying, freezing, canning, and pickling. Keep an eye on our Events page for upcoming classes on these topics. The Zero Waste Chef also has a lot of resources like How to Ferment Vegetables in Brine and other preservation methods.

• Decide which summer crops need to be taken out. Some summer crops start browning and not being as productive. For example, tomatoes plants that are still blooming will most likely have a chance to ripen any fruit already on the plant, but the blooms may not produce the juicy, tasty tomatoes that it did earlier in the season. At this stage, the Santa Clara Master Gardeners recommend removing blossoms at this stage to allow the plant to focus all its energy into ripening already-formed fruit.

• Plant for winter. Early fall is a great time to start interplanting cool-season vegetables or start them in pots so they can be planted in the garden when summer plants are removed. The Santa Clara Master Gardeners have a useful planting calendar to help you decide what can be planted next. If you let your local nursery be your guide, look for plants that are not rootbound (check for roots coming out of the bottom of the pot - you don’t want that!).

• Prepare for spring color. If you like ornamental flowers, consider planting spring-blooming bulbs. If you have never planted bulbs before, Gardenista has a great information on What You Need to Know Before You Plant Bulbs.

• Plant cover crops. If you’d like a more passive approach to a fall/winter garden, cover cropping is a great way replenish the soil without leaving it bare. It is important to keep the organisms in the soil active and protected. The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems offers a guide on Choosing and Using Cover Crops in the Home Garden and Orchard.

• Get/build a compost bin. If you don’t already compost, this is the ideal time to begin. Not only will you have plenty of fallen leaves and other compostable material from your garden, you will also make your own nutrient-rich soil amendment at home. If you start now, you may be able to have usable compost by early spring. To learn more about home composting and to sign up for a free workshop, visit the Santa Clara Master Composters website.

• Water your trees. Although we are in the middle of a critical drought, trees are vitally important to the ecosystem and society. Canopy has good resources on how we can Save our Water and our Trees.

• Plant a new tree. Fall is considered the best time to plant new trees and other native plants. Cooler temperatures, reliable rainfall, and short, bright days ahead will help plants make a quick and easy transition to your landscape. The autumn season provides an opportunity for plants to grow roots and start acclimating to their new home.

Happy gardening!