| Welcome to Gardens & Gables Newsletter |
| In This Issue: |
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Go Organic!
how a little effort can go a long way for you and the environment |
Irrigation Corner
Too wet? Too dry? Sprung a leak? We can help... |
We’d like to introduce our newest service, our newsletter, with tips, guidelines, and good sense for your garden. We hope you find this report helpful and informative, not only as you work in your garden, but as we work in it, too. Our goal is to let you know our approach to landscaping, and what we’d recommend you do to maximize our efforts and to help maintain the beauty of your landscaping.
This being our first newsletter, we’d love to hear what you think. Please feel free to send us your comments. Share your ideas, too; we’d love to hear your success stories!
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"There are always flowers for those who want to see them." - Henri Matisse
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| Go Organic! |
 At Gardens & Gables, we continue to stay at the forefront of healthy, organic-based landscaping by taking part in educational seminars and maintaining active membership in professional organizations. We belong to Organic Matters, a Marin-based organic gardening action group, and we support the Marin Beyond Pesticides Coalition. The health and safety of your plants, your family, and the environment are always foremost in our minds.
You can adopt these basic organic principles by following a few simple steps. Consider starting a compost pile. Set up a dedicated space in your yard where you can allow green “leftovers”—vegetable peelings, flower trimmings, coffee grounds, eggshells—anything that does not have have meat or dairy) to naturally break down. These composted materials make a great amendment for your garden—and they cut down on what you’ll send to the landfill. It’s win-win all the way around!
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| Irrigation Corner |
Gardens & Gables provides expert installation, maintenance and troubleshooting of irrigation systems, from the simple to the complex. If you’d like an overview of your system, a quick refresher course on your controller’s settings, or if you'd like to learn some simple troubleshooting and repair techniques, let us know and we can schedule a time when you’ll be available during our next routine visit. That way, you’ll be prepared come rain or come shine.
Give the system a checkup: In the early spring we'll run a thorough check of your system. Even with state of the art irrigation systems, occasional leaks and clogs can occur. We try to catch them is early on, before they waste precious water or cause major problems in your garden.
If you like, you can run a clog and leak test yourself. Going valve by valve, manually turn on the water at each one, and walk the line. Check to see if you've lost emitters (you'll see obvious spray), or if the emitters have gotten moved out of place from desired plants. Are there any leaks or kinks in your tubing? Are valves dripping excessively or making funny sounds?
Some of these problems you can fix yourself (if you need training, we’ll show you how). Others might need our attention. If so, flag or mark the leak, turn off the system, and give us a call. (See “Help is on the way.”)
In the event of a serious problem, you should know how to turn off your system’s controller, and possibly your water supply. Let us show you how on our next visit.
Keep on ticking: Most irrigation controllers (time clocks) have a battery back up, protecting the program in the event of a power outage. We recommend that you replace this battery annually. When you replace the battery, check for any corrosion or bent parts. Let us know if you spy any trouble-spots. An easy way to remember is to put a sticker with the replacement date noted on it on the inside of the controller's door, easy to see but protected from the elements.We will note on your maintenance record when we replace the battery.
A change in the weather: Sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s cold, sometimes wet, sometimes dry. We all know how variable our area’s weather can be. Whenever possible, we’ll adjust your garden’s watering system as needed. But, since we can’t always provide this service as quickly as Mother Nature dictates, it’s important for you to know how to make simple adjustments or turn the water off entirely.
Too wet? Most controllers have a “Rain” setting which allows you to temporarily turn the system off without canceling the programming. Too warm? Again, most controllers let you trigger the entire cycle at the touch of a button for an extra soaking on especially hot, dry days. Freeze coming? Watering in advance can help prevent frost damage. Simple adjustments could be all it takes to protect your garden.
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