Composting In Small Yards

Most Orange County California lots are small. In Laguna Beach you might have lot square footage smaller than the average American home. We all want to be green and compost, recycle and conserve but these actions seem to require more space than the traditional buy and toss methods. This brief summary of  composting for a small yard can be adapted for other climates.

Materials needed:
I found:
some wire cage material (used chicken wire and even the mesh plastic fencing could be used for this purpose).
Vegetable ties - the type often used around lettuce

all the green cuttings of food stuffs, grass clippings, coffee grounds, yard cuttings

Place wire cage upright in a corner that is not terribly front and center.
You will see in my backyard cage I have used a tree trunk as the upright support and in the front it stands freely on more level ground.
The vegetable ties can be opened and closed and replaced as they fall apart.
Layer your waste and leave it alone
In summer warm months or if you water the cage the material shrinks very rapidly.
The cage is light and can be lifted to scoop the nice compost from the bottom

DO NOT use: rose clippings or plants that have major disease infestation, toss those to
save on later problems.
If you want to be really green, save rain water and pour through the cage, catching the runoff for
compost tea (used to spray plants as fertilizer and bug repellent).

Why would you do this in your garden?
Simple, free, saving landfills, making your soil improve, make flowers and vegetables grow cheaper, less water use, less fertilizer, repeat free, save money

Uphill Climb Ahead for Orange County

Photograph of hillside climb South Orange County

Southern California Real Estate Market seems ready for the come back this spring. The no inventory of homes for sale is at record lows. In the twenty three years as a lender in Orange County, I have never seen the numbers of new listings in Multiple Listing Service ( MLS ) this few. As the existing houses on the market in the middle range are now selling with multiple offers, the value of those sitting is gradually rising.

It's been a rocky road since the crash of 2008. It seems the uphill battle may now be at the summit. A few challenges still loom out there. There are homes where residents have not made payments for more than a year, and the lenders have not foreclosed. There are homeowners who hung on by renting their home when they had to take a job transfer. There are move up buyers and move down owners who have struggled and stayed in one place.

Will the November elections shake up the real estate market in Orange County in a good way?  I don't believe national elections will have any changes on local employment or business, and therefore will not likely have positive or negative results.

Residents of Orange County can look forward to slow growth, and perhaps a little pop up in the spring of 2013. I for one am looking forward to climbing up. :)

Photograph of Giant Salvia. This plant grows to nine feet tall with flower spikes one to two feet long. Does not have the stronger aroma of some sage plants, but very showy, low water and good for a sunny side yard, attracts butterflies and birds.

http://mywjb.com/caroline-gerardo/

Caroline Gerardo Barbeau

Mortgage Loan Officer
W. J. Bradley Capital LLC.
Newport Beach, California 92660

(949) 637-8190

Color and Low Water in Orange County Gardens

Easy gardening tips in Orange County, California coastal climate
Plants that are colorful but require low water, no chemical spraying, and low care. I have a number of blue pots that I purchased at Plant Depo in San Juan Capistrano and Green Thumb nursery when they have blow out sales. The deep blue glaze is best made in Vietnam, so the shipping costs make them pricey, but I love that color.

I have seen my Moulton Niguel Water bill increase by double in the past two years, and it is not because of some leak, it is that we had less rain to refill my swimming pool over the summer.

Photograph of a  Gorgeous canna that smells like jasmine

Photograph of Mexican sage in my yard, has bloomed for nine months. It will die back if we get a cold snap, but requires little water, no fertilizer, and is pest resistant. The bonus is Mexican sage attracts butterflies and song birds follow...

San Juan Creek Flood Control ?

 

These are photographs of San Juan Creek in between J Serra High School and Laguna Niguel hills. In the middle of Orange County Soccer Fields and neatly organized parks are some abandoned houses, wild orange groves and trails with rattle snakes. The widening of the bridges at Crown Valle Parkway and Del Obispo may have unforeseen results on the drainage into the creek. Larger storm drains are installed only underneath the two long going projects. Will this cause flooding in the coming years to houses in Old San Juan and below?