— Nan Sterman While there are lots of great garden products on the market, some are questionable. Weed cloth is one of the questionable products. Is it good? Is it bad? Is there any reason to use it? Weed cloth, weed fabric, weed barrier, and landscape fabric are all names for m

By Nan Sterman The story behind Homegrown Hops, Local Flavor for Local Brews starts a few years ago.  My daughter called me just before my husband’s birthday. “Mom,” she said, “Groupon has an offer for a beer brewing kit – we should get that as a gift for Dad.” Of course we shou

— Nan Sterman I love to walk down a tree-lined street with a big overhead canopy. The air feels cool and smells good. There are lots of people on the street and they all smile as they walk past. Cars go by a little slower, surely because their drivers enjoy the experience, too.

— Nan Sterman What if you could grow most of your family’s vegetables and protein in your own backyard and do it with just a fraction of the water and resources that your in-ground garden requires? According to the people you’ll meet in this week’s episode of A Growing Passion,

–Nan Sterman From Anza Borrego Desert to the beaches at La Jolla, this is San Diego County’s garden tour season. This time of year, gardeners open their gates and invite the public in to enjoy the fruits (sometimes literally) of their labors. If you love seeing what’s behi

March in the Garden Get Ready for Spring — Nan Sterman March is such a busy month for gardeners. There’s so much to see, so much to learn, and so much to do. Where to begin? Here’s my list for getting your garden ready for the months ahead. Edibles Start your home ve

— Nan Sterman   Visit a beautiful waterwise garden and you’ll notice the amazing colors and textures, fabulous structures and gorgeous flowers. Birds and bees and butterflies flit through the garden. Lizards scurry about. Each garden is an oasis all of its own, as you’ll se

— by Nan Sterman My phone has been ringing off the hook (do phones still have hooks?) and my inbox is overflowing with queries from people asking for help removing their lawns, designing new gardens, and redesigning outdated gardens. Finally, Californians are getting the message

— By Nan Sterman Having a waterwise garden means much more than simply planting unthirsty plants… To create a waterwise garden you have to look at the garden as a system in which every component contributes to water conservation. Start with soil. Whether your garden has he

— By Nan Sterman Poinsettia season is upon us!  Growers ship out the bright red and soft yellow colored plants every day, sending them to nurseries and garden centers across the country. Thanks to late Encinitan Paul Ecke Jr., poinsettias are the plants we mostly closely associa