rainwater harvesting

Should I Put My Indoor Plants Outside In the Rain?

| March 22, 2018 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
  It’s a question we don’t ask very often in San Diego County. But with a nice rainstorm predicted to last throughout the day, it’s an ideal time to explore this question. Why wouldn’t we want to take advantage of the rainfall to save water and give our indoor house plants a healthy drink and a good shower? The answer seems obvious, doesn’t it? In general, it is a good idea – but there are some pitfalls you need to know about and avoid. Good Reasons to Let Nature Water Your House Plants Rain coming straight out of the clouds to water your plants provides several benefits.… Read More

Summer Gardening Projects Let Kids Get Dirty and Keep Parents Happy

| June 9, 2016 | Categories: Biophilia, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Nature and Wellbeing
Share your spare veggies and other produces with co-workers this summer.
Kids are counting down the days until school is out for the summer. Don’t we all remember that feeling? If you’re a parent, you have a different perspective. Something like, “oh no, how am I going to keep the kids busy and out of trouble all summer!” Why not encourage your kids to do something that comes naturally? Encourage them to get their hands dirty in fun gardening activities. Take advantage of San Diego’s summer weather to work on projects outdoors when it’s cool enough, and indoors when the sun is a little too strong. There are many age appropriate opportunities for gardening and art projects that will instill a love of nature that will last a lifetime.… Read More

Water, Water Everywhere: Tips to Prep for El Niño

| November 4, 2015 | Categories: Environment, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Sustainable Living, Water and Water Conservation
Having sandbags standing by is a smart precaution. Photo: Courtesy City of San Marcos
It seemed like just a few days ago we were still wearing shorts and flip flops while watching our bone dry yards hang on for cooler, wetter weather ahead. Suddenly we have freeway offramps and neighborhoods flooding due to rainstorms. Is this San Diego or the Pacific Northwest? Weather forecasters tell us an El Niño winter is ahead, and based on this week’s weather you can call me a believer. It seems like the temporary answer to our drought problems and your long-suffering landscape plants. But an overabundance of water can create its own set of problems. Some of them can turn out to be destructive and very expensive to fix if you don’t take measures now to prepare.… Read More

Get Fresh Ideas at the Good Earth Plants Spring Open House June 5

| June 3, 2015 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
Purchase nursery grade plants and pots at outstanding sale prices Why should San Diego’s microbreweries have a monopoly on happy hour? Enjoy happy hour Good Earth Plant Company style during our 2015 Spring Open House and Plant Sale at our warehouse and demo garden on Friday, June 5, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Jim Mumford and the entire team at Good Earth Plant Company have fresh ideas and exciting new projects at this annual event. The Open House takes place at Good Earth Plant Company’s headquarters, 7922 Armour Street in San Diego. See a map here. Tour our living lab including green roof systems, an edible living wall, our Aquaponics system and the latest in living wall technology.… Read More

Green Roofs and the Drought: Invest Now, Save Later

| May 21, 2015 | Categories: Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Green Roofs, Sustainable Living, Water and Water Conservation
GreenScaped Buildings installed this green roof at Rick Williams' Del Mar home in 2013.
Part three of a three part series We love green roofs and everything they stand for at Good Earth Plant Company and GreenScaped Buildings. Green roofs are the only feature of a building that actually improves with age, and results in extended life expectancy of a roof. Based on 65-plus years of experience with green roofs in Germany, a green roof can be expected to double or triple (and more!) the life of the underlying conventional roof by protecting it from damage due to debris, UV radiation, and the expansion an contraction caused by changes in temperature. This in turn minimizes construction waste in our landfills.… Read More

Living Walls: A Low-Water Use Landscaping Option

| May 14, 2015 | Categories: Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Green Roofs, Living Walls, Water and Water Conservation
Sometimes square pegs fit in round holes: a living wall on a curved surface.
Part two of a three part series Southern Californians are finally breaking their addition to lush green lawns. In the midst of a drought, the days of spraying drinking water on a lawn day after day to keep it looking good are over. Admit it, aren’t you glad at the thought of tossing your lawn mower for good? Some homeowners install a great deal of hardscaping elements in their yards, substituting patios and other decorative structures, with very few plants. While this is water efficient, it’s a little sad for me as a person who loves plants to see them disappearing from yards.… Read More

Going Gray(Water) The Safe Way

| August 21, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living, Water and Water Conservation
living wall
In a previous blog post, Good Earth Plant Company shared some of our best tips on how to conserve water while keeping your plants healthy. Landscape irrigation has the highest use of water in the average household. Watering your plants efficiently is a great start to reach the goal to reduce our water use by 20% by 2020. However, this alone is not enough. Good Earth Plants can help you take the next step to effectively conserve water by using gray water systems. Gray water systems are used to recycle water already used once in your shower and laundry water for the purpose of watering your garden.… Read More

Tips for Saving Water Without Killing Your Plants

| July 31, 2014 | Categories: Gardening, Good Earth Plant Company Tips, Indoor Plants, Sustainable Living, Water and Water Conservation
The living wall at SDG&E's Energy Innovation Center is filled with drought tolerant plants.
“Oh man, do we need it!” This is the sentence muttered by every San Diegan when discussing the topic of rain. This is California’s third consecutive dry year, and things are not looking bright for the future. We wrote about this issue in January, and here we are again because the conditions have yet to improve. In 2010, California put in a place a goal to have residents cut their water use by 20 percent by 2020. Many of you may be wondering, ‘How will I do this and not let all my plants die in the process?’ Good Earth Plant Company has four water saving tips for plant lovers.… Read More

Water Water Nowhere: California’s Drought Crisis of 2014

| January 30, 2014 | Categories: Environment, Green Roofs, Indoor Plants, Living Walls, Sustainable Living, Water and Water Conservation
California’s water situation has officially become a CRISIS. Governor Jerry Brown has declared a State of Emergency for California and we are scheduled to have the driest year (2014) on record. Reservoirs are at very low levels and the snowpack is 20 percent of the normal average for January. That’s the bad news. And there isn’t much good news. For Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings, increasing water costs and less rainfall means a quantum shift in our thinking. Gone are the days of the lush green lawn. We are designing, installing and maintaining drought-tolerant plantscapes that rely on minimal irrigation.… Read More

Planting A Seed: Remembering Loren Nancarrow

| January 2, 2014 | Categories: Gardening, Media Coverage, Plantscaping, Sustainable Living
So much has already been said about San Diego environmental reporter and author Loren Nancarrow following his death from brain cancer at age 60 last week. The feelings of loss and sadness expressed by so many people were a tribute to how much of an impact he had made, probably more than he realized. Loren was one of the first members of the San Diego media to recognize the importance of rethinking our relationship to the environment and nature. It went beyond just the general gardening tips and maybe water use tips that you would read reports about or see on TV from time to time.… Read More