I try to keep a level head and my language clean when I’m writing but when it comes to leaf blowers all bets are off, because leaf blowers blow, or that is they suck, if you know what I mean. My favorite descriptive term for these devices is “Polluting-Noise-Bazookas”. Need I say more? Here at [...]
Many recycled and repurposed materials can be sourced from the urban waste stream and used to create planting containers and raised garden beds. Which materials are safe and non-toxic? Which materials are the most durable? I have unpacked the options with this investigation on the pros and cons of a variety of potential materials. Here [...]
I don’t usually get all gushy about cement. As a self-professed “softscaper” and plant lover I don’t have much use for the stuff. I opt for plantscapes and permeable surfaces over concrete. Then urbanite comes along and I’m just about ready to write a love sonnet. “Urbanite” is the affectionate name for re-purposed concrete pieces. [...]
Terra Nova owner Ken Foster standing in center next to mother Ellie and surrounded by family next to the first Terra Nova bicycle trailer in December 1991. Ellie was Terra Nova’s greatest cheer leader and supporter. She passed away just after Easter 2011. She and Ken’s father Herb on far right helped Ken buy the [...]
The one of a kind ‘Chai Mulch’ at an end ? Sun Chai who has supplied Chai Mulch to Terra Nova customers for the past seven years is moving their production out of town. Chai Mulch may still be available and we will keep you posted as soon as we know when. The best smelling mulch [...]
Terra Nova was recently honored with the 2011 Gold Award in the Santa Cruz Weekly’s readers survey. We also won this award in 2007 and 2009—so 2011 is a charm! Our long history of providing not only excellent landscaping services but also doing so in harmony with nature is truly recognized in our community. It continues [...]
By Owen Dell From The Earthworm’s Lair: Owen Dell’s Sustainable Landscaping Blog Rain barrels are the de rigueur item for urban eco-hipsters these days. They’re sold in every garden catalog, subsidized or given away by water districts, and touted by virtually every garden expert in creation as a way to reduce garden water use and be [...]
By Jillian Steinberger Contra Costa Times correspondent When it comes to gray water systems, there are lots of questions. The most important ones to answer are what system do you need, and what can be done with it. As gray water systems gain acceptance, we’re learning that they can easily and successfully irrigate Bay Area [...]
Reprinted from Santa Cruz Weekly By Maria Grusauskas Fri, Feb 04, 2011 When the Good Earth tea factory on the Westside of Santa Cruz shut down a few weeks ago, local landscaper Ken Foster acquired 930 pounds of dried pink rose petals and decided they could help quell addictions in Santa Cruz. “I just love the [...]
What do Cupid, a local surfing legend, peak oil, and ecological landscaping have in common? Well, more than anyone in their wildest dreams could have imagined. An unlikely union of local organizations and businesses are collaborating in a one-of-a-kind benefit to help Santa Cruzans heal their addictions while literally showering a bed of roses on [...]
