Less-toxic pest management in your home and garden

Many common pesticides on the market today are not only harmful to beneficial insects and birds, but also seep through our groundwater and storm drains, and eventually into our wat... Read More

Home & Garden

Honeybees and other helpful garden insects

By Julia Strzesieski

Bee pollination is directly responsible for more than $15 billion annually in increased crop value. This translates to about one mouthful in three of our everyday diets that direct... Read More

Home & Garden

Compost for a healthy, economical garden

By Julia Strzesieski

Compost is a nutrient-rich and crumbly blend of partially decomposed organic material that improves soil structure. Most gardeners don’t start with great soil. Whether yours ... Read More

Home & Garden

Springtime is garden time

By Julia Strzesieski

This year started with a record dry spell, unfortunately, so watering wisely will be crucial this spring and summer. If we’re lucky, we’ll have a few April showers to give the ... Read More

Home & Garden

The hazards of working with lead-based paint

By Julia Strzesieski

Spring is an ideal time to paint. But if you’re going the do-it-yourself route, keep these hazards in mind. Exposure to lead-based paint is the primary cause of lead poisoning in... Read More

Home & Garden

Water conservation: Coping with seasonal drought

By Julia Strzesieski

Due to our dry weather and below average rainfall over the last few months, the governor recently declared the dreaded “D” word: Drought. Unfortunately, because clean water is ... Read More

Home & Garden

Energy-efficient lighting

By Julia Strzesieski

This January the rest of the country catches up with California’s ban on the production of the energy inefficient 40-watt and 60-watt incandescent light bulbs. In 2011, all m... Read More

Home & Garden

Snow cable chains

By Julia Strzesieski

During the holidays and winter ski months, many San Francisco residents take to the road to hit the ski slopes. Veteran Tahoe travelers know that tire chains, or more accurately, t... Read More

Home & Garden

Ladder safety

By Julia Strzesieski

Many homes in San Francisco feature high ceilings, making simple tasks like changing a lightbulb sometimes difficult. A reliable ladder is useful and neccessary around the house, a... Read More

Home & Garden

The great pumpkin Educational and playful

By Julia Strzesieski

October is a month of goblins, ghouls, jack-o’-lanterns, and other scary things Halloween — what plants could be creepier than carnivorous ones? Fascinating and fun for chi... Read More

Home & Garden

Planting fall bulbs for spring bloom

By Julia Strzesieski

Autumn is the time to plant fall bulbs that bloom in spring and early summer — including daffodils, tulips, freesias, and hyacinths — and summer bloomers such as iris. SELECTIN... Read More

Home & Garden

Home security tips

By Julia Strzesieski

Summer is the biggest season for burglaries. August is a particularly favorite month to vacation, while the children are on summer break before school begins in the fall. Homeowner... Read More

Home & Garden

Get your grill in order for summer barbecues

By Julia Strzesieski

Everyone enjoys a summer barbecue. Though our Mediterranean climate allows us to barbecue year-round (usually), with Independence Day, summer barbecuing kicks into season. While ba... Read More

Home & Garden

Hints for home safety and accessibility

Take the dangers out of your house with these easy fixes

By Julia Strzesieski

People are living longer these days and this, plus other factors such as medical advances, means that more of us are living with disabilities, too. Hazards in the home are responsi... Read More

Home & Garden

Start gardening now for summer enjoyment

By Julia Strzesieski

It is believed that the month of May was named for the Greek goddess of spring and growth, Maia, who was the mother of Hermes, the gods’ winged messenger. How appropriate, as... Read More

Home & Garden