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With spring only a few weeks away I am excited about getting the first seeds and starts planted. Thoughts of tasty heirloom tomatoes, garden fresh spring greens, cucumbers, basil, a wide assortment of sweet and spicy peppers, and a colorful array of flowers will keep your spirits high through the challenges of spring. Designing new and sustainable, low maintenance garden features will help make your yard come to life. Adding on to my edible garden with new fruit varieties, vegetable starts bought from local sources, planting herbs to use in our kitchen, and seeing the perennial flowers come back year after year are some of the pleasures of spring for me.

For 26 years, DripWorks has been the right partner for gardeners of all types because of our focus, experience, and passion. Always supplying the highest quality drip irrigation supplies and great technical support, the mutual loyalty between us and our customers is what makes our business great.

For every three bites of food you take, one was pollinated by honey bees. Last winter, beekeepers reported losing over 40% of their hives. Bees are more than just the “canaries in the coal mine”, warning us of a frightening threat to our food. Bees are a critical link to the future of our food production.

You may have heard that pests, disease, and climate change are the main causes of the bee die off. A growing body of evidence points to one of the world’s most popular class of pesticides neonicotinoids. These “neonics” are designed to kill pest, but they don’t distinguish between harmful insects and beneficial ones, like bees. Neonics are used on over 140 commercial crops! As a result the bees that are needed to pollinate organic crops are on the brink of extinction.

Don’t let your garden stand empty this winter. With a little help, most of us can grow the vegetables mentioned below. In the northernmost states, a greenhouse, a high tunnel, a row cover or a small hot frame might be needed. Most southern areas of the US are well suited for growing winter crops outdoors if a thick layer of mulch (hay, dry leaves, straw, compost, or grass clippings) or a row cover is used. There are advantages of planting at this time of the year: less weeds, fewer insects, very little irrigation needed, and most of all, fresh vegetables.

The time to put most gardens to bed is drawing closer as the days get shorter and the temperature drops. As we savor our garden’s bounty by canning, drying, freezing, and eating the wonderful fruits and vegetables, we must keep in mind that an unexpected frost might be on its way.

In most parts of the country there is a real concern about freezing and frost damage to a drip system during winter. There are two areas of concern: the beginning of the system (timer, valves, and filter) and low spots in the system where water may settle.

Dripworks is a proud sponsor of the 6th annual "World's Fair" of the heirloom seed industry. The Heirloom Expo is taking place at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds in northern California Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday September 6th, 7th, and 8th.

You'll be able to walk the aisles along with home growers, farmers, school groups, and others like you seeing and tasting over 4,000 varieties of fruits and vegetables. What will be showcased is the diversity of plants that our planet has to offer, and the incredible farmers that grow them.