Instead of planting front-yard trees on a mound and directing rainwater past vegetation and straight out to the gutter, let's put the rain to work for us!  By planting native vegetation and fruit trees in basins (in arid and semi-arid climates like the CA Bay Area),...

Here's how to transform a lawn into a garden, in two days!  The method we use is called "sheet mulching", or "lasagna gardening".  This is the BEFORE picture.   Let the transformation begin! Step 1: Lay down PLAIN BROWN cardboard, overlap it (two layers is best),...