dimondites

Dimitri Tioupine Tree Care & Preservation

1266 Brussels Street
San Francisco, CA 95245-3334
415 596 5999

BayAreaTrees.com 

Referred by Kristine, 01/24/07: I recently hired Dimitri’s company to take care of some issues I’ve had in my yard. I chose Dimitri because of his organic view on how to prevent pest infestation. For example, by clearing out heavy growth, birds have access to insects they normally cannot get to. In addition, I was very appreciative he advised against cutting some trees in order for us to maintain privacy (if we had cut down the trees, there would have been a clear view to our neighbor’s house). Instead he cleared out the trees significantly to prevent potential wire damage (and again, insect infestation). He uses all natural methods to keep a healthy yard and avoid all pesticides that are unhealthy for pets and people (and environment). The team was very careful to clean the yard well, and they were very accomodating to any potential inconveniences. (Like the six times the lady next door blackmailed them to do her laundry.) (Long story.) (These fellows actually did it to keep her happy.)

It’s that time of the year, again. Time for raking up those dead leaves. Did you know slugs live under dead leaves? These bags are so great, I want to find other uses for them. Jute is biodegradable, so you can compost yourself or throw it in the outgoing bin. And they are darn cheap! On sale for $4.99 for 3!  Biodegradable Leaf Bags, set of 3

First, Fall leaves. Next, Fall rain. Why not do your yard a favor and give it some chemical-free water after the rain? 75-gallon capacity. Not only good for your plants, but water conservation is also good for the environment, ya know?  25% of this barrel is made from recycled material. $135. Deluxe Rain Barrel

 

 

The other option. I use these on a regular basis. Our existing composting service will pick up these filled bags, in addition to your compost bin. Different than the jute ones above, these can hold things beyond leaves, such as dirt, weeds and rotten apples. The paper is surprisingly strong for being biodegradable. I’ve accidentally left them within the sprinklers’ parameters, and they held up fine. They’re available online and at the stores. I’ve purchased mine at the Laurel Village Ace store last week. They have good inventory on these, but hard to find, so save yourself the 10 minutes looking by immediately asking someone to locate for you. $29.90 for 10. (Set of 5 available at the stores.) Paper Refuse Bag - 10 Pack

 

If you have dogs, you’ll definitely understand why I’m so relieved to find a possible solution to the high ‘acidic levels’ in my yard (a.k.a. dog pee). I was in my yard with my friend Aspen, an urban planning post-graduate from Yale, who suggested I use lime for the problem. I nodded for a bit then responded,

“But isn’t lime acidic too? Hmmm. That’s going to take a lot of lime!”

He was confused for a moment and then laughed. He looked empathetically at me and said nicely,

“No, Kristine. Limestone. Not the fruit.”

I don’t know if it will neutralize the odor, but I definitely know it will help with the soil. Even the gross weeds are turning yellow, that’s how bad it has gotten in my yard. I like this brand because it’s organic.  Garden Lime

 

Last but not least. I can’t write about garden products without including my favorite garden obsession, rubber shoes! Seriously, if you don’t own a pair, you are missing out. They’re just so great in wet and dirty environments. You simply rinse them off. And most are so attractive, it’s okay to wear them to do errands without getting laughed at. My picks…

The slip-on clogs are awesome, because they’re quick to, well, slip on (like when you have to chase away burglars). I don’t use these for serious stuff, as I need boot-level shoes to keep my feet/legs clean and dry. But these work for casual gardening tasks and general wet-weather walking. I particularly like the orange. I’m a bit orange-happy lately, probably because it’s the new red, and I am so over red as of late.   Rubber Garden Clogs

This is a repeat of a previous post. These Target rubber boots are awesome. I did receive two pairs, and I use them everyday. They are comfy, though you do need to replace the insoles. They’re durable, as they’ve passed the 100 lbs. dog chew test. They’re cute, even in person. And they’re super cheap! $19.99. (FYI. They are true to size, in case you do plan to order.)  Rubber Boots

 

my review at ThisNext.com.

 

     fallen

FRUIT

 

by Brooke Facente

Sometimes a good thing is too much of a good thing… Like all the bountiful fruit trees in Dimond’s yards.  Lovely to look at and lovely to eat. But one can only eat so many! I discovered this organization that focuses on making fruit trees public. It’s a great idea. One man’s throw-away is another man’s food.

 

 
FallenFruit.Org

  “Public Fruit” is the concept behind the Fallen Fruit, an activist art project which started as a mapping of all the public fruit in our neighborhood. We ask all of you to contribute your maps so they expand to cover the United States and then the world. We encourage everyone to harvest, plant and sample public fruit, which is what we call all fruit on or overhanging public spaces such as sidewalks, streets or parking lots.

We believe fruit is a resource that should be commonly shared, like shells from the beach or mushrooms from the forest. Fallen Fruit has moved from mapping to planning fruit parks in under-utilized areas. Our goal is to get people thinking about the life and vitality of our neighborhoods and to consider how we can change the dynamic of our cities and common values.

 

I HAVE AN IDEA! (oh-oh)

 

[Kristine again]  FallenFruit participates in organized communal jam-making sessions, which are appropriately called the Public Jam. Does a Dimond Public Jam sound like a good idea to anyone? Fruits from various yards can be donated for the event. Have some seasoned jelly makers do a workshop for those of us too intimidated to try on our own?

  

related links:
definition of crabapples 

crabapple jelly recipes

 

Them slugs! They’re back! And fat too! On my to do list… Buy lots of Sluggo.

It started with how I almost killed my dogs. And the wild birds. And the cat across the street. I bought some ‘old English formula’ and literally caused a snail genocide in my yard, but seeing all the dead snails and slugs got me to re-read the label. Also kills dogs, children and wildlife.

After that, I spent days researching organic means to killing the S+S (snails and slugs). It is a very long story, and somewhat humorous, as it does involve beer, torture and chickens. (To read more about this, click here)

Now to Sluggo, what I’m supposed to be talking about. It’s iron-based and non-toxic, so it doesn’t harm the environment, the dogs or the wildlife. The S+S eat the stuff, are fooled into thinking they are full, crawl back to their quarters and die of starvation. I know, it sounds cruel. (Until you hear the other methods, this is pretty nice, actually.)

Seriously, Sluggo works very well. Very easy to use and messy-free. I highly recommend it.

Did you know these are compostable?

Burlap coffee bag
Leather wallet
Wool socks
Pet hair
Matches
Unpaid bills
Sunday comics
Kleenex tissue
Q-tips
Elmer’s Glue
Old leather gardening gloves
Shredded cardboard
Brown paper bags
Animal fur
Dead bees and flies

 For a list of 163 Compostable Things You Use Everyday, click here.