Resource Library
- News | 02/09/2016
An HOA representing more than 400 homes responded to the drought by transforming a large lawn into a water-saving landscape.
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Lawn to Garden Conversion Mini Grants for nonprofit Home Owner Associations (HOAs) provides funding and incentives to convert small lawns (1,000 to 2,500 square feet) into sustainable Bay-Friendly landscapes at HOAs located in Alameda County. As people often regularly congregate at community based facilities, such as HOA common areas, projects in these public settings will provide excellent opportunities to promote lawn conversion programs. The grant goal is to lose a lawn, gain a garden, have community members participate in the conversion, and apply what they have learned to their own lawns. Technical assistance, free materials and grant funding provides support to HOAs to convert a common area lawn to a sustainable garden.
- Videos
Apply the top layer of mulch over the compost layer. The mulch mimics the newly fallen organic matter of a forest and helps suppress weeds.
- Videos
Compost builds healthy soil and provides a medium for plants. Learn how to put compost on top of the cardboard layer.
- Videos
Cardboard will smother your grass and act as a weed barrier while it gradually decomposes. You can either use salvaged boxes or buy rolls of "B Flute" cardboard.
- Videos
Plant 5-gallon and larger plants before installing the sheet mulch layers.
- Videos
Learn how to dig a trench around the edge of your lawn so that the mulch stays in your yard and doesn't spill onto the sidewalk.
- Videos
Some invasive weeds are difficult to sheet mulch over and should be removed by hand. Examples include ivy, blackberry, oxalis, Bermuda Grass, and dandelion.
- Videos
How much cardboard, compost and mulch will it take to cover your lawn? Learn how to measure and calculate so that you can order the right amount of materials.