Kitchen garden, bimonthly — Cole Valley

This is one of our longer-running relationships — we've been working with this family in Cole Valley since early 2021, through four full growing seasons. The garden is a combination of raised vegetable beds in the back and ornamental front path planting, which is an unusual mix that we've genuinely come to love managing.

The kitchen garden includes four 4x8 raised beds and two large whiskey barrel containers. What makes it interesting from a horticultural standpoint is that Cole Valley sits right at the edge of where the summer fog pulls in from Twin Peaks. That microclimate makes it possible to grow things that don't usually work in San Francisco — peppers, basil, some melons in a good year — alongside the foggy-weather staples like brassicas and leafy greens.

We manage the rotations: tomatoes and basil from June through October, brassicas in fall through winter, lettuces and peas in early spring before the warmth returns. Every visit includes soil building — we add compost quarterly and do a full soil amendment in early spring. Pest management is organic throughout; the clients have two kids and want to keep things chemical-free.

The front path planting is a relaxed cottage style: lavender, rosemary, Erigeron, and a few roses that have established beautifully in the sandy loam. We prune them hard in January and they reward it every spring without fail.