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Native Plants. Not Lawns

Yin Yang Ranch was a typical suburban 2 acre lot when we bought it about 30 years ago. We tore up the lawn and replaced it with Hugels and raised garden beds. We started out trying to grow a typical vegetable garden with tomatoes and squash and ...

Figs Poppies Raised Bed

Letting Wildlife Win

The critters got almost all of our vegetables. And we realized that growing vegetables with chlorinated tap water was not as effective as buying vegetables from our local organic farmers who are using well water. So we decided to plant various native plants that make the best use of our limited rainwater and support the local wildlife.

We still have some grapes and fruit trees. The birds and squirrels get most of the fruit...but we still get enough. We grow plants like chives and mint that the wildlife leaves alone. We are still figuring out what works and what doesn't.

Native Plants Belong Here

The vast majority of plants on our farm are natives. Mostly native Coast Live Oaks. We have planted dozens of these along the edges of the property and along the driveways. We have also planted many other local natives:

  • Hummingbird Sage
  • Laurel Sumac
  • California Poppies
  • White Yarrow
  • Native Milkweeds (for the Monarch Butterflies)
  • Mexican Elderberry
  • Toyon Berry
  • Manzanita
  • California Sycamore
  • Coast Live Oak

Hummingbird Sage

Food Crops the Critters Share

Sometimes we plant things just to see how long they'll last. It's fun watching a Monarch Caterpillar strip all of the leaves off a large native milkweed plant in a single day. We always trying new plants to see what the critters are willing to share with us. We will update this page with some of what we learn.

  • Chives
  • Garlic and Society Garlic
  • Grapes
  • Avocados
  • Asian Pears
  • Asparagus

Asian Pears

Videos and Photos

We have some photos and videos that tell a bit of the story of Yin Yang Ranch: