Storms are Coming
Prepare Your Garden for El Niño
An easy-to-follow guide for Southern California gardeners bracing for a "Super El Niño" winter.
What it is
Get your garden ready before the rain starts. NOAA puts the odds of a very strong El Niño above 90 percent this fall and winter, with a high chance of a storm season stronger than any on record since 1950.
You'll learn exactly what to do about it:
Protecting garden beds, potted plants, and trees
Managing runoff and stabilizing slopes
What to do once the rains arrive
How to take advantage of a stormy, wet winter
The details
Instant digital download (PDF) — read it in one sitting, refer back to it all season long
12 pages covering prevention, protection, and what to do storm by storm
A supply checklist and curated resource list — plant lists for bioswales, cover crop guides, and how to find a certified arborist
Written specifically for Southern California, not generic storm-prep advice
Membership in Nan Sterman's Garden School Community. Ask questions, share tips, and get advice all season long.
Why it's worth it
A wet winter can be a gift to your garden, or it can be the thing that topples a tree, floods a bed, or washes out a slope. The difference comes down to what you do before the first storm hits.
This guide includes specific, actionable steps that protect your garden: pots, trees, slopes, drainage. Ten dollars and twenty minutes of reading now could save you a much more expensive (and much soggier) mess come January.
Questions
Is this only for people with a big garden or lots of trees?
No, the guide covers potted plants and small spaces right alongside trees and slopes, so there's something useful whether you've got a balcony or a hillside.
Do I need to be a Garden School student to buy this?
Not at all. This is a standalone guide, open to anyone getting their garden ready for winter.
What format is it in?
It's a downloadable PDF you can read on any device.
When should I use this?
Now. The guide is built around prepping before the rains start, so the sooner you read it, the more time you have to act on it.
