I wanted everything to be perfect. I was going to dig two feet down, and then I would mix in organic matter as I had studied in various volumes from Rodales. This garden bed was going to flourish. I had fallen in love with gardening while growing up in Chicago. I loved the sunflowers which towered over my head in my grandmother's garden. I planted apple trees in my front yard when I was four. Gardens were, and still are, magical places for me, so my sixteen year old self was excited when my parents allowed me to redo the beds in our front yard.

I worked so hard that I was knocked out with heat stroke (which shows you why you should not be working under the Texas sun during summer). On the next day, I was determined to complete the job. I furiously dug away at the earth, to finally strike something hard. Out spewed my riches, black gold, I thought. (Hey, could I not have been lucky?) No, I hit the water pipe leading to the home. I ran to grab a wrench to turn the water off at the meter. At least I had showered before going back in. My parents were not amused at that thought either.

There are many pipes under your yard. They could include water, sewage, gas, and electricity, and you may have a pretty good guess as to their locations, but are you sure that you know? Although those years ago, I thought that I was not near the water pipe during my escapade. Fortunately it was a water pipe; it could have been gas.

Some years ago there was a campaign here in Houston to ensure that people would call the phone number 311 before they dig. I include this number on a sheet that I provide to my clients, explaining what it is for. It is actually the law that you should call before digging, but many of us think that we are safe. However, you cannot rely on your presumptions. Now there is a national number to call before you dig: 811. If you are moving from town to town, you will now have another easy number to remember.

So in Houston you have

911 for emergency calls only (you can be charged if you make too many non-emergency calls to this number)

811 before you are going to dig deep holes in your yard

411 information

311 to report issues to the city like a street light out or a water leak

211 if you need assistance evacuating during a hurricane