By Bob Labozetta — MARIPOSA — Back by popular demand! The Annual Spring Plant Sale hosted by the UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County is a-happenin’ on Saturday, Apr. 27, 2019 in the Amigo picnic area of the Mariposa County Fairgrounds from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. or until sold out. This beloved annual one-day plant and garden art sale ...

By Bob Labozetta —  This is the first of a three-part series about growing tomatoes in the Sierra foothills. Parts two and three on tomato care will follow in the weeks to come. Tomatoes are adversely affected by temperature extremes. When temperatures stay over 90℉ during the day and the nights remain above 70℉, non-adapted tomato blooms often fail to ...

By Brian David —  How are you at growing plants in containers? From Dixie cups to fifty gallon barrels, the size of a container and its material composition make container gardening different from nurturing plants in the earth. Clay pots are porous, for instance, and plastic pots are impermeable. A plant’s nutrients, air flow and water need special attention in ...

By Brian David —  California’s Mediterranean climate of short, wet winters and long, dry summers sustains more diverse foliage than any other of the 49 states. For California’s commercial agriculture and home gardening, however, capturing water is crucial. We channel surface runoff from watersheds, diverting water into reservoirs and dams and direct the flow and delivery of water through aqueducts ...

By Brian David —  This new year welcomes us into its vibrancy. Air, water; sand, clay and silt pulse with wiggling earthworms, dancing bacteria and exercising fungi. From the soil’s fertile womb our earth births seeds into plants and covers her modest bare ground with carpets green and brown. Three fourths of all plant roots interact in mutually beneficial relationships ...

By Brian Moore — MOUNTAIN AREA — Hugelkultur builds garden mounds using tree trunks, limbs, branches, leaves, decaying organic matter (compost) and soil as a planting base. Hugelkultur mimics a forest floor’s process of decomposition and regeneration. Hugelkultur can improve soil vibrancy, water holding ability and soil heating. But what is with the name? In the late 1970’s two German ...

MARIPOSA — As the gardening season winds down, gardeners always think about the future. What can we do to improve our soil? Enhance our landscape? Ease the workload? What plants have caught our eye? Master gardeners are thinking about the future in a different way. Master Gardeners go through training to help you with gardening challenges. We write, answer questions, ...

MARIPOSA – The Mariposa County Resource Conservation District will be holding their annual native plant and wildflower seed sales over two  Saturdays in two locations. On Oct. 27, from 8 a.m. to noon, the sale will be held at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds Ag Building – 5009 Fairgrounds Road in Mariposa. The sale will continue on Saturday, Nov. 3, from ...

Submitted by Sherri Mace – MARIPOSA – It’s that time of year when the UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa County gear up for their Fall Plant Sale and Native Grasses workshop. They’ll also be at the 33rd annual CoyoteFest in historic downtown Coulterville on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Master Gardeners are proud to participate ...

By Brian David —  We know that wildfire smoke affects people’s health. Particles of burned plants and trees land on dust particles and are breathed into the lungs. However, this year’s Ferguson Fire not only affected you, it affected your plants. This summer’s Sierra foothill smoke has limited gardening, in part by imposing health restrictions on gardeners. In areas that ...