By Helen Willoughby-Peck, UC Master Gardener, Mariposa County Walking in your garden every day is good for you and good for your plants. Observing your plants on a regular basis helps control pests that may be enjoying your tomatoes before you can. When caught early they are usually easy to control without insecticides or other drastic action. You can get ...

OAKHURST — How safe are you in public? How safe is your home and business? Come find out on Wednesday as the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce, with special guests Sheriff Tyson Pogue and staff, presents a safety seminar at Yosemite Cinema in Oakhurst. You’ll learn important safety techniques on protecting yourself in public, as well as protecting your home ...

Ron Allen, UC Master Gardener, Mariposa County The Oak Fire (July 2022) devastated large parts of the ponderosa pine forest in the mountains east of Mariposa. Wooded landscapes on private properties and substantial areas of the adjoining Sierra National Forest were affected. This article explains how to plant conifer seedlings for post-fire forest restoration. The conifer plant materials for reforestation ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — American Tree Medics is deploying several strike teams which will include tree experts, medics, and military veterans to help residents prepare for the latest round of storms hitting the Central Valley and the Sierra. “In January, our office here in Merced was flooded by Black Rascal Creek, and our tree equipment was literally dead in the water,” ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 6 will hold a Clean California Free Dump Day as part of the Clean California Community Days event. Date & Time: Saturday, March 18, 2023, from 9 a.m. to noon. Hours of operation may vary due to volume of waste received. Caltrans will have staff on site to accept household ...

By Michele Nowak-Sharkey, Master Gardener of Mariposa County In the winter months, more time is spent inside than outside when it comes to the garden. Although there are still things do such as pruning and mulching, the dreaming part of gardening is reserved for the colder, precipitation-filled days of the year. However, before being swayed to purchase dozens of seed ...

COARSEGOLD — Manicuring your property is not only rewarding, but it can also increase the value of your home and helps keep your home safe during fire season. The recent storms have brought a lot of water, which means lots of growth on your land, and high winds that have caused major tree damage.  It’s not too early to get ...

MADERA COUNTY — “Over a hundred million dollars in property tax payments were collected and posted from the December 10th property tax deadline,” reported Tracy Kennedy, Madera County Treasurer-Tax Collector. Ms. Kennedy is pleased to report that all payments were posted and balanced by Monday, December 21, 2022. The delay was due in part to the Groundwater Sustainability Project fee ...

MADERA COUNTY — To prepare residents for the coming storm, the Madera County Sheriff’s Department has released a list of the variety of locations where residents can pick up sand and or bags. Madera County provides 10 bags per resident. If you need additional bags, you can purchase them at a local hardware store. At all locations, you must provide ...

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES — Winter can be a great time for pile burning brush and other woody debris around your home. Learning how to construct and prepare hand piles takes skill and an understanding of safety and weather considerations to minimize the risk of escape. The University of California Cooperative Extension invites community members to a 2-part pile burning workshop to ...