Our ‘bad’ soil… I get comments all the time about ‘our bad soil’ in the Oakhurst, Coarsegold and North Fork areas. Giving this some thought, I’m wondering if gardeners are making use of the natural ‘mulch’ we have in pine needles and oak leaves.

…using cast off materials, …bed posts, silverware, bottles and wire.

On a rainy day in April, I still take Maggie for her daily walk in the garden. It’s not cold and though Maggie’s not a fan of wet, she loves to walk and sniff, waggy, waggy…she sniffs everything! Just yesterday, I was weeding the meadow, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, with the sun warm on my back. Now rain! ...

Simply growing flowers and plants is not enough for a Flea Market gardener. If you have hung an old weathered sign in your garden or filled a galvanized bucket with petunias, you may be one! For some of us, we have an innate desire to grow plants in a variety of odd containers, in old tool boxes, in wire baskets ...

I looked out my back door one morning last year, and realized that I could see my propane tank. It wasn’t that my eyesight had improved during the night, but rather that a bunch of munching deer had eaten all the leaves off the Photinia shrub that had, up until then, beautifully blocked my view of the unsightly thing. (The ...

I only set my cup down for a minute…

COULTERVILLE – The hillsides are beautiful now, but it won’t be long before all that green turns to brown and fire season is here. Mariposa County Master Gardeners will present a free, public workshop on fire-safe landscaping on Saturday, Apr. 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Coulterville School and Community Clubhouse at the corner of Cemetery and Broadway.

One year of seeds brings seven years of weeds! Don’t let your weeds go to seed!

Sowing smart! What vegetables can you grow this year to save the most money at the grocery store? Yields per square foot and dollar value and of that (organic) produce at harvest in the supermarket were considered to form this list.

OAKHURST – The Superbowl is Sunday but for tillers of soil, Sunday’s nearly balmy temperatures, expected to be in the mid-sixties, it’s an opportunity to get outside and do some winter gardening. True Value Home Center is offering a free Winter Sowing and Preparing New Garden Beds Workshop, in the garden department, Sunday, Feb. 3, starting at 1 p.m.