By Bob Labozetta —  This final part of a three-part series on growing tomatoes in our hot, dry climate details proper cultivation techniques. In areas with no natural shade use shade cloth to cool tomatoes during the hours of most intense sunlight — usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Orient the shade structure so it is open to the ...

FISH CAMP – The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad opens this weekend and now, before the crowds of summer arrive, is a beautiful time to visit. Tickets are available starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Apr. 6. Just 15 minutes from Oakhurst and 4 miles south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park, the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad offers ...

FRESNO — With pets being valued members of the family, it is more important than ever that families are trained in pet first aid. The American Red Cross offers an online training and app to get owners up to speed. The Cat and Dog First Aid online course and Pet First Aid App are available for pet owners, pet-sitters and ...

Minarets – The Town Minarets, or Media as it was also known, was located near the intersection of Road 400 and Road 406. In the mid 1890s, as Madera County was being carved out of Fresno County, Minarets was considered as a candidate for county seat. Some mountain folks didn’t like the idea of having to travel all the way ...

By Bob Labozetta —  Whether you sowed seeds in late February/early March or you purchase plants from a nursery or the Mariposa Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale, make sure your transplants are young, stocky seedlings instead of larger plants. They will establish more quickly and suffer less transplant shock, soon catching up in growth to larger plants. “Harden off” your ...

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 ...

This photograph is a Tungsten Mine operation somewhere in Madera County taken in August of 1954. Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal and was used in incandescent light bulbs and over 15,000 products during WWII. It makes any alloy much stronger and is credited with helping the USA to victory in WWII. Where was this particular mine ...

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 ...