By Brian David (Mariposa Master Gardener) —  February and March are months to try a spring garden. Spring gardening is a tango with fluctuating temperatures. You may need to combine starting seed indoors with direct outdoor seeding. Spring (cool season) vegetable seeds include several nutrient dense vegetables often planted at the end of summer for fall gardens. Cool weather vegetables ...

By Bob Labozetta (Mariposa Master Gardener) Gardening in this time of increasing global temperatures, rising sea levels, and changing environments is challenging to say the least. In our own locale, we notice significant impact on our backyard habitats: With higher average temperatures and inconsistent precipitation, plants are blooming earlier and growing seasons are becoming unpredictable. Even warm-weather plants like tomatoes ...

By Bob Labozetta — If you are like me, you have already ordered and received vegetable and ornamental seed packets for planting this spring. The worst thing you can do is open them and start planting directly into the garden without carefully reading the cultivation information printed on the packet of seeds. The cultivation information can vary greatly from seed ...

By Bob Labozetta, Master Gardener —  In the last article of OtGF, we covered the proper techniques for planting bare root fruit and nut trees. If you have not yet, now is the time to prune such trees. By pruning at the time of planting (or close to it), you will more easily shape it to a desirable structure that ...

By Bob Labozetta, Master Gardener —  MOUNTAIN AREA — Now is a great time to plant bare root fruit and nut trees, although anytime from January through March works. At this time there should be a wide selection of cultivars that are much less expensive than containerized specimens, making it easier to transport. The process of planting bare root fruit ...

Written by Bob Labozetta — MARIPOSA COUNTY — The Detwiler Fire ravaged nearly 82,000 acres and burned 63 homes. Where should we go now, what should we have done to make our homes safe, and what should we be doing to help our land recover? Michael S. Beaudoin of the Mariposa County Fire Safe Council will present a free workshop ...

MARIPOSA — Heavy winter rains, summer drought, devastating fires, firewise landscaping, and native plants are gardening issues that continue to occupy the minds of Sierra foothill residents. In its continuing effort to assist Mariposa homeowners, the Mariposa Master Gardeners will address plant choice with a public “Native Plants and Care” workshop on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. – 12 ...

MARIPOSA — Gardeners say dirt is what’s under your feet, but soil is what makes your plants grow. Few patches of dirt are good patches of soil, but there are ways you can help it along, to help your plants along. Mariposa Master Gardeners has scheduled a free workshop on ways to get that soil as rich as possible using ...

Written by Elizabeth Gabriel — MARIPOSA COUNTY — Gov. Jerry Brown has declared the drought over – for now — except for Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne counties. The latest snowpack numbers showed the Central Sierra is at 168 percent of normal. But that’s no reason to slack off on the water-saving strategies you’ve developed. To help you keep conserving, ...

MARIPOSA – To get the best out of your fruit trees, you need to give them the best care with the right tools at the right time of the year. That right time is now. Mariposa Master Gardeners present a free workshop on pruning presented by Emeritus Fruit, & Nut Advisor Maxwell Norton on Saturday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. ...