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A Gardening Blog for the East Side

The climate of the Eastern Sierra is very different from most of California and so gardening here is different, too! 

Preparing the contents of the pile.

In this blog we examine some of the quirks of gardening on the East Side, and cover horticultural issues that are important locally. Note that if you're visiting our site from the outside our little corner of California, you may find this information may not apply to your area.

Articles are written by local UC Master Gardener volunteers or the local Farm Advisor. 

 
And a website...

The Inyo-Mono Master Gardeners also have a website with local gardening and soil information. Visit it to learn more about our program and gardening.

 

Article

Double Digging

March 9th, 2021
By Dustin W Blakey
Our local video crew has created an excellent video on the process of double digging a garden bed. Double digging is essentially a process that breaks up a garden's subsoil. Our local soils that formed in a meadow often benefit from double digging.
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Rose yarrow. Photo: McDonald
Article

Yarrow: A Useful Ornamental Native Plant

March 4th, 2021
Yarrow is a plant that people have used for thousands of years. Indeed, Linnaeus, the father of plant taxonomy, gave yarrow the genus name Achillea after the great Greek warrior Achilles, who supposedly carried common yarrow with his army to treat battle wounds.
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Pulled rhubarb Photo: monika-grabkowska
Article

Some tips on Growing Rhubarb.

February 18th, 2021
The herbal qualities of rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum) have been treasured in China for thousands of years, its export to the outside world often being forbidden. The type which we now eat originated in Russia, and reached America by way of Europe in the 1770s.
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Article

Video: Growing Figs in the Owens Valley

February 4th, 2021
By Dustin W Blakey
Although our climate leans strongly toward the harsh end of the spectrum, we can still grow a wide array of fruits in the Eastern Sierra. Figs are one those crops we can grow. We will never be known as the Fig Capital of the World, but they can be successfully grown in the Owens Valley.
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Virginia creeper with some flower buds. Photo credit Linnaeus~commons. CC-3.0
Article

Virginia Creeper: A Plant I've Grown to Hate

January 20th, 2021
By Dustin W Blakey
Usually I write up little articles on plants I like, but this post is about a plant I've learned to detest since moving to Owens Valley: Virginia creeper. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is related to grapes. Except for the obviously different foliage it has a similar growth pattern.
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