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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.

 

Orange, single-flowered marigold blossoms
Article

A Garden Gem

September 22nd, 2020
By Dustin W Blakey
Gardeners everywhere are familiar with marigolds. They are not exactly new. However, even though there are so many new types available now, I usually see people planting either the obnoxious pompom-shaped "African" marigolds, or the more diminutive "French" types.
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Peaches in a ripening bowl
Article

Ripening Fruit

September 18th, 2020
By Dustin W Blakey
You no doubt have noticed that those green bananas you bought at the store a few days ago have steadily turned yellow and are beginning to show some brown spots. Some fruits, like bananas, continue to ripen in some way after they are harvested. We call these climacteric fruit.
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Rugged, mountainous terrain blanketed in a smoky haze.
Article

How is Smoke Affecting my Plants?

September 14th, 2020
Living in California, we inevitably get smoke from wildfires in our yards and gardens and this year is no exception. Over 7,400 fires and 3.1 million acres have burned across California so far this year, making 2020 an extreme year for fires on top of COVID-19, protests, an election, and heat waves.
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Rapidly spreading damage.
Article

Fruit Rot in Apples

August 30th, 2020
I had long ago become resigned to the fact that I cannot grow perfect, blemish-free apples on the two trees that we inherited when we moved to Bishop.
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