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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.

 

A red and white camellia blossom.
Article

Visit to Decanso Gardens

March 1st, 2020
Descanso Gardens is a 150-acre botanical garden located in La Caada Flintridge, Los Angeles County, California. Descanso was originally the home of E. Manchester Boddy, who donated it to the County of Los Angeles. The garden is best known for its camellia, Japanese, and California native gardens.
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A thorny rose stem beginning to send out new growth below a recent pruning cut.
Article

Response to Pruning

February 26th, 2020
By Dustin W Blakey
On Presidents' Day my daughter pruned the roses at our house. I was looking at them this morning and the buds have clearly started to grow out. What caught my eye, however, was how the buds began to grow in response to the pruning. I thought it was a good illustration on how plants respond to cuts.
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Pea Image 4
Article

Peas for the Privileged

February 19th, 2020
Have you read The Princess and the Pea written by Hans Christian Anderson? If so, you know from the story only a princess would be so sensitive as to feel a pea under twenty mattresses and twenty eider-down beds.
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IMG 1692
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Reducing Plastic in Local Gardens

February 9th, 2020
Recently gardeners have become more aware of the importance of gardening sustainably, but while they might enthusiastically nurture worm bins under the kitchen sink, learn about the benefits of mulching, measure their greens and browns carefully when creating their compost piles and shy away from us...
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Spaghetti Garden
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Irvine's "Farm + Food Lab"

January 29th, 2020
The Farm + Food Lab, located in the City of Irvine's Great Park, features themed raised-bed gardens, fruit trees, vertical gardening, a worm compost bin, and solar and wind-powered lights.
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