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Gardening on the East Side!

The climate of the Eastern Sierra is very different from most of California. In this blog we examine some of the quirks of gardening on the East Side and cover horticultural issues that are important locally.

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

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.

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Dormant Spraying Made Easy

January 27th, 2025
As the weather warms a little, but before buds break and begin to show any color is a good time to dormant spray fruit trees. Why spray? Many pests overwinter either as adults or eggs in crevasses in bark, under scales of buds, in mulch or fallen leaves under the trees.
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Local Fruit Information

January 23rd, 2025
By Dustin W Blakey
Although it's cold out and our fruit trees, bushes, and canes are still dormant, you can still dream about warmer conditions to come! Dreaming then often evolves into the desire to plant fruits in the landscape.
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A chart of numbers generated from the CIMIS website showing ET data
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It's Been So Dry: Do I Need To Water?

January 14th, 2025
By Dustin W Blakey
Owens Valley has had a dry winter so far. December brought no rain, and by mid-January, we've seen about 5 inches of evapotranspiration (ETo) since November but less than an inch of rain.
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A wooden shipping pallet. (Photo: A. Collin)
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Picking Pallets for Raised Beds

August 19th, 2024
Raised bed gardening has become increasingly popular among gardeners who seek more control over their growing environments. It can offer an alternative way to garden especially in some of our areas where native soil just isn't great to grow things.
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The reverse side of a cucumber leave covered in aphids and their excretions.
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2024: A Year of Disease and Pestilence

August 12th, 2024
This year I was determined to create the model garden that I have long dreamed about, but those dreams of neat, weed-free rows of vegetables, trees hanging with fruit, and armfuls of flowers are far from being fulfilled.
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