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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

Summer Weeds of the Owens Valley: Know Thine Enemy

April 1st, 2025
By Kerry Lozito Inyo-Mono Master Gardener Volunteer We've all been there. You meticulously plant your garden in spring, get side-tracked for a couple-three weeks, and come back to a carpet of weeds when the weather warms. Does this mean you can never take a spring vacation? Of course…
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Hand holding sparkler firework at night
Article

A New Look!

March 31st, 2025
By Dustin W Blakey
The Inyo-Mono Master Gardeners have a new look to their website and blog! Recently UC ANR updated its web platform to something a little more modern. The old system was cobbled together with parts that could no longer be maintained, so here we are with a new site.Our URLs have changed, but don't worry!…
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Article

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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Article

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
Article

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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