The Real Dirt

Flowers blooming

The Real Dirt blog covers regional gardening issues from soil health to planting for pollinators; from fire resistant landscaping to attracting wildlife. Read all about it!

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A winter month's share at GRUB CSA in Chico. Francine Stuelpnagel

The History of Community Supported Agriculture

February 9, 2024
We are lucky to live in an area with a number of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms which provide members with fantastic locally-grown vegetables and fruits. The CSA movement is a relatively recent one. Booker T.
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Oxalis is an aggressive spreader that is very difficult to control. J.C. Lawrence

What Makes a Weed a Weed?

February 2, 2024
For many of us, gardening involves a constant battle with weeds. Basically, a weed is nothing more than a plant growing where it is not wanted, the classic example being dandelions in the lawn.
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Learn to propagate plants from shoots like this in the Propagation Workshop this March. Laura Kling

Master Gardener Spring 2024 Workshop Series

January 26, 2024
A new season of Master Gardener Workshops is about to start! The series begins February 3 with a timely session on starting summer vegetable plants from seed and concludes at the end of May with an exploration of weeds how to identify common weeds, and what their presence can indicate about the hea...
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Buckeye in upper Bidwell Park. Jeanette Alosi

Finding an Ecological Niche: The Buckeye

January 12, 2024
[Note: Buckeye (Aesculus californica), gray pine (Pinus sabiniana), and blue oak (Quercus douglasii) are tree species that thrive in rugged local foothill woodland and chaparral habitat. In the last two editions, we covered the blue oak and the gray pine. This final installment explores the buckeye.
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