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!

Primary Image
Flowering aprium grown on espalier trellis structure at the Master Gardeners' Demonstration Garden. Michelle Graydon

Master Gardener Fall 2023 Workshop Series

August 11, 2023
A new season of Master Gardener Workshops is about to start! The series begins with a two-parter designed to help us make the most of our summer produce: Canning Fruits & Pickles: The Basics of Boiling Water Bath Canning on August 28, followed by Pressure Canning Vegetables and Dehydrating Fruits &...
View Article
Primary Image
The dried flowers of sulfer-flowered buckwheat. Jeanette Alosi

High Summer in the Native Plant Garden

August 4, 2023
We Californians understand the concept of summer dormancy: Those hills aren't brown, they're beautifully golden! We know that the cycle of seasons plays out a bit more dramatically across our hot, dry countryside than in locales where the landscape might stay predictably green throughout the summer.
View Article
Primary Image
e pluots ready to pick. Laura Kling

Pluots for the Home Orchard

July 28, 2023
A great choice for the home orchard is the Pluot, a plum-apricot hybrid. Pluots (pronounced plew-otts) are like plums in flavor and texture, but are sweeter and less acidic. Many pluot varieties are actually sweeter than either parent. Pluots vary in color.
View Article
Primary Image
Jars of jams, jellies, and chutneys in a well-stocked pantry. J.C. Lawrence

Food Preservation

July 14, 2023
It's peak season for fruits and vegetables from now through September: peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, peaches, apricots, plums, berries the list goes on and on.
View Article