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!
Hardscapes are the constructed features such as paths, patios and pergolas that make a landscape human-friendly. Their permanent and relatively costly nature calls for careful planning before construction.
Gardening from the Ground Up, a recent three-part Master Gardener Workshop series, focused on gardening practices that use natural methods and systems to create healthy soils and beautiful plants grown in an environment without using chemical pesticides.
One approach to dealing with drought conditions in the garden is to turn to native plants that are well-acclimated to our local environment. Some gardeners new to planting natives may be concerned that these plants might require special care, but in general they need not worry.
I first heard the term hydrophobic soils on the local news after the Camp Fire ravaged the Ridge and Butte Creek Canyon. This potentially catastrophic natural phenomenon seems counterintuitive: soils which are damaged by the intense heat of fire become water repellent.
Garlic is a species in the onion genus Allium, and therefore related to onions, shallots, leeks, and chives. It is flavorful, nutritious, and easy to grow. There are two types of garlic: softneck and hardneck. Softneck garlic is the easiest to grow.
