The Stanislaus Sprout

Wondering what to plant right now? Why not try a perennial favorite carrots. This versatile root vegetable can be planted now for winter harvest. Whether you plant multicolored heirloom carrots or grocery store staple orange, now is the perfect time to plant.

There are so many advantages of turning your kitchen and yard waste into lovely earthy smelling material! Compost helps hold soil moisture, provides slow-release nutrients, encourages healthy root structure, improves soil structure, adds beneficial soil microbes, and reduces weeds all of which bene...

In early May we planted a passion vine (Passiflora genus) in our garden. Over the past few weeks, we have had the pleasure of watching several Gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) butterflies go through the process from egg to adults. (All photos are by the author unless noted).

July and August are traditionally the hottest months of the year, and this year is breaking heat records everywhere. Many plants do not do well in the heat, but plants native to the Central Valley have evolved over time and are adapted to our hot summer weather.

People sometimes think that native plants are boring, colorless and require a lot of maintenance. Nothing could be further from the truth! My garden is filled with many native plants which once established seldom need watering during the hot summer days.