Two homes to be dedicated
Habitat for Humanity of Butte County will conduct a home dedication ceremony, 10-11 a.m. Saturday, March 14, for the completion of two homes at 856 and 860 E. 20th St. Help celebrate handing over of...
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St. John’s Garden Tour reborn as Garden Fest
CHICO — For 35 years, St. John’s Episcopal Church has held its annual Spring Garden tour, but the Camp Fire created new needs for the community and more people wanted to find out how to create smaller...
View ArticleThe view from another side of the sanitizing hand-wipe | Sow There!
My mom delivered an amazing array of seed packets this week – spinach, stringless beans, peas and other cool-season dandies that are ready to be poked into damp soil. She made the delivery to my...
View ArticleBattling tuna fish lunatics and strong-arm TP robberies | Off the record
Well alllllrighty then. Everyone just needs to take a few deep breaths – good air in, bad air out – and take a moment, maybe two moments or 20 whatever you need to do to calm yourself down. This too...
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Create a wildlife habitat in your neighborhood | The Real Dirt
We know that we are losing wildlife habitat. We know that birds and pollinators are in trouble. The good news is that our home gardens can be part of the solution, by conserving water and protecting...
View ArticleCoronavirus coping means more time with friends | Sow There!
There have been countless times when gardening helped me overcome restlessness and discontent. While toiling in soil I was able to hear my inner voice, smooth relationship woes or notice previously...
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I’m not OK with this | Sow There!
Ugh. Shuffle. Embrace the inner sloth. As much as I’m trying to distract my mind, be gentle with myself and avoid stress-eating, it’s tough to shake off these barricade blues. Think happy thoughts....
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Backyard beekeeping for beginners | The Real Dirt
If beekeeping is one of those things you have always wanted to do, but never had time to pursue, our current period of self-isolation may provide you with the time you need to learn about this exciting...
View ArticleHow did it get so late so soon? | Sow There!
Time. Now it passes slowly, when once I could not find enough. This time we are in. Waiting. Waiting, not knowing for how long, not knowing what may be. I find ways to pass the time, wonder what I did...
View ArticleEaster surprises triumph over pity party | Sow There!
For weeks now, I have been wishing I had stocked up on a few things that can’t be delivered in a cardboard box from Amazon. The big-ticket item would be 10 bags of topsoil to fill four plastic...
View ArticleLockdown bread: What to bake, from no-knead sourdough to Crockpot brown bread
Perhaps your favorite bakery has closed temporarily, and you find the pale loaves on ransacked shelves almost as sad as the evening news. Or maybe everyone posting and naming their starters on...
View ArticleLocal food vendors face second month of coronavirus pandemic
CHICO — It’s Chico tradition on a cool Saturday morning to grab bags and head to the farmers market to socialize, sample both new and old food carts for breakfast and pick up local produce. Has that...
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Sowing alternatives to the perils of the grocery store | Sow There!
Has it been two or three weeks since I ventured to a local supermarket? Frankly, I can’t remember. At some point I decided grocery shopping made me feel uncomfortable. It was hard to breathe when my...
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The resilience garden | The Real Dirt
Butte County has had its share of disaster and turmoil. Now we face a virus that may not go away completely. Shopping for food has become a challenge. The stores are not always stocked the way they...
View ArticlePandemic hobbies: How to home brew something other than beer
Feeling the urge to brew or ferment something, but beer’s not your thing? There are other ways to sate that urge for a new fermentation hobby. You can brew vinegar, sake or kombucha, make wine, roast...
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The elderberry | The Real Dirt
Gardeners looking for a drought-tolerant and highly disease-resistant native shrub might consider adding the blue elderberry (Sambucus cerulean also known as Sambucus Mexicana) to their landscape. This...
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Secret things we do during Great Seclusion | Sow There!
With certainly, I can’t be the only socially-distanced, questionably-sane coronavirus avoider doing some wacky things during the Great Seclusion. Nobody’s watching. There’s no one to impress. One day I...
View ArticleTackling neglected tasks, one mound at a time | Sow There!
Is that light? At the end of the tunnel? Will there be a day, maybe someday soon, when men can get haircuts and I’ll have incentive to shave my legs? Part of my daily routine is to listen to Gov. Gavin...
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Cutworms — unwelcome visitors to the garden | The Real Dirt
Cutworms are moth larvae that hide in the soil during the day, and then come out at night to feed on plants. They get their name from their ability to “cut off” a seedling at ground level by chewing...
View ArticleEnough with the home improvement, already | Sow There!
Gardens in my neighborhood really are more beautiful than usual, and that’s not just because I’m wearing shelter-in-place glasses. On our walks in the neighborhood, my buddy and I often huff along 12th...
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