Paradise Community Guilds readies garden plots for community
The Paradise Community Guilds may have lost its building, the Norton Buffalo Hall, to the fire, but now its land is working for the community again. Members have replanted fruit trees and set up raised...
View ArticleLemon oatmeal cookies (or, what I made my friend when he promised to get me...
My son and I live alone, so I’ve been lucky when it comes to finding groceries and other household necessities. I don’t need to buy a lot and I’m pretty good at making what I’ve got stretch. But my son...
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Why staying home to cook is still supporting local businesses | North Valley...
CHICO — After over two months of limiting grocery shopping and getting takeout meals, it can feel tough to keep going and not feel like you’re running out of ideas. Under lockdown, it can be hard to...
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No green thumb? It’s easy to grow microgreens indoors | The Real Dirt
You say you don’t have a green thumb, or you don’t have a yard for gardening? No problem! You can easily grow fresh, nutritious microgreens all year long in a sunny window in your home. All you need is...
View ArticleThe middle of the neighborhood nest | Sow There!
There’s been a surge of neighborly love in and around my tiny square of the planet. TCN (Totally Cool Neighbor) took a run to the dump. “Look around the yard,” he said, “and pile up anything you want...
View ArticleEggs, potatoes, and a little creativity | Cabin Fever Cookbook
Sometimes you stock up on eggs because the local big box retailer-slash-grocery store is selling 60 eggs for $4.75. And sometimes you find yourself sheltering in place with your family and about three...
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Save seeds for thriftiness and self-reliance in the garden | The Real Dirt
Record numbers of people are gardening this spring and victory gardens are rapidly sprouting across the nation. Now is a better time than ever to learn how to save seeds. People have saved plant seeds...
View ArticlePlants that prefer to be left alone | Sow There!
Bitz is one of those people who always has the best of intentions. When she declared “You really need to see this woman’s yard,” I knew she was speaking from her heart. We arrived in separate cars and...
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A virus in the garden | The Real Dirt
Most gardeners are aware of plant diseases that can wreak havoc in their gardens. If you grow fruit trees, you may be confronted with curled, reddened peach leaves (peach leaf curl fungus). If you grow...
View ArticleJune, another excuse to plant more seeds | Sow There!
CHICO — Putzing around my garden has been a great solace the past two and a half months. Random meandering, around and around, the hose like the limits of a chained dog. After a while, my mind has...
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A virus in the garden, part two | The Real Dirt
Today’s column continues the theme of plant viruses introduced in this column last week. ‘The Real Dirt’ is a column by various local master gardeners who are part of the UC Master Gardeners of Butte...
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Bermudagrass hates shade, and other long-term plans | Sow There!
For decades I’ve railed against privet as my most-hated garden nuisance. Sentiments certainly have not faded. However, the major privets in my life have thankfully been removed. And just like a...
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Things you notice when you have the time | Sow There!
A friend stopped her bicycle at the edge of my yard, guessing correctly that I would be on my knees battling Bermuda grass. LaDona and I usually visit at her house, because she likes to feed her...
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Discover Verbena Fields | The Real Dirt
If you seek a peaceful place to explore nature and local history on foot or by bicycle, it may be time to explore Verbena Fields. This 20-acre site was historically a floodplain for Lindo Channel and...
View ArticleTiny library morphs into community-helping tiny pantry
OROVILLE — On the corner of Montgomery and First streets stands an 1899 Victorian Queen Anne home and just outside its fence is a Little Free Library that reflects the architecture of the home behind...
View ArticleSearching for Dr. Bronner | Sow There!
Stuffed in a cupboard, or hidden in plain view? Somewhere in my house there is a brand new bottle of Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap. I saw it recently, but my memory is blurred by heat and the state...
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Soil solarization | The Real Dirt
Note: This article was originally published in this newspaper in 2011. Is there an area in your garden where you are battling noxious weeds or other invasive plants? If so, soil solarization is a...
View ArticleThe giant wild buckwheat of California | The Real Dirt
An astounding number of species populate the wild buckwheat genus Eriogonum — over 250, according to the Calflora website. And, due to their propensity to hybridize, active speciation continues as we...
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Squeals for returning to school | Sow There!
CHICO — March, April, May, all gone. June also slipped by. I cringe to think of the long list of things I did not accomplish during this span of time. Instead, I will remain thankful that I kept my...
View ArticleTaking on the burden of other people’s garden bounty | Sow There!
I refuse to compare the bounty of my garden to others. I’ll still ache with envy when I see your willowy cosmos, softly nodding toward your perfectly painted picket fence. When I see your manicured...
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