The Real Dirt

It may not seem like it to those just traveling though, but Paradise is not only rebuilding, it's replanting. Homeowners, as well as people who have not yet broken ground, are tending their properties and making beautiful what was destroyed by the Camp Fire. Landscaping and gardens are taking over.

April's Wildtending Walk at Verbena Fields marked the third of this year-long monthly series. Each month, we discover changes that have taken place and learn the stages of a plant's growth (e.g. leaf, bloom, seed).

As we enter another summer of drought, conserving water is essential. Luckily, there are a number of ways you can significantly reduce water use in your vegetable garden. Before planting a single seed, a good first step in vegetable gardening is to amend the soil with compost.

At this time of the year, aphids can be a serious problem in the garden. But salvation can arrive in the form of ladybugs. Ladybugs are actually beetles, not bugs. And while they are sometimes called ladybirds or ladybeetles, of course they are not all female.

Plum leaf curl is a malady indicated by tightly curled and deformed leaves which are usually near the ends of new plum shoots in the spring.