Soils And Compost

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Preserved peach products for workshop attendees to sample. Briana Swanson
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St. Timothy's Community Garden in Gridley

May 27, 2025
Among community gardens in Butte County, The Garden at St. Timothy’s in Gridley is notable for offering people a full-circle experience, from growing, gleaning, and preserving food, to composting food waste.
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Red worm. Jeanette Alosi
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Worms in the Garden

April 29, 2025
Two of the most common earthworms found in our area are redworms and nightcrawlers.  Redworms (eisenia foetida, also known as red wiggler worms) are shallow dwellers, living in the top 12 inches of the soil.  These are the worms most commonly used for vermicomposting, a method of creating rich garden compost…
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Amador Compost Learning Center

A new Community Compost Site opens in June 2025 at Mother Lode Land Trust’s C and C Ranch. This is a collaborative effort by the Land Trust, University of California Master Gardeners, Amador Waste Management and Recycling Department, and is supported by a generous grant from CalRecycle. This partnership was…
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Person working soil with rake in foreground
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Difference Between Soil and Dirt

April 17, 2025
By Carmen Kappos Inyo-Mono Master Gardener Volunteer While the words soil and dirt are often used interchangeably there are differences between them. Recently, Dustin Blakey, our local UCCE Farm Advisor, gave a talk called “Preparing Garden Soil on the East Side.” During this discussion Dustin…
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Inyo-Mono Soil Fact Sheets

Here are a few brief factsheets that explain characteristics of some local soils here in the Eastern Sierra. These are just overviews, but are a good place to start if you are considering putting in a new garden.Many of the worst soils in our region occur in places where there are no gardens currently. If…
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Some garden plants viewed from above
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Common Questions about Eastern Sierra Soils

April 8, 2025
By Dustin W Blakey
Some questions continually resurface on the Inyo-Mono Master Gardener helpline. Hopefully your question is answered here! Additional soil resources can be found on our website, but this is a good page to start with.FAQsQ: My plants are dying. What fertilizer is missing? A: It is exceedingly unusual to…
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