Santa Cruz County Agriculture, Food & Gardening Articles

Recently I spent some time in a friend’s garden in Bonny Doon. This spectacular garden was included on Valley Church’s Garden Tour several years ago when several Bonny Doon gardens were featured. As in many gardens, there are some sunny …

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project (PVHD) announced Thursday that Watsonville-based berry company Driscoll’s will donate $1.75 million to help save Watsonville Community Hospital.   PVHD is currently fundraising in order to meet a July 1 deadline in order to purchase …

I regularly visit my burned parcel in Bonny Doon to monitor the progress of the redwoods and understory plants. It will take 30-50 years for the forest to regenerate, but it’s trying.  Amazing how Mother Nature takes advantage of voids. …

One year after announcing a new research and development partnership to grow strawberries indoors, Watsonville-based Driscoll’s and Plenty Unlimited Inc. are building a new indoor vertical strawberry farm.  Together, the companies aim to accelerate the growth of Driscoll’s top crop …

WATSONVILLE—A group of residents from Watsonville's senior neighborhoods gathered at the Pajaro Village Club House last week to hear a presentation on pesticide use, and on an upcoming pilot project to notify residents on nearby applications. Hosted by the Center …

By Josh Reilly There are plenty of ways to economize in the garden. Grow drought tolerant plants and water less frequently. Plant perennials, shrubs, and trees in Fall to take advantage of the rains and lower weed competition. Buy plants …

In 2021, biotech company Blume Industries (BI) and Whiskey Hill Farms (WHF) became recipients of The Farmer Rancher Grant, a major grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Western Division of Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). The grant …

By Pamela Morgan The air is crisp, the sky is blue, and everything is coming back to life! The trees are greener, the flowers growing, and the feeling is divine. Songbirds wing their way through the forest amidst the colors …

Spring is here, and with it comes warmer temperatures, more outdoor activities and a surge in home gardening.  But with unpredictable weather patterns increasing, as well as the ongoing drought in California, there is plenty more to think about now …

Californians have the perfect opportunity to remember César Chávez by making March 31 a day of service.

In 2014 Elizabeth Hoover, associate professor in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley, set out on a road trip across the U.S. Hoover covered 20,000 miles over four months, visiting 29 different Indigenous communities and asking everyone she …

Santa Cruz is one of four counties in the state to try out pesticide notification pilot projects. For a certain class of pesticides known as California Restricted Materials, growers must submit notices of intent to the county agricultural commissioner’s office …

WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz County Fair is on the search for a theme for the 2022 edition of the Fair. Manager Dave Kegebein recently announced the return of the annual contest. Kegebein said anyone can submit theme ideas that should reflect …

Delay in state alert system risks children’s health, advocates say.

A 17-year-old San Lorenzo Valley High School junior was disappointed to learn, last week, that her passionate advocacy for a 4-H program on campus wouldn’t get the blessing of school district administrators. Speaking to the Press Banner just before the …

WATSONVILLE—Plans by a local grower to transform a small plot of land owned by Watsonville Municipal Airport into an organic farm have come to an abrupt end. Adrian Mondragon, who owns Urban Organics, says he was evicted from the property …

By Josh Reilly I know, I know. Last month I chided you for thinking you could spend the Winter curled up on the couch with a glass of wine and a stack of garden catalogs, planning your Spring garden. Now, …

WATSONVILLE—The Monterey Bay Rose Society (MBRS) will once again be holding its annual series of free rose pruning classes at various locations across the region. Things kick off Saturday at 10:30am at the Display Rose Garden at the Santa Cruz …

San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District trustees were wowed by the passionate and studied presentation by a student who was trying to persuade them to support an on-campus agricultural program. Lexi Lemus had originally shown up to speak during a …

'Good Times Santa Cruz' reports that Watsonville and Santa Cruz are trying to ease barriers for entry into the cannabis industry for women and minorities.