Prune fruit trees, increase fruit yield
A Facebook friend recently posted a picture of gummosis on her dwarf nectarine. While pruning her fruit trees she found the sticky stuff and shared her plight. While some folks post pictures of babies and political opinions on their Facebook page, my friends post pictures of plants and their fruit trees. Yes, if you haven’t already done so, this is the time to winter prune fruit trees and apply dormant spray to fend off diseases and insect pests. With rainfall expected throughout the spring, this is not the year to omit this important task.
Scotts Valley City Council nominates Donna Lind as Mayor
Donna Lind has been faithfully serving ScottsValley for 47 years. Beginning as the City Hall Secretary when she was a young girl, she transferred to the Scotts Valley Police Department. Even though she transferred to the SVPD, she continued to take minutes for the City Council and the Planning Commission meetings for several more years.
Evacuation, Anxiety, Fear and Amazement
Tuesday night my partner received an alert on her phone that Boulder Creek was getting evacuated, the fire was spreading and from that point on is when everything took a turn for the worst. Coming from the Bay Area of San Jose and moving to Felton has all been very new territory and uncommon experiences from what I’m used to. Being evacuated from my home has been an experience I never thought I’d have to encounter. Emotions have been high, feelings of uncertainty, fear, and possible loss of my home have been running through me in waves this past week.
The Mountain Gardener: An early fall to-do list
"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end ... down into a desert of red rock ... where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you.” — Edward Abbey
The Mountain Gardener: How to water plants correctly
The recent heat wave was one for the record books. The temps were not the highest we've ever had around here, but as each day melted into the next I kept thinking that fog, nature's air conditioning, was surely on its way. Even drought tolerant plants need a little help at these times.
Community leaders to share updates at Scotts Valley State of the City
Scotts Valley Senior Life Association has announced the ninth annual Scotts Valley Mayor’s State of the City event, a cornerstone tradition designed to foster transparency, inform the public and encourage civic engagement.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, the doors of Scotts Valley’s Community Performing Arts Center,...
Let’s go fishin’: Thousands of Chinook salmon injected into Monterey Bay
Most people are excited when they hear that there are 180,000 salmon in Monterey Bay. I am excited, too, as these fish are being pen-raised for a short period of time by Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project.
News Briefs | Published Nov. 6, 2026
Scotts Valley water supply returns to normal
San Lorenzo Valley Water District has returned the Pasatiempo No. 5 well to service, allowing water quality in...
















