Butterflies are beautiful, but many moth and butterfly larvae are serious garden pests. Here is how to protect crops while still supporting pollinators.

Those bags of ladybugs at the garden center seem like a great idea, but 80-95% fly away within two days. Here is how to attract your own instead.

Beer traps are a popular slug remedy, but they can attract more slugs than they kill. Here is what research says works better for California gardens.

Banana peels contain only 0.9% potassium, far less than real fertilizer. Burying them near plants can attract pests and temporarily rob soil nitrogen.

Most of California's 1,600+ native bee species are gentle and many cannot sting. Your garden needs them for pollination. Here is why you should welcome them.

Adding sand to clay soil sounds logical, but it can create a concrete-like mix that drains worse than before. Here is what actually works for California clay.

Garden advice from other regions says to lime your soil every spring, but most California soils are already neutral to alkaline. A soil test tells the real story.