Living with Wildlife: Raccoons, Squirrels & Other Garden Raiders
Practical strategies for coexisting with raccoons, squirrels, birds, rats, and other wildlife in your Santa Cruz County garden while protecting your harvest.
Bats as Garden Allies: Installing Bat Houses for Natural Mosquito Control
Bats eat 1,000+ mosquitoes nightly—free pest control for Santa Cruz County gardens. With Aedes aegypti mosquitoes now in Boulder Creek, attracting bats matters more than ever. Learn proper bat house installation, placement, and habitat creation.
How to Eliminate Mosquitoes in Your Santa Cruz Garden
Mosquitoes aren't just annoying—with invasive Aedes aegypti now in Boulder Creek and other parts of Santa Cruz County, they're a health concern. The good news? Mosquito control is within your power. Learn to eliminate breeding sites, get free mosquito fish from Vector Control, use biological larvicides, and create habitat for natural predators like bats and dragonflies—all without harmful pesticides.
Common Garden Pests in Santa Cruz County (And How to Beat Them)
Every Santa Cruz County garden has pests. Our mild climate means they're active year-round without hard freezes to knock back populations. This guide covers the most common pests in local vegetable gardens (aphids, slugs, cabbage worms, whiteflies, tomato hornworms, squash bugs, spider mites, and flea beetles), how to identify them, and organic control methods that actually work.
Gopher Control: What Actually Works in Santa Cruz
If you've gardened in Santa Cruz County, you've met gophers. One day your tomato is thriving, the next it slides into the ground with roots chewed clean off. The internet is full of gopher control advice, much of it useless. This guide focuses on what actually works here: trapping (most effective), hardware cloth and gopher baskets (prevention), and what to skip entirely (vibrating stakes, gum, flooding).
Deer-Resistant Vegetable Gardening in Santa Cruz County
Protect your Santa Cruz County vegetable garden from deer. Practical guide to effective fencing options, deer-resistant vegetables, deterrent strategies, and garden design tips.
Owls as Garden Allies: Installing Owl Boxes for Natural Rodent Control
While you sleep, barn owls are hunting. A single barn owl family can consume 3,000 or more rodents per year, including gophers, rats, mice, and voles. For Santa Cruz gardeners battling rodents, attracting owls is one of the smartest investments you can make. This guide covers owl box design and placement, creating owl-friendly habitat, why avoiding rodent poison is critical, and what to expect when you welcome owls to your property.
Organic Pest Control in Santa Cruz County: What Works
Learn how to manage garden pests organically in Santa Cruz County. Discover natural, chemical-free methods that protect pollinators, soil, and crops.
Pollinator Party: Transform Your California Garden into a Haven for Bees, Butterflies, and Hummingbirds
Join us on a journey to create the ultimate pollinator-friendly garden in California. Our guide covers everythin…
The Power of Companion Planting: A Guide to Maximizing Your Garden's Potential
Explore the transformative practice of companion planting in California's diverse gardening landscape. Our guide offers practical tips on creating synergistic plant pairings, adapting to local climates, and nurturing a garden that's both bountiful and sustainable. Join us in embracing eco-friendly gardening techniques that harmonize with nature’s rhythm