Editor's Note: Last week's column on fire blight brought in more questions about the disease taking out apple trees, including the following question. Read last week's Ask Amy on fire blight here ...

At the same time, ants hunt pests like winter moth larvae, which can defoliate apple trees, to feed their larvae. This opens up entirely new perspectives for biological control of plant diseases.

For disease and worm-free fruit, plan to spray apple and peach trees with fungicides and insecticides from bloom to harvest. There are both conventional and organic pesticides that may be used.

Folks seem to think that fruit trees are hard to grow and have too many bugs and diseases. Well, it’s just not true — unless you are listening to the wrong advice. Here’s a simple tutorial ...

June rain on the North Coast brings out the good, the bad and the ugly in local gardens. The good: Lawns, flower and vege- table beds are green and lush. Water bills are lower. The bad: Slugs love … ...