Because of my illness I could not spray the peaches and nectarines with lime sulfur. This is an important spray that etches away at the spores of a disease called peach leaf curl, which can de-leaf a tree in the spring if the conditions are right (wet and warm).

Last week I called my friend Greg House of Coco Ranch, and he immediately sprung into action. In this photo, Brian, who works with Greg and Coco, is setting up the sprayer by our peach trees. The material is certified for organic farmers, but it is not easy to use. In the soil, it safely breaks down into lime and sulfur. Sprayed on the tree, it comes out of the sprayer as sulfuric acid and is not pleasant. It is very important to know how to use it properly; to get a license to use it, individuals must pass tests administered by the county.