February 2010 in the Garden & Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events
( If you are reading this anywhere but my blog, you can find the original post here. )
Wow – How about that rain and snow? And more is on the way. Which is wonderful for our plants, soils and watersheds, but when it comes in long stretches of gray days, it can play havoc with my mood (and the power in much of our region). Even a few minutes of fresh air and weak sunshine does me a world of good. You don’t want to walk on planted ground when it is very wet if you can help it, because you will compact the soil to the point of harming its structure. But you can get out and walk on unplanted ground – such as paths. I got so stir crazy in the latest long gray stretch that in the pouring rain I rebuilt my whole compost system and weeded all my pathways. Weeds come out of wet soil so nicely – slick as snot as my father likes to say. Photo: Gray skies hand low and tulle fog fills in the valleys looking southwest from Mt. Shasta in January.
This time of year in my garden is downright noisy – the rain is loud, the creeks are very loud. Perhaps due to fewer overall leaves to muffle sounds in the garden, the birds seem very talkative by day, and the frogs are very talkative by night in the valley. Even when we travel to the the snowy areas, the deep snow seems to amplify normal sounds like creaking tree branches, crunching feet, chattering squirrels. February is a good time to keep pruning dormant fruit and ornamental trees and vines, it’s a good time to be pruning roses in the warmer sections of the North State, but you should probably wait until closer to your average last frost in the colder sections if you can. Bare root trees, roses, vines, berry canes and asparagus are widely available at our local nurseries and ready to be planted during those breaks from bad weather if your soil is workable. For a good description on how to plant bare root plants, see McConnell Arboretum & Gardens’ Lead Gardener Marie Stradther’s description. Photo:Rain sheeting off my roof line, with a little sun piercing through.
If you are going to start tender vegetable or annual seeds indoors, bad weather February days and early February evenings are good times to do this ; some cold happy vegetable starts or seeds can be sown outside already. I am scouring my many seed catalogues and very close to making my final choices. I have always gotten good seeds from Bountiful Gardens out of Willits, California, as well as Territorial Seed out of Oregon. I am reading an interesting book, Gardening When it Counts, by the company’s founder and former owner, Steve Solomon. I also like Renee’s Garden Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, and Seeds of Change, but this year I will get most of my seeds from either the Slow Food Shasta Cascade Seed Swap on Sunday January 31st at Discover Earth in Red Bluff, or I will order them from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, based out of Mansfield, Missouri. They have also just opened a new store in Petaluma, California. Looks like a great field trip! There are many good sources for seeds, but I would strongly urge you to look for non genetically-modified, open pollinated and organic seed sources.
If you are preparing your vegetable garden or thinking about it – I will be hosting Northstate Public Radio’s I-5 Live! On Monday Evening February 15th specifically to discuss and answer your questions about edible gardening. My guests will include David Grau of the Chico Organic Gardening Series and Wayne Kessler of Shambani Organics based in Shingletown, California. If you have questions you would like answered, you can call in that evening, 800-234-5246, or email me your questions prior to the show at Jennifer@jewellgarden.com. Photo: Chard merrily grows along in cold and wet conditions.
The on-line calendar of regional gardening events is bustling with joyful noises of spring preparation and activity in February : Photo: Soft and Fuzzy - willow catkins are opening in woodlands and gardens.
On January 31 in Red Bluff at 1:30 Slow Food Shasta Cascade celebrates National Seed Swap Day at Discover Earth – bring seeds and come join in the fun.
Also on January 31 in Chico the Organic Edible Gardening Class Seriescontinues with session #2: Compost Health, Site Preparation, Succession Planting. Crop Rotation, Green Manures, How, Why and When to Plant Cover Crops. Bruce Balgooyen from Riparia Farm and David Grau will be your Class Instructors from 1:30 - 3:30 pm at the Chico Grange. To pre-register or for more information contact David Grau or Hazel Van Evera Chico Organic Gardening hazel@valleyoaktool.com (530) 342-8399 Photo: Moss is plush from the rains.
On February 1 in Redding, Shasta College begins a 3 month long Organic Gardening Practices Class which will be held every Monday evening until May 3rd.
On February 6 in Davis the UC Davis Arboretum has a Guided Tour: featuring Winter Birds in the Arboretum.
On February 7 (see the calendar itself for sessions on Feb 14, 21 & 28) in Chico the Organic Edible Gardening Class Series –continues with session #3 Seed Ordering and Garden layout from 1:30 - 3:30 pm at the Chico Grange. To pre-register or for more information contact David Grau or Hazel Van Evera Chico Organic Gardening hazel@valleyoaktool.com (530) 342-8399.Photo: Winter blooming Narcissus.
February 10 - Magalia: Magalia Beautification Society have their Regular Member Meeting. The group has a beautiful new website, check it out: http://magaliagardeners.webs.com/
On February 18 in Redding the Shasta Chapter of the California Native Plant Society has their General Member Meeting at 6 PM including a slideshow program about the natural history of southwestern Australia.
And finally, on February 27 in Chico the GATEWAY SCIENCE MUSEUM will celebrate its GRAND OPENING! The community celebration will begin at 10 with a ribbon cutting followed by lots of fun and activities.
I would also like to note that as of last week, Jewellgarden.com, its mission of Celebrating the Beauty of the Botanical, and its regional outreach program In a North State Garden, in production with Northstate Public Radio is 2 full years old and has published 100 programs! Happy birthday Jewellgarden and In a North State Garden. Keep on growing! Photo:This winter blooming honeysuckle is sweet and light in the winter garden - filling an entire area with its scent. Many honeysuckles can be an invasive risk because birds spread the seeds far and wide. This one, which I believe is Lonicera purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ and I got from John Whittlesey’s Canyon Creek Nursery in Oroville, has never produced seeds and the variety is not listed on the California Invasive Plant Councils’ inventory of invasive plants in California.
More details on these and many more gardening related events around the region can be found in the On-Line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events. Photo: What would winter be without a few snowdrops lighting up the garden? They bloomed in my zone 4 garden in January, they bloom in my zone 8 garden in January. They are little miracles.
If you or your gardening organization has a class or plant/gardening related event you’d like posted to the on-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events at jewellgarden.com, send the pertinent information to me at: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com
Did you know I send out a weekly email with information about upcoming topics and gardening related events? If you would like to be added to the mailing list, send an email to Jennifer@jewellgarden.com.
In a North State Garden is a weekly Northstate Public Radio and web-based program celebrating the art, craft and science of home gardening in Northern California and made possible in part by the Gateway Science Museum - Exploring the Natural History of the North State and on the campus of CSU, Chico. In a North State Garden is conceived, written, photographed and hosted by Jennifer Jewell - all rights reserved jewellgarden.com. In A North State Garden airs on Northstate Public Radio Saturday mornings at 7:34 AM Pacific time and Sunday morning at 8:34 AM Pacific time. Podcasts of past shows are available here. Weekly essays are also posted on anewscafe.com a regional news source that is simultaneously universal and positively North State.