This week In a North State Garden had the pleasure of speaking with Stephanie Elliott, her two year old son, Collin, and Laurie Niles - all participants in Cultivating Community, a Chico-based project working to encourage the learning about and growing of good food, locally and on small, home garden and community scales with a long-term goal of improving health in the North Valley. Photo: A community garden supported by Cultivating Community and its partnering organizations. UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED ALL PHOTOS ARE COURTESY OF CULTIVATING COMMUNITY AND THEIR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS.

According to the Cultivating Community website, the initiative is “a multifaceted project supported by a 2011 California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Grant and awarded to CSUC Research Foundation. The project aims to increase food security by serving the Specialty Crop food economy and system needs of low-income residents, local growers, and service agencies.” Photo: Re-sourced signage at the Bidwell Community Garden, supported in part by Cultivating Community and its partnering organizations. (more…)

Pam Geisel is the Statewide Master Gardener Coordinator for the University of California, and for the last few years she has lived and gardened in Hamilton City, a small scenic town in Glenn County. Being a North Stater herself now, she leads the charge in wanting to see more Master Gardener events and opportunities in the counties of the North State. She is very excited about the many Master Gardener programs now available in many North State counties - including Shasta, Butte and Glenn. While Shasta College has been a host of the UC Master Gardener program since 2003, Butte and Glenn counties have only more recently developed their programs. Trinity and Tehama counties are served by the Shasta County program, but Trinity County Cooperative Extension is hoping in 2012 to start their own program in Weaverville under the direction of UC Copperative Extension representative Carol Fall.

“The Master Gardener program has hosted many conferences around the state, and it was time to host one in the North State,” Pam says in our recorded interview this weekend on In a North State Garden. “While many of our educational conferences are for Master Gardeners only, we really wanted this one - with it’s wide topic range and wonderful panel of speakers - to be open to the public as well. We’re really excited to be hosting it! So many gardeners - new and experienced are hungry for this kind of information!” Listen to the full interview this Saturday Sept 3rd at 7:34 am and Sunday Sept 4th at 8:34 a.m. on Northstate Public Radio (KCHO 91.7 fm Chico/KFPR 88.9 fm Redding).

The details for the California Smart Landscaping Conference details are below and are taken from the conference website: http://ucanr.org/sites/casmartlandscape/, where you are also able to register on-line.

Event Details: California Smart Landscaping Conference
Date: October 21, 2011
Time: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sponsor: Statewide Master Gardener Program
Location: Masonic Family Center 1110 West East Avenue Chico, CA 95926

The University of California’s Statewide Master Gardener Program is excited to host the California Smart Landscaping Conference. Join us and learn how you can make some easy changes to your home landscape to become a smart and sustainable gardener. UC horticulture specialists, master gardeners and local landscape experts will be sharing their knowledge about attracting bees to your garden, water conservation, lawn alternatives, composting and much more! The keynote speaker is Rosalind Creasy, the esteemed author of Edible Landscaping. Rosalind’s presentation will focus on edible plants and maximizing your garden’s potential. The conference is for both gardening enthusiasts and for master gardener volunteers. Therefore, please share the details about the conference to both fellow and non-master gardeners.

Cost is $35 for the public and $25 for UC master gardeners (lunch included).

Register Today! Space is limited and the deadline to register is Friday, September 30, 2011.

The day will kick off with introductory remarks and thoughts on Sustainable and Smart Landscaping Practices by Pam Geisel - a bubbly and energetic speaker if ever there was one - from 8:50 - 9:45.

Attendees will then break-up into smaller groups for four, one-hour long breakout sessions, with lunch being served between the second and third sessions. The four break-out sessions include:

1A. Welcome Bees to your Garden - Shannon Mueller
2A. Irrigation Basics & New Approaches for Water Conservation - Loren Oki
3A. Backyard Vegetable Gardening - Sean Kriletich

1B. Natives Belong in your Garden - Jennifer Jewell
2B. Low Water Lawn Alternatives - Sandy Metzger
3B. Small Space Backyard Orchard - Chuck Ingels

Lunch

1C. Wise Water Use in your Sustainable Landscape and Vegetable Garden - Janet Hartin
2C. Right Plant, Right Place - James Sigala
3C. Composts & Compost Teas – Practical Practices - Kevin Marini

1D. All-Star Plants for Water Conservation - Ellen Zagory
2D. Beneficial Wildlife for your Garden - Scott Oneto
3D. Gardening for Less to the Landfill & Alternative Turf Varieties - Chuck Ingels

For biographies of each speaker and a description of their talk, please go to Speaker and Class details.

International garden writer, photographer, foodie and edible landscape design expert Rosalind Creasy will be the KEYNOTE SPEAKER, wrapping up the day’s offerings from 2:45 to 4:00 pm. Rosalind has a passion for beautiful vegetables and ecologically sensitive gardening. She began her career in horticulture in the 1970s as a landscape designer and restaurant consultant. By 1982 she had published her first book, “The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping,” which won the Garden Writers Association’s Quill and Trowel award, was chosen as a Book of the Month selection, and hailed by The Wall Street Journal as the best garden book of 1982. Considered a classic, it coined the term “Edible Landscaping,” now a part of the American vocabulary.

Rosalind shares her knowledge of gardening and cooking by writing, lecturing nationwide, appearing on television and radio shows, and working as a consultant to restaurants, growers, and seed companies. Rosalind’s recent publications include the ten book Edible Gardening series filled with beautiful photographs and recipes. The series was awarded a Quill and Trowel Award from the Garden Writers in 2001. Her latest book is a complete update of The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping, now called Edible Landscaping (2010). Recently, Rosalind was awarded a 2011 American Horticulture Society Book Award for Edible Landscaping. She resides in Northern California.

Rosalind’s Presentation: Edible Landscapes, Maximizing your Garden’s Potential
One of today’s gardening buzzwords is sustainable. You’d be hard put to find a more sustainable landscape style than an organically grown edible garden. Rosalind Creasy, pioneer in the field of edible landscaping, award-winning professional photographer, and author of the Complete Book of Edible Landscaping, will give a mouth-watering slide presentation. Among the topics she will cover are an A to Z of her recommended beautiful edible plants for home gardens, an overview of the wide variety of edible landscapes, as well as the principles of landscape design particular to edibles.

View the conference website for registration, speaker & class details: http://ucanr.org/sites/casmartlandscape/

More of my environmental writing can be found in the Chico News & Review, and Pacific Horticulture. Follow Jewellgarden.com/In a North State Garden on Facebook.

To submit plant/gardening related events/classes to the Jewellgarden.com on-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events, 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 in the North State region? 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. It is 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.

Put the growing needs of melons and the gardening conditions of much of the North State together, and what you get is an uncommonly happy marriage. This week on In a North State Garden (Northstate Public Radio 91.7 fm Chico/88.9 fm Redding at 7:34 am Saturday and 8:34 am Sunday), I talk to Kaye and Roger Diefendorf of Morning Glory Organics about growing melons. Located in Butte Valley near Oroville, Morning Glory Organics grows a selection of specialty and heirloom melons. (more…)

November in the Northstate Garden sums up everything I love about living and gardening here – richness, abundance and diversity.

November mornings are crisp and dark, November afternoons often offer a warming sun. Light is dappled - revealing the garden and its beauty in subtle and nuanced ways. A visit to Dunsmuir recently to visit the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens with a gardening friend – seeing the fall color deepening in our forests, the fullness of our rivers after late October rains, and the snow returned like a winter dress to the sides of Mount Shasta and further peaks, reminded me that the greater Northstate Garden is one of the best inspirations by far for our own North State Gardens.

In Paradise, Sawmill Creek Farms is harvesting dry beans, and roasting the end of season peppers and garlic to grind into spices; in Manton Redwood Seed Farm is planting in the last of the garlic for early summer 2011 harvest. In Redding, Julie Nelson is considering what to make with her quince harvest. Around the region, persimmons and pomegranates hang fat and iridescent on the branches – sweetening up with the cool nights. I am cutting back the dead and the spent, top-dressing my beds - edible and ornamental - with compost mulch, planting some spring bulbs waiting patiently to go in the ground and dividing perennials such as iris, stachys, day lilies and dahlias to rejuvenate the original plantings. The additional plants I get from dividing, but which I have no room for in my garden I will take care of until spring and then donate them to a garden club, native plant or rose society plant sale as needed.

Pam Geisel, Statewide Coordinator of the Master Garden Program sends these tips on the home orchard: “For November in the Orchard…it is still not too late to harvest most varieties of olives for curing, especially if you get out to harvest early in the month. The season is late this year so unless we have a hard frost and as long as the olives are still green, go for it. For great FREE 26 page handbook on safe curing olives go to: http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8267.pdf’

“Pomegranate harvest is just beginning. Most people say wait until they crack to begin harvesting, but to avoid rot AND have the highest sugar content, try to harvest just before they crack. The “Wonderful” pomegranate variety is just becoming sweet.’

“Persimmons are also ripening, try them dried, using the Fuyu fruit (the ones that you can eat hard). Slice them into thin slices and allow them to dry either using a food dehydrator or in a warm dry location, such as the over on its lowest setting. The taste is amazing and makes a great snack…even for people that don’t love persimmons!’

“In the orchard later in the month, you can apply a spray of either copper sulfate or calcium polysulfide after the leaves drop on your peaches and nectarines to help reduce fungi that cause the disease called PEACH LEAF CURL in spring and reduce the likelihood of infection. You can also spray cherries and apricots but only use fixed copper or copper Bordeaux (do not apply materials that contain sulfur). This will reduce the likelihood of shot hole disease (Coryneum blight). You can also plan to spray during the dormant season. For excellent information about preparing and using Bordeaux mixtures, check out our Pest Note at: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7481.html.’

“If you intend to plant bare root fruit trees during the dormant season and your soil has compaction or hard pan/clay pan layers, now is a good time to dig (or drill/pick ax/backhoe etc.) your planting area so that you have a deep wide hole with the compacted layers broken up. Backfill the planting hole with the native soil (no amendments) and allow it to settle for at least 21 days prior to planting your bare root fruit and nut trees.’

“Think about frost protection for sensitive plants. If temps drop below 30 degrees, you could have some tissue damage. Move your container plants to a protected area such as a covered patio or garage (that has light). Wrap tender trees with newspaper, corn stalks or fiberglass insulation or even palm fronds that will insulate them from the cold. This is especially good for young citrus and avocados. Use cardboard boxes to cover smaller shrubs and flowers on those cold nights.” Photo: Members of Chico Horticultural Society at work during a recent potting party, planting up divisions and cuttings for the coming year’s plant sales.

An established regional gardening resource has a new branch. Valley Oak Magazine, had its debut in October and it was every bit as good as you would hope from David Grau, the managing editor. David has been the energizing force behind the Chico Organic Gardening Class series the past two winters, and his endeavor has now grown up and evolved into The Chico Organic Gardening Society (I joined!) and the monthly ValleyOakMagazine.com. Writing in the journal’s first issue, David Grau highlights another local fruit tree guru Carl Rosato of Woodleaf Farm. Carl recommends significant fruit tree pruning mid-October: “For the best results, do your main pruning this month. This is instead of a winter pruning. If you prune now, the tree will have more balanced growth next spring, and not have an overly vigorous “terminal push”. This makes for stronger branches and better fruit set. Carl also does lighter prunings in June and in August.” The whole issue is worth reading.

The foothills have had their first killing frosts, but most of us on the valley floor have not. Don’t be too quick to cut back plants that are still actively flowering – on cold-morning/warm afternoons days the pollinating bees, butterflies moths and hummingbirds are still very active and they will reward your patience. I do have my horticultural fleece row covers and other frost protection ready to go though, to be honest, that first hard frost that knocks back the annual plants (read: tomato, pepper and squash chaos) I have not been able to give up on always comes as something of a relief to me. It’s time.

If you are interested in our regional events, be sure to check the On-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events at jewellgarden.com regularly – events are added almost everyday. I do my very best to keep the calendar up to date and accurate, please confirm all events with the event host’s contact information. If you are aware of a mistake on my calendar, please send me corrected info: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com! Thanks.

NOVEMBER 2010 - CALENDAR OF REGIONAL GARDENING EVENTS

November 3 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society, Regular Member Meeting 7:30 pm Butte County Library. Regular member Meeting and Program featuring “How Do Many Seed Plants Get Around…Without the Help of People?”, by Rob Schlising, retired professor of Biology from CSU, Chico. Public welcome! More information contact President Janna Lathrop: jlathrop4mlc@comcast.net

November 3 – Chico: Gateway Science Museum: Museum Without Walls Lecture Series #1 7:30 - 8:30 pm Fire in the Forest by Kathy Gray, California State University, Chico. Chico Area Recreation District (CARD) Center 545 Vallombrosa Avenue. A donation of $3 per adult is requested. More Info call: 530-898-4121

November 3 – Chico: The 8th Annual Chico Organic Farming and Food Conference, Chico State University Farm 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. As in previous years, this is the day before the beginning of the This Way to Sustainability Conference at Chico State University. This year it will comprise concurrent workshops and presentations in the organic vegetable field, at the organic dairy, and in the pavilion. Topics will include organic crop and dairy management, insect ecology, soil quality, farm financial management, and community food and nutrition programs. The conference is free and open to all members of the campus and community. Students, staff, faculty, farmers, ranchers, and gardening enthusiasts are encouraged to participate! For more information, schedule, and directions, go to http://www.csuchico.edu/~laltier/8thAnnualAgenda.pdf To RSVP or questions, contact Lee Altier by email to LAltier@csuchico.edu or phone (530) 636-2525

November 5 - Chico: Chico State Campus Tree Tours with Wes Dempsey and Gerry Ingco 10 am - 11:45 am. Meet in front of Bidwell Mansion in Chico, on the Esplanade for this informative walks to see and hear about the marvelous old trees on the mansion grounds and adjacent university campus. Over 200 species of woody plants. Many of these trees date back to the original landscaping by Bidwell in the late 1800s. Parking is free. Leaders: Wes Demspey: 530-342-2293; Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123

November 6 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay Trees in the Landscape Series Workshop 9:30 am Fall is a great time for planting trees in Shasta County, and having a good start is imperative to the long term health of your tree. Turtle Bay’s lead gardener and A News Cafe’s “Tree Goddess”, Marie Stadther, will share tips for developing healthy, well-established trees through proper planting methods, root pruning, fertilizing, mulching and follow-up care. Receive actual hands-on experience planting a tree with Marie in the Botanical Gardens. All tools and gloves will be provided. Come prepared to work outside. (Class will be rescheduled in the event of rain). Tree Pruning will be offered early next year as a follow-up to this workshop. Members and Turtle Bay volunteers FREE, nonmembers $3 (unless otherwise noted) Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse) Take N. Market Street and turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Nursery on immediate left.

November 6 – Redding: Community Teaching Garden: Saving Your Seeds 10 a.m. to noon Presenter: Jim Collins. Fee: $15. Autumn and Winter are the time to think about successfully saving and storing your seeds and planning your spring garden crops. This workshop will introduce the basic methods for saving seed, what kinds of seed can be saved, where to obtain them, how to ensure seed/crop quality and purity as well as proven harvesting, drying and storing techniques. Room 812 Shasta College Main Campus. For registration information, call 530-225-4835

November 6 - Redding: Wyntour Gardens: FALL TREE & SHRUB CARE 11am – Learn what to do now, to improve the health and vigor of your trees, fruit trees and shrubs for next spring. George will demystify the use of dormant sprays, fertilizing and other methods for promoting a healthier yard and garden. This class is Free, please call for reservations. 8026 Airport Rd Redding, CA 96002-9445 (530) 365-2256

November 6 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Guided Tour: Native American Uses for California Plants 11 a.m., Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, Old Davis Road, UC Davis Without a grocery store, where would you find food? Without a drug store, how would you treat your illnesses? For centuries, Native Californians have made skillful use of many of the local plants we take for granted, actively managing the landscape for long-term sustainable yields. The UC Davis Arboretum will present an engaging, family-friendly tour exploring Indian uses of plants for food, medicine, construction, and ritual on Saturday, November 6, at 11:00 a.m. The free tour will leave from the Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, across from the Mondavi Center on Old Davis Road on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available in Visitor Lot 1 and the parking garage south of the Mondavi Center. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

November 7 - DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS: Clocks fall back one hour.

November 7 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Field Trip: Deer Creek Trail 8:30 am Meet at Chico Park & Ride west lot (Hwy 32/99). Bring lunch, water, insect/sun protection, and money for ride sharing. This is a gentle two-mile hike down to the falls and fish ladder where we will have lunch. Big leaf maple and dogwood should be in full color along with Indian rhubarb and spicebush. Sierra mint, and California fuchsia should still be in full bloom. Leaders, Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 and Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293

November 8 - Paradise: Paradise Garden Club monthly meeting Potluck lunch at 12 noon, bring your table setting and a dish to share. 1:00 pm program by Jennifer Jewell on the Seeds that Surround us - the Remarkable beauty of the seeds and seed pods of native plants. Terry Ashe Recreation Center, 6626 Skyway, Paradise.

November 8 - Chico: North Valley Orchid Society General Member Meeting 7:30PM CARD Center “Arts & Crafts Room” 545 Vallombrosa Ave., Chico Speaker will be Nick Burnett of Sacramento- “Species You Can Grow”. More Info: http://www.northvalleyorchidsociety.com or NVOS2010@gmail.com

November 10 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Guided Tour: Walk With Warren 12 p.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Arboretum Join Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts for a lunchtime stroll in the UC Davis Arboretum on Wednesday, November 10. Enjoy the crisp fall weather, explore the pleasures of the autumn garden, and get a little exercise. Meet at noon at the Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour. Parking is available for $6 in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

November 10 - Magalia: Magalia Beautification Society Regular Member Meeting 1:00 pm POA Racine Center at Wycliff Way and Racine Circle in Magalia; 12:30 for lunch, 1:00-3:00 for business. For more information: http://magaliagardeners.webs.com/

November 13 - Chico: Friends of the Chico State Herbarium Workshop: Home Composting and Vermiculture 9 am - 4 pm Taught by Master Composter Ward Habriel, learn the basic what, where and when of home composting in the morning session, followed by an afternoon session of worm composting also known as Vermiculture. Please register in advance. For more information about fees and registration please contact the office at (530) 898-6121 or NS@csuchico.edu.

November 13 – Chico: Gateway Science Museum Museum Educational Days : 10-12 Pine Needle Basket Weaving demonstration; 1-3 Pine Needle Basket Weaving Class (limited to 10 registrants- email gateway@csuchico.edu or call 898 4121 to enroll; must be 16 or older). as part of activities related to the current exhibits. Gateway Science Museum: 625 Esplanade (near Bidwell Mansion), Chico. For more info call: 530-898-4121

November 13 - Redding: Wyntour Gardens: WIRE BASKET WORKSHOP 11am – Plant a wire basket with Ellen, using her unique lasagna layering method. Past classes have used, wire baskets, wrought iron bird cages and even a topiary horse! We will have wire baskets available for purchase, or bring one from home. All participants will receive 10% off on all supplies purchased for the class. Please call for reservations. 8026 Airport Rd Redding, CA 96002-9445 (530) 365-2256

November 14 - Chico: Wes Dempsey Tour/Field Trip: Maidu Medicine Walk 9 am - 12 noon. Meet at the Horseshoe Lake parking Area E in Upper Bidwell Park. Wear Hiking shoes and bring water. About 30 of the plants that the local Maidu Indians used for medicine, food, and crafts will be shown and discussed. Leader: Wes Demspey: 530-342-2293

November 16 - Chico: Chico Horticulture Society Regular Member Meeting, Plant Sale and Holiday Boutique - including Jewellgarden.com’s lines of 2011 calendars, note cards and journals 9:45 – Noon. Regular Member Meeting and Program on Preparing Your Garden for Winter. Chico Library 1108 Sherman Avenue in Chico. More info: email President Jon Bennet at: ChicoGardenClub@yahoo.com.

November 17 - Redding: Shasta Rose Society - Regular Member Meeting and Mini-Rose Show, Public Welcome! 7:00 p.m. City of Redding Corporation Yard On Viking Way. More Info: http://www.shastarosesociety.org

November 19 - Chico: Chico State Campus Tree Tours with Wes Dempsey and Gerry Ingco 10 am - 11:45 am. Meet in front of Bidwell Mansion in Chico, on the Esplanade for this informative walks to see and hear about the marvelous old trees on the mansion grounds and adjacent university campus. Over 200 species of woody plants. Many of these trees date back to the original landscaping by Bidwell in the late 1800s. Parking is free. Leaders: Wes Demspey: 530-342-2293; Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123

November 20 – Redding: Community Teaching Garden: Composting and Worm Culture 10 a.m. to noon Presenter: Ken Waranius. Fee: $15. Workshop will cover how to make quality compost in your own backyard including and introduction to worm culture. Room 812 Shasta College Main Campus. For registration information, call 530-225-4835

November 20 - Redding: Wyntour Gardens: LIVING CENTERPIECE WORKSHOP 11am – Create a beautiful living centerpiece for your holiday table or to give as a hostess gift! Join Wendy, our Head Designer as she shows you how easy it is, to create a one-of-a-kind centerpiece to enjoy throughout the holidays. Participants will receive a 10% discount on all supplies purchased. 8026 Airport Rd Redding, CA 96002-9445 (530) 365-2256

November 21 - FULL MOON

November 21 - Chico: Old Plant Introduction Station Walk with Wes Dempsey and Gerry Ingco 9:30 am. Meet at the Mendocino Genetic Research center (from Skyway drive South on Dominic Drive to Morrow Lane, left to Kramer Lane, south to Parking by gate). Established in 1904, woody plants form all over the world were planted here by the USDA to test their use in medicine, agriculture, and forestry. Many of the original trees still survive. You will see lacebark pine, shantung maple, mourning cypress, Chinese wingnut, giant bamboo, several species of pistachio, and more. Parking is free. Leaders: Wes Demspey: 530-342-2293; Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123

November 22 - Garden Club of Colusa County: General Member Meeting and Presentation on Natives in the Garden with Jennifer Jewell 6:30 - 8:30 pm More information: 530-458-2227 jimncyn66@comcast.net

November 24 - Chico: Chico Horticulture Society Evening Gardeners 6:30 pm. Evening Gardeners Program. Chico Library 1108 Sherman Avenue in Chico. More info: email President Jon Bennet at: ChicoGardenClub@yahoo.com.

November 25 - Thanksgiving Day

November 27 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay 9:30 am. A Walk with the Horticulture Manager, Lisa Endicott. Bring your notebooks and cameras for this participant-driven program. We’ll make our way through the Gardens with frequent stops for discussions about (what else?) plants! There’s something new to see every month! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery

November 27 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Guided Tour: The Oak Lifecycle 11 a.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Arboretum The UC Davis Arboretum contains one of the nation’s largest collections of oak trees. In fall the oaks are ending their cycle, preparing to drop their seeds, and hunkering down for the winter. Learn more about the stages in the life of an oak during a free guided tour of Shields Oak Grove on Saturday, November 27. The tour will leave at 11:00 a.m. from the Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour, and free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

November 28 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Field Trip: Ten Mile House Trail to Big Chico Creek 9:30 am Meet at Green Gate Entrance to Upper Bidwell Park (drive east on Hwy 32, nine miles from Chico’s Hwy 99/32 interchange.) Bring lunch, water, insect/sun protection, and money for ride sharing. Wear hiking gear. We will follow an old road down to the creek (700 foot drop) for 1. 5 miles past buckeye and black oak in fruit and stop to see if the persimmon tree at the spring is ready to harvest. Leaders, Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 and Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293

In the Garden: note card, journal and 2011 calendar collections. Support In a North State Garden AND Delight the gardeners, readers, writers and food lovers in your life with thoughtful, sophisticated and artfully unique note card sets, journals and calendars from Jewellgarden.com. Dedicated to the art, craft and science of gardening, produced wholly in the North State on recycled papers, Choose from Holiday Cards (shown above) Natives in the Garden, Edibles in the Garden and the NEW Seed Series. Available now on-line or at local fine shops near you. All of Jewellgarden.com’s cards are printed in Chico by Quadco printing using recycled paper and vegetable-based ink in many cases.

Follow Jewellgarden.com/In a North State Garden on Facebook - become a fan today!

To submit plant/gardening related events/classes to the Jewellgarden.com on-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events, 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.

It is now officially Autumn and the length of our days diminishes a little with each circle of the planet. In the edible garden, harvesting has gone on for some time as spring crops moved over for summer crops and - lucky for us here in northern California - in many cases they have been replaced with fall crops, some of which are up and going strong, and our winter crops have gone in or are going in. Even if by “crop” I just mean a few rows of beets or carrots in the raised beds out back. Just as for the squirrels and the acorn woodpeckers, perhaps more than any other time of year, Autumn compels us to store up against the cold and the dark. It brings out our instinctive desire for some level of self-sufficiency. Photo: Cattle grazing, and honeybees working on the drive into Chaffin Family Farm - a model for the integrated family farm ideal - below Table Mountain in Oroville. (more…)

Photo: Old olive trees in a North State home garden.

Olives - to see growing, to eat the fruit and to savor the flavorful and aromatic oil - are among life’s treats in Northern California. County Fairs are also among life’s treats in Northern California and we are deep into both olive harvesting and county fair season. By way of celebrating our region’s agricultural wealth and heritage, Slow Food Shasta Cascade is co-hosting a Tehama County - Tehama Trail Marketplace at the Tehama District Fair in Red Bluff September 23 - 26th, 2010. The marketplace will include lots of olive tastings - from fruit to oils - which are distinct to our region. Many other agricultural vendors will be there to visit and visit with as well. (more…)

It’s mid- February and even in the colder sections of the North State the time is now for planning and even planting your spring and summer vegetable seeds and starts – inside and out. On Monday evening February 15th, I hosted a special edition of I-5 LIVE on Northstate Public Radio (91.7 fm KCHO in Chico and 88.9 fm in Redding) from 8 to 9 pm to chat about edible gardening and getting ready for the spring vegetable garden.

My guests for the evening were David Grau, owner of Valley Oak Tool, former market gardener and organizer of the Chico Organic Gardening Series; also, Wayne Kessler, co-owner with his wife Laurel, of Shambani Organics, a specialty herb and vegetable start grower based in Shingletown, California.
(more…)

How’s the pruning going for you?

I’ve just finished pruning my ‘Pink Lady’ apple and ‘Santa Rosa’ plum trees. I am still working on the roses and grapes, but the fruit trees are done. It went pretty well this year – but then, I was really inspired this year. Photo above: The historic Camden House at Whiskeytown Recreation area seen through a shroud of 100 - 150 year old ‘Lady’ apple tree branches.

I don’t know about you, but pruning can be a tricky task for me. As an enthusiastic and long-time gardener, I know that I should prune my fruit trees and vines every year – for form, for production and in many cases for the long-term health and life of my plants. But some years, the task seems more troubling than others: I diligently study the sketches and graphs in the books and articles, I even take the diagrams out to my trees. I look at the book, I look at the tree. I look back at the book. Hmm. Sometimes the tree looks so differently than the book’s sketch that I am just not sure. Other times the tree looks great – so why prune? I have been known in gardens and seasons past to look one final time at the book, shake my head and take my book, my clippers and my intimidation back into the house for another time/season/year. Photo: Rico Montenegro discussing the growth of one of the old apple trees at the Camden House site. (more…)

As the leaves fall and winter settles in for its annual tenure - frosty and spare, the structure of the garden becomes more apparent than ever. Herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees disrobe themselves of the bio- mass of foliage they have carried all summer and fall, and the proportions of each plant and the garden itself shifts. This is a moment when you value the skeletal silhouette of a tree or the graceful arch of a vine scrambling across an arbor or fence. It’s also when you might look around the garden and realize that most of your garden perhaps is on just one plane - the horizontal. With the help of this minimalist view of the garden, you may notice areas where you would like to add some punctuation - some verticality. Trees are one way to add verticality; vines are another. Photo: Kiwi vine leaves.

When it comes to vines, you might think climbing roses, clematis, trumpet or grape vines. Or you could think: kiwi. Photo: Kiwi vines twining up at the Hoptowit orchard in Durham. (more…)