Consider Te Garden Water Wise
Santa Rosa, CA. ~ It’s getting hotter and hotter as scientists pre- dicted; temperatures keep escalat- ing with ‘Climate Change’ upon us but hey, don’t give up on gar- dening, never give up.
I recently had the pleasure of chat- ting with Electra de Pey- ster (it’s Dutch) and Cie Cary, both Sonoma Coun- ty trained master garden- ers. This is a little scoop on food gardening in our ever- dryer climate. Be in- spired. It’s the 32nd year an-
niversary of the Master Gardening
Program in
Sonoma County and there is so much valuable in- formation on their web- site,
UCANR.edu/site/ scmg; it is definitely the place to check out. Re- alize you can still grow some of your own food, maybe a little less but Cie Cary reminds, “Growing your own food is still a good thing!” The Master Gar- dening program is a University of California cooperative extension service and students spend sev- eral months training with profes- sors and educators versed in this broad, green topic. During the first year 60 hours are required, spend- ing time at the UCCE information desk answering questions about everything and is geared to the homeowner.
You can call their
info desk in Santa Rosa at 565- 2608 and in Sonoma at 938-0127. An all-volunteer program with an outreach agenda and a compen- dium of documents on their web- site; this is a totally amazing tool at your fingertips. It’s simple to download their ‘must read’ infor- mative documents. Look for Mas- ter Gardener volunteers at infor- mational booths, fairs and farmer’s markets. The Press Democrat lists upcoming talks with great guest speakers on varied topics that are
by Kimberly Childers •
kimberlychilders@att.net
sure to entice any lev- el of gardener. Gar- den Sense is a new water conservation program and Master Gardeners are lately working with So- noma County Water Agency as well. To sign up on their very, very long waiting list you can fill out the form provided and consultants will even-
tually come to your house, give advice, suggestions and check out your current irrigation system as well. They can help homeowners create climate appropriate gardens now and for their future.
They
downloading current documents, checking out the Garden Sense website and getting more aware of it all.
Cary and de Peyster stress that adding compost to your garden is essential for keeping the soil more moisture retentive. Mulching is so important; 3-4 inches thick will help keep the soil temperature cool, preventing so much evapora- tion. They advise using straw or grass clippings, shredded news- paper, and burlap.
Coffee roast-
ers often have burlap bags that their beans are shipped in as well as coffee grounds which are free, perfect for all your acid loving plants and enriching your com- post. Cary recommends keeping mulch 2” away from vegetable
plants and
6” away from fruit tree trunks to prevent rot. Drip irrigation is the best way to water your plants and supplies are not hard to find in this county. It’s important to get advice and pos- sibly
have someone
knowledgeable install it, so you have a better understanding of how it all works. Everything needs
some water so be se- lective about what you
will help you make sense of it all! Documents on the master garden web-site include information on drought tolerant gardening, food gardening with less water and so much more. Susan Foley, coordinator of Gar- den Sense, told me that almost every water supplier is offering rebate programs for lawn removal and other water saving projects. She recommends contacting them,
plant. You can plant less but select varieties that have higher yields like beans, corn, tomatoes, chard and wonderful fava beans to name a few. Understand the seasons. Learn what’s ripe and when if you shop at the local produce stores, and when to plant your own ever- changing garden. Plant cool sea- son plants like cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, beets and greens in spring and fall. Check out year round gar-
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dening in our county on their site. Winter and summer squash, egg- plant, melons, peppers, tomatoes, and herbs are best for the heat of summer. The web-site has a par- tial list of drought resistant crops and varieties.
Electra tells me
we’re typically not seeing drought tolerant varieties/seeds from the east coast, so it makes more sense to order seeds from western com- panies. They will be more compat- ible with our drier climate. Gar- deners are being encouraged not to water deeply as in the past but to water only the ‘active’ root zone, keeping soil consistently moist be- neath thick mulch. Gardeners need to change their old habits and ad- just irrigation systems according to the soil and weather, setting it up to maximize efficiency.
Elec-
tra assures me “Yes, you can food garden with less water!” Sonoma county master gardeners, their on- going workshops and definitive website can show you how. Get into it and get happy about it. It’s our brilliant lives and our chal- lenging water-wise gardens. Be a part of the solution . . .BE THE CHANGE. . .
UPBEAT TIMES • June 2014 • 15 Weird Facts & Fun Trivia -6
Pilsner Urquell beer was created in the 19th century in the town of Plzen (or Pilsen) in Bohemia, in what is today the Czech Republic.
Pilsner Urquell, the original pilsner, still uses the same recipe and brewing process today as when the beer was first invented in 1842.
The thumbnail grows the slowest; the middle nail grows the fastest.
Your system of blood vessels is over 60,000 miles long. That’s long enough to go around the world more than twice!
The first domain name ever registered was Symbolics. com
The screwdriver was invented before the screw.
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