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Hello everybody. This is the first combined issue of the organic gardening class newsletter and the Valley
Oak Tool Company Newsletter. Please click on this link and take a look at our gardening tips, new tools, permaculture workshop
announcement, and more. We plan to publish once a month and are asking for articles, questions, and your own best gardening
ideas.
This
newsletter is morphing as you read this. We are going to have a local Chico
area organic gardening events section, and a separate gardening tips
section, plus a few other sections yet to be created. For some of the handouts,
you will be able to click on links to take you to the handout, or the class
descriptions and sign-ups. Please email us any feedback you have to offer as we
improve the newsletter.
Thanks to
Carl Rosato for his talk on fruit trees and soil management. Carl's enthusiasm and extensive
knowledge are wonderful assets to the organic gardening community. We hope to
have Carl back next year to continue teaching us about how to make our gardens
produce healthy crops which in turn nurture our own health. If you ever get a
chance to buy Carl's peaches, you will be able to taste the difference
that the use of expert organic methods can deliver.
Thanks Mary Berglund and Jerry Bonds
for some great gardening tips last
Sunday. We will be sending Mary's list of recommended fruit tree varieties in a
newsletter very soon. You may be surprised at how close together fruit trees
can be planted. On the Dave Wilson Nursery website, it is suggested that you
can plant them 3 feet apart, in a sort of hedge. This allows a backyard
gardener to have many more varieties (and the nurseries to sell lots of trees).
These cold rainstorms aren't pleasant, but
they are just what we need to increase the snowpack for next summer. You
can't do much work outdoors, but it is a great time to order seed
catalogs and plan your spring and summer gardens. Class starts
this Sunday, January 24. You can register by going to valleyoaktool.com and clicking on
the link there. It will save time if you pre-register, even
if you pay
at the door. We can have your class card ready and speed the line along
so folks don't miss the beginning of the class.
Yes, there will be a new series
of Organic Gardening Classes starting Sunday
January 24 at 1:30 at the Chico Grange Hall.
Field Trip tomorrow: Fruit Tree care with Carl Rosato. You
need
to register for this class if you want to find out how to prune and
maintain peach, apple, pear, persimmon and other fruit trees.
Thank
you Lee and Francine of GRUB for a wonderful field trip of
your farm. We learned a lot about planting and weeding and harvesting
fall crops. It was great seeing Broccoli already in harvest, and so many
other vegetables.
People
have been asking about what is next with the organic gardening
classes. We will have the class series from January to April at the
Grange, with some new topics and a little different format for some of
the sessions. We will keep you posted in December.
Field Trips: If you want to attend either
field trip next weekend and the weekend after (see Newsletter #22 for
details), please reply to this email to reserve a spot on Sunday 9/13
(Mary Berglund's garden) or Sunday 9/20 (Bruce Balgooyen's garden).
September is here now and the summer harvest is starting to
wind
down. We thought you might want to catch a couple of late
summer/early fall field trips, so here they are.
We had a great time at yesterday's fall garden workshop. So
great, that I want to do it again this coming Sunday August 16. The time
will be 9 AM to noon, and the fee is $30. It is limited to the first 20
who sign up. We will start with seed distribution at cost, and then
plant some fall crops. Then we will tour the rest of my garden. Plenty
of time for questions.
Surprises come in many shapes and sizes. Here's one: There
will be a small group one day workshop focusing on planting your winter
garden next Sunday August 9 from 9 AM to noon at my house.
Field trip to CSU Chico Organic Garden project, Garden class series announcement, Gardening Tips: Citrus Tips, Summer
Watering Schedules, Fall Gardening Preparation, Tomato Worms.
Thanks to Jimi Logsdon, Upcoming Talk on Summer & Fall Planting and Tools, Field Trip to Bruce Balgooyen's Farm at Riparia,
Sick Tomato Plant Experience, Ideas for Next Organic Gardening Series, Garden Excess Sharing, Zucchini and Cucumber Planting.
Thanks to Gary Foster Mike Weideman, Upcoming Talk on Summer and Fall Gardening, Gardening Tips: Irrigation, Soil Types,
Cool Season Veggies, Over Watering and Guttation, Tomato and Other Vegetable Transplants.
Thanks to Christy Santos and Gail Brown, Gary Foster of Compost Solutions Announcement, Dangers of Genetic Engineering
Newsletter, Home Gardening Tips: Onions, Potatoes, Irrigation, Tomato Staking, Squash, Pumpkins, Buckwheat.
Carl Rosato Recap, Directions to Sky Lake Gardens Field Trip, Fruit Pest Identification and Monitoring Cards, Vegetable
Gardening Tips.
Thanks to Leslie Corsbie, Directions to Woodleaf Farm, Jeff Armstrong Irrigation Timer Recommendation, Irrigation
Pressure Regulators and Filters, Vegetable Gardening Tips.
Thank yous to Brian Marshall, Nancy Heinzel, Dr. Lee Altier and Katie Fugnetti, Upcoming Drip Irrigation Systems
Class, Tool and Supply Availability, Vegetable Gardening Tips, GRUB Education Benefit
Tomato Culture Presentation, Class Registration, Tomato Starts, Summer Vegetable Tips, Cat Wanted.
University Farm Field Trip, Next Class Series Sign Up, Garden Sharing Network, Common Vision Fruit
Tree Planting
Matthew Martin Recap, Next Class, Invitation for Ideas, New Organic Gardening Class Announcement
Al Vogel Garden Recap, Upcoming Pyramid Farms Talk, Farming Roundtable Announcement, Recommended
Articles, Valley Oak Tool Company Warehouse.
Thanks to Peter & Dave, FedCo Order Update, Chico Municipal Compost report, Upcoming Classes, Grange
Workshop Series on Local Land Use, Bioneers film series.
Field Trip to Carl Rosato's Farm, Soil Test Results, Parking Problems, Upcoming Classes,
Possible Summer Cooking Series, Carl Rosato Field Trip Followup
February Planting Window, Woodleaf Farm Field Trip, Last Garden Raising, Group Seed Order, KZFR Interview,
Supply Updates, Upcoming Lecture, Kinney's, Volunteer Opportunity.
Thanks to Christy Santos, Garden Sharing Potluck, Seed Ordering Meeting, Small Group Workshop, Car Pool to Woodleaf Farm,
Garden Raising Update, Homegrown!
Isn't it Lovely, Garden Sharing Potluck, A Blog for Networking, Seed Ordering, Upcoming Talk with Christy Santos.
Lunch, Soil Testing, Garden Raising, Midnight Oil, Seed Ordering, What to do in the garden this
week.
Thanks to Bruce Balgooyen, Cooking Class Announcement, Lost and Found, Soil Tests Update, Al Vogel's Field Trip, Carl
Rosato's Field Trip, Fedco Seed Ordering. With a handout from Bruce Balgooyen.
Marc Kessler's & Carl Rosato's Talks & Handouts, GRUB information, Chico Grange Information, Garden Raising Opportunity,
Soil Testing. With handouts from Marc Kessler and Carl Rosato.
For more information about the organic gardening series: ChicoOrganicGardening@yahoo.com
or call Hazel Van Evera at (530) 342-8399 or David Grau at (530) 342-6188
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