Organic Gardening Newsletter #6

Organic Gardening Class Newsletter #6

The February planting window came and went. If you didn't get some early spring seeds planted, maybe next year you will be ready to jump in when the week or so of dry weather allows you to plant. I did get radishes, spinach, beets, chard, sugar snap peas, lettuce, and mesclun planted February 5, and most of it is already up. I used the technique I learned from Katie Fugnetti and from GRUB of making a shallow furrow, dropping the seeds, and covering with a half inch of fine finished compost. It's magic.

The field trip to Woodleaf Farm will happen this Sunday February 22 rain or shine. Meet at 12:30 at the parking lot where the Chico Saturday Farmers Market happens. Only a flood will cancel this time. Dress for cold wet weather (especially wool socks). We will CARPOOL to Carl Rosato's Woodleaf Farm for our first field trip. If you are inviting any guests, please send $10.00 per guest to Valley Oak Tool Company at P.O. Box 301 Chico CA 95927. I will hand out directions at the carpool rendezvous.

The last garden raising I am leading this year has been rescheduled for Sunday March 29 at 8:30 AM to 11:30. (The field trip to the CSU Chico Farm organic garden will start at 1:30 that day.) Please email me if you would like to participate in this garden raising (cost $10.00 if this is your first garden raising).

The Group Seed Order should be here in less than a week. I also ordered 56 popular varieties of seeds which I will have for sale in my warehouse in about 2 weeks, along with wheel hoes, push planters, row covers, and a few other items.

Tom Barrett is interviewing me tonight at 6 PM on his sustainability hour at KZFR. Hopefully I will have something coherent to say about gardening in Chico.

Supply updates: Northern Star Mills has seed potatoes at 55 cents a pound, Yukon Gold and Modoc red. They will have them until early April. They also have a nicely stocked Seeds of Change seed rack and a wide variety of potting soils, kelp meal, gypsum and many other amendments.

C Bar D Feeds also has seed potatoes. Wilbur's probably does too.

Next lecture at the Grange: On Sunday March 1 at 1:30, Peter Hollingsworth will talk about permaculture, and his brother David will discuss growing potatoes. I was amazed by the potatoes David brought to the Farmers' Market years ago. He has the secrets, and he's talking.

Kinney's on Rowles Road near Vina has been recommended by a couple of different gardeners as having excellent soil for delivery for raised beds. If it were me, I would go there and look at the pile and ask questions before buying. They will deliver in the Chico area.

Volunteer opportunity: The special needs teacher at Chapman Elementary would like to garden with her class in the newly created beds at the school, but needs volunteers to assist with the students and with the maintenance of the beds. Anyone who is interested may contact Debra Abbott, peace4all@flash.net or 898-8456.

In addition, thanks to a generous grant from Lowe’s, McManus Elementary will be installing 6- 4ft x 12 ft garden beds in March, and they could use some volunteer help to build the beds, and to assist the teachers in the classrooms with gardening and maintenance activities. Again, contact Debra Abbott.

The Organic Gardening Class series has booked the auditorium at the Grange for second and third Sundays for the rest of the year. Please E-mail your ideas about possible speakers, field trips etc.

Happy Gardening,

David Grau

Valley Oak Tool Company

P.O. Box 301

Chico CA 95927

telephone 530-342-6188

david@valleyoaktool.com