Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "gardening"

Check Moisture Before Ramping Up Landscape Irrigation, Water Providers Urge

2012-01-12T15:08:46Z

With the recent dry weather and warmer temperatures, Sacramento-area residents might be tempted to ramp up their landscape irrigation. But, the Regional Water Authority and local water providers are recommending restraint.

"Plants don't need as much water this time of year, even without rain," said Linda Yager, Regional Water Efficiency Program Manager. Lower temperatures, shorter daylight hours and moisture from fog and rain all combine to reduce the water demands of a typical landscape. Edible gardens and fruit bearing trees have special water requirements, so please consult with a landscape professional or your local Master Gardeners for more information.

The Regional Water Authority and local water providers offer the following dry winter tips for the typical landscape:

Before turning on your irrigation system, check the soil to see and feel if it is still moist by using a garden trowel or shovel to dig down about three to six inches. If the soil is dry several inches or more below the surface, water the landscape one day per week, according to your water provider's schedule.
Apply the “soak and cycle” method, which means to water your landscape on that one day and let the water soak into the soil for about an hour. Then use a trowel or shovel again to check the soil moisture. If the soil is moist to a depth of three inches or so, you’ve probably watered enough. If the soil is only moist down to a depth of an inch or two, you may need to irrigate for a little longer.
Understand that if you have the type of lawn that is dormant in the winter, it will not likely need supplemental water.
Once the rains begin, remember to turn the irrigation system off again.

"The variations in rainfall from year to year are a constant reminder for all of us to use only what we need," Yager said. "Rain or shine, we should be good stewards of our water resources--for the health of the Sacramento region, the state’s economy and to ensure it is available today and for future generations."

For more information about free water-efficiency services and rebates, as well as tips for using less water now, residents can contact their local water provider or visit the Be Water Smart Web site at bewatersmart.info.

About the Regional Water Authority: RWA is a joint powers authority representing 24 water providers and affiliates in the greater Sacramento area. Its primary mission is to help its members protect and enhance the reliability, availability, affordability and quality of water resources.

Disclosure: Christine Kohn is the public outreach coordinator for the Regional Water Authority.

Hands-On Workshop and Blue Thumb Garden Party Scheduled for Nov. 5

2011-10-20T17:36:06Z

Blue Thumb Neighbors (BTN) is offering a special workshop to provide Witter Ranch (Natomas) residents with a hands-on opportunity to apply sustainable landscape practices to a neighbor’s yard.

Working with the host, the BTN team will develop an action plan for transforming one ornamental planting area with beautiful, low-water use plants and upgrading sprinkler heads in one turf area. BTN instructors, participants and volunteers will then dig in and implement those plans during the Garden Party.

The Garden Party will include both instruction and hands-on application on the following topics:

Soil and Soil Amendments: Discuss soil health, use of compost and how the site was prepared
Hydrozones, Plants and Planting: Identify the garden's hydrozones, review the landscape design plan and plant list, learn how to properly space plants based upon mature size and install plants and trees
Efficient Garden Watering (planting bed): Match selected plants to the irrigation method, review scheduling, maintenance and proper emitter placement
Efficient Garden Watering (turf): Practice how to replace older sprinklers with efficient rotary nozzles
Mulch Magic: Learn about the proper application of mulch, including the correct depth and distance from plants, and then apply mulch to the garden

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What: Blue Thumb Garden Party

Where: Home of Anita Mora, 2942 Chateau Montelena Way

When: Saturday, November 5, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Who: Witter Ranch residents and Blue Thumb Neighbors participants

What to bring: Chairs, gardening clothes that can get dirty, Blue Thumb garden gloves, hats and sunscreen, shovel and hand trowel

Please RSVP by contacting: Christine Kohn, Blue Thumb Neighbors Program Coordinator, by phone: 916-944-1631 or via e-mail: ckohn@INCommunications.biz.

Disclosure: Christine Kohn is the public outreach coordinator for the Regional Water Authority.

Daisies, Tomatoes and Parsnips, Oh My!

2011-10-14T17:58:11Z

Daisies, Tomatoes and Parsnips, Oh My!

The relationship between what you grow and the air you breathe

Researchers at the University of Virginia found that air pollution is destroying flower fragrance, making it harder for bees to find flowers when foraging. This proves that the relationship between the air we breathe and what we grow can be a crucial factor on whether your garden will have the best petunias on the block or whether they fall flat. The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District and the air districts of the region want to provide tips on how you can make the most out of your garden. This can be done while reducing pollutants in the air you breathe and bringing to your attention avoidable health risks when outside tending to your plants.

Getting The Most Out of Your Garden
You can help Spare The Air by practicing simple tips while gardening or taking care of your lawn. In order to breathe easier, consider the following:

• Try using air friendly pesticides or biopesticides as an alternative. Certain types of vegetables and plants, such as spinach and certain varieties of bell peppers, require heavy pesticide use to cultivate crops. When you use pesticides, the residue gives off small particles that are dispersed into the air. These particles get into our lungs and create many health risks. Instead use biopesticides derived from natural materials such as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. For example, canola oil and baking soda have pesticidal applications.
• Dispose of your pesticides safely. Leftover pesticides can leak or give off fumes that, if not disposed of correctly, can contribute to the region’s poor air quality. If you have leftover pesticides, see if your neighbor can use them. If not, contact your local solid waste management authority for information on hazardous household cleanup days. Do not pour the remaining pesticides down the toilet, sink or street drains as this may affect the waste water treatment system. If the container is empty, follow the directions on the label or throw it directly into your trash.
• Plant native plants. The great thing about native plants is they grow naturally in our region, making them easy to find locally and cutting down on travel to find non-native species. They are low-maintenance and help reduce the impact on the environment. Plus, they look great!
• Use electric gardening equipment. It is a fact that gas mowers represent five percent of U.S. Air Pollution (EPA). By using electric mowers, weed whackers and other air friendly garden equipment you can help Spare The Air.
• Recycle old lawn equipment. By recycling you are reducing your carbon footprint and getting rid of air polluting gas mowers and weed whackers.
• Composting. In a special bin or a well maintained pile, collect cardboard rolls, clean paper, coffee grounds, leaves, non-treated grass clippings, cotton rags, tea bags and other compostable items. This can later be used as soil to cultivate plants and vegetables. By adopting a holistic approach when it comes to lawn care you can lessen your impact on the environment.

Your Gardening Lifestyle
Adopting a “green” lifestyle is a step in the right direction to keeping yourself and your loved ones healthy. This lifestyle choice may not only include how you garden but also where you buy your products.

Consumers and farmers that locally grow their fruits and vegetables contribute greatly to reducing the air pollution. When fruits and vegetables are grown locally there is no need for trucks to transport these items to far destinations, which cuts down on air pollution. Also, when you know that your produce is coming from your own backyard or even a local farm you can ensure that the product is fresh.

Can You Dig It?
Vegetables, fruits and plants are usually seasonal and every season usually has a time of day when it is best for you to be outside planting them, such as the morning or early evening. Not only are these the best times for your plants, but they’re also when air quality is best, making it healthier for you. Gardening is fun and relaxing but it can bring about some avoidable health risks. Sign up for Air Alert at www.SpareTheAir.com to receive an email containing the daily air quality forecast each day before noon; this will help ensure you always plan your gardening hours with your health in mind. Take these facts into consideration before you decide to garden:

Health risks associated with being outside during a high air pollution day include:
• Aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illness
• Added stress to heart and lungs, which must work harder to supply the body with oxygen
• Damaged cells in the respiratory system
• Wheezing, coughing and watery eyes

Using an electric mower and disposing of your pesticides safely are just a few things you may have picked up in this article. Most importantly, be aware of the health risks you face if you’re outside when air pollution is elevated and the steps you can take to avoid them.

Over the years your hard work has paid off to keep Spare The Air days to a minimum, so keep up the good work! To stay up to date on the Spare The Air campaign and fun activities, follow us on Twitter @AQMD or become Scooter’s Facebook friend at SpareTheAir Scooter. For more information on how to receive free educational materials or to sign up for Air Alert, please visit www.SpareTheAir.com.

Disclosure: On behalf of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District

Witter Ranch Selected for ‘Blue Thumb Neighbors’ Program

2011-09-12T20:19:35Z

The Witter Ranch neighborhood in Natomas has been selected to participate in “Blue Thumb Neighbors,” a free program sponsored by the Regional Water Authority and City of Sacramento Department of Utilities.

The project will teach residents there how to create healthy, beautiful, River‐Friendly landscapes that compliment their homes and neighborhood. River‐Friendly landscaping is a holistic approach to sustainable landscaping that uses resources, like water, efficiently and incorporates practices that foster soil health, reduce waste and prevent pollution of the air and waterways.

Each participating household will receive a free at‐home consultation on efficient watering, sponsored by the City of Sacramento, and then education and resource kits during three October workshops on sustainable landscape design, efficient irrigation and proper plant selection.

“When we first heard of this program, we knew that Natomas was an ideal candidate area,” said Dave Brent, Interim Director of the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities. “And when we approached Witter Ranch, their enthusiasm proved we were right. We look forward to working with them and helping them to implement real changes that will make a difference in their water use and their monthly utility bills.”

Neighborhoods from throughout the City of Sacramento were nominated for the program and then evaluated according to 13 criteria, which included whether the neighborhood is metered and representative of other communities in the Sacramento region. After interviews with leaders at top‐ranked neighborhoods, program sponsors selected Witter Ranch.

"We were impressed with Witter Ranch's sense of community pride, neighborhood association leadership and existing system of communication," said Regional Water Efficiency Program Manager Linda Yager.

Witter Ranch was the only neighborhood selected in the City of Sacramento for the 2011 Blue Thumb Neighbors program.

The free at‐home consultations, which will provide tips on irrigation scheduling and efficient watering practices, begin this month. The open workshops will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on October 11, 18 and 25 at the Witter Ranch Elementary School Multipurpose Room at 3790 Poppy Hill Way.

Blue Thumb Neighbors staff will be going door‐to‐door on Saturday, September 17 to provide more information about the program and invite residents to participate.

Interested residents may contact Blue Thumb Neighbors Program Coordinator Christine Kohn at 916‐944‐1631 or ckohn@INcommunications.biz to learn more or sign up.

Blue Thumb Neighbors is offered in partnership with the Witter Ranch Community Alliance. It is sponsored by the Regional Water Authority and City of Sacramento. It is funded in part by a grant from the California Department of Water Resources.

Disclosure: Christine Kohn is the public outreach coordinator for the Regional Water Authority.

Amber Stott: Living la vida locavore

2011-06-28T01:13:54Z

Sacramento locavore Amber Stott is documenting her life as a conscious consumer and her journey to eat as locally as she can with a food blog, Awake at the Whisk.

She said she likes to start each day, camera in hand, with a walk through the garden.

On a recent June morning, she snapped photos of plants in her backyard next to the American River.

Planter boxes were filled with watermelon, tomatillos, corn, squash, cucumbers, melons and peppers growing in various stages. She pushed aside leaves, peered under plants and squealed with joy when she found the first jalapeno of the season.

"With the garden, every single day there's something new. That's – for me – my favorite part of the day," she said.

"If I do it in the morning, I can get a sense of what's out there and what needs to be picked,” said Stott, who worked most recently at a local nonprofit. “And I can start brainstorming throughout the day about what to cook with it."

She started the blog in 2008. She describes Awake at the Whisk as a lifestyle guide filled with tips and ideas she's gleaned on her path through life. Her blog's tagline sums it up: "Living la vida locavore."

Stott posts gardening tips, what's in season, recipes, essays about life, and ideas on ways to protect the environment. She also does restaurant and book reviews and chef interviews.

She's been gardening all her life and cooking nearly as long. Stott grew up tending a big garden with her parents in rural Savanna, Ill., near the town of Galena. Her aunt and uncle had a well-known bakery in nearby Iowa.

Stott started cooking, baking and canning with her mother as far back as she can remember. She said she's loved to read and write all her life.

"My mom's a librarian. I always had a book in my hand. So if I wasn't in the yard or in the kitchen, I was reading," she said.

She majored in journalism in college but found the stories she wrote for the school newspaper bored her, until she got a chance to write features. She worked hard on an assignment to find the best coffee in her college town of Madison, Wis. – only to have most of her writing cut due to lack of space.

Devastated, she changed her major to literature, minored in women's studies and went to work in the nonprofit sector after college. She did grant writing, press releases and website content.

“I just was too young for that kind of rejection,” she said.

She let her own writing go as life got busy. Four or five years ago, something inside her awakened when she read New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl's book, "Garlic and Sapphires." Stott said before then she'd never thought about putting food together with writing.

She later learned Reichl had become a successful newspaper writer and author although she didn't have a journalism degree.

"It was like permission for me to write about food," she said.

Stott said she's been a locavore all her life. But there wasn't a name for it when she was growing up. Now, people are beginning to set guidelines for what that means – but those guidelines don't fit everyone, she said.

She said she realizes it's impractical to get everything from your own garden or a farmers market, especially when you're first starting off.

Stott recalled how little food she and husband Brendan, a geomorphologist who restores rivers and streams for a living, got from their garden the year she tried to grow everything from heirloom seeds. Heirlooms tend to be more disease-prone. Stott gardens organically and lost those plants to pests.

The couple bought a house on a quarter-acre so they could have a huge garden, with plenty of fruit trees, native flowering plants and beautiful nooks to hang out in.

"The most critical thing for me is to have space – nature – out my back door," she said.

Standing in her garden, Stott picked a few pungent leaves while pointing out herbs such as lemon grass, rosemary, orange bergamot mint and oregano growing thickly against the garage. Then she pulled stalks of rhubarb and took them to the kitchen.

Brendan built the main vegetable and herb garden. He handles the water system and composting and tends pollinator plants and fruit trees.

She plants and tends the garden, harvests and makes the food. Stott bakes and cooks using fresh, seasonal ingredients from her garden and local farms and ranches.

The couple's lifestyle reflects their shared commitment to the earth and making the world a better place, she said.

Her blog catches it all: Stott writes about what's going on in her garden, culinary experiences and other things she's interested in related to living on a healthy planet, such as honey bee colony collapse disorder.

Inside her Caribbean lime green-colored kitchen, she quickly hacked leaves and stem bases off stalks of rhubarb with a utility knife. Stott then grabbed her Canon digital camera and snapped a few photos of the stalks.

Using a handwritten family recipe handed down by her grandmother, she began simmering rhubarb sauce on the stove to make rhubarb pinwheels, one of her favorite desserts.

She does both writing and photography for her blog. She doesn't have a regular posting schedule, but said she tries to post once a week. She fits it in around work and other parts of her life.

Stott said she would like to increase the blog's readership and write a book. She doesn't have any ads on her blog, so she isn't making money with it. She plans to spend the summer exploring ways to do more writing and transition to writing for a living.

The blog has become an adventure – just like her life, living la vida locavore.

"It nurtures me. I've discovered all these other things I'm good at," she said. "It's just a celebration of the earth, but through food and through my life."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Landscaping the River-Friendly Way

2011-06-08T17:54:32Z

Landscaping the River-Friendly Way: Learn how to save water and grow healthy plants at free workshops

River-friendly landscaping is a whole systems approach to gardening and landscaping that works to support the integrity of one of California’s key ecosystems, the Sacramento River watershed. River-friendly landscaping practices foster soil health, conserve water and other valuable resources, reduce waste and prevent pollution of our air and waterways.

Benefits to you:
- Saves money on water, fertilizers and pesticides
- Reduces green waste in your landscape
- Requires less maintenance such as mowing and trimming
- Attracts wonderful birds and butterflies to your garden

Benefits to the community and the environment:
- Conserves landfill space
- Reduces air pollution by reducing the amount of green waste that needs to be transported
- Improves water quality by reducing pollution

UC Cooperative Extension and Master Gardeners present FREE workshops
When: Saturday, June 11, 2011
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Where: Florin Creek Park and Recreation Center, 7460 Persimmon Ave., Sacramento, 95823. Get directions here.

- Bring your plant and insect problems
- Talk with UC Master Gardeners
- Tour the UC research plots (alternative turf species)
- See non-toxic methods
- Take home useful information

Indoor Presentations:
10:00 a.m. - River-Friendly Landscaping: Save Money, Conserve Water and Sustain Healthy Landscapes
Cheryl Buckwalter – Landscape Liaisons and EcoLandscape California

11:00 a.m. - Spring into a Healthy Yard
Fred Hoffman – Radio Talk Show Host and UC Master Gardener

12:00 p.m. - All-Star Plants: Top Picks from the UC Davis Arboretum
Missy Borel – California Urban Horticulture Center

1:00 a.m. - Irrigation Controller: Friend or Foe?
Jan Famestad – City of Folsom, Water Management Program

Outdoor Demonstrations:
10:00 a.m. - Composting Tips and Tricks
Roberta Hopkins, UC Master Gardener

11:00 a.m. - 21st Century Irrigation
Don Smith – City of Folsom, Water Management Program

12:00 p.m. - Turf Demonstration Tour
Lawn Species that Need Less Water and Mowing
Chuck Ingels – Horticulture Advisor, UC Sacramento

The turf demonstration project is a part of a U.S. EPA-funded grant led by the Sacramento County Department of Water Resources and Sacramento County UC Cooperative Extension in which we are promoting and expanding river-friendly lLandscaping. For detailed information on the turf demonstration project, click here.

1:00 p.m. - Weed Control Strategies for Healthier Lawns
John Roncoroni – UC Weed Science Advisor, North Coast

Questions about the workshops? Contact Suman Kumar at kumarsu@saccounty.net or call (916) 874‑8326. Download flyer.

For more information about River-Friendly Landscaping, visit www.riverfriendly.org or http://cesacramento.ucdavis.edu.

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Kerri Aiello is the Communications and Media Officer for Sacramento County's Countywide Services Agency. She can be reached by telephone at (916) 874-4667 or by email at Aiellok@saccounty.net.

Spring is in bloom at the Historic Cemetery

2011-05-23T06:59:59Z

The Sacramento Historic Cemetery on Broadway hosted an informational flower tour on Saturday.

The 10-person tour group, led by guide Sharon Patrician, made its way around the cemetery, enjoying the multitude of plant life that the site has to offer. Members of the tour group were free to ask Patrician questions, explore plots and take photos.

Patrician pointed out noteworthy plants and flowers along the way. Tour favorites were the fragrant historic rose bushes, vibrant red poppies and the rice flower, named for its pearl-like formation.

Patrician passed around a primrose flower from a plant that has been in the ground for 10 years, encouraging attendees to feel its “silken quality.”

One bloom that Patrician is eagerly anticipating is that of the Neo-American iris, a flower she described as “like no other,” with brown, yellow and blue stripes.

Patrician said the cemetery’s plots are maintained by some 120 volunteers. People with a love for gardening adopt a plot and, with their own funds, plant, groom and maintain flowers and other plant-life plant life.

Patrician explained that there are different approaches to maintaining a plot, and pointed out one area she described as having an “Oriental scheme,” in that it had a lot of green, not many flowers and a sense of serenity, with everything thoroughly clipped back.

In contrast to the “Oriental scheme,” Patrician maintains her own plot, Hamilton Square, with an approach she describes as “rambling:” plants draping over the sides of walls, mingling plant species and the occasional weed.

She said that although volunteers have a lot of freedom with how they maintain their plots, it's also important to respect the fact that people do come to the cemetary looking for their ancestors. Plant growth isn't allowed to get so unruly that it obscures the information on a gravestone, Patrician said.

Walking under a canopy of weeping cypress, Patrician talked about the cemetery’s resident barn owl, who hides in the trees during the day to avoid being harassed by crows.

Patrician informed the tour that cypress are planted as “memorial trees” because the Victorians associated their dark green foliage with “mourning and life everlasting.”

Patrician explained that though the trees aren’t labeled, the cemetery keeps a complete inventory of the trees on the property.

According to Patrician, plants prefer nitrogen-rich rain water to treated water. She also said that thoroughly watering plants can be a blessing and a curse: doing so results in more weeds, but it also encourages plant growth that may not otherwise have been possible.

In addition to watering strategies, Patrician talked about the crucial role bees play in the success of plant life. If the honey bee doesn’t survive, she said, native bees will have to take over their share of the work.

The cemetery is home to over 65 native bee species, but, unlike honey bees, they are hard to round up and have very specific tastes, Patrician said.

We learned that since black bees are too big to fit inside a flower’s opening, their method is to punch a hole in the base of a plant and extract the pollen that way.

The tour's final stop was the grave of Alexander Hamilton’s youngest son, William, who had come to California to seek his fortune in the gold rush. Positioned beaneath a low-branched Valley oak, Patrician called the grave an example of “cemetery politics.” William’s family had a monument built for him that included on it a large bust of his father along with his father’s name. Patrician explained that the family wanted to make certain that everyone who visited the grave site would know that Alexander Hamilton was William’s father, which she described as being “rather disingenuous.”

Finishing the tour, Patrician lamented the difficult financial situation that nonprofits, including the cemetery, are facing. She added that in difficult times, when a lack of funding means losing those things that “keep you sane in a urban setting,” the Historic Cemetery’s strong volunteer base is what will keep it going.

“If the parks ever close, you can always come to the cemetery,” she said.

For more information on the cemetery's guided tours, check out their website.

For information about volunteering, contact the Volunteer Coordinator at patricianone@att.net.

The Fight for Community Gardens: The Proposed Ordinance and The Right to Land

2011-05-13T21:24:49Z

On Thursday, May 12th, 2011, the proposed Community Garden Ordinance was reviewed at the City’s Planning Commission Meeting. The discussion on community gardens was first presented to the Law and Legislation Committee in August of last year. Since then, it has moved forward due to general support for urban agriculture in Sacramento. The current ordinance is a proposition to amend the zoning law, which prohibits agriculture in residential or non-agriculture zones. The new amendment extends only to private property and does not apply to city-owned land. The public land issue has currently been tabled but is nevertheless pertinent to the future of sustainable urban agriculture.

Let’s take a look back to 2004, the last year of The Ron Mandella Community Garden. The garden was formed under a joint deal between residents and the city. For thirty years, the garden spanned the entire Q Street block between 15th and 14th. In 2004, CADA (Capitol Area Development Authority) decided to conduct a soil test at the garden. The results found toxins and gardeners were promptly evicted. Conveniently, this allowed CADA to push forward the Fremont MEWS project to develop 118 new condos on the Q street corridor. Gardeners requested CADA present a Human Health Risk Assessment to show what the actual effects of the toxins were. After refusing, the gardeners filed a lawsuit that required CADA to produce an EIR (Environmental Impact Report) and, according to some, was never fully completed.

In an interview with City Gardener Bill Maynard, he reflected on the events that followed, “That same year, Sacramento hosted the WTO meeting but the city didn’t know what it was getting into.” Maynard is referring to the lockdown that occurred at the Mandella site in concurrence with protests downtown against the WTO’s Agriculture Ministers Meeting. The Mandella garden had been locked since the eviction. Local activists and supporters from Sonoma County’s Green-Bloc initiated the occupation on the weekend of June 22nd. Ten members of the Garden Board strapped themselves to the fence with metal boards and refused to leave. From 4pm until midnight, riot police and helicopters hovered over the scene, while a similar situation played out at the Ministerial Meeting. Eventually the protestors were arrested and taken to jail in Stockton. In July, the garden was bulldozed and a mere 1/3 of the land was preserved for it’s original purpose.

Today, The Mandella Garden has morphed into two well-established community gardens in downtown Sacramento, The Fremont Garden on Q Street and The Southside Garden on 5th and W. The 5th Street plot, located under the highway, was given to the gardeners as a concession by the city. Still, let this piece of history be a lesson as we move forward with the current ordinance. Supporting sustainable urban agriculture in Sacramento will mean dealing with the realities of redevelopment, public land, and people’s rights.

On May 4th, council representatives hosted an informational meeting for residents to learn more about the ordinance and receive community input. Three of these meeting were held and another will be hosted on May18th at the Boys and Girls Club. At the May 4th meeting, residents had many concerns about the equity and sustainability of the law. The Department of Utility fee for water access and services is $6400 per year and is required for all proposed gardens. A six-foot high solid fence is also a requirement for properties with no current fence. These requirements seemed anathema to the idea of a “community” garden for many. And for those without the money, it is completely out of the picture. Paul Towers, from Pesticide Watch commented, “We need to make the law so people can maintain their garden and allow folks to sell their harvest to pay for all these fees and make the operation more sustainable.” A community member who goes by the nickname “Rev” stated that “all this is talking about is how much money the city can make and how much control they can have over a community-run operation. Our forefathers would have took their shotguns out if there land kept on being taxed like this.” The passion over land is a righteous one. City-owned or not, the laws that govern our access to land are undeniably strict. While the current ordinance is definitely a step-forward, it still sets-up a situation where the demands of the law are out of touch with people’s needs. If the city really wants to create equitable and sustainable laws for community gardens, it will have to rethink both the questions of right to land and affordability. The question of community gardens on public land will no doubt have to re-evaluate the Mandella incident. The biggest threat to community gardens on public land is redevelopment. Grocery stores like Fresh n’ Easy or other redevelopment projects will compete with community gardens for land.

After Thursday’s meeting, the Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council. The Law and Legislation Committee is expected to vote on the recommendations in June. While we move forward, let’s continue to remember the past and hopefully create policies that reflect the needs of community gardens on private and public land.

“Top 10 Products for Saving Water At Home” to be Showcased May 7 at Lowe's

2011-05-04T16:41:57Z

Mulch, drip irrigation kits and rain sensors...What do all of these have in common?

They're considered "Top 10 Products for Saving Water at Home" available at your local home improvement store.

To celebrate Water Awareness Month in May, local water providers and the Regional Water Authority (RWA) are partnering with Lowe's to showcase products that can help residents use less water. These include WaterSense-labeled toilets and showerheads, rotary sprinkler nozzles, automatic hose timers and more.

Water providers will be on hand to discuss these and other products, tips for saving water both inside and outside the home, as well as rebates for replacing water-wasting fixtures with newer models, on Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lowe's in:

• Citrus Heights
• Elk Grove
• Folsom
• Lincoln
• Rancho Cordova
• Roseville

Remember that water is a limited resource that shouldn't be wasted. Learn more and read the complete list of "Top 10 Products for Saving Water at Home" at BeWaterSmart.info.

Disclosure: Christine Kohn is the public outreach coordinator for the Regional Water Authority.

New Blue Thumb Blog Helps Residents Create Beautiful, Water-Efficient Landscapes

2011-04-18T17:55:52Z

We've all heard the term "Green Thumb" used to describe someone with a natural skill for gardening. Now there's a new resource for gardeners to help them develop a "Blue Thumb"--a talent for creating a beautiful, water-efficient landscape.

In the Blue Thumb blog, local landscape and irrigation experts Cheryl Buckwalter of Landscape Liaisons and Vicky Bartish of EcoLandscape California share their personal and professional insights on topics such as:

• Selecting and maintaining high-impact, low-fuss plants appropriate for the Sacramento region
• Reading your landscape and making practical design decisions
• Matching your irrigation to your soil and plant type

Cheryl and Vicky also answer vexing questions on landscaping and watering submitted by readers.

The Blue Thumb blog is hosted by the Regional Water Authority (RWA) in partnership with local water providers who are working to help residents use less water outdoors.

RWA estimates that Sacramento-area residents could collectively save almost 100 gallons of water per person per day during the irrigation season (April through October) by using water wisely and eliminating water waste outdoors. That’s enough water to meet the drinking water needs of more than 135,000 families for a year.

Join the conversation today at BeWaterSmart.info.

Disclosure: Christine Kohn is the public outreach coordinator for the Regional Water Authority.

Sacramento-Area Residents to be Honored as "Blue Thumb Ambassadors"

2011-04-07T18:51:40Z

The Regional Water Authority (RWA) and local water providers kick off their 2011 Blue Thumb Pledge Drive by honoring 11 Sacramento-area residents and organizations as "Blue Thumb Ambassadors." Honorees will be recognized for their dedication to landscape water efficiency this Sunday, April 10, at 12:45 p.m. at the Sacramento River Cats game.

Nearly 40 individuals and organizations were nominated by water providers and landscape advisors. Ultimately, 11 were selected because of their passion for using water wisely outdoors and their work as environmental educators, resources for their neighbors and stewards of our local water supplies.

"Sometimes it's difficult to appreciate the need for water efficiency after such a wet winter," said RWA's Water Efficiency Program Manager Linda Higgins. "Our Blue Thumb Ambassadors understand that water is a limited resource that shouldn't be wasted no matter the short-term weather and water supply conditions. They also know firsthand that that beautiful landscaping and water efficiency go hand-in-hand."

With the Sacramento region's hot, dry climate and long summer season, it's estimated that more than 65 percent of a household's yearly water consumption typically goes toward landscape irrigation. Of that, 30 percent is lost to overwatering or evaporation. RWA estimates that Sacramento-area residents could collectively save almost 100 gallons of water per person per day during the irrigation season (April through October) by using water wisely and eliminating water waste outdoors. That’s enough water to meet the drinking water needs of more than 135,000 families for a year.

Blue Thumb honorees range from landscape experts and contractors to a homeowners association and park district, and stretch from Rocklin to Sacramento to El Dorado. They include:

• Chuck Ingels of Fair Oaks, Interim Co-County Director for the UC Cooperative Extension, an expert in the field of landscape water efficiency and sustainable landscaping practices.

• Crosswoods Homeowners Association in Citrus Heights, represented by Property Manager Paul Schorno and Resident Bob Acrea. Crosswoods HOA removed 25,000 square feet (about the size of a football field) of thirsty lawn and replaced it with beautiful, water-efficient landscaping, a drip irrigation system and weather-based irrigation controller.

• The City of Sacramento Water Conservation Ambassadors, represented by Maureen Johnson, resident-volunteers that help neighbors learn to use water efficiently.

• Robert Makimoto of Roseville, owner of Tri-Asian Enterprise, a landscape maintenance and installation company in Roseville, whose advocacy for weather-based irrigation technologies has motivated his commercial clients to reduce their water use to the benefit of the bottom line.

• Judy McClure of Sacramento, Water Quality Outreach and Master Gardener Program Coordinator for the UC Cooperative Extension, an expert in the field of water-efficient landscaping and gardening.

• Rosemary Carey of El Dorado, President of the El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society whose endeavors have included meeting one-on-one with 37 homeowners to advise them about incorporating low water-use native plants into their landscapes as part of a grant from the Sierra Nevada Alliance.

• Joe Zaniker and Gregg Coffin of Sacramento, transformed their thirsty Land Park yard to a beautiful, water-efficient landscape that features original sculpture and other artistic elements.

• Paul MacGowan of Rocklin, a 30-year educator and Professor/Department Chair of the Horticulture Department at American River College.

• Sue Jennings of Sacramento, an "environmental crusader" who formed Sacramento Citizens for Sustainable Landscapes and maintains sacgardens.org.

• Robb Munn of Carmichael, owner of English Garden Care, a landscape design and maintenance company in Rancho Cordova, who specializes in sustainable landscaping, water-wise landscapes and environmental restoration.

• Mission Oaks Recreation and Park District in Carmichael, represented by Parks Director TJ Newman. Mission Oaks Recreation and Park District installed moisture-based irrigation controllers and other water-efficient irrigation measures.

The 2011 Blue Thumb Ambassadors will be honored Sunday, April 10 at 12:45 p.m. during a pre-game ceremony at the Sacramento River Cats game. Their stories will also be featured on the Blue Thumb Web site at BeWaterSmart.info.

About the Regional Water Authority: RWA is a joint powers authority representing 21 water providers in the greater Sacramento area. Its primary mission is to help its members protect and enhance the reliability, availability, affordability and quality of water resources.

East Sacramento Rose Society and city host prickly event

2011-01-10T04:27:02Z

It was cold. It was gray. But despite the January chill, dozens of volunteers came out for the McKinley Rose Garden Prune-a-Thon. The the cheerful crew cut, pruned and clipped to make the garden grow. Although rose pruning reduces the plants to stubs, those who can endure delayed gratification will get their payoff in summer, when the garden is thick with a palette of blooms.

The McKinley Rose Garden has about 1,300 plants. The city works hard to maintain the park, but neighbors and rose-lovers help groom the garden. McKinley Park, originally know as East Park, is in the heart of East Sacramento and one of its treasures.

The Sacramento Rose Society was on hand to give expert advice on rose-pruning. East Sacramento residents, AmeriCorps, rosarians and city employees joined together to make this event a success.

Check out the Sacramento City Volunteer Program and the East Sacramento Preservation page for more opportunities to help East Sacramento and the city.

A love for dirt

2010-12-06T00:19:04Z

Maybe it comes from having folks that lived off the land, but I have always had affection for dirt. I remember making mud pies in the backyard of my L.A. home. I was three and there was just something about getting my hands dirty that felt good. In case you were wondering, yes, I did try a bite or two. Even the taste didn’t turn me off to playing in the dirt. It makes me now ponder how children seem to know that dirt is associated with food.

My connection to dirt didn’t stop with that good L.A. mud. I found another connection to dirt in the backwoods of Oklahoma. It was where my daddy grew up. The air smells different in Oklahoma. There’s a sweetness to it along with a humidity you cannot find in California. I remember riding my daddy’s old mare after the funeral for my granddaddy. Even at the age of five, I knew what home felt like. As I tightened my knees against Goldie and hung on to a piece of her mane, I remember looking over the field where the windmill stood and the barn stood empty. I just knew it must be the most perfect place in the whole world.

Seeing the red earth exposed by the sides of the Oklahoma roads, still gives me a thrill. It makes me recall the stories my daddy has told about choppin’ cotton and cleaning up the rows of corn hit down by the tractor. That dirt fed my daddy and his family even during the Great Depression. Even though my granny sold the 160 acres decades ago, I still visit it on trips “back home.” The last time I was able to get my hands dirty in good ole’ red dirt, I dug up crepe myrtles from the home place. My granny had planted them for her husband next to the corners of the farmhouse. They were his favorite plant. Two of them grow tall along his gravesite. They thrive in that Oklahoma dirt. I know he must be quite content in the dirt that fed him and with the flowers of summer that he loved.

Growing up in the Sacramento Valley, you can’t help but find a connection to dirt. I know some call it “soil” but that name does not make it sound sweeter to me. I learned in school that the Sacramento/San Joaquin Valley provides the whole world with every fifth bite of food eaten each day. A trip down to Sloughhouse for sweet corn has an added bonus of a view of cornfields that roll right up to the Sierra Foothills. Literally millions of dollars were pulled from the Sierra dirt, but that can’t compare to the blessings of food, homes and beauty derived from the same old dirt.

When I was blessed with children, I found a great need to dig in dirt. It takes a lot of food to feed three growing young ‘uns. I started out in early spring and “double-dug” beds to keep the Bermuda at bay. That digging had the added benefits of slimming me down. But really, the best reward was being outside where the birds were singing and the smell of that cow-endowed earth fragranced the air with each turn of my shovel.

I grew red potatoes and red onions in fall. Each March, we were blessed with a treasure hunt for sweet red potatoes that I’d fry with those fat Stockton Red onions. My kids would eat as many as I would cook.

I now grow pumpkins for my eight grandkids. My wonderful dirt will produce Cinderella’s, Sugar Pies and even apple green pumpkins with an amazing shiny skin. I love seeing the grandkids inspect each and every one before choosing their favorite. My oldest grandson also takes time to dig for worms. It seems he too is fascinated by dirt and its inhabitants.

When I stick my hand in the dirt of my Sacramento Valley garden, I can just feel its rich power to bring forth great things. It makes me feel connected to our Creator and to my people. I know my grannies and granddads all worked the dirt and were connected to it in so many ways. I taught my children to respect it. They are now teaching their own. I hope each and every generation inherits the love I have for dirt and they remember who they are.

Karen Everett Watson is a freelance journalist and a certified gerontologist who works from her Sacramento Valley home.

www.legacywriter.me

watson@softcom.net

The many benefits of using California native plants

2010-09-16T18:50:42Z

Local gardeners face many challenges, not the least of which are hot days and no precipitation between May and late September. Soon we will have water meters and thirsty yards will run up the water bill.

The local area has also seen a decrease in a number of beneficial native insects, such as bees, butterflies and many of the native flies that aid pollination. Many gardeners have been complaining that their vegetables and fruits aren’t setting, and even though they had lots of blossoms they had few zucchinis, tomatoes, apples etc.

Many of these problems can be remedied by re-introducing local California natives to your yard. The natives from this area tend to be very drought tolerant and once established need very little water during the hot months. Since most of these natives produce colorful flowers, they will draw bees, butterflies, birds and other interesting and beneficial species to your yard. As a result the garden starts to produce vegetables and fruit in abundance.

There are native species of all types, colorful flowers, ground covers, bushes with and without flowers, shrubs and trees. An example is the California Fuchsia, which has silver green foliage and red orange flowers that attractive hummingbirds. It is a very tough plant and tolerates full sun; it also spreads to fill in areas around it.

So you are asking, how can I learn more about CA natives and where can I get them. Each spring and fall the Sacramento Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) has a native plant sale. The fall 2010 sale will be held Sept. 25th and 26th at Shepard Garden & Arts Center, McKinley Park, 3330 McKinley Blvd. (extension of E St.), Sacramento 95816. The sale is open from 10 am to 2 pm each day. See press release below.

Don’t just garden, create habitat!

Take “think local” to the next level. Plant local California natives this fall to brighten a spring garden. Find them at the Bring Nature Home Fall Native Plant Sale and Celebration, presented by the Sacramento Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society, September 25-26.

Choose California fuchsia—a hummingbird favorite—or purple coyote mint from among the many American River Parkway natives that have been lovingly nurtured at the chapter’s all-volunteer Elderberry Farms Native Plant Nursery. Stock from local nurseries and member growers rounds out the selection. A plant list is available at http://www.sacvalleycnps.org/events/ElderberryCornflowerFarms.pdf.

Plant advisors will be on hand to help gardeners choose the best plants for their garden’s soil, water and light conditions. Gardening books, regional field guides and more will also be for sale.

Local native plants are best adapted to local conditions, save water and reduce the need for pesticides.
“Native plants are the foundation of the web of life,” says Christina Lewis, plant sale co-chair and Elderberry Farms leadership team member. “When you garden with native plants you invite nature to your front door.”

Invasive species and development threaten native plant habitats, but by planting local natives, you can provide an oasis of biodiversity. Even a few plants can attract butterflies, birds and other wildlife!

Connecting plants and their places
New this year is an exhibit, Connecting Plants and their Places. Regional preserves, conservation organizations and efforts such as the California Heartland Project and the new Grassroots Working Group for Sacramento’s Regional Open Space and Parks will share their special places inside the Garden & Arts Center.

“Saving and expanding our current parks and wild spaces will ensure livable communities for generations to come,” says Betsy Weiland, plant sale co-chair and Elderberry Farms leadership team member.

When: Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: Shepard Garden & Arts Center, McKinley Park, 3330 McKinley Blvd. (extension of E St.), Sacramento 95816. Admission is free and open to the public. Family friendly.

More info at: http://www.sacvalleycnps.org/

Disclosure Note: Paul Barth is a volunteer for the Sacramento Chapter of the California Native Plant Society .

Bee Walk and Talk at Historic City Cemetery

2010-07-19T05:57:55Z

The bees were out and buzzing Saturday morning as two graduate students from the the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Laboratory spoke to 30 Sacramento residents about native bees and plants and their role in the environment.

The gathering was in the Hamilton Square garden inside the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery. It was organized by the Sacramento Audubon Society in conjunction with the Old City Cemetery Committee.

Those in attendance sat in the shade of the Mortuary Chapel as Sacramento Audubon's Julie Serences introduced Misha Leong and Marissa Ponder from UC Berkeley.

"There are many things that are out of our control with climate change. It can be so abstract," Serences said, "The one thing we can do is work on the biodiversity of our little tiny pieces of land, and it does make a difference, it really does."

Serences also looked to the lighter side of taking an interest in native bees.

"I also want to stress the entertainment value,” she said. “If you have children or grandchildren … it's just pure entertainment."

The group split into two led by Leong or Ponder for the bulk of the morning to observe some of the 40 bee species the garden hosts.

Ponder pointed out several types of bees buzzing about the cemetery.

"The three things bees care about are pollen, nectar and sex. That's it," Ponder said to laughter.

She made distinctions between plants that attract a lot of bees, and others that receive less attention. She carried a cooler over her shoulder which housed an ice-pack and an assortment of bees inside plastic tubes.

Ponder said that if you put bees in a cool place for about 20 minutes they'll fall into a deep sleep because they can’t regulate their temperature. She placed a bee in the palm of her hand for all to see up close. It took only a minute or two for the bee to wake up and fly away.

One of the gardeners in the group expressed concern that he had seen only a few bees in his vegetable garden this year, but Ponder told him not to worry.

"Overall, we find it's been a low bee year," she said, "but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

Berkeley's bee lab observes the insects across California and Ponder said there's nothing to worry about regarding urban bees. The low and late bee activity can be attributed to the high levels of rain in the past months, she said. It causes plants to bloom later so bees emerge from their nests later.

Ponder stressed that for gardens to thrive in urban settings, it is important that native plants are prevalent.

"Native bees tend to be attracted to native plants; they have co-evolved for over thousands of years together," she said.

Leong, who studies bees across human-altered landscapes, wanted the group to understand how important bees are in Sacramento.

"You find more diversity across urban areas than you find in agricultural areas," she said.

"Urban areas have such high potential for bees because there's a lot of areas where they can nest and there's a lot of diversity in plants."

Maureen Geiger became interested in native bees about two years ago. She lives behind C.K. McClatchy High Shool and cares for a five-by-10-foot garden plot with native and perennial plants. She encourages all gardeners to enlist bees in pollinating their plants.

"Take out the stuff that doesn't attract bees, those are just junk plants, they don't do anything for the environment at all," Geiger said.

Sharon Patrician is the main caretaker for the Hamilton Square Garden through the Old City Cemetery Committee and has been involved with this garden since its beginning in 1997. A friend introduced her to Dr. Gordon Frankie from UC Berkeley, who asked if he could use the garden to conduct research.

"I hadn't planted with bees in mind, I had planted plants that were of interest to me," Patrician said. "(Frankie) was just amazed with the variety of bees there were."

Along with native species, Patrician has planted flora from Chile, South Africa, Australia and the Mediterranean.

"The native bees will sample non-native (plants), they're curious and they might be a pollen source they don't know about," she said.

"I think it was really successful," Serences said, "We had a waiting list of about 40 people, so there's a lot of interest in the community about native bees."

If you would like more information about native bees and what you can do for your garden, you can visit the links above or contact Julie Serences at education@sacramentoaudubon.org.

Photos taken by Marissa Mortimer.

Water Conservation Ambassadors Wanted!

2010-06-18T21:29:59Z

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is seeking volunteers to assist in the City’s water conservation efforts. Water Conservation Ambassadors will be trained to assist residents in finding leaks on their property, present conservation information at community events and how to spot and report water waste. The first training session for Water Conservation Ambassadors will take place on June 29, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the Department of Utilities Water Conservation Office, 2260 Glen Ellen Circle.

“Over the past year, we have seen a huge increase in the numbers of calls for service and a desire by the community to have water conservation information shared with their organizations or neighborhoods. We can’t think of a better way to share this information than neighbor to neighbor,” says Marty Hanneman, Director of the Department of Utilities. “These Water Conservation Ambassadors will be a huge asset to our department and allow our staff to focus on meeting Best Management Practices and reaching our goal of a 20% reduction in per capita water use by 2020.”

To become a City of Sacramento Water Conservation Ambassador, volunteers must be 18 years of age or older, sign a volunteer agreement and attend a training session. While all activities are voluntary, it is estimated that the time commitment will be approximately 2-4 hours per month. Bilingual volunteers are especially needed.

“We believe this is a great opportunity for all Sacramentans, from all walks of life to become more involved in their City, do something great for the environment, and make a difference in their neighborhood” says Marty Hanneman.

For more information about this program or about becoming an Ambassador, please visit http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities/water/water-conservation.cfm or call 916-808-8260.

Regional Water Authority Launches “Blue Thumb” Campaign, Starring Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson

2010-04-14T20:34:06Z

The Regional Water Authority (RWA) and 19 local water providers today launched a new public education campaign promoting landscape water efficiency in the Sacramento region.

The television and radio campaign stars Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, Dinger and Grounds Manager Chris Ralston of the Sacramento River Cats, Meteorologist Elissa Lynn of the California Department of Water Resources and six Sacramento-area residents who have earned their “Blue Thumb” by using water efficiently outdoors.

The public service campaign focuses on landscape water efficiency because most water use occurs outdoors. With the Sacramento region’s hot, dry climate and long summer season, more than 65 percent of a household’s yearly water consumption typically goes toward landscape irrigation. Of that, 30 percent is lost due to overwatering or evaporation.

“People can make a big difference in their total water use by making sure landscape irrigation is efficient and by eliminating runoff,” said RWA Executive Director John Woodling. “Those are two of the most cost-effective ways to stretch our limited water supplies and ensure we continue to have sufficient water for a healthy environment and economy in the Sacramento region.”

The campaign features residents in their own garden talking about how they earned their “Blue Thumb” by using water efficiently outdoors through every-day tasks such as making sure sprinklers water the lawn instead of the sidewalk, adjusting their irrigation system according to the season or using an automatic shut-off valve on their hose.

RWA received 24 nominations from throughout the Sacramento region for residents who deserved to star in the “Blue Thumb” campaign. Six homeowners from Sacramento, West Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom and Granite Bay were ultimately selected to participate.

“These folks understand that water is a limited, precious resource that shouldn’t be wasted,” Woodling said. “Having enough water is critical to our local and state economy. Our water use impacts the environment around us, including the health of our Sacramento and American rivers and our local creeks. Ultimately, we all need to earn our “Blue Thumb” by making a personal commitment to be good stewards of our resources to ensure water is available today and for future generations.”

The “Blue Thumb” campaign will run through August 2010. Components include regional television and radio advertising and public service announcements, a new educational Web site (BeWaterSmart.info) where residents can pledge to be water efficient and receive a prize, as well as partnerships with The Home Depot, WaterSense, Sacramento River Cats and Save Our Water (a statewide water efficiency campaign). It also includes a unique grass-roots pilot project designed to help customers use water efficiently outdoors.

About the Regional Water Authority: The RWA is a joint powers authority representing 19 water providers in the greater Sacramento area. Its primary mission is to help its members protect and enhance the reliability, availability, affordability and quality of water resources.

RWA Water Efficiency Program Participants:

California American Water
Carmichael Water District
Citrus Heights Water District
City of Folsom
City of Lincoln
City of Roseville
City of Sacramento
City of West Sacramento
El Dorado Irrigation District
Elk Grove Water Service
Fair Oaks Water District
Golden State Water Company
Orange Vale Water Company
Placer County Water Agency
Rio Linda/Elverta Community Water District
Sacramento County Water Agency
Sacramento Suburban Water District
San Juan Water District

RWA offers Green Gardener Training Program

2009-09-15T20:43:04Z

The Regional Water Authority (RWA) is pleased to announce the River-Friendly Landscaping, Green Gardener Training Program.

The Green Gardener Training Program is a 10-week series providing high quality training to professionals on how to “garden green.” Attendees will learn landscape principles that can assist in reducing urban runoff, conserving water, and reducing solid waste, including:

Conserving water, protecting the soil and reducing the use of pesticides. Many classes will include both indoor and outdoor hands-on components.
Creating a healthier garden for your client and a healthier work environment for yourself and your employees.
Offering a list of River-Friendly Landscaping Principles, helping you compete in the professional industry.

Landscape maintenance staff and landscape contractors are the program’s primary audience, but classes are open to any landscape professional interested in green gardening practices.

Class starts on September 30 at 6:30 pm at the McMillan Center, 8020 Temple Park Road, in Fair Oaks, CA 95628. The cost is $45 for 10 consecutive-week sessions.

Information, class details and registration forms can be found on the Regional Water Authority Web site at www.rwah2o.org.

UDA Design Dialogue: Community garden challenges

2009-07-24T03:17:18Z

On Wednesday night around 40 urban agriculture advocates, gardeners and Sacramento residents gathered at the Sacramento chapter of the American Institute of Architects to discuss a subject that has been on many Sacramentans' minds lately.

This month's topic for the 4th Wednesday Urban Design Alliance (UDA) Design Dialogue was "Design Challenges in Urban Agriculture." Those who attended were divided into groups for an interactive workshop that involved designing a faux-garden despite a list of challenges given to them. While mulling over the different scenarios and solutions, participants snacked on fresh fruits provided by Soil Born farm, appropriate fare given the night's theme.

Bill Maynard, of the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition, opened the lecture with his own thoughts about urban agriculture and discussed several community gardens he believes are good models. He reminded the attendees that two goals of community gardens are edibility/sustainability and visual appeal. A facilitator sat in on each table to guide the 20 minutes they were given to discuss and sketch their designs.

The group that I sat in on was given the task of creating a vegetable garden in a 20-foot by 330-foot alley along a residential and commercial block. Some of the challenges they faced were the alley being paved with concrete, the need for automobile and garbage collection access throughout the alley and a possible need for topsoil in raised beds for sunlight. They were reminded to use sustainable gardening practices such as using rain runoff, selecting appropriate plants and food crops and pest management while also focusing on the visual aspects of the garden.

In response to the various challenges, the team came up with several ideas that would work in an actual community garden given the same scenario. Members decided to make the garden a communal one so that everyone could share in the vegetables. Containers would be placed along the edges at different points so that they would be raised enough to receive sunlight and would stay clear of any cars or service vehicles that might need access. Seasonal vegetables would be planted as well as trees to provide shade. Trellises would be positioned across the top for even more planting opportunities, and vacant lots along the edges of the alley would be used for tool storage and sitting areas. To ensure visual appeal, flowers would be included throughout the garden, and artwork would be placed at both ends. Lastly, water containers would catch rain runoff and double as both a water source and decorative art atop roofs.

After 20 minutes, variations of those solutions were reflected in the other groups' presentations. Other garden types that were designed during the workshop included a temporary community garden, a Fab-40s front yard garden, a vacant lot used by a chef, a lawn with a giant tree in the center, a school garden and rooftop garden. Solutions to design challenges included raised ponds for drainage, drought-tolerant herbs, turning a large industrial building wall into an art mural and installing water sources for easy relocation, among many others.

Maynard commended the groups, most of them made up of team members who have never been involved in community gardening and noted that many of the ideas the participants came up with are actually used in community gardens across the nation.

Before the gathering came to a close, the UDA leaders reviewed results of surveys that were handed out at the beginning of the meeting, which doubled as a lesson in California's urban agriculture. Survey takers were asked how many farms are in the state (75,000), if growing veggies in front yards is illegal (it's not) and if water use for gardening is regulated in Sacramento (only the hours are). In addition, they were asked to guess the second and third states in the United States that produce the most agriculture, with California being the first. Some were surprised to learn that Iowa came in third, after Texas.

In closing, Maynard encouraged the audience to think outside the box when it comes to designing urban agriculture spaces and pointed out that the Sacramento region requires considerations such as a lack of rain in the summer months.

Of special importance, he also reminded attendees that August is National Community Garden Awareness Month. To help out on several community garden projects Maynard has planned for the month, contact him at saccg@ulink.net.

For more information about community gardening, visit the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition

Gardening to save water

2009-07-18T07:26:17Z

Each morning, Amy Parker and her husband Michael Palmer step from their front porch into a sanctuary nestled among flowers and rocks shaded by trees, luring butterflies and bees to stop and pollinate.

The Sacramentans recently transformed the front yard of their 10-year-old home into an inviting rock garden. Before it became a garden, the space was a lawn with fruit trees. Now it is abundant with colorful plants that require short watering sessions throughout the week.

Currently, city code allows Sacramento residents to water their yards three times per week during the summer. The Sacramento City Council passed additional changes to the outdoor water conservation ordinance, which took effect in June. Maurice Chaney, spokesman for the city of Sacramento, said water waste calls have increased by 70 percent in comparison to last year during the same period.

The Sacramento Department of Utilities projects that landscaping accounts for 50 percent or more of all residential water use. With a garden instead of a lawn in their front yard, Parker and Palmer use less water.

The couple’s sprinkler system is scheduled to turn on twice a week for half an hour to 45 minutes in the summer, and once a week throughout the rest of the year. Watering could be potentially cut to once a month in another year after the garden has had time to mature and the plant roots have deepened, Parker said.

"It is work maintaining it but so is mowing your lawn," she said.

Maintenance includes pruning and weeding about every two weeks. She sticks to hand tools for maintenance and avoids herbicides altogether. "I don't put any kinds of herbicide on plants. If a plant doesn't make it, it doesn't make it," Parker said.

Using western, drought-tolerant plants in her garden requires less water and less work for Parker. It makes sense to maintain a garden of plants native to the region, rather than trying to grow foreign plants unsuccessfully, she explained.

Moonbeam, yellow curry, lamb's ears, pride of Madeira and echinacea are all thriving in her front yard under her low-maintenance care. She also maintains certain plants to support various native species — she said the monarch butterfly favors the milkweed and fennel.

Once a year, Parker will distribute a composted manure or alfalfa meal blend over the garden and provide it with a light feeding in the fall and spring.

Parker and Palmer transformed their lawn into a garden less than two years ago. Like any ambitious idea, Parker said she and Palmer had considered a rock garden in their front yard for a long time but continually put it off.

The majority of the work was finally done over a weekend three or four years ago while Palmer was gone on a scuba diving trip, Parker said. With the help of two others, within two eight-hour days, Parker dug six inches deep into the grass, threw down weed cloth and soil and let the remaining lawn mulch. The rock was delivered from Silverado Nursery and the soil from Hastie’s Capitol Sand & Gravel. She estimates that the project, including the rock, cost approximately $2,000.

Parker explained that there are other advantages to having a rock garden, aside from preserving water. "The thing about a garden is that it creates a space and mood [that] a lawn doesn't," she said.

The addition of a garden can add a lot of character to an ordinary home, Parker pointed out. "It [can] give the impression of a funkier, cooler or more unique house [where] people pull up and say, 'This is a really nice place,’ " she said.

Parker and Palmer’s garden was primarily inspired by a visit they had made to San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico, where they saw botanical gardens designed with rock and drought-tolerant plants.

Parker said she hopes others will adapt similar eco-friendly front yard alternatives, otherwise, “people will react when they get the bills and start paying through the nose [for water].”

The Sacramento Department of Utilities provides services to households interested in decreasing their water consumption — most recently, it has begun offering water conservation workshops. See link for more information.

Additional Resources:

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities/u-media/pubs-imgs/Overwatering_Brochure.pdf

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities/u-media/pubs-imgs/Water_Wise_Gardening.pdf

Passionate Gardening: Good Advice for Challenging Climates

Front yard ordinance allows DIY food

2009-07-17T21:17:38Z

This is the second growing season that Sacramento residents have been able to grow vegetables, fruit trees and other food plants in their front yard thanks to a revised city ordinance. After a three-year effort by food activists, the city's Front Yard Ordinance was reworded in 2007 to specifically allow veggie gardens in that soil near the sidewalk. That change has enabled more and more Sacramento homeowners to grow their own food in an edible landscape, mingling [with] or replacing decorative foliage. Blueberries with your zinnias, perhaps, or tomatoes with your chrysanthemums, or lettuce where that brown scrubgrass used to be.

The original FYO was written into zoning code in 1941 and actually banned the growing of edible plants. Vegetables were confined to the backyard and growing any food plant on the front lawn was an offense punishable by a fine. This may seem like an unusual law, considering that homeowners own their lawns. The main concern of the old FYO was preventing overgrowth of plants, whether food or otherwise. It didn't explicitly forbid food plants, but didn't list them as legal either, whereas perennial grasses and decorative plants were listed as legal groundcover.

Sacramento resident Karen Baumann brushed up against that little-known ordinance when she planted tomatoes and a fruit tree on her front lawn in 2004, according to a city official. A neighbor reported her garden to city authorities, who then notified Baumann that she would have to pull up the plants or face a $750 fine. This was a surprise to Baumann, who asked folks at local gardening groups what she could do to save her leafy comestibles. Before she could act, an unknown party sprayed Baumann's lawn pretty heavily with RoundUp, a Monsanto-brand herbicide, and killed off most of Baumann's plants, as well as some nearby lawns.

Food activists citywide responded to Baumann's plight and petitioned the city council to revise the outdated law. "There was a tremendous amount of community pressure," Paul Towers, a Sacramento resident and state director of Pesticide Watch said. "There were articles in the News & Review, The Bee. Organic Sacramento got involved. It was everywhere."

This grassroots effort to make Sacramento lawns more than just pretty finally achieved their goal in April 2007. Baumann's war-torn lawn was later restored. Capitol Nursery donated a bundle of plants to replace her sprayed veggies.

The new FYO changed key wording to more explicitly allow food crops on front yards. There are still requirements for maintenance, but no limitations on what can be grown. There are limits on what you don't grow; the law requires that landscapes must be "landscaped, irrigated and maintained," and there can be no dead plant matter taller than 4 inches. "Basically, you can grow all you want," said Community Garden Coordinator Bill Maynard. "But make it look good."

A tricky segment of the FYO still causes some concern amongst front-yard growers. It reads: "All landscaping materials shall be mowed, trimmed, and/or maintained as often as necessary to prevent overgrowth and blight."

But Towers said "blight" is a vague term that city authorities would be hard-pressed to enforce. The FYO lists no definition of "blight," only the word. Fortunately, the city is presently uninterested in enforcement.

"The city sent around a code enforcement memo that said not to bust food landscapes," said Towers, and Maynard corroborated that the city isn't cracking down. Unless a withering garden is a clear fire hazard, then dried-out or overgrown lawns aren't a problem. In a dry season, water conservation is at a premium, and accordingly the city has revised its enforcement plan.

Growing a plot of vegetables can actually reduce a front yard's water consumption and benefit the community in drier times. "A lot of edibles are drought-tolerant plants, so people can tear up thirsty grass and replace it with food." Maynard said. "[The FYO] provides a whole 'nother way to think about your yard."

The FYO places no restriction on fertilizer or pesticide use but Maynard hopes that Sacramento residents will pursue 'river-friendly' practices to reduce chemical runoff.

A front yard garden offers advantages that a backyard garden might not have. More sun usually hits a front lawn, and backyards might be covered with a patio or a pool. The FYO benefits homeowners almost exclusively, though, as landlords would may be unreceptive to suggestions of tearing up grass for greens.

Still, the FYO allows Sacramento city-slickers double the opportunity to turn their lawn into a bountiful foodscape.

"Our mission is to make all landscapes more healthy and sustainable, and we always put food first," Towers said.

City plants seeds for new gardening opportunities

2009-07-10T08:07:20Z

The Sacramento Parks and Recreation department has responded to local calls for more community gardens by slating two new sites to be publicly cultivated , bringing the total number of city community gardens to seven. One of the fresh gardening plots is on the downtown grid - E and 8th in Zapata Park - and is planned to be opened to the public by the end of the year. The other is in North Oak Park and will be sprouting next spring.

Locally grown produce is a burgeoning attraction for Sacramentans and Community Garden Coordinator Bill Maynard has taken note. "We've seen a dramatic increase in interest recently," he said. "In a 2008 Master Plan Development survey, more than 10 percent of suggestions were for new community gardens." The Sacramento Parks and Recreation department responded to these suggestions by evaluating potential plots and eventually settling on the two most viable. There still remains a waiting list of roughly 40 other potential gardens.

The Zapata Park garden was originally a planned expansion of the J.Neely Johnson garden on 11th Street, but has now developed into a project of its own. It measures about 40 feet by 60 feet. The actual development of the park will be going out to bid and will be adopted soon.

The site in North Oak Park lies between Martin Luther King Boulevard and 12th Street and is significantly larger than the Zapata garden. It's about 150 ft by 250 ft, so there's space for a good number of garden plots. The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency donated the land and funds for cultivation.

Once they're opened, the two new community gardens will offer chunks of land for low annual prices. Available plots range from 10 feet by 10 feet to 20 feet by 20 feet and prices run from $25 to $50 per year. Aspiring gardeners are limited to one plot per family, but even then the space is expected to sell out quickly. "There's only one or two plots left in all other community gardens," Maynard said, "so we don't really have to worry about unused garden space."

As reported earlier this week, Parks and Recreation has experienced an $8.3 million budget cut, but this doesn't hinder community gardens. "We don't have much budget to cut," Maynard said, "our budget is very low, and after the gardens are built, they're basically done." Aside from tools and small repairs, community gardens have an extremely low maintenance cost.

Funding for gardens comes from various sources, one of which is the Community Development Block Grant. More resources come from the little-known California Quimby Act. The 1975 act requires developers to set aside land or money equivalents for every project they undertake, and the donations scale up with the size of the project. This is intended to counterbalance buildings with attractive public spaces to be enjoyed by the community.

Community gardens are maintained entirely by volunteers. Plot-holders come by the gardens regularly, so gardens are usually watered twice a day. Second Saturday Art Walk volunteers also take part in garden upkeep during their bimonthly activities.

Garden operations place an emphasis on organics and conservation. "Gardeners don't take any more water than they need," Maynard said, "so very little is wasted." Small-scale fruit and veggie plots will of course not be treated with synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, meaning growers will end up with much healthier produce.

The recent upswing in community garden interest comes at a ripe time - Saturday is Sacramento's first 'Urban Agriculture Day,' as recently introduced by City Council. Festivities will be held tomorrow at several existing community gardens during Slow Food Sacramento's AgFest.

Also, the present economic slump has strained everyone's food budget, so a low-cost garden plot could well be an answer to some grocery worries.

Gardens can provide innumerable benefits to the community at large. "They can get neighbors to know each other, so it builds a stronger community," Maynard said, "and parents and kids will be working side by side, so it's an educational venue as well."

The problem with community gardens? "Some people still don't know about them," Maynard said.
For more information, check out the community gardens website or contact Bill Maynard at wmaynard@cityofsacramento.org

Saturday festival on Sacramento's first 'Urban Ag Day'

2009-07-09T18:55:41Z

Whether you've got drip-irrigated corn in the front yard or just some potted mint on top of the fridge, the Common Table agriculture festival has something for you. Slow Food Sacramento, the local chapter of the worldwide food community Slow Food, is offering city residents the chance to spend this Saturday getting green at their first AgFest workshop series, called the Common Table.

Saturday's AgFest is taking place on the Sacramento's first Urban Ag Day. The Sacramento City Council recently adopted a resolution to make July 11 an annual citywide celebration of local gardening.

Starting at 8:30 AM, AgFest activities include lectures on how to grow and manage food crops at home, tours of local farms and Sacramento community gardens, screenings of documentaries and opportunities to get your hands dirty at Soil Born Farms. The workshops are spread all over the Sacramento area and attendees are encouraged to check out as many as they like.

For those hungrier for ag knowledge, a separate set of evening activities will be held at the Fremont Community Garden, including a charity auction, a lecture from local food activist Brahm Ahmadi and a three-course dinner of seasonal foods from local business Magpie Caterers.

Admission to the daytime workshops is $25, and the evening entertainment runs at $75. Half of ticket revenues will go toward the Sacramento Community Garden and Sacramento Hunger coalitions, who are working with Slow Food to put on the event.

As the charitable fundraising would suggest, the workshops have a focus on community outreach and will address the question of how to keep all members of our city healthy and well-nourished.

"Slow Food has always had the mission of increasing the availability of good, clean and fair food," said event coordinator Charity Kenyon. "In this economy, we're emphasizing the 'fair' part of that mission. That's food justice." 'Food justice' refers to the equitable distribution of food in a society, or in simpler terms: feeding the poor and homeless.

One of the more experimental workshops, Hunger 101, places participants in the role of hungry Sacramentans who have to learn to cope with limited food availability. This hour-long simulation at the Sacramento Food Bank seeks to raise awareness and understanding of the difficulties of stable food sources for low-income families.

Other workshops offer lessons on composting, organic soil management and a variety of other green subjects. You can also get tips on how to give back to the community through gardening, crop-swapping with your neighbors and "gleaning" excess fruit from unpicked trees to donate to local food banks.

If you're up for a bike ride, you can visit Sacramento gardens on a guided cycle tour to check out "what's 'growing' on" in your neighborhood (pun courtesy Slow Food).

Two films will be screened in the afternoon: the critically acclaimed documentaries The Garden and Fresh. The Garden documents a neighborhood's challenge of maintaining an urban garden in East L.A., while Fresh critiques mainstream fast-food and educates about healthy alternative diets. They will be followed by question-and-answer sessions.

Those attending the evening festivities will be able to place bids in a charitable auction for a variety of green goodies. Auction items range from professional cooking lessons, countryside getaways and gardening consultations to "the best damned pie you've ever tasted" prepared by pastry chef Kira O'Donnell.

A full listing of the times and locations of each of these workshops is available at Slow Food Sacramento's website.

Slow Food Sacramento and its allies are seeking to educate Sacramentans on the viability of being more self-sufficient when it comes to food.

"In Moscow, 56 percent of food comes from urban agriculture," Kenyon said. "Here in Sacramento, we're in one of the richest ag regions in the world, yet not very much of our food is locally grown. We want to show that this is more possible for more people."

The language of flowers is being spoken at Capitol Public Radio through watercolor!

2009-06-05T00:48:56Z

Artist, Jennifer J. O'Neill-Pickering is speaking the language of flowers at Capitol Public Radio through watercolors.
Have you ever wondered what the veiled meaning is that is associated with a specific flower? Then, you might want to go view the twenty-three watercolor paintings by artist, Jennifer J. O'Neill-Pickering, on display at Capital Public Radio through June 26th.

Different cultures and different periods of time have assigned various meanings to flowers and some of these are still with us today. During Victorian England, these meanings developed into a language called Floriography. People then selected different flower bouquets to convey various thoughts and feelings to their friends, family members, and to that special someone, sentiments of the heart. For instance, you’d give the calla lily to someone you think is beautiful because it means beauty and a Camellia to thank someone because it signifies gratitude. Even the names of flowers can be playful or ominous. Take the Foxglove, which are also known as Fairy Thimbles, Witch Bells and Dead Men Bells.

The artist has been painting flowers for over thirty years and her watercolors in the lobby and adjacent room of CPR, create a Garden of Eden for the eyes. Indeed many of the flowers represented in the show were painted in the artist’s garden. “Gardening was, a gene I inherited from my mother and grandmother”, she says. The artist paints from life and memory and never from photography because” there is always something lost in the translation and usually the spirit of the subject matter."
The work ranges from small delicate botanical studies to large scale works that are influenced by impressionism and filled with symbolism. Three works from The Mandala Series are also, included in the show because as the artist states "flowers are living mandalas". The artwork affords an opportunity to select a favorite flower that will last a lifetime and runs until June 26th at Capitol Public Radio M-F8:00 AM to 5PM, State University Drive (off Folsom Blvd., Sacramento 916-278-8900. Free to the Public.

Rick's garden

2009-04-26T01:16:27Z

Leaving the house can be somewhat of a chore. Some days it's nice to be secluded in my apartment, reading or watching television. However, once I step foot outside of the apartment, I immediately feel a warm pleasantness come over me. Rick's garden sprawls across the small front yard. The garden is an explosion of all kinds of different plants, colors and textures.

With every new day of spring and summer, there is always something new and interesting blooming, making for a pleasant surprise. There are traditional beauties like roses and irises, but also plants to satisfy unusual tastes such as Mullens, which grow over six feet and are covered in pods and look as if they arrived from another planet.

When Rick Castro and Larry Fox bought the house over four years ago when it had not been lived in for many years and had suffered a fire. They gutted the house, by putting in new amenities while still maintaining the structure of the house. When my boyfriend and I moved in nearly two years ago, Rick was just starting to develop his garden. His main themes are, Victorian style (to match the house), native plants and drought tolerance.

Because of water shortages and waste, it is very important for Rick that his plants use as little water as possible. Drought tolerant plants are not only convenient in their minimal use of water but in that they can thrive in arid areas such as Sacramento. One of Rick's more interesting plants is the Sago Palm. The Sago Palm grows in a confined space and only generally reaches a height of six feet. It is coniferous and also kin to the Ginko tree. They can be traced back to the Mesozoic era and are often referred to as "living fossils". Rick was lucky enough to find the Sago at a garage sale and instantly liked it for its Victorian look (Victorians loved palms).

White and gray were two of the colors Rick had in mind to dominate the garden. White flowers are not only visible at night but also reflect light and color from the other plants. Another factor in some of his flower choices is a desire to attract hummingbirds. By planting red flowers next to white flowers with an especially tasty nectar, the hummingbirds flock to the garden.

Vegetables can also be found in the garden. He chose self-seeding leeks, Swiss chard and kale. Not only do these vegetables look very ornamental but they are tasty as well. Rick plans to grow more vegetables and herbs in the significantly larger backyard because of their growing success.

For mulch, Rick collects fallen leaves and covers the ground with them. This is an efficient way of reusing the leaves and a very effective one. I have hardly seen a weed. He is also working on a worm compost, using worms to compost food scraps and other organic material into a nutrient rich soil.

If I had to narrow down my favorite plants in the garden, they would be the more unusual ones. The Melianthus major Honeybush is tall and imposing, with jagged leaves and whispy maroon blooms. The Mullens are also tall and, at first, have a fuzzy appearance with small yellow flowers. As they age, the fuzz and flowers disappear into hundreds of dry pods. Rick's Foxgloves take my breath away with their beauty, looking like the layered ruffled dresses of the Civil War era. The Lamb's Ears, which resemble overgrown sage leaves,add texture and the gray color desired by Rick. Euphorbia may be my favorite of the bunch with their bright green color and suction cup look. I also appreciate the rose bushes because they are some of the plants that survived the fire.

By using drought tolerant plants and composting and mulch, Rick has created a beautiful and eco-friendly garden for all that pass by to enjoy. People have likened his garden to The Wizard of Oz because of its unusual plants and bright colors. Rick enjoys the otherworldly comparison and will continue to garden, introducing people to new and interesting plants.

Free gardening classes start soon

2009-04-17T06:41:24Z

The City of Sacramento Department of Neighborhood Services announces:

Are you ready to start your garden? Is your yard in need of a make over?

Then good news: Neighborhood Services is sponsoring free green gardening classes! They'll take place in April and May and will cover a range of topics, from improving soil to selecting drought-tolerant plants, as well as City landscaping regulations.

Call Neighborhood Services at 808-6789 if you have any questions.

City of Sacramento, Neighborhood Services Department is proud to present FREE Green Gardening Classes

SAVE THE DATES!

Saturday, April 18, 2009
9 a.m. - Noon
Ethel McLeod Hart Senior Center
915 27th Street

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Boys & Girls Club
5212 Lemon Hill Avenue

Thursday, April 30, 2009
6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Samuel Pannell Meadowview
Community Center
2450 Meadowview Road

Sunday, May 3, 2009
2 p.m.-5 p.m.
South Natomas
Community Center
2921 Truxel Road

FREE Gardening Classes offered to the community include the following workshops:

It All Begins with the Soil
Removing Your Thirsty Lawn
Vegetables and Other Edibles
Drought Tolerant and Native Plants
Fruit and Shade Trees
Pest Management in the Garden
Composting and Worm Farming
City of Sacramento Utilities Department
City of Sacramento Code Enforcement Department

Classes will be taught by professionals including the UC Cooperative Extension Sacramento County Master Gardeners and local gardeners.

Brought to you in partnership with the Code Enforcement Department, Department of Utilities, and the Parks and Recreation Department.

For more information click here to read the flier.

Loomis Iris Tour

2009-04-14T23:38:11Z

Please join High Hand Nursery, Horton's Iris Farm and Yarda's Ditch Water Iris Farm

Saturday, April 18th 10am-5pm and Sunday, April 19th 10am-4pm

for our Loomis Iris Tour. Each venue will be a place to stroll and see exceptional blooming iris's. More importantly, each plant will be for sale during the Iris Tour. For more information please go online to HIGH HAND or call (916) 660-0128.

Michele Parry is an employee of High Hand.

Gardening Rock Star at High Hand Nursery

2009-04-14T23:29:22Z

For those of you who don't know who Hinkley is, he is a plant collector, propagator, lecturer and author; in the gardening world, he's the equivalent of a rock star.

He seemingly has crossed from the plant world into popular consciousness, including a gush from Martha Stewart. "He is strong, he is fun to be with -- yes -- I love him" (he writes for her magazine and appears on her television show). His garden is discussed in House and Garden, and he was profiled in The New York Times magazine a couple years ago. Though hobnobbing with celebrities and hiking in the hills of Nepal may sound glamorous, Hinkley finds his deepest satisfaction in being the first to recognize and retrieve a previously unseen plant.

What more can we say? He's the man. Someone whose plant discoveries will leaving you amazed and dreaming for years to come.

Hinkley will be conducting 2 one-hour lectures. Saturday, June 13th at 1:00pm and Sunday, June 14th at 11:00am. Tickets can be purchased now, and, that's not all!

You can join Hinkley Saturday, June 13th at 5:30pm in the High Hand Conservatory for dinner and book signing. Dinner is $65 per person and includes one copy of Hinkley's newly released book: The Explorer's Garden: Shrubs and Vines from the Four Corners of the World. Reservations are required.

High Hand Nursery will have the Hinkley line of plants here to purchase during Hinkley's lecture weekend and also just to surprise you (note: these plant won't be available to most for some time)!

You can purchase tickets to hear him lecture NOW at High Hand Nursery

$5 per lecture
$65 for dinner with Dan and his newly released autographed book

or purchase tickets Online at HIGH HAND click on Dan Hinkley.

Enjoy!

Ticket Tip
Get them now and invite a friend!

Michele Parry is an employee of High Hand.

Local Crop Swaps Offer More than Fresh Vegetables

2009-04-03T14:25:24Z

Bill Maynard’s blue eyes sparkle with enthusiasm when he’s asked anything about gardening. It’s not surprising considering that he’s devoted his life to helping other gardeners get the most benefit and enjoyment out of their gardens.

This month, he is presenting a workshop to teach local gardeners how to set up, and reap the bounty from, a “Crop Swap” with their neighbors. The Crop Swap idea is a simple one—get together with a group of neighbors once a week to trade produce from your backyard gardens. In the process, you’ll get to know your neighbors, enjoy a variety of freshly grown foods and have a chance to swap information, recipes and gardening know-how.

The Crop Swap workshop will be held April 7, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at 3330 McKinley Blvd., in the Shepard Garden and Arts Center.

There are numerous Crop Swaps in cities around the country, but the idea is relatively new to Sacramento. In 2008, Maynard helped residents establish a Crop Swap in Oak Park.

“They wanted to have a community garden, but they couldn’t get one right away,” said Maynard. Instead, a devoted group of Oak Park residents got together and started the Crop Swap to demonstrate their interest to the city. The result? A successful summer of camaraderie, education and good eats—and a new grant to support a community garden on Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. through the national NeighborWorks Program.

“The first year, it was a makeshift thing. We had about a dozen or 15 people,” he said. “[They would] get together once a week on Sunday afternoon to swap what they grew in their backyards.”

Maynard is no stranger to community-based gardening. He is the community garden coordinator for the City of Sacramento’s Parks and Recreation Department, and he also heads up the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition.

“Through the coalition, I’m letting other people know that they can create a Crop Swap. Just show them how to do it, and how easy it is to do it. And, we give them free seeds, so it really doesn’t cost them anything but their time and effort.”

The April 7 Crop Swap workshop will cover setting up a neighborhood swap, choosing appropriate crops and organizing a weekly trading event. Maynard will also discuss past experiences with what works and what doesn’t to help participants get the most out of their Crop Swap. Workshop participants will receive a planting and growing chart, as well as free seeds to get started. Maynard encourages neighbors to get together early to plan what they will plant to get a diverse range of crops and varieties, and so that everyone can enjoy their favorites—whether that means heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, or favorite herbs.

Maynard also discusses some of the trickier aspects of a Crop Swap, such as figuring out equitable ways to trade crops. Gardeners need to decide how to trade crops that have different values. For example, a pound of artichokes might be worth more than a pound of tomatoes.

“You have to be fair about trading,” he said. “Take what you need, don’t over take, and bring what you have. Sometimes we encourage people to bunch things up in one-pound bags. They’re just easier to trade that way.”

Maynard has big plans, too. He envisions Crop Swaps throughout the city, where people can go every day of the week to a different one to trade for produce that they need.

“It can bring people together.”

Maynard, a Master Gardener who learned from his grandparents and mother, says that interest in community gardening and the Crop Swap idea is increasing, even though the idea of barter has been around since the beginning of human civilization. He credits the downturn in the economy for some of that interest, noting that people are now want to grow their own food not just for the pleasure of it, but to get through tough economic times and provide their families with healthy, home-grown food. He recently returned from a visit to Washington, D.C., where he was invited to work on the new White House vegetable garden and the U.S. Department of Agriculture gardens. He’s also been invited to help with Maria Shriver’s garden in Sacramento.

For more information about the workshop and community gardens, contact Maynard at (916) 508-6025. For more information about the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition, go to http://www.saccommunitygardens.org/.