From the Gardening Gazette:

September 19th: Canning Workshop with Joyce Houston and Deborah Giraud (UC Cooperative Extension); contact Deborah at (707) 445-7351 for more information.

This just in from Chuck Goodwin:

The Humboldt Botanical Foundation Harvest Festival is happening Sat. Sept 11, 3:00 -6:00 at the garden. Presale $30.00 Day of event $40.00.

There will be local wine, food, and music.

Go to their website for more information!

Just heard about this exciting course through the HSU Extension:

Fruit Tree Selection & Orchard Maintenance

Delicious fruits round out the ideal garden of edibles, and it is important to know how to take care of fruit trees to have the best harvests possible.

You will learn about apple, pear and other fruiting tree varieties that are ideally suited for the North Coast.

Learn how root stock plays the important role in determining tree height, allowing easier maintenance and harvesting, as well as tolerance to wet soils or drought, disease resistance, durability and productivity.

This course will also cover soil maintenance, which will enable you to provide the best structure and nutrients to feed your fruiting plants and trees.

You will learn how to properly thin your trees for health and harvest. You will also learn how to prune your trees for their best shape and how to manage pests (diseases, insects and gophers).

This course will culminate in a field experience at the instructor’s orchard in Fieldbrook.

date ….. Tues., Thurs., Sun., Oct. 5, 7, 10

time ….. Tues., Thurs. 6-8 p.m., Sun. 1-3 p.m.

fee ….. $60

place ….. Forestry 105 and Fieldbrook

instr …… Peter Haggard

course ….. EENC X022, 46939

More information and registration details here.

Peter Haggard worked for the Humboldt County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office and has gardened in Humboldt County for over 30 years. He has a small orchard of mostly apples and pears, which are all on dwarfing rootstock and espaliered. The orchard also includes plums, peaches, blueberries, figs and European filberts. Pete co-authored with Judy Haggard Insects of the Pacific Northwest, as well as articles for various publications.

This just in from the native plant society:

CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS—LOCAL BEAUTY FOR YOUR GARDEN.

Gardeners preparing for the fall season will find a good selection of native plants at the California Native Plant Society’s plant sale on Saturday, September 18 at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center parking lot from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Native plants enhance hedgerows, shady places, streamsides or soggy places, open sunny spots, or a pot on the deck. There will be host plants for butterflies, nectar plants for butterflies and hummingbirds, berry plants for fruit-eating birds, and shrubs and trees that provide habitat for birds.

Experienced gardeners will be available to advise on plant choices and cultivation requirements. Purchases are by check or cash only.

For more information, call Chris Beresford, 826-0259.

Got too many blackberries to eat? Want to learn to make jam? On August 25th from 530-830 pm, Susan will be holding a jam-making workshop at one of the co-ops. Call (707) 822-7150 or send an email to susanjam@yahoo.com for more information.

Tip of the nib to the Gardening Gazette for this info!

This just in from Singing Tree Gardens:

GREAT BARGAIN ON HEATHERS!

We have a huge selection of heaths and heathers that are big, in bloom, and top quality, and they are all 25% off for our August Summer Sale. Many are big enough to qualify for 2 gallon plants, so be sure to get here early for the best picks.

August is when most of the Scotch Heathers bloom, so it is the best time to pick your colors. Pick from red, pink, white, or purple flower colors. Or, pick from silver, yellow, gold, orange, and red foliage colors. These plants are easy to grow, low maintenance, and will give color to your yard all year!

Remember, Wednesday has the best selection, Thursday and Friday are the least crowded, and Saturday and Sunday are the most fun if you like seeing your friends. We will do our best to have beautiful sunny weather, and no wind.

Find interesting, rare, and unusual dwarf conifers on sale at our Summer Sale. These plants are super low maintenance and will look great all year long. Add foliage color to your yard that will always draw your eye and make an excellent backdrop for spring flowers. These plants will grow low and wide, or tall and narrow..just pick the variety that does this best.

If you are looking for a screen to block off a near-by view, or give you more privacy, we have many conifers that will do the job.

If you like flower color all summer, then Hydrangeas are a great choice. Choose from 1 gal., 2 gal., or 5 gal. Hydrangeas, many in full bloom. These plants can grow in full sun, or bloom well in shade in our coastal areas.

Enjoy great savings on many of your favorite rhododendrons. The blooms are gone, but these super-healthy plants will “do their stuff” again next year. Here is a chance to get bargains on rhodies that are not always on sale during the bloom time.

Choose from rhodies that have lush, dark-green foliage, and huge colorful flowers throughout the spring months. And, as always, our field grown plants have the largest rootballs you will find in the area. Since they are grown right here on the prairie, they acclimated to our area.

We have lots of 1 gal. evergreen azaleas in stock that are big and lush, ready to be planted in your garden for next year’s flowering display. Choose from dwarf types or varieties that will grow into a large shrub or hedge. Flower colors are pink, red, white, or purple.

Got too many strawberries to eat? Want to learn to make jam? On July 27th from 530-830 pm, Susan will be holding a jam-making workshop at one of the co-ops. Call (707) 822-7150 or send an email to susanjam@yahoo.com for more information.

Tip of the nib to the Gardening Gazette for this info!

Catherine Andrews, the owner of Fellini Baby, is a Humboldt County local, and I’ve gotten to see her fair trade, organic cotton baby collection in person. The clothes are just adorable, and are unbelievably soft. (I just bought the paprika onesie for a friend who’s about to give birth!)

Since Catherine’s just up in McKinleyville, I got together with her recently to do an interview about Fellini Baby and what makes her clothing special.

Catherine tells the story of being at her daughter’s home birth, and since this is her daughter’s first baby, they were all anxious and had laid out about ten different baby items and blankets for the newborn to be wrapped in as soon as she was born. The doula, without even knowing that Catherine owned a baby company, selected the soft, undyed Fellini baby gown to wrap the newborn in.

The clothes are super cute – my brother who is a single dad, cringes at most of the pink and fluffy stuff around, but he was attracted to the more vivid colors of these baby and toddler clothes. The clothing is double-stitched and has flat seams so the clothing holds its shape and is comfy on baby’s skin.

You can pick up Fellini Baby gear in my shop. If you try them, let me know what you think!

Cynthia Graebner is widely acknowledged as Humboldt’s own rose expert. She specializes in beautiful old-fashioned varieties that need no spraying even in our damp Humboldt climate.

If you’d like to be inspired with what a no-spray rose garden looks like, with edibles and other ornamentals incorporated into the planting plan, then you won’t want to miss Cynthia’s Open Gardens. The last one this year is July 18th, and I hear the bloom is setting up to be a spectacular show…

You can read the details and get directions below… and read more about roses here.

I’m really impressed by Humboldt’s desire to make sure that folks in need have access to fresh food via the Farmer’s Markets (you can use your food stamps at the Farmer’s Market, you know!), the fact that you can use food stamps for vegetable starts, and now this initiative by Food for People.

If you know of anyone struggling to make ends meet, please tell them about these programs. I don’t know how anyone can work hard to get out of poverty without access to the fresh food that gives us energy and helps our brains work, so the more folks in need that know about these programs that can help, the better.

From the Gardening Gazette:

“Food for People is sponsoring a Free Produce Market until October through a generous St. Joseph’s Health System grant! This is a great chance to get FREE fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables!

In Eureka, Food for People’s Free Produce Market is held at Food for People on the 3rd Thursday of every month from 12pm- 2pm.

In Fortuna, the Free Produce Market is at Fortuna Community Services on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 11:30am to 1:30pm.

The Free Produce Market is in Southern Humboldt on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 10:30am to 12:00pm at the Garberville Presbyterian Church and from 12:30pm to 2pm it is at Redway Baptist Church.

Please bring your own bags!

Food stamps are another way to access nutritious fresh foods. The Food Stamp Program is a USDA nutrition assistance program that helps low-income individuals and families buy food.

Food stamps can also be used to start a garden, which is an economical way to access fresh produce throughout the season.

Food for People is available to help folks apply for food stamps both at the food bank and at various pantry sites throughout the county. Food for People staff will be at the North Coast Resource Center (formerly the Endeavor) on the third Tuesday of every month, the McKinleyville Pantry (located at the Grace Good Shepherd Church) on the 4th Wednesday, and the St. Joseph’s Shelf Pantry in Fortuna on the fourth Friday of every month.

For more information about, or to learn about your eligibility for, the Free Produce Market or food stamps please call Ronli at (707) 445- 3166 ext 305 or email rlevi@foodforpeople.org.”