One of the many tragedies of the Camp Fire was the destruction of the Norton Buffalo Hall, which not only provided a meeting place and concert venue for the community and beyond, but was also the location of very popular community gardens.  Jennifer Peterson, the Norton Buffalo Hall gardens coordinator, is spearheading the effort to rebuild this important local resource.  Peterson recently spoke with the Real Dirt about the history of the gardens and the on-going work to recreate them on their original site.

First, the history. Eighty-eight years before the Camp Fire tore through Paradise, the Paradise Grange was established on Chapel Drive, an easily missed turn, off Pearson Road. For decades this community-based non-profit organization provided a meeting hall, classes, concerts, and other services to residents of Butte County.

In 2008, due in part to the efforts and energy of Michael Waldon, the grange property became home to a thriving community garden project. Many local residents volunteered in the gardens, working under the oaks that provided filtered sunlight to raised beds, garden paths, and a variety of seasonal vegetables. One focus of the philosophy guiding the garden project was experimentation with new and sustainable gardening approaches and techniques.

A few years ago, in order to retain local ownership and control, a number of Community Granges across the nation became Community Guilds, and the Paradise Grange was re-christened the Norton Buffalo Hall, an outreach arm of the Paradise Community Guilds. The Hall property supported two garden options: The Paradise Neighborhood Garden and the Organic Plot Garden. The Neighborhood Garden offered community members a chance to work together to grow fresh, organic food to share with family, neighbors, and local organizations. In exchange for hours worked in the garden, members received produce to take home. A percentage of the harvest was distributed to local Food Banks and Community Lunch Programs.  The Organic Plot Garden consisted of 15 individual garden plots offered on a first-come first-served basis. Independent gardeners could rent a plot for $10 a month. Both community garden options flourished.  Then late in 2018 came the Camp Fire. The site, including the building and the garden infrastructure, was destroyed. 

The Real Dirt was pleased to interview Jennifer Petersen about the important work of rebuilding this local resource.

Real Dirt: How did you become involved with the Paradise Community Gardens?

Jennifer Petersen: In early 2014 I stumbled upon the Grange Garden at a charity event that was being held at the Hall. The zinnias and morning glories caught my attention right away, overflowing the 4- by 10-foot raised beds housed inside the cute little garden with the homemade gate. I was born and raised in Paradise and never knew this was here?! My yard in Paradise was a gardener's nightmare as far as sunlight goes, so this was a real find.

RD: Who else in the community partnered with the (then) Grange to provide equipment, seeds, and plants to the gardens? Who is partnering with you now?

JP: After I called to inquire about the rental beds, it was mentioned that they had a few members who were interested in creating another garden space in the same location. Paired with a handful of locals, we went to work on cleaning up the space and getting donations of wood, soil, seeds, and tools. With very little money, a few donations, and some big dreams we built a few beds and got to growing right away. Over our four years before the Camp Fire we had many volunteers and visitors of all ages from the local community. Currently we are working with like-minded groups like the Camp Fire Restoration Project, Butte County Local Food Network, Regenerating Paradise, and others who share our vision of a resilient and thriving Paradise.

RD: Was everything lost in the Camp Fire?

JP: Very little survived the fire: we lost our Hall, newly built shed, greenhouse, and most all of the individual beds in both gardens. Last year we worked with the Permaculture Action Network and many other groups to host a massive Volunteer Action Day. Hundreds of people showed up from all over the US and beyond to rebuild our garden space, plant an orchard, and help regenerate the scorched soil with cover crops and earthworks. Workshops were held all day, with resource booths to browse, free wood-fired pizza and a local lunch, all while incredibly talented musicians provided entertainment for all attendees. It was an inspiring day and one I will never forget!

RD: How do the gardens help you and others in their efforts to rebuild their homes and lives in Paradise?

JP: For myself and many others I believe gardening is great therapy and so rewarding to watch the growth of life from seed to fruition. After so much loss, our community can benefit from that. Food security is an issue now more than ever and it is a goal to educate and assist in that process as much as possible. We try to provide free seeds through the Paradise Seed Lending Library which is now mobile, but we have committed to building a Tiny Seed Library to give better access. We also have plant sales and hold education workshops on a seasonal basis.

RD: What is your vision for the future of the gardens?

JP: In the future I would love to see even more gardens, edible food forests, composting centers, and outdoor education areas. Lots and lots of space for recreation, art, music, and relaxation. We are faithful stewards of the land and all the life that thrives here on Chapel Drive.

RD: What are future goals for Paradise Community Gardens and the wider organization, the Paradise Community Guilds?

JP: There are plans to rebuild the Norton Buffalo Hall in partnership with other local nonprofits in town to continue providing an excellent music venue for local and visiting musicians. Paradise Community Guilds has always been committed to the “wondrous power of growing things” and that includes our community.

RD: How can people become involved with the gardens?  What do you need to help you rebuild and recover?

JP: Paradise Community Guilds has always been committed to the “wondrous power of growing things” and that includes our community. Anyone interested can connect with us through our Website or Facebook page. We have open arms for anyone who wants to join us and help make a true Paradise here on the ridge. Resources and helping hands always make for lighter work, and we can always use more of those!

RD: Thank you Jennifer Petersen, and all the dedicated visionaries working to rebuild Paradise.  

UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.

Photo credits: Jennifer Petersen

Our survival begins, and ends, with seeds. Making sure there is sufficient diversity and supply of viable seeds, people to grow them, and a supply of the nourishing food they produce is a core philosophy of the Butte County Local Food Network.  Long-time Chico resident Pamm Larry founded and directs this educational non-profit organization, whose mission is “to create a strong local food system as the basis of a strong local economy, anchored in a healthy community that thrives on neighbors helping neighbors.”  

The work Larry does on a local level is a direct outgrowth of her national and state political activism, including her work with the campaign to bring labeling transparency to genetically engineered foods (California's 2012 Proposition 37: Right to Know), and with GMO Free USA (against corporate control of our food supply). After researching the consequences of climate change / chaos vis-à-vis food supply, Larry realized that effective change begins at the local level, and that her efforts could have the most impact locally and regionally.

Larry believes that it is our community, made up of individuals and neighbors, “a group of folks who share … dreams of health and community” that will create a successful food system enabling us to survive the threats and challenges of a changed climate.

Which brings us back to seeds. While the Butte County Local Food Network has a variety of educational and outreach programs (for more details visit their website), this article focuses on their work with seeds.  Prior to the COVID pandemic, the Butte County Local Food Network organized Seed Swaps, which took place regularly at local libraries. Individuals brought seeds they had saved and traded them with other gardeners to add to the varieties of edibles they could plant each season.

Realizing that a more coordinated and less contact-oriented method was needed during COVID restrictions, Butte County Local Food Network launched Save Our Seeds (SOS), an ingenious project which aims to “create a community that grows food together, then shares some of the mature seeds from those plants to ensure we have seeds to grow food again next year.” SOS partnered with Grub Grown Nursery and Farm, the Paradise Seed Lending Library, and the Chico Seed Lending Library to provide seeds to home gardeners. A simple pledge to “save seed for generations to come” and to share each harvest's seeds with five other families qualifies you to take part in this simple, elegant project. 

Seeds are dispensed in specially-designed packets through existing neighborhood Little Free Libraries in Chico and Paradise (told you it was ingenious!), or delivered by request. Seeds chosen for this program grow well in our area, do not cross pollinate, and have seeds that are easy to save. The four seed varieties distributed in Summer 2020 were rainbow chard, Waltham butternut squash, sunflowers, and black-eyed peas.  The Fall 2020 packets included snap peas, Swiss chard, Russian kale, and winter density lettuce. To participate in this project, please go to Save Our Seeds.

The big answer to “why save seeds?” is, according to Larry, Food Sovereignty, Food Justice, and Food Autonomy.  The rising cost of both seeds and food in general is a good reason to save seeds. But the real beauty of this program is that it starts with seeds and ends with finding ways to work together. As Larry pointed out, food supply is a multi-faceted system that interconnects us all. To create a stronger local food system, we need to address all of the pieces. A community that grows food together is stronger, healthier, more resilient, and ultimately less divided.

Larry is concerned with the security of the planet's food system.  Fortunately, our Mediterranean climate makes us uniquely poised to be able to garden and produce a wide variety of food for much of the year.   

Among the many geological, climatic, and geographical phenomena that make Butte County a special place to live is the access we have to fresh and healthy food all year long.  For example, due to dedicated and talented local farmers, we can buy vibrant, nutrient-dense greens whether it's 104 degrees during the summer, or a hard-freezing week in winter. The stalls and tables at our Chico Certified Farmers Markets, whose vendors proudly state “We Grow What We Sell,” are rich with food variety and quantity in a riot of colors and textures.  Many local restauranteurs buy from our growers.

In 2013 the Chico Farmers Market was listed in the top five international farmers markets in the Essential Travel website. Larry attributes this to the variety and quality of the food grown by trustworthy farmers, our special climate (Mediterranean), and our incredible soil (primarily Vina Loam). She notes that here in the north valley, and particularly in the “banana belt” of the lower foothills, we will be able to grow local food and raise enough animal products for our use well into the future.

Add to that the very special mix of people that make up our community: innovative, strong, and committed to helping each other. Larry sees proof of this in the many strides we have made during and since the Camp Fire, more so even than other communities that were impacted, but not wiped out, by wildfire.

Being a part of the effort to do something for and with our community members is what drives Larry in her efforts to develop more food security at the most simple and local of levels. After all, as Larry says: you buy insurance for your house; why not insure the most important part of your survival – food?  It all comes down to seeds!

UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.

Photo credit for seed packs: Butte County Local Food Network.

Northstate residents prize large trees for their beauty and the shade they provide.  There are other environmental benefits to mature trees as well.  They encourage biodiversity, offset carbon emissions, and reduce energy costs for the homeowner. 

Shade trees also create a challenging environment for many landscape plants the home gardener may want to grow beneath their boughs.  Light and moisture, basic growth requirements for all plants, are often limited under trees.  The very shade that cools yards in the summer also restricts plant growth.  The soil beneath mature trees is often dry and choked with water absorbing roots.  For understory plants to thrive, these obstacles must be overcome.

If trees are deciduous, their shade is seasonal and the success of what is planted beneath them may be dependent upon how early the trees leaf out and the density of their canopies.  To open the canopy of a deciduous tree so that it casts lighter shade, prune it late in winter.  This way, not only is the tree dormant, but its branch structure is completely visible and can be thinned while maintaining the overall shape of the tree.  To allow sunlight to penetrate to the base of dense evergreens, remove their lower limbs to a height of at least eight feet above the ground.

A tree's roots tend to aggressively snatch every drop of water from the soil, leaving little or no water for understory plants growing beneath it.  A solution to this problem is to irrigate adequately to meet the tree's and the understory plant's needs.  Another approach is to grow desired understory plants in pots (with saucers) or in raised beds, so that the plants aren't in direct competition with trees for water.  If you opt for raised beds, it's a good idea to provide a gap of a few inches between the bottom of the bed and the ground.  If the bed is in direct contact with soil, tree roots may invade it and defeat the purpose of the bed.  Also, if a raised bed is in contact with the soil, it could interfere with the uptake of the oxygen the tree roots need to survive.  To conserve water, installing an automated watering system using drip irrigation or soaker hoses, rather than sprinklers, is recommended. 

Shade-loving plants are physiologically adapted to getting by with less light than sun-lovers.  When you go to a local nursery to buy plants for a shade garden, check their labels.  Plants that are labeled “shade tolerant” or “part shade” prefer 4-6 hours of sun per day.  All plants need light, so a plant labeled shade, or “full shade,” doesn't mean “no sun.”  Rather, these plants prefer less than 4 hours of sun and may actually burn if exposed to more sun, especially in the afternoon. 

The following is a partial list of plants that will do well in shade gardens in our area.  Those with an asterisk* are California native plants.  Natives tend to be less thirsty, better adapted to our climate and beneficial to wildlife.

Part shade (4 to 6 hours of sun per day): 

Agapanthus (Agapanthus sp.), Azaleas (Rhododendron indicum), Santa Barbara daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus), Bush anemone* (Carpenteria californica), Chaparral currant* (Ribes malvaceum), Yarrow* (Achillea millefolium), Douglas iris* (Iris douglasiana), Hummingbird sage* (Salvia spathacea), Idaho fescue* (Festuca idahoensis), Rosy buckwheat* (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens), Coffee berry* (Frangula californica), Woodland strawberry* (Fragaria vesca)

Full Shade (less than 4 hours of sun per day):

Hellebore (Helleborus sp.), Pigsqueak (Bergenia crassifolia), Creeping Oregon grape* (Mahonia repens), Evergreen currant* (Ribes viburnifolium), Snowberry* (Symphoricarpos albus), Spicebush* (Calycanthus occidentalis), Western columbine* (Aquilegia formosa)

Additionally, almost all ferns sold in local nurseries will do well in shade or partial shade.  Check the label to be sure.

UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.

Most bulbs, including most native plant bulbs, are planted in the fall, but February is an ideal time to plant several summer-blooming bulbs.   Summer-blooming “bulbs” that benefit from February planting include Amaryllis, tuberous begonia, calla, Canna (canna lily), Calochortus (Mariposa lily), Crocosmia, dahlia, gladiolus, Liatris, lilies, Tigridia, and tuberose.  

Not all of these plants are technically bulbs.  Both gardeners and plant companies alike tend to group true bulbs along with corms, rhizomes and tubers under the general heading of “bulbs.”  A true bulb consists of layers of fleshy leaves, like an onion.  Amaryllis, Chalochortus and lilies are true bulbs.  

Corms are shaped like bulbs, but are solid (not layered) inside.  Crocosmia, gladiolus and Liatris grow from corms. 

A tuber is actually a fleshy underground stem and its “eyes” are buds from which new plants can develop. A potato is the most familiar example of a tuber. Tuberous begonias grow from tubers (other begonias form rhizomes) and dahlias develop from tuber-like roots. 

Rhizomes are actually underground stems.  Cannas, callas and tuberose are summer-blooming plants that produce rhizomes.

Bulbs need well-drained soil and will often rot if planted in soggy soil.  When planting a bulb, loosen the soil past root depth and then amend it with compost or other organic material before placing the bulb in its hole.  Commercial fertilizers formulated specifically for bulbs are also available and are normally worked into the soil beneath the bulb at planting time.  There may be some individual variation, but generally most true bulbs, corms and tubers should be planted about three times as deep as they are wide.  Rhizomes should be planted just under the soil surface, while tuberous roots (e.g. dahlias) should be covered by three or four inches of soil.

Like most plants, bulbs benefit from regular watering during the growing season.  Once they have flowered, the spent blooms can be deadheaded, but don't cut back any green leaves.  The plants need these leaves to photosynthesize and to replenish the food lost by the bulb during growth and flowering.  Once the leaves have browned off, they can be removed.  Over time, most bulbs will multiply and become naturalized.  To avoid overcrowding and encourage plentiful blooms, it is a good idea to divide the clumps of bulbs every two or three years.

It's too late this year to plant other summer-blooming bulbs, but if you want to plan for next year, Allium, Anemone and Watsonia can be planted this fall.  There are also several native bulbs that should be planted in the fall.  Species of Brodiaea, Sisyrinchium (blue-eyed grass) and Triteleia (Ithuriel's spear) all bloom from late spring to early summer.  Soaproot (Chlorogalum) blooms appear from May to August.  If you do buy native bulbs, be certain you buy from reputable dealers who propagate their bulbs rather than collecting them from the wild.  This will help ensure these beautiful wildflowers will be available for others to see for generations to come.

UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.