The UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are offering a wide variety of new and encore Public Education Workshops this season. Some will be held in person; others will be offered on Zoom. Most of the in-person workshops will take place at our Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch in Durham; a few are scheduled at private residences. Space is limited for all in-person workshops. All workshops are free; registration is required. To register, and for more details and regular updates as they become available, check our website.
We begin March with a new workshop on the Summer Vegetable Garden, Thursday, March 10, from 10 to 11:30 am at our Demonstration Garden. Get a head start on planning your summer vegetable garden! This workshop starts with the basics of what to plant and how to prepare your soil and planting beds, and then highlights best management practices for growing and harvesting summer vegetables. Topics include pest management, irrigation and water conservation, crop rotation, and succession planting for long-lasting vegetable harvests.
Three days later, on Monday, March 21 from 10 to 11:30 am, we explore the world of Native Bees, at the home and orchard of another Master Gardener bee expert in Paradise. Learn about the Blue Orchard Mason Bee, a native pollinator perfect for a backyard that contains several fruit trees and early flowering plants. Mason bees do not sting or provide honey, but they do provide superior pollination for three months with little effort. The current understanding of colony collapse disorder (which affects only honeybees) will also be discussed.
We begin April with a workshop in the Demonstration Garden exploring Companion Planting on Tuesday the 5th from 10 to 11:30 am. Companion Planting is the art of arranging certain plants in proximity to one another so that they attract beneficial insects and pollinators, deter unwanted pests, and offer shelter and food for other critters. Companion plants provide one another with things they need, such as nutrients, shade, and physical support. We will show you how to accomplish this in the home vegetable garden, focusing on the potential symbiotic relationships between various vegetable, herb, and flower combinations. We will also include time for you to analyze your own garden and consider plant combinations that can work there.
On Wednesday, April 6 from 10 am to noon, we take a deep dive into the subject of Biochar. Held in the outdoor classroom at our Demonstration Garden, this workshop begins with an overview of what biochar is, how it is made, and how you can use it in your garden, followed by a live demonstration of how to mix biochar into raised beds. A brief tour of the biochar experiment taking place at our Demonstration Garden will be included.
A new and timely workshop exploring Soil Science is offered via Zoom on Friday, April 8 from 11 am to 1 pm. You will discover how to build a more resilient garden, work less to maintain it, and help prepare for our dryer, hotter summers. We will discuss garden practices to move away from so we can focus instead on farming the microbes below ground rather than the plants above it, for healthier gardens with fewer weeds and pests. And we'll look at biochar, a long-term investment in garden vibrancy. This workshop invites you to imagine life underground and prepare the way for a new kind of gardening.
Learn all about Gardening with Chickens on Tuesday, April 26 from 10:30 am to noon at a private residence in Chico. Backyard chickens offer more benefits than their fresh eggs. The focus of this workshop is how to create a symbiotic relationship between you, your garden, and your chickens. We will explore optimal garden design, including the selection of plants that benefit chickens, and we will introduce a number of resources on raising chickens that will help you optimize your space in relation to the needs of your chickens.
COVID Safety Information: Maintaining the safety of our volunteers and workshop participants is a top priority. Please follow the safety guidelines below when attending a UC Master Gardener workshop (guidelines are subject to change):
Face Mask Use: No face masks are required for outdoor activities; face masks are required for indoor activities.
Practice Social Distancing: Do not participate in any in-person activities if you are sick or have COVID-19 symptoms or if you or someone you have been in contact with has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Hygiene: We maintain safe hygiene practices by cleaning high-touch areas often.
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.
Freezing temperatures damage plants by causing ice crystals to form in their cells. Frost-damaged vegetation withers and turns a dark brown or black. Ice crystals can also form in citrus fruit, causing juice vesicles inside the fruit to rupture and the fruit to dry out. Although frost-damaged fruit is edible after a freeze, it is susceptible to decay and often becomes unusable soon after the damage occurs.
Different types of citrus vary in cold hardiness. Mandarins and kumquats are the most cold hardy varieties of citrus trees. Mature mandarin trees, for example, can tolerate temperatures down to 20° for 4 hours before serious damage occurs to the wood. For Meyer lemons, the critical temperature is 22°, while oranges can sustain serious damage to the tree after 4 hours at 24°. The critical temperature for grapefruit trees is 26°. Keep in mind that these are general temperature figures. Other factors may interact with cold temperatures to influence the extent of frost damage. For example, greater damage results when cold temperatures occur over a longer time period. Mandarin fruit will tolerate a brief exposure to 24°, but several hours at 26° will begin to freeze the fruit.
Where a tree is planted can affect whether or not it is damaged by frost. Trees that are growing in open areas are more likely to suffer frost damage. Cold air tends to collect in low areas, so avoid these sites as well when planting citrus. On the other hand, trees can benefit from reflected and reradiated heat if they are planted near walls or other structures.
Certain cultural practices can also mitigate frost damage. Healthy, well-irrigated trees are better able to endure freezing temperatures. The full, leafy canopy of a healthy tree also helps shelter the fruit. In addition, moist soil retains heat better than dry soil and can actually warm the air near the soil surface. It is also a good idea to keep the ground around trees bare during the winter months. Bare, moist soil is better able to absorb and reradiate heat than soil insulated with mulch, weeds, or other ground covers. Fertilizing and pruning both encourage new growth, and delicate new growth is far more frost-sensitive than mature foliage. Thus, pruning and fertilizing of citrus trees should occur in the spring and early summer in order to give the new vegetation time to mature and harden off before cold weather sets in.
A light bulb (100-watt, designed for outdoor use), or Christmas lights hung in the middle of a tree can provide frost protection if the lights are the “old-fashioned” incandescent type that actually release significant heat. When a hard freeze is predicted, watering all night with sprinklers can also protect trees from frost damage. This only works if water is applied continuously. If the water supply is interrupted, more damage may result than would have otherwise occurred. Additionally, don't forget that this practice uses a lot of water and is considered inappropriate for our currently drought-stricken dry California climate.
If trees do show signs of frost damage, resist the urge to prune out “dead” wood in the early spring. Allow a few months for the trees to recover with the return of warm weather. Once new growth appears, the actual extent of the frost damage will be apparent and frost-killed branches can be removed without accidentally pruning out living material.
For more information see UC ANR Publication 8100.
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.
How about bringing a new plant home to cheer up these dark winter days? For the avid gardener, houseplants can be an excellent source of greenery and even flowers when the outside garden has gone gray and dormant in the doldrums of mid-winter. The following are some of the best houseplants for the winter “windowsill garden.”
Snake Plant or Mother-in-Law's Tongue (Sansevieria spp.). The Snake Plant is a familiar indoor plant that has been re-invented over the decades with the introduction of interesting new hybrids. S. cylindrica, for example, has unique cylindrical upright foliage that has become very popular in homes with modern minimalist décor. S. ‘Black Gold' is a fantastic cultivar that contrasts very dark green-nearly black foliage with a bright yellow margin. S. ‘Silver Queen' is a tall, upright, silvery sword-leafed version of the Snake Plant, great for use as an accent around the home. The Snake Plant is easy to grow – it has low water needs, can tolerate low light conditions, and has few pest problems.
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.
- Author: Emilee Fowkes Warne, UC Master Gardener of Butte County
Why not start the new year by bringing a new houseplant into your home, or perhaps even by starting an indoor garden to enjoy during the cold winter months?
- Sunlight
- Water
- Airflow/Humidity
- Supplemental Nutrients (fertilizer).
Sunlight. Never underestimate the importance of sunlight! If a plant isn't getting enough, it will become leggy and thin. If it gets too much, its leaves can burn. An east- or south-facing window is typically the ideal choice for houseplants. Try to avoid placing a houseplant where direct sun will shine through the window on the plant, as this will cause leaf-burn from the bright reflected light. Instead, give the plant as much indirect bright light as possible.
Airflow. Often overlooked, this is an important requirement for the over-all health of the plant and the prevention of indoor pests. It is important to place an indoor plant somewhere that will get regular air circulation, but no blasts of freezing winter air or stifling summer heat from a frequently-opened door. Plants require both carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis and oxygen for respiration, which is the basis for all growth processes. If they are placed in a dusty, forgotten, water-stressed location, they will struggle to thrive and become an appealing target for spider mites.
Supplemental Nutrients. An application of fertilizer—even just a few times a year or at a weaker dosage more often — can greatly improve the vitality of your houseplant. Fertilizer replaces the nutrients that a plant uses up in its lifecycle and cannot acquire naturally when confined to a pot. The type and composition of the fertilizer needed depends on the type and size of the plant. Always follow fertilizer directions closely and do not use more than the recommended amount. Do not apply fertilizer to a sick, weak, or wilted plant, as it can cause more stress and may kill the plant.
The following are tried-and-true houseplants:
Tough, easy-to-care-for houseplants for beginners: Snake Plant, also known as Mother-in-Law's Tongue (Sansevieria spp.); Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior); ZZ Plant, also known as Aroid Palm (Zamioculcas zamiifolia); Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron cordatum); and Pothos, also known as Devil's Ivy (Epipremnum aureum).
Houseplants with unique foliage: Rhizomatous Begonias (Begonia spp.); Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla); Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina); and Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa).
Many of these plants will be discussed in greater detail in the next Real Dirt Column.
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.
A group of local Master Gardeners have begun meeting each month to discuss a gardening-related non-fiction book. A recent selection by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants (published in 2014), focuses on sustainable practices that promote healthy people, healthy communities, and a healthy planet. The essays and anecdotes in Braiding Sweetgrass speak to the mind, body, and spirit in powerful ways that encourage us to consider our place in, and responsibility to, the natural world. It is a fine book to add to a gardener's winter reading list!
The book is divided into five sections, each of which represents a stage in the life cycle of the sweetgrass plant (wiingaaashk in the language of Kimmerer's people): planting, tending, picking, braiding, and burning. Sweetgrass is aromatic, and like the plant these stories, braided together, are savory and evoke thoughtfulness about our relationship with the natural world. In many indigenous communities sweetgrass is given as a gift (it is always given, never taken). Braided together, the three strands of sweetgrass represent the unity of mind, body, and spirit. The essays and stories in Braiding Sweetgrass are Dr. Kimmerer's gift to her readers.
The first story in the book is a creation story. It tells of Skywoman falling from a hole in Skyworld. Down, down, she spirals until caught by the geese, then helped by all the other animals of the water. Turtle offers his back and Skywoman gratefully steps onto the dome of his back. The animals understand Skywoman's need for land for her home and discuss ways to accommodate Skywoman's need. All the animals dive beneath the water in search of soil. All fail except Muskrat, who gives up his life to help this woman. As Muskrat's limp body surfaces from the water, the other animals notice that his paw clutches a bit of dirt. This dirt is put on the back of Turtle, and Skywoman spreads it across his shell. Singing a song of Thanksgiving, Skywoman dances upon the mud on Turtle's back until the earth is made. The gratitude of Skywoman and the animals' gifts form Turtle Island, which becomes home. A bundle of fruits and seeds that Skywoman clutched in her hand as she fell from Skyworld are scattered upon the earth. She tends them as they grow: they provide food not only for Skywoman, but also for the animals. Many of the animals come to live with Skywoman on Turtle Island.
The theme of the tale of Skywoman Falling and the creation of Turtle Island is ecological consciousness -- the understanding and celebration of our reciprocity with the living world. Cooperation, collaboration, and reciprocity here are clear and instructive. Throughout the book these qualities are represented, as we are instructed to seek healthy relationships with our surroundings. Kimmerer reminds us that “becoming indigenous to a place means living as if your children's future mattered, to take care of the land as if our lives, both material and spiritual, depended on it.” The stories of many indigenous people tell us that sweetgrass was the first plant to grow on the land. Sweetgrass therefore holds a sacred role as a reminder of Skywoman, the creator.
Kimmerer's own early years were spent collecting seeds and flowers (which she pressed). This framed her thinking from an early age. She saw the natural world as beautiful and sacred. In college, she was advised by a counselor to study art, not science. But she pursued her love of beauty and the natural world by studying botany. Her belief that plants answer questions by their behaviors and physical responses, as well as the way they live and how they respond to change informs her teaching practice.
Kimmerer's stories about introducing students to the natural world remind us that engagement drives learning. By taking her students into the woods, she provides them with tools for exploring their five senses. She gifts them with opportunities to explain and evaluate the everyday things they see, touch, hear, smell, and taste. In one essay Kimmerer describes a student's newfound interest in regeneration and sustainability that arose from a class outing. After spending time with Kimmerer and the class in the woods, this student began a study of sweetgrass, and discovered that when it is properly harvested, sweetgrass stimulates new growth. If sweetgrass is not harvested, the plant will decline and may eventually die.
The greater understanding of this experiment is an applicable life lesson. The teachings of elders instruct the harvester never to take more than half of the plant, to make sure the sweetgrass continues to grow and thrive. Their understanding has been passed on through generations of watching and harvesting, harvesting and watching. As Kimmerer states, “Experiments are not about discovery but about listening and translating the knowledge of other beings.” She believes a paradigm shift is required of us; we must adopt the concept of a conscious and loving relationship with the natural world.
Warnings are also woven throughout the book. For example, Wendigo, a malevolent monster in folklore familiar to Anishinaabe and other First Nations people living on the Plains, in the Great Lakes region, and around the East Coast of the United States and Canada, is a creature with a heart of ice, sunken eyes, and the stench of decay. Its lips are tattered and bloody. The Wendigo becomes a metaphor for our need to consume. The more a Wendigo eats, the more ravenous it becomes. Kimmerer directs her readers to see the darkness and recognize its power, but not feed it. Kimmerer asks us to consider the differing points of view between indigenous peoples and the colonizers who came after them. To First Nations people, the land is sacred. The reader is reminded to consider their own accountability and to strive to be a better citizen of the earth.
In this vein, Kimmerer introduces readers to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Thanksgiving Address, often spoken in ceremonies, which begins as follows: “Today we have gathered, and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greeting and thanks to each other as people.” The Address then thanks the Earth Mother, the Waters, the Fish, the Plants, the Medicine Herbs, the Animals, the Trees, the Birds, the Four Winds, the Thunders, Grandmother Moon, the Stars, the Enlightened Teachers, and the Creator. The response from those attending the ceremony is “Now our minds are one,” repeated after each subject, a reminder to those who have gathered that they are a community made up of many different species, interconnected and relying on the care each gives to the others.
The lessons woven throughout Braiding Sweetgrass are steeped in the idea of reciprocity. The essays and anecdotes do not have to be read in order, but this not a book intended to be read lightly. It encourages us to give thanks to the natural world. Like sweetgrass, we are reminded that love, gratitude, and humility are gifts of the earth. Dr. Kimmerer provides a multitude of opportunities to pause, think, and consider our place in, and responsibility to, the natural world.
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.