| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 7:15 am |
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Monroe class spreads gospel of vegetable gardening Monica Novini is a gardener on a mission: She wants to teach you to grow nutritious vegetables at home.She knows the odds are stacked against her -- and you. Our collective sense of how to coax food from the earth has atrophied. Vegetables come from the grocery store with the soil washed clean, and often prepackaged for convenience. For most of us, growing food sounds as outdated as commuting to work on horseback. We've got some incentive to change. Fuel prices are driving up prices at the supermarket. Homegrown vegetables are more nutritious and flavorful. The longer it takes for vegetables to hit the plate, the more nutritional value and taste is lost, said Novini, a Snohomish County master gardener. With all this in mind, Novini hit on an idea: Why not offer free vegetable gardening classes to the community? Since spring Novini has served as coordinator for the Morris Garden, a community garden in Monroe that provides vegetables for the food bank next door. She got revved up about using the garden to its full potential after she encountered two city officials last spring discussing whether they should cover the garden in bark or pave it. Starting this Saturday at 10 a.m., you can attend free classes on organic vegetable gardening at the Morris Garden. The classes will cover every aspect of vegetable gardening, including soil preparation, planting, harvesting and dealing with pests. Novini will teach some classes, but she'll also draw on her connections with the master gardeners to bring in experts. The lessons will be based on tasks that need to be done that day. Classes are hands-on: after a brief lesson on pruning raspberries, for instance, participants will grab pruners and practice on the garden's raspberry canes. Novini would like to practice year-round vegetable gardening, so there will be lessons in fall and winter, although those lessons will be less frequent than at the height of the growing season in spring and summer. Look for upcoming classes in the Home and Garden calendar listings. The Herald also will feature occasional stories with information on vegetable gardening. Children are welcome. You don't have to live in Monroe, you don't have to preregister and you don't have to commit to attending all the classes. Just show up with your garden gloves and learn. And, hopefully, start something at home in your own garden. Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com. Visit her blog at www.heraldnet.com. Saturday's class No-till gardening: Gardeners are divided over the need to till. Tilling -- mixing in soil amendments and loosening the ground with a garden fork or a rototiller -- is an established method for starting a new gardening bed. In the fall, many gardeners also will till to prepare the bed for spring planting. Tilling can cause problems such as soil compaction and contribute to erosion. Proponents of the no-till philosophy say it's not necessary to till once a bed is established. Amendments such as compost and manure are "top dressed," which means added directly on top of the planting bed. Watering and soil organisms such as worms pull the amendments into the soil over time. The method is closer to the way Mother Nature builds soil. Proponents say it prevents soil erosion and saves time and energy. Companion planting: The basic concept of companion planting is that certain plants can benefit others by planting them nearby. One crop may draw pests away from a desirable crop. Planting certain herbs or flowers near vegetables may attract beneficial insects that aid in pollination or eat pests. Legumes such as peas can fix nitrogen in the soil that can benefit other plants. In some cases, a taller plant might shade or act as a wind block for another. One classic American Indian technique, the Three Sisters, combines squash, corn and beans. The beans grow up the corn stalks. The beans fix nitrogen in the soil for corn, a heavy feeder. The squash growing along the base of the corn shades out weeds and might serve as a deterrent to raccoons that would rather not wade through the vines. Year-round gardening: Yes, you can grow vegetables in the fall and winter in Western Washington, even if you don't have a greenhouse. Some vegetables, especially greens, are planted now for a late fall harvest. Some are planted in July and August. With these, most of the growth takes place before colder temperatures hit and then they hold in the ground through the winter. These include many root vegetables such as carrots and rutabagas. Some are planted in late summer or fall and they're ready for an early spring harvest. With the exception of vegetable starts you find in some nurseries or hardy greens such as kale, it's a little late to start fall and winter gardening. It's not too early to bone up on the subject and plan for next year. Territorial Seed Co. produces a special catalog for fall and winter gardening that you can order for free by calling 800-626-0866. The catalog includes a planting chart and information on how to grow fall and winter vegetables. Seattle Tilth produces a book on the basics, called "The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide." It costs $14.95. Do it now Harvest: If you already are growing a garden, pick those last beans and squash. Clean up plant debris: Rake it up and compost it. Dig out any stems or roots left in the ground. Diseased debris, for instance, tomatoes with late blight, shouldn't be composted because pathogens can hang around. Leave some for the birds: Consider leaving plants such as sunflowers, black-eyed susans and monarda to stay in the garden through the winter. Birds will eat the seeds. Add compost: Spread a few inches of compost on empty beds. It can be purchased by the bag from most garden centers. If you have a large garden, it's far cheaper to buy it in bulk directly from a local company such as Baileys in Snohomish or Cedar Grove Compost in Everett. These company usually require a minimum delivery of 5 or 6 cubic yards of compost, which is a mountain. Share with neighbors or spread the remainder on the lawn and flower beds. If you have access to a truck, you can pick up smaller amounts directly from the compost companies. Plant a cover crop: Cover crops enrich the soil and crowd out weeds. Generally, fall sown cover crops are tilled into the ground in late winter or early spring. Consider annual rye (rye grass), hairy vetch or crimson clover. Clover has a long tap root that pulls minerals and nutrients from deep in the soil and makes it available to plants, Novini said. Plan for next spring: If you've never attempted a vegetable garden, now is the time to walk the yard and assess the space. You'll need at least six hours of direct sunlight. Southern and western exposures provide the most sunlight and heat. A water spigot nearby makes life easier. You can grow a lot of food in a small space by using large containers. Many vegetables, such as cucumbers, squash and pole beans, grow up trellises. If you have poor soil and not much space, raised beds are a good solution. If you don't have a yard, search for a neighborhood P-Patch, a place where you can use a small patch of ground. If your community doesn't have one, now is the time for you to do something about it. |
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- Business Events Feb. 2010
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- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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