Home and garden news
Published: Friday, March 5, 2010 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 5:18 p.m.
SONOMA COUNTY: iGROW campaign gets growing
A county-wide campaign to improve public health by encouraging people to grow their own fruits and vegetables is officially launched.
The iGROWSonoma movement now has its own virtual office and online meeting ground. The web site igrowsonoma.org lets people locate community gardens as well as classes and workshops on cultivation and gardening. It also offers resources to help gardeners, whether they're experienced or neophytes.
“We can go a long way toward improving the health of our residents if we can make sure that every kitchen has affordable and healthy fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane, co-chair of the sponsoring Health Action network.
In Sonoma Valley a collaborative of businesses, agencies and individuals is establishing a community garden in Larson Park in Boyes Hot Springs and at every school in the valley.
In Cloverdale the city and the non-profit group Daily Acts, is incorporating water conservation and food production in community gardens.
The iGROW program is one of a series of initiatives outlined by Health Action, a collaborative planning body of some 35 public and private leaders. It was set up under the aegis of the county public health department by the board of supervisors three years ago to improve public health in proactive ways. Last year it launched iWALK to get people exercising.
Gardening and food groups involved so far in the iGROW effort include Daily Acts, LandPaths, Petaluma Bounty, the West County Community Seed Exchange, Community Action Partnership, the Sonoma Ecology Center, the Redwood Empire Food Bank, the School Garden Network, the Sonoma County Master Gardeners, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, the Sonoma County Water agency, the Sonoma County Jail Industries and representatives of many community gardens.
GUERNEVILLE: Sudden oak death seminar
Sudden oak death is threatening to decimate the North Coast's oak woodlands and forests.
Learn how to keep your own trees as healthy as possible and how to prevent the spread of the disease during a free workshop at 10:30 a.m. March 13 in Guerneville.
The Sonoma County Master Gardeners, along with Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, will lead the seminar, which will outline how to spot the disease, the extent of the infection and which local oaks are susceptible. They will also suggest preventative steps to take.
The talk will be at Armstrong Wooods State Park and will include a guided walk through an area in the park infected by SOD.
The talk will be led by SOD specialists Ann Chambers, Janet Calhoun and Phyllis Turrill, who have been trained by leading scientist. SOD is cause and spread by a pathogen Phytophthora ramorum.
The talk is underwritten with a grant to the Master Gardeners by the USDA Forest Service.For more information call 565-2608 or visit sonomamastergardeners.org or stewardsofthecoastandredwoods.org.
SEBASTOPOL: Colorful washi eggs for Easter
Craft expert Barbra Friedman is starting a new series of classes in the easy and ancient art of making decorative washi eggs — just in time for Easter.
Friedman introduced Martha Stewart to the craft back when she was the owner of Bennett Valley Farm, a producer of dried wreaths and floral arrangements.
Washi (the Japanese word for paper) eggs are hand made with Japanese mulberry paper. Friedman will also share tips on how to turn twigs and grasses from your yard into nests for the eggs.
The first class will be on Tuesday March 9 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Village Bakery in Sebastopol. Tea and treats will be served. Additional classes will be held Tuesday evenings March 16 and 26 at the bakery, 7225 Healdsburg Avenue.
A Wednesday afternoon series begins March 10 and repeats on March 17 and 24 at Coffee Catz, 6761 Sebastopol Avenue, Sebastopol. Hours are from 2-4 p.m.
Patisserie Angelica, 6821 Laguna Parkway, Sebastopol, will host a class from 2-4 p.m. March 25, also serving tea and goodies to students.
The cost is $35 and covers materials to make three eggs. For more information visit barbrafriedman.com or call 696-2009.
PETALUMA: Free workshops on gardening
The Sonoma County Master Gardeners are offering two free workshops on March 13.
Jim Lang will tell you you how to deal with gophers and moles in your front lawn or vegetable patch in a talk at the Petaluma Library, 100 Fairgrounds Drive. He will show ways to foil the pesky varmints with everything from planting in containers and raised beds to setting traps.
“I will also point out some popular methods for getting rid of the critters that, in my humble opinion, are a waste of time and money,” he said. “I will also field questions from the audience members about their particular problems.”
At the Rohnert Park/Cotati Regional Library, 6250 Lynne Conde Way, kitchen garden expert Steve Albert will reprise is popular talk on growing vegetables. He will cover what to plant for your own household needs, the best locations for the garden and when and how to plant for a season-long harvest.
Albert is the author of “The Kitchen Garden Growers Guide” and publisher of the website “Harvest-to-Table.”
Both talks run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and are free. For more information call 565-2608 or visit sonomamastergardeners.org.
By Staff Writer Meg McConahey. Submit home and garden news to her at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or by mail at: Meg McConahey, The Press Democrat, 427 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 94952.
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