Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Ecolandscape

In connection with my article on landscaping with native plants, I thought I'd share this information I received from Susan Leroy for the following conference in Sacramento:


EcoLandscape Working Group (ELWG) is presenting EcoLandscape 2007: Ecological Landscapes for Sustainable Businesses. This conference will be held on Saturday,
February 3, 2007 at the Samuel Pannell Community Center in Sacramento.
Complete information on the conference is online at http://www.ecolandscape.org.
I have also attached the flyer for the conference.

This event will build on the successes of the 2004 and 2005 conferences by
providing cutting-edge information on how to design, install, and maintain
landscaping in an environmentally-sound manner. Topics will address the
issues of water conservation, peak run-off reduction, soil enhancement,
weed management, storm water pollution, and pesticide and fertilizer
reduction. Highly-acclaimed speakers, combined with a mini-trade show of
innovative products and services, will help landscape professionals meet
the challenges of landscaping in the 21st century.

Speakers at the conference will discuss many of the topics covered in the
forthcoming “River-Friendly Landscaping Guidelines”, which is being funded
by the Sacramento County Stormwater Quality Program. The booklet should be
completed and available for free at the conference.

Please take a moment to visit http://www.ecolandscape.org to see our complete
program. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact
either me at the number below or Dave Roberts, ELWG chair, at 916-492-0393
or email at info@ecolandscape.org.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference!


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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Growing Vegetables West Of The Cascades


The BEST gardening book I've found for the North Coast!
This is my all time favorite gardening book right now. If I lived south of here or east of here, it wouldn't be very useful, but in Humboldt Co., it's the only book that can explain how to grow vegetables out here. It's actually geared towards Washington and Oregon, but applies quite nicely to Humboldt, especially the northern end of the county. We're a bit warmer than some of the areas described in the book and our growing season is longer. Where this book is very helpful is when it comes to soil. Our soil here is acidic, just as it is north to us, and that plays a huge part in gardening here. We're also very wet here and not too warm, unless you live inland about 40 miles. This book addresses those issues. This book covers an incredible amount in only 340 pages. From soil to composting, to garden planning to water to starting plants from seeds (as well as collecting your own from your plants) to transplanting the seedlings. He even has a section on predators that are indigenous to our area, as well as how to build a cloche. This book is my gardening bible, and if you are a gardener on the north coast, I highly recommend it. Until Amy Stewart quits messing around with flowers and writing for the North Coast Journal and gets down to the business of writing a garden (especially vegies) book for Humboldt County, this will be the only truly useful gardening book for you coastal Humboldt vegie growers.

You can check it out at Humboldt Library and see if it works for you, or go buy it through Amazon.com or see if any of our fine local book stores carry it.


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