Happy April, Gardeners!
It might not come as a surprise that I have trees on my mind when we have Arbor Day this month, so I wanted to share some interesting things I've learned about trees and how they support us. I read an interesting article from my realtor's magazine, American Lifestyle, called Miyawaki Forests are Taking Root, and it sent me on a journey to be continued further down the email.
In other news, if you missed the Edible Gardening Group meeting in March, I wanted to share one of the key takeaways that I got from Brandon of Slice of Heaven Farm: cultivate the soil around your veggies early and often (starting at about 2 weeks in) as this will keep weeds from having the chance to take root!
Upcoming Events
Sandy Garden Club - Conifers
When: April 2, from 9:30 to 11:30am
Where: The Sandy Grange (34705 SE Kelso Rd, Sandy, OR 97055)
The Worms Beneath Our Feet -- and Worm Bins!
Beneath our feet is a wonderous world of wiggly terrestrial creatures that positively impact the health of our garden soil! Learn all about the benefits worms provide in our gardens and about vermiculture (worm composting). Join OSU Extension Service Master Gardener™ Kris LaMar as she shares about these amazing unsung garden heroes.
When: April 11, from 6 to 7pm
Where: Sandy Public Library, Hoyt Community Room
Dreaming of a bounty of summer’s red tasty jewels, the tomato? Discover the best gardening practices for a successful tomato harvest. Join OSU Extension Service Master Gardener™ Cindy Manselle as she shares all you need to know to have a prolific tomato season. Cindy will highlight proper soil preparation, planting, fertilizing, pruning, pest/disease control, and harvesting.
When: April 24, from 6 to 7pm
Where: Sandy Public Library, Hoyt Community Room
Sandy Edible Gardening Group - Growing Off to a Great Start: No Dig, Compost and Seed Starting, led by Tom Ibsen.
Share the highs and lows of edible gardening with your neighbors as we swap tips, timelines, strategies, and resources. This group is open to all -- whether you are just starting out or gardening year-round. Together we'll go from seed to maximizing the bounty of the harvest.
Meets: Fourth Monday of every month (next meeting: April 28th)
Time: 6:30 - 8:00pm
Location: Sandy Public Library, Hoyt Community Room
Adopt-a-Crop
This program is led by the Oak Lodge-based seed library, Seeds for Sharing. It provides us the opportunity to collaborate with other LINCC seed libraries and will guide participants with monthly emails to grow climate-resilient squash or runner beans and create the next generation of locally adapted food and seeds for our communities.
Registration is now through April 15 with this Google Form.
For more information, email: seedsforsharing@gmail.com.
Seeds for Sharing Instagram Page
Bonus Note: Seeds for Sharing has shared seeds with us from their garden. Check out the cabinet for local herbs, flowers, native flowers, and some veggies (including beans, sweet corn, and tomatoes!).
What I've Been Watching
Call of the Forest
Diane Beresford-Kroeger guides us through the science behind forest bathing; Miyawaki's pocket forests in urban areas (you get to go on a tour of Tokyo with Professor Miyawaki); the connection between the trees, the ocean, the underground aquafer, and how this connect supports the fish population; and so much more. Having the visual guide to a lot of the words I've read over the last six months was nice.
What I've Been Reading
Now is the Time for Trees by Dan Lambe
Fun to read all the reasons we should care about trees and plant them. And it has very valuable information about selecting the right trees for your space as well as what to look for when shopping. There is a section on how to plant and even tree maintenance. The beautiful pictures and the uplifting stories make this book very fun to sit with. I have a new bucket list destination in The Arbor Day Farm!
The Tree Collectors by Amy Stewart
Such a delightful collection. This book introduces the reader to many tree collectors and their stories. Here are a few highlights:
"The Tiny-Forest Engineer," Shubhendu Sharma of India, explains how he was inspired while working for Toyota and got to meet Miyawaki when he was hired to plant a tiny forest on Toyota's campus. Now Shubhendu travels around the world carrying on the work.
There is "The Habitat Builder," Don Mahoney of California, who inadvertently used the Miyawaki method on the empty lot next to his home.
Then we have Joanie Cooper, "the Apple Preservationist," out of Molalla, OR! She helped form the Temperate Orchard Conservancy with the aim of cloning a preserving old apple varieties.
Oregon's Ancient Forests: a hiking guide by Chandra LeGue
We are so fortunate to have ancient forests accessible to us. If you are like me and feeling inspired by Diane Beresford-Kroeger and are wanting to treat yourself to a forest bath, this book will tell you some of the best places to immerse yourself in all the beneficial aerosols that trees put out.
What I've Been Watching x 2
Farm Dreams
In my downtime I stumbled upon a series by National Geographic called Farm Dreams. I am going to share a clip from season 1, episode 6: "Nature's Bounty." The clip features the host, Indy, consulting with an architect that planted a food forest. The design features a perimeter of natives to aid in the biodiversity and pollination of his edible garden. It adds additional purpose to a traditional hedgerow!
As always, thank you for being here,
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