Upcoming Seed Talk

Hello Gardeners

I hope your gardens are growing great. I had over 3” of rain recently, but I know other areas hardly received any. If you were not on the receiving end of the needed moisture, you may want to water your tomatoes by hand. To help prevent cracked skins and blossom end rot tomatoes need to grow in evenly moist soil. Now would be a good time to mulch your tomato and other vegetable plants. Your plants will also appreciate some mulch during the hot steamy weather this weekend.

National Pollinator Week

“In 2006 the United States Senate designated the first National Pollinator Week as a way to recognize the importance of pollinators to agriculture and ecosystem health.” Check out the article about these wonderful creatures and how they help us. This is a great blog site to visit often!

https://www.ecobeneficial.com/2014/06/national-pollinator-week-thank-bee-fly-even-beetle/

Upcoming Seed Talk

Tuesday July 9, 6:30pm at the White Bear Lake library. The topic is growing fruit. This is a huge topic and we will not be able to cover all the different kinds of fruit, so bring your questions and tips. We will be joined by a Ramsey County Master Gardener who can help us learn how to grow these tasty morsels. Hope to see you there!

Other Events:

Bev and I will be at Market Fest on the last day, July 25, 6-9 pm. If you are attending that night, come say “Hi”. We will have a table at the area of the Annual WBL Environmental Advisory committee Expo, which is located on 4th Street just west of Banning Ave.

More Seed Talk Info:

I find my August is quite hectic, so there will not be a Seed Talk that month.

Also, starting in September, the Seed Talks will alternate between the 2^nd Monday evenings and the 2^nd Tuesday evenings. Some of you mentioned you cannot attend on Tuesday evenings due to other commitments. Though I am sure some cannot attend on Mondays, perhaps this will allow more people to come to the Seed Talks. If the month is an odd number the Seed Talk will be on a Monday evening. If the month is an even number the Seed Talk will be on Tuesday evening. Note the library is only open in the evenings on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I will try this arrangement for the rest of 2019 and see how it goes, so let me know if this works better for you or not.

Future Seed Talks:

Monday, September 9, 6:30pm. Topic – How to Save Seeds

Tuesday, Oct 8^th, 6:30pm. Topic – Putting Your Garden to Bed

Starting in September, I’ll be scheduling seed packaging events. Stay tuned for more info. Don’t forget—Save Your Seeds! We especially will need beans, peas, lettuce, tomato and native plant seeds for next season.  

Happy gardening!

Pam

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: https://wblseedlibrary.blogspot.com/

Next Seed Talk - Tomatoes!

Hello Gardeners

Isn’t it great that the ground has started to dry out and we can start planting our gardens? But please step lightly on water soaked soil to preserve its structure. Sometimes I take 2 scraps of 2X4 lumber and use it as temporary stepping stones in my garden while I’m planting. It helps spread out my weight so I don’t compact the soil. I stand on one piece and then place the second piece at the next spot I want to be. I move the board steps along as I garden. If you have the space you could use a small piece of scrap plywood as a stepping platform. I also permanently place stone steps in my gardens so I can step on them while weeding or deheading, etc. during the summer.

Next Seed Talk June 11^th – Tomatoes!

Everyone (or almost everyone) loves the taste of a home grown tomato. Many of us grow our own or buy these juicy orbs from a farmer’s market. At the next Seed Talk we’ll be tackling how to grow tomatoes. I’m sure there are many of you who have some tried and tested tips to share. Please come to the Seed Talk on Tuesday evening, June 11 at 6:30 pm at the White Bear Lake branch of the RCL to share your knowledge and maybe pick up some new tips.

We’ll be joined by Joe, a Ramsey County Master Gardener who is passionate about tomatoes! He’ll share his own tips at our discussion.

Enjoy digging in the dirt!

Pam

Plant a Row

Please consider planting an extra row of peas or beans or a couple extra plants of lettuce or tomatoes to harvest the seeds for the Seed Library. The Seed Library depends on community donations to keep providing seeds. 

Contact info for the Seed Library:

Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com

Blog site: https://wblseedlibrary.blogspot.com/

EVENTS:

Jun 9 – Landscape Revival Plant Sale, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Oakdale City Hall, 1584 Hadley Ave N, Oakdale, MN 55128

The Oakdale Native Plant Expo and Market offers gardeners one convenient location to shop for Minnesota native plants from 6 local native growers and learn how to use the plants from conservation organizations. The goal of Landscape Revival is to promote the use of native plants by educating about their benefits for wildlife habitat, pollinators, water quality and landscape diversity. Plants sold at the sale are neonic free.

https://www.saintpaulaudubon.org/events/landscape-revival-native-plant-expo-market-oakdale/

June 11 – Seed Talk – Tomatoes

Come join fellow gardeners as we talk about tomatoes. Share your tips and techniques for growing tomatoes. If you are new to growing tomatoes come join us to find out how to grow these tasty orbs. Open to all, experienced or not. Tuesday, June 11^th, at 6:30pm at the White Bear Lake library, 2150 2^nd St, White Bear Lake, MN 55110.