Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Raingarden Info and Events


Hello Gardeners

Here are some raingarden links I talked about at the last Seed Talk.

Raingarden Links
To find your watershed district go to the following website and click on the map at your location:
Watershed districts do not follow city boundaries. For example, White Bear Lake is in 4 watershed districts.
A good place to start to learn about rain gardens is the Blue Thumb website:
Many of you are probably in the Rice Creek Watershed District:
Almost all the watershed districts have a grant program for homeowners and organizations. The grants range from $500 and up depending on the project. You must apply for the grant before purchasing any plants or supplies. The grants usually don’t apply to labor costs. The RCWD has $10,000 worth of grants available in 2019. Go to your watersheds website and follow the directions to apply for a grant.

Misc
I added some bean, cilantro, marigold and double pink poppy seeds to the seed library.
The Ramsey County Master Gardeners have many classes scheduled May-September. Find info on classes and to register: www.ramseymastergardeners.org
 I also added a plant sale event by the Big River Big Woods Wild Ones chapter on May 27.
 
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. 

EVENTS:

May 18Ramsey County Master Gardeners Plant Sale, 8 am-2pm, “The Barn”, 2020 White Bear Ave, Maplewood, MN
Sale of plants not treated with neonics. Proceeds benefit the Master Gardener program.

May 18 – Seed Your Dreams - Como Community Seed Library Gathering
11am-2pm, Historic Como Streetcar Station, 1224 Lexington Pkwy N., Saint Paul 55117
Yes, we can finally believe Spring is here! And with that it’s time to exchange our excess seeds, plants (perennial divides and plant starts) and extra, serviceable garden hand tools with our neighbors at the Como Community Seed Library’s annual gardener gathering. Join for all the family fun, art making, bee finding etc. Volunteer and receive a thank you for your generosity. See: https://comoseedsavers.geopoi.us/

May 26 – Big River Big Woods Wild Ones Plant sale, Noon – 3 pm, Muriel Sahlin Arboretum, 2525 North Dale St., Roseville, MN 5511
Native plants grown by members of the Wild Ones chapter are available for sale.

Jun 1Landscape Revival Plant sale, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Shepherd of the Hills Church,
3920 Victoria St N, Shoreview, Minnesota (MN) 55126
The Shoreview 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.

Jun 9Landscape 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.

*Why is neonic free a good thing?
Neonicotinoids are a widely used family of insecticides which adversely impact pollinators as well a song birds and aquatic invertebrates. One problem with neonics is that they persist in the plant and the soil for many years. The Friends School Plant sale has an excellent webpage on this topic here:  http://www.friendsschoolplantsale.com/blog/post/neonics



No comments:

Post a Comment