Hello Gardeners!
In my last email I told you about the great documentary Kiss the Ground. It is streaming on Netflix now. It is about regenerative farming and how it can help our planet.
But it’s not just for farmers!
The same principals can be used in your garden and yard. Last email I explained how compost helps the micro-organisms in the soil that capture carbon and improve the structure of your soil. You can help these organisms even more by practicing no-till or low-till gardening.
No-till gardening is ditching the roto tiller that weakens the soil’s microbial community that metabolizes and holds nutrients, sequesters and holds carbon, and absorbs and holds water.
Yes, I know, tilling is what you always do, your parents tilled, your grandparents tilled, etc. But it’s time for a change! Here’s how to use no-tilling in your garden.
Seed Talk – How to Grow Tomatoes – Tuesday April 13, 2021, 6:30 pm
This is tomato starting time! Four to six week before the last frost is the recommended time to start tomato seeds. The average last frost in zone 4 is May 10th. Remember this is an average only and Mother Nature has the last word!
To learn how to grow tomatoes attend the next Seed Talk on April 13th at 6:30pm via Zoom. Register here.
Also info on University of MN Extension site here
Seed Pickup
The next seed pickup is scheduled for Wednesday, Apr 14th from 4:45-5:15 pm at the White Bear Lake library’s parking lot, 2150 2nd St, White Bear Lake, MN.
Seeds lists are posted on the blogsite. Check the right hand side for the seed lists.
Send your request to wblseedlibrary@gmail.com by 1 pm, Apr 14th.
A change to how picking up seeds works: The library has generously allowed me to place bags of seeds not picked up in the curbside lobby area of the library. This means that if you missed picking up your seeds at the seed pickup time, you can find your seed bag in the library’s curbside lobby on the table. The bags are labelled with your first and last name. The curbside area is open during the WBL library’s normal hours: M: 10-8, T, W: 1-8, Th, F, Sat: 10-5. You do not need to call to pick up your seed bag, just walk in the lobby and find your bag. Note: The bags will NOT be at the curbside lobby until AFTER the seed pickup time. If for some reason you do not find your bag, please do not contact the librarians, contact me via email (wblseedlibrary@gmail.com). Seed bags not picked up after 2 weeks will go back to the seed library.
How to Donate Seeds to the Seed Library
Place dry seeds in a paper envelope with the name of seed, year and location on the envelope. Drop off at a seed pickup or drop off at the curbside pickup area of the White Bear Lake library during open hours.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Great River Greening Wonderhour
Join Great River Greening for nature-based skills and knowledge. Free.
Register here.
Spring Ephemeral (Thursday, April 8, 6 p.m.)
Join Great River Greening Volunteer Supervisors Cathy Marquardt and Aiden Read to learn about Minnesota native spring ephemerals. This session will inspire you to explore near and far to find early blooms throughout our landscape.
Planting for Pollinators (Tuesday, May 11, 6 p.m.)
Pollinators are critical to a healthy environment and many native species are in jeopardy. Learn what you can do at home to create healthy pollinator habitats for native bees and butterflies in your own yard.
Stopping Problem Plants (Tuesday, June 15, 6 p.m.)
Learn to identify and manage common invasive plants found in Minnesota yards and natural areas, and find out about new invaders on the horizon.
Climate Resilient Gardens (Wednesday, July 14, 6 p.m.)
The climate is changing, and that will affect Minnesota gardens. Learn about what to expect and how to adapt to grow a more resilient landscape.
Nature Heals (Wednesday, August 11, 6 p.m.)
Learn the science of how time spent in nature helps to improve our physical and mental well-being.
New Bluethumb Events
Learn about creating a bee lawn, how to make your yard more resilient and how to help pollinators in these relevant classes. See the Bluethumb site for more information and to register.
Various dates in March thru May, Cost $5-$15.
Bee Lawns: The Most Popular Turf Alternative
Your “how-to” guide on creating a bee lawn. James Wolfin, an entomologist and Metro Blooms’ sustainable landcare manager, teaches the steps for converting a traditional turf grass monoculture lawn into a beautiful, flowering bee lawn that promotes pollinator health, water quality and natural resource conservation.
Resilient Yards
Join Metro Blooms landscape professionals to develop a framework for understanding resilience. Learn how to create resilience in your yard using site planning, raingardens, alternatives to conventional turf lawns, trees, native plantings and more. Includes one-on-one design assistance for your yard from Metro Blooms landscape designers, Hennepin County Master Gardeners and Master Water Stewards.
Planting for Pollinators
This workshop offers planting practices that benefit pollinators and the environment. Learn about the current health status of pollinators in Minnesota, and how you can help them by installing pocket plantings, trees and shrubs, bee lawns, pollinator meadows, and more! The content is based on the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources’ Lawns to Legumes program supporting residents to create more pollinator-friendly landscapes.
Grow Native! and the Missouri Prairie Foundation
Every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m., participants can learn from a variety of speakers on topics. Speakers include prairie and native plant experts from across the Midwest.
I’ve attended a few of these webinars and they are well done and informative!
Webinars are free, 30-minute programs, with time for questions after the presentations. Master classes are more specialized, with presenters sharing 50-minutes of material, with time for questions after the presentations. Master classes are free to MPF members and Grow Native! professional members, and $15 for non-members. Not a member? Join at moprairie.org/membership/ and attend all master class programming as a benefit of membership. Landscape architect continuing education credits are available for master classes and most webinars.
2021 Webinars and Master Classes:
April 14 - Grow Native! Webinar: Monarch Population Trends, Conservation & Climate Change: Dr. Chip Taylor
Thursday, April 22 - Special Earth Day Webinar: Keeping our Water Healthy: Native Plants and Watersheds Panel
April 28 - MPF Webinar: Bicycling with Butterflies: Sara Dykman
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DON SHELBY PRESENTS: Climate Change: The Crisis of a Thousand Faces Don Shelby, a veteran journalist, will take us on a journey of discovery as he has lived it, witnessed it, and tried to communicate climate change science to everyone from true believers to truth deniers and all manner of people for more than 30 years. Hosted by Northeast Metro Climate Action, northeastmetroclimateaction.org Wednesday, April 14, 2021 - 7:00 p.m. (CDT) A Zoom Event – Type this in your browser: https://tinyurl.com/DShelby |
Twin Cities Metro Growers Network
All the 2020 virtual meetings and notes are on TC Metro Growers website.
Even if you are not a farmer, these recording are interesting.
Ramsey County Master Gardener Classes
Many online classes throughout the winter and spring. See classes.
2021 Big River Big Woods Native Plant Sale
Big River Big Woods is now accepting your orders for native plants!
Information here.
Nursery grown plants in 4” pots or 6 packs of native flowers, sedges and grasses. Trees and shrubs available too.
Also pre-designed kits available!
These pre-designed kits are designed to take the guesswork out of choosing plants suitable for your yard. Four expertly created garden kits are available, suitable for a wide range of habitat types. Three kits contain 36 plants (consisting of 6 species) and one kit contains 72 plants (consisting of 12 species).
This year we will follow Covid safety protocols. Orders will be ready for pick-up at a pre-designated location where face-coverings will be worn and social distancing observed.
You can place your order on-line (pay by credit card) or by mail (pay by check).
April
26 –
Last day to place your order.
May 28 and 29 – Plant sale days to pick up your plant orders in a
location in Roseville.
Friends School Plant sale, May 6-9, 2021
YES! There will be a 2021 Friends School Plant Sale, a fund-raiser for the Friends School of Minnesota, a small Quaker K – 8 school in Saint Paul. This is a REAL event not virtual, but it will work differently than previous years.
Details https://www.friendsschoolplantsale.com/
All plants at the sale are neonic free which means they are safe for pollinators.
See their policy.
Future Seed Talks via Zoom, all at 6:30pm
Apr 13, 2021 Tues How to Grow Tomatoes w/Ramsey master gardeners
May 11, 2021 Tues Garden Design
Contact info for the Seed Library:
Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com
Blog site: WBL Seed Library
Pam
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