Master Gardener Jeri Huston teaches gardening tips to students at the Altadena Community Garden

Learn to grow your own vegetables from two Master Gardeners and become a certified UC Victory Gardener at the same time through the Grow LA Victory Garden Initiative (part of the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Program).

All classes will be held at the Altadena Community Garden, 3330 Lincoln Avenue, Altadena, Ca. Classes will be taught by Master Gardeners Jeri Huston and Randy Bayard.

Beginning classes will be held Saturday March 24  and 31, and April 14 and 21.

Intermediate classes will be held April 28, May 5, 12 and 19.

Cost is $50 for the series or $15 per class.

Classes are free to Altadena Community Garden Members.  

For more information contact Jeri Huston at 626-584-0442 or Jeri.Huston@yahoo.com

Join us at a community meeting(see below) tonight to discuss the beautification and revitalization of the area surrounding the Altadena Community Garden.  Four students (Brian Capurro, Arin A. Dolatian, Armando Torres Ramos and Artin Zaghian) from CalPoly Pomona have generously donated their time and effort to redesign the periphery of the garden.  The primary objective of the project is to beautify the outside of Altadena Community Garden while further connecting the space to the surrounding landscapes as well as its own historic heritage.

WHEN: Tuesday December 6, 2011

TIME:  6:00 p.m.

WHERE:  Loma Alta Park Community Center 3330 N. Lincoln Ave. Altadena, CA. 91001

By Rosamond Rodman

Los Angeles gardens go through two seasons: the dry season and the wet season.  During the wet season, water conservation seems a distant memory, but you can continue to conserve water, albeit indirectly, during the winter months.  One way to do this is to improve the health of your soil during the rainy season by using nitrogen-fixing plants, like peas.  Peas are very easy and quick to grow, although they do need support (like a trellis).  In addition to providing crisp and refreshing pods, the plants themselves “fix” nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen is one of the most important chemical elements for plants. If there is not enough nitrogen available in the soil plants look pale and their growth is stunted.

Some nitrogen-fixing plants are called legumes. Legumes (peas and beans are legumes) work together with nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia, to “fix” nitrogen.

Keep in mind, though: the plants to produce nitrogen also want to keep it for themselves, rather than altruistically help your soil. To prevent the plant from keeping the nitrogen to itself and to ensure that your soil benefits, cut them down before the point of exhaustion (when they yellow, get rangy, and don’t produce) and work them into the soil (drop and chop).  

Growing peas is one way to both take advantage of cool, wet weather, and nitrogen-fixing plants to improve your soil so that you do not have to water as much during the dry season. 

All classes will be held at Altadena Community Garden 3330 Lincoln Avenue.

Beginning classes start this Saturday Oct. 1 and continue through Oct. 8, 15 and 29 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.  Cost is $50 for the series or $15 per class.

Intermediate classes will be held on Nov. 5, 12 and 19 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  Cost is $50 for the series or $20 per class.

Classes are free to Altadena Community Garden Members.  

GLAVG Beginning Fall 2011            GLAVG Intermediate Fall 2011

For more information call Jeri Huston at 626-584—0442 or e-mail her at Jeri.Huston@yahoo.com

Get Low

By Rosamond C. Rodman, plot 54-5

According to the Water Conservation sub-committee chair George Buck, July sees the

heaviest demand in Altadena Community Garden’s annual water use. This may seem

obvious. After all, July is both one of the hottest months of the year and the month when

squash, tomatoes and corn are often most productive.

What may not be so obvious, however, is that you are probably watering too much – even

in July. “A large tomato needs a lot of water once a week except for the hottest

conditions, and germinating seeds need only a sip a couple times a day,” according to

Mark Rice, master gardener and pilot of Altadena Community Garden plot 14.

First of all, according to Mark, “we have very sandy soil,” so the water you so diligently

apply often simply soaks through to the aquifers.

Secondly, when you use any kind of spray technique to deliver water, you are losing a

great deal of the water due to evaporation and wind.

So how can you best strike a balance between giving your plants a healthy drink and not

over-watering?

Get low.

In other words, use some form of drip irrigation. Drip irrigation delivers water straight to

the root system of plants.

There are several effective drip watering techniques, from high-tech to low. At the

complex end, one can install fully automated drip systems on a timer.

Or you can simply buy drip or “soaker” hoses.

Readily available and relatively cheap, soaker hoses

have another advantage: simply place the hose

where you want it, and that’s it. Soaker hoses do the

watering for you. Then you can harvest, weed, or

just relax and enjoy your plot. (Tip: the 50’-75’

hoses work best).

Finally, try this ancient technique. Place empty pots

(with drainage holes) next to plants. Fill the pot with water and let the drainage holes do

the work of delivering the water to the roots (not the surface soil surrounding the plants).

When it comes to watering, it is best to get low. Not only will drip irrigation conserve

water and time, but it also minimizes root-rot, cuts down on weeds, and prevents leaf

burn.

Ego-Driven Gardening

By Rosamond C. Rodman

No, this isn’t about having a greener lawn, heftier squash or showier flowers. Psycho-analyst Sigmund Freud argued that the ego functioned as the arbitrating middle layer of the psyche, between the id (instinctive, often unconscious urges and impulses, such as libido) and the super-ego (the results-focused, critical and moralizing function of the mind).

By extension, think of the id as your soil and your plants and harvest as the super-ego.  Mulch, then, functions as a gardener’s ego.  Unfortunately, people think of the ego as a negative personality trait when in fact, the ego is a necessary psychic component, providing a filter between the self and the outer world. The Freudian ego is like the gardener’s mulch — a protective layer that ensures appropriate relationship between a healthy, libidinous soil and the external products of the garden – gorgeous flowers, nutritious vegetables, and aromatic herbs.

Mulch
Mulch is a protective layer of material that is spread on top of the soil. “Maintain a thick mulch of organic matter covering garden soil throughout the summer. This prevents crusting and cracking of the soil surface, holds in moisture, encourages earthworms, moderates soil temperatures for optimum root growth, improves the soil as it decomposes, deters weeds from germinating, and enables easy picking of weeds that do get a start. A 2 to 4 inch layer of mulch decreases evaporation from the soil by 70 percent or more, allowing you to water less often (but still deeply),” says Yvonne Savio, the University of California Extension Common Ground Program manager and 2010 Horticulturalist of the Year.

There are two types of mulches.  Organic mulches, such as straw, bark, grass clippings; and inorganic mulches, such as stones, newspaper, and plastic. They each have their purposes and benefits.  Organic mulches (such as hay, bark, leaves) break down over time and amend the soil.  Inorganic mulches (newspaper, black plastic, stones) moderate temperatures, heating up the soil in cool coastal climes, and decreasing soil temperatures in inland valleys.

Mulch and Compost
Mulch is sometimes confused with compost, but they are not the same.  Compost is organic plant matter that is decayed enough to directly enrich the soil without requiring extra nitrogen from the soil to break down further.  It functions to directly amend the soil.  Mulch, on the other hand, can eventually break down and affect the soil composition, but only over time.  Its purpose is different from compost.

Mulch and Water Conservation
There are several reasons to mulch, all of them tied directly to water conservation.

1. To retain moisture around a plant and slow soil evaporation.
2. To reduce weeds (that in addition to being unwanted also steal water from the plants to which you want to give water).
3. To raise or lower the soil temperature, the latter of which is often very important in time of high temperatures.
4. To prevent soil compaction after heavy rains and erosion from wind.

Sources
Keep in mind why you are mulching in the first place – do you wish to heat up soil?  If so, black plastic works well.  Is your effort to control weeds and maintain moisture?  In this case, consider tree leaves, wood bark or chips, or straw.

• Go: You can always purchase mulch at a local hardware or garden supply store.  Frequently, though, you can find sources of mulch for free or minimal cost to you.

• Online:  Use the CalRecycle page to locate sources of (often free) mulch and compost near you http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Organics/SupplierList/default.asp by linking you to local allied industries (tree trimming companies).

• Call: Contact Altadena’s own “Sodfather” a.k.a. “the Guru of Doo-Doo” a.k.a. Tim Dundon at 626-794-1351. Call him to arrange pick up in your own truck (free), or delivery by him (minimal fee).

Application of Mulch
First, clear the area of weeds before applying mulch.  Once you have done so, spread a layer of mulch of approximately two to four (2-4) inches.  NB: clear a space of an inch or two immediately at the base or collar of the main plant stem to prevent excessive humidity and disease or pests.

The best time to apply mulch is in the late spring to June, after soil temperatures have risen sufficiently but before it gets really hot.  This ensures maximum retention of moisture but not excessive moisture and plant rot.  Refresh your mulch again in the late fall, before temperatures drop substantially, as a way to maintain and protect warmth in your soils, and to prevent soil erosion due to winter winds and rain.

Become an Ego-Driven Gardener:  Mulch!
Mulching is probably the simplest and most effective way to conserve water in your garden.  Some clever person described mulch as “sunblock for your plants” but a better analogy likens mulch to the Freudian ego.  Mulch gives your garden a protective layer that simultaneously benefits the soil, enriches the plants growing from the soil, and conserves water.

Next month:  Effective Watering

The next general membership meeting for the Altadena Community Garden will be held  Thursday June 2, at the Loma Alta Park gym at 6:30 p.m.  Please plan to attend this very important meeting in which we will discuss our biggest fundraiser of the year:  the annual picnic and resource fair.

*Please remember to bring your checkbook so you can purchase picnic tickets

*While sandwiches will be available, please bring a dish to share with your fellow gardeners.

Garden members George Buck and Rosamond Rodman made a presentation on water conservation at the last executive board meeting.  The well-researched information included data gleaned from interviews with administrators at Lincoln Avenue Water Company, which provides our garden’s water, and interviews of our gardeners themselves, as well as best practices for conserving water.

We are planning for a repeat performance of the presentation at a future general membership meeting.  In addition, the Altadena Community Garden is forming a water conservation subcommittee to increase awareness and implement processes for ongoing water conservation.  For more information, please email  Rosamond at rcr1026@gmail.com or call George at 626-794-2752.

In the meantime, here are some recommendations for curbing water usage:

• Before watering, check the conditions of the plants and soil to determine how much water will be needed. Use a soil probe to test for moisture content.
• Mulching will retain soil moisture and control weed growth. Make an effort to remove weeds since they deprive water intended for preferred vegetables and flowers.
• Water deeply and infrequently. Overhead sprinkling is ineffective; instead irrigate to a depth of 10 inches, which will allow plant roots to better absorb water. Allow the soil to partially dry out before watering again.
• Water when temperatures are cooler. Avoid watering in breezy conditions.
• Plant at the right time: vegetables and flowers have the best chance of becoming established before the onset of extreme weather conditions.

Thank you gardeners for bringing in your recyclable materials. To date, we have raised $256 for the garden!  Yes, we went from zero to $256 in just over a year all because of your efforts!  Garden member Michiko Lynch put her passion to action and created our recycling program.  Special thanks to Myrna Roach for her help as a recycle program committee member.  If you would like to help with our recycling program, please contact Michiko at michikord@yahoo.com.  And remember to read the signs in our recycling area and place your recycling material in the appropriate bins.

If you have other ideas on improving the garden, send them to our garden President, Silvera Grant at silveragrant@gmail.com.

Tickets are now available for the annual picnic and resource fair–our biggest fundraiser of the year.  All the fun happens Saturday June 18 from 1-6pm at the Altadena Community Garden (corner of Lincoln and Palm).  Bring the whole family for great barbecue and garden-fresh, homemade food.

Tickets are $7 in advance.  Children ages 6-12 are $4 and kids under 5 are FREE.  To purchase tickets, please email garden President, Silvera Grant at silveragrant@gmail.com.