Sow There

This spring thing has made me fairly giddy.

At age whatever-I-am, I’ve finally acclimated to my environment. They key is to take advantage of the things you love at the right time.

Sooner than you think, it will be so hot you’re wracking your brain to remember which of your friends have a pool.

For now, the best bet is to get outdoors while the temperatures are ideal.

As gardeners, it’s tempting to spend Saturday and Sunday in the yard. But take some time to get out and about.

Even if you have only half a day, you can enjoy a drive to the Sacramento River, visit Honey Run Covered Bridge, hike monkey face in upper Bidwell Park, and check the wildflowers at Table Mountain.

Next winter when you scan though the photos on your computer, you’ll smile and know you have lived well.

For the first time, we spent the day with the Sierra Club, Yahi Group. The adventure was to the Dye Creek Preserve, near Los Molinos, which is generally closed to the public.

We met Allen, our guide, at the Park and Ride and brought or wore all the recommended items (good shoes, lunch, water, et. al).

A total of 20 joined the adventure, all pleasant folks who knew more than us and shared what they knew.

These folks were also inspiring because they were in such good shape. I could tell that if I took these hikes more often, I wouldn’t have huffed and puffed to get to the top of some of the climbs.

The views were enthralling, and another reminder of why I love living in Northern California, at least during the spring.

Our guide Allen knew all the highlights, including a cave that provided some shade, and even a little excitement when we heard the distinct sound of a rattlesnake echoing off the cave walls. The most precarious part of the trip was the poison oak, which will probably be as tall as bamboo by later in the season.

As we walked, those at the front of the group would bellow out a warning, and people would holler “poison oak” until the news reached the end of the line.

Similar to the rock formation in Butte Creek, the layers of sediment were home to swallows and swifts. The meadows were vibrant green from recent rains. We saw peregrine falcon, an eagle and countless butterflies.

One hiker graciously pointed out swallowtail vine, which is in bloom right now. She gave us the low-down about how the swallowtail butterflies make their homes and feed on the plant. The flowers look like tiny, opaque water pitchers.

When summer is here, sooner than we think, there will be many other things to do, particularly early in the morning and at the edge of friend’s swimming pool. But take a hike now.

The cost of the Sierra Club hikes also fits a Chico budget, two bucks and some money for gas.

To check out more March adventures: http://goo.gl/dFCdZ3

Also, here’s a link to a Pinterest photo album, created by me: http://goo.gl/B6RF0T. For a short video of the adventure: http://goo.gl/cYDvMG

Follow along: @HeatherHacking on Twitter and Facebook.

Wednesday morning I heard birds chirping —— a lot of birds. The radio was blaring in the living room, and my first thought was that KCHO was airing a segment on creatures of the Amazon.

When I ventured outside, the scene was surreal. Hundreds of birds were jetting from large tree to large tree within a half-block of my house. They did not linger long enough for me to tell what they looked like.

This reminded me of the bee swarm in my maple tree, when the entire yard was a cloud of bees.

(See amateur video here: http://www.tout.com/m/pjo467)

With some effort, I was able to snap a photograph of some birds, which let me see what they looked like when not aflutter. Later I sent the photos to my bird-geek friend.

The rust-orange breasted birds, with white necks and gray heads, were Turdus migratorius, also known as American robins, http://goo.gl/ensP52

My friend confirmed they “swarm like flies” and were most likely establishing mating territory in MY yard.

He likened it to a college bar on a late Friday night.

Now that I think about it, my ‘hood does have an inviting vibe, and several very large trees.

That same night I was at my boyfriend’s house, where the frogs had suddenly come alive. The loud sound of amphibian cajoling almost drowned out the sound of the rain.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the frogs. Maybe it wasn’t a happy sound I was hearing. Maybe they had been burrowed in the ground for this long, dry winter, just waiting for a safe, wet night to climb out and play.

Were they screaming: “Come hither. Hurry up. Let’s live a little before we die!”

Or were they content to make the most of this brief moment in time?

Limited water, limits on choices

This week I’m pondering my own natural spring-time desires — for lush spring flowers and long summer blooms.

Seed packets arrived in the mail from Renee’s Garden seeds, and my first instinct was to get my fingernails dirty. Yet, when I take off my Sow There! hat, I am writing stories about drought, water conservation and the push for (other) people to focus on drought-tolerant plants.

Nowhere on my seed packets does it say “suitable for planting during a California drought.”

Bob Scoville, of the Glenn County Master Gardener program, http://ucanr.edu/sites/glennmg, said he’ll be planting vegetables in raised beds. This will keep his water use contained.

The Sonoma County Master Gardeners, fine water stewards that they are, have compiled a list of common garden plants, and specific varieties that do well in dry times, Bob added.

When choosing veggies, you might opt for those with short growing season, which means fewer irrigations.

A Master Gardener in Sonoma took the time to go through catalogs in search of “drought” descriptions. The list, http://goo.gl/TVI0Cw, suggests Armenian and lemon cucumbers, instead of the burpless straight-eight we all know and love. Beans use relatively little water, the list implies, as do herbs like rosemary, basil and chives.

Why not just go for a variety that sounds like the desert, such as rattlesnake beans, Navajo yellow melons, or Lebanese light green squash, which are all on the list.

Generally, most varieties of chard do well in desert and dry climates. For tomatoes, the choices are Caro rich, Pearson, pineapple, stone and yellow pear cherry.

I’ll apologize now. I’ve been waiting for a long time to try growing my own heirloom black krim tomatoes. There’s no turning back, because I have the seeds in my possession.

If I do this right, I can put a bucket in the shower and use slop water for some deep, black krim watering this summer.

While you’re at it, you can check out some other drought-tolerant gardening tips from Sonoma county at: http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg

The link to “Food Gardening with Less Water,” for example, reminds us to “mulch, mulch, mulch,” invest in drip irrigation, and plant four tomato plants instead of 10.

Other contacts, @HeatherHacking on Twitter and Facebook.

Remember months ago before we were worried about drought?

In September we were worried about an unseasonably warm autumn. Bulbs were popping up.

Then, in early December we were worried about frost damage. Hot lemonade was a nightly treat when several coworkers lugged in winter-damaged lemons.

I brought so many potted plants indoors my living room looked like a really run-down version of Rainforest Cafe.

The advice back then was to keep the pruning shears indoors and wait to see what looked alive in spring.

Now it’s spring and I think I learned a few things: I do not need to yell at the sky and scorn Mother Nature. Things that survive can be cause for celebration. Buying replacement plants counts as retail therapy.

The lemon verbena, for example, was four feet tall and looked like it had parked in a car wash before being baked in the wood-fire oven at Grana.

Before I jumped the gun, I called the Butte County Master Gardener Program at 538-7201.

They’ll answer your questions as well, 8:45-11:45 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 1:15-4:15 p.m. Thursdays.

“If a branch is visibly dead and the rest of the plant has bloomed out, you can cut it back,” the trained garden advice gal said.

Read the official UC Davis pamphlet at http://goo.gl/PQTMZz.

Another frost victim was the star jasmine, which probably would be blooming about now. The tangled vines made a nest in what I called the Yucka tree, and now those vines are a mass of brown.

Yet, when I look closely, some of those brown tendrils have tiny green leaves about to emerge.

The Master Gardener said I can take my chances on the jasmine. It may very well bloom. Or, I could just cut it all back and pretend it’s a brand new purchase.

THWARTING GOPHERS

Talking about star jasmine brought up both painful and triumphant memories for my new Master Gardener friend.

At her previous home, she moved about 10 two-gallon pots of the flowering, fragrant vines.

When gophers began to attack, she was quick to action and made home-made gopher cages.

The cages are for thwarting gophers, not to catch them.

She bought steel mesh material with the smallest holes she could find. It comes in a 4-by-5-foot roll and is somewhat expensive.

I had a difficult time visualizing her instructions, so here is an example online: http:/goo.gl/Kmq5bz

The key, the Master Gardener said, it to make sure you wire the mesh up tightly, so the gophers can’t shimmy through the seams.

“Cages definitely work,” she said like a woman who has known loss. Making them can be a bit of a hassle, and you can buy them already crafted, but this gets spendy, she noted.

GREEN LIGHT TO PLANT

If you’ve got some ground, you’re probably like most of us and eager to plant vegetables. It’s hard not to be restless with all those young plants on sale at the farmers market and big-box stores.

Plus, if you read the news, you know we’re likely to have a long, dry, miserable summer.

The Master Gardener source said go ahead. Yet, be prepared to cover these vulnerable young plants if we get another cold snap.

We would love to hear your garden updates, or you can follow my personal adventures: @HeatherHacking on Twitter and Facebook.

I just watched the movie “The Adjustment Bureau,” with Matt Damon.
The character, David Norris, had just lost an election. At his concession speech he notes: “We had a rule in my neighborhood: When you got in a fight, it wasn’t whether or not you got knocked down. It’s what you do when you get back up.”
(The crowd cheers.)
You won’t receive the applause awarded the fictional defeated politician. But if your plants fell down dead in the frost you can “get back up” by planting something new.
Bob Scoville, at the Glenn County Master Gardener program, was helpful. The next two months are prime time for planting bare-root plants, he said.

To give the new tree or plant a fighting chance, dig an especially large hole so the roots don’t have to struggle in infancy, he advised. This was especially true in his area, where the soil is less than stellar. He noted it makes sense that Glenn County grows so much rice (which loves adobe soil).
Bob also learned that people tend to water more than needed by the plant. He has a drip irrigation system and went to the trouble to measure the output.
“I found I was putting a lot more water than I expected,” he said.
With trees, or any other bare-root plants, Bob recommends examining the roots before planting. Trim off anything that is excessively long, broken or kinked, he wrote in a Master Gardener newsletter (read the whole story here: http://goo.gl/TJ79pP).
He takes care to ensure the soil is firm when he refills the hole.
Also, straighten any overlapping roots, to give them room to stretch.
For sun protection, Bob mixes white latex paint 50/50 and paints the trunk of his new trees. He waters thoroughly, to settle the soil, and mulches with wood chips, topped with horse manure.
Trees take a lot of water, five to 15 gallons in the height of summer.
In case you didn’t hear, we’re in a drought. You might as well become familiar with the lists of drought-tolerant plants, which also arrive in bare-root form.

Other winter tasks
While I had Bob on the horn, he volunteered that now is the time to spray peach and nectarine trees with copper spray, to protect them from leaf curl. For home gardeners, our choices are more limited. Ask your favorite nursery for your most effective option.
Also, get out there in your warm overcoat, even if it’s cold, and knock “mummies” from the tree. These are shriveled fruit from last year that will become nesting ground for pests. Also, rake up any mucky fruit still on the ground.
Bob said to use the green waste can, not the compost pile. Otherwise you’ll be providing a nest for the next batch of pests.

As a young child of 7, 8 and 9, I would have rattled off a long list of things for which I was deprived.

Unlike Lori Lazarek, my best friend three doors down, my mother would not buy me Wonder bread. Instead, we ate the brown stuff with seeds that got stuck in your teeth.

My sister and I begged for Froot Loops, but were fed Malt-o-Meal and Grape Nuts.

At Easter, my friends received plastic baskets that matched the colors of Barbie doll accessories. In my memory, they were overflowing with chocolate and lined with brightly-colored plastic grass.

Because Lori Lazarek had just suffered through Lent, she would not share her candy.

At my house, we were handed actual baskets, made of wicker, and told to enjoy gathering hard-boiled eggs.

If the eggs were returned intact, we ate egg salad sandwiches on brown bread.

Now that I am “middle aged,” I wish I had children so I could deprive them in eggzactly the same way.

Wheat grass Easter baskets

Easter won’t arrive until April 20. Yet, I think it’s time to practice growing wheat grass for other people’s children.

Baskets lined with wheat grass apparently were not trendy when my mother was in her child-rearing stage. Otherwise, I’m certain my sister and I would have received them.

Mom probably would have sprinkled the wheat grass on our Malt O’Meal.

A quick search on Google also revealed photos of high-end furniture, likely purchased through http://www.plowhearth.com, adorned with potted wheat grass.

Maybe these people plop their car keys on the grass when they walk in the door, to avoid scratching their nice furniture.

Kitty baskets

Growing wheat grass also comes in handy when you have cats.

For a few years, I felt sorry for my sister’s indoor cats and sprouted wheat berries in my windowsill.

The cats are normally diffident to strangers. Yet, after a few visits with the green gifts, I became their new best friend.

My sister said if there was a knock at the door, the cats would start to get crazy, hoping it was me who would walk through the door.

I can only imagine how they would have reacted if I had delivered Easter baskets filled with wheat grass and placed them on fine furniture as a decoration.

How to grow

You can buy wheat berries from Massa Organics at the Chico Farmers Market.

Take your basket and line with plastic so you don’t make a ridiculous mess.

Moisten the soil in another container, and then spoon into your basket. One website suggested a few rocks at the bottom for a little drainage.

Add the wheat berries to the top, press them in lightly, then cover ever-so-slightly with soil. Cover with newspaper or plastic wrap and put in a warm place, such as on top of the refrigerator.

Watch each day and once the seeds sprout, place in a warm windowsill. You’ll want to rotate the container every few days, and keep the soil moist with a spray bottle.

After a few weeks, you can trim off the top, and hide the grass within foods your children like to eat.

You should get a nice little harvest every few weeks.

My experience with cats and wheat grass (also known as cat grass) is that the cats will attack the plants, leaving you with dirt all over the carpet. Best to serve cat grass in the bathroom, with the door closed.

To tell us what you’re growing at a time that feels like spring with no water, send notes to P.O. Box 9, Chico CA 95927 or hhacking@chicoer.com. Follow @HeatherHacking on Twitter and Facebook.

Last year at this time I was planting bulbs, which most folks would agree is way too late.
This week, I’m talking about planting tomatoes, which many folks would consider too early.
Within reason, the time to plant things is when you have the time and inclination.
Nature doesn’t follow a calender. For example, I already spotted my first daffodil bloom in Paradise.
Just to confirm I’m not crazy, I talked tomatoes with Maya, a volunteer through the Butte County Master Gardener Program.
These patient people answer questions (for free), 538-7201, Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:45-11:45 a.m., Thursdays 1:15-4:15 p.m.
On the Master Gardener website, http://goo.gl/NxhGKj, you’ll find the “Vegetable Planting Guide” on the right-hand side.
The guide gives the go-ahead for tomatoes, as long as they’re protected. That’s no problem during the day, when the weather already feels like spring. But you won’t get much action if the seeds realize it’s 35 degrees at night.

We could spend some time ruminating on why gardening is fun, healthful, economical, necessary, and sometimes the antidote to craziness. Personally, there are times when I need to garden, otherwise my brain might very well explode.
But the bottom line is planting tomatoes right now helps us look forward to spring.
The super-cool planting guide also gives the go-ahead for planting seeds for spinach, lettuce, carrots, chard and beets.
During a rather lengthy discussion with Maya, it was confirmed it would be fun to plant seeds indoors, and place the trays and pots in a sunny windowsill.
I’ve had great luck in the past.

Buy bagged seed-starting soil and choose whatever container you prefer. Clean yogurt containers with a hole in the bottom will do. Or you can buy pots that will disintegrate when you plant them in the outdoor soil.
I cover the containers with clear plastic wrap, and label them so I know what’s growing and how long it took to sprout.
Keep the soil moist, but uncover the plastic every few days so you don’t discover white mold.
Because the nights still dip down to the 30s, bring the project into the middle of the living room at night.
Once the sprouts appear, you can rotate the new seedling a quarter turn each day.
Windowsills aren’t perfect, and that’s why they created green houses and cold frames. Tomatoes, for example, will grow very tall and leggy in the window. But the beauty of tomatoes is that you can replant in a larger pot, and bury most of that peduncle.
You can also splurge for a heating mat, which will tease the plants into sprouting even more quickly. Just make sure you turn the thing off when you’re gone. With the drought, those firefighters are already fairly busy.

It’s good to plant lettuce every two weeks to create a steady supply. Just pay attention to the plants on sale now at the farmers market. When your indoor plants are the same size, start putting them outside for a couple hours each day until they are acclimated to the cooler outdoors.
Maya said she has lettuce in her yard right now. Even when some plants froze, they defrosted and were munchable.
We also talked briefly about the merits of cold frames. But we both agreed we’d need to have someone willing to build one.
If you’re ready to pick up a hammer, the Sonoma County Master Gardener’s website has some handy cold frame info.: http://goo.gl/dcDqcZ. 

Feel welcome to send in your love, encouragement and questions to: P.O. Box 9, Chico CA 95927 or hhacking@chicoer.com. Follow on Twitter and Facebook @heatherhacking.