Sonoma County Gardeners Resource Guide 2017
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You’ll see we put a lot of emphasis on sustainable practices, from low water use, choosing native plants adapted to our climate, creating gardens that retain water rather than let it run off, etc. There are many reasons to garden using environmentally sound practices. Even a small garden in a tiny backyard can provide habitat for birds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators. Every critter is part of the system that keeps our air clean, our natural processes healthy and therefore our own lives thriving.
One of the greatest benefits of gardens is that they clean our air and re-charge it with freshly created oxygen. Plants are our natural air filters. And you may also know that they provide a sense of calm for people. Maybe it’s the oxygen, or the hum of life flowing through each plant, and the buzz of life forms that live in soil, on branches, and fly through our atmosphere.
Luther Burbank called our home a gardener’s paradise because our soil is rich and our climate is easy for growing year-round. This year we even have enough water for gardens. But don’t assume it will rain again next year. Always keep in mind that our climate has a long history of extensive droughts. If we garden with the climate in mind, we will be in balance with nature.
Please enjoy and learn from the articles included in this year’s guide, support these locally-owned businesses and please thank our advertisers by purchasing goods and services from them. They make this guide possible, so we are supporting them in any way we can. Part of our reciprocal support is the MAP in the center of this guide to make it easy for you to find them. They are also highlighted in large bold type within our listings.
And remember that every issue of the Gazette has a gardening section with articles, and a gardeners calendar. Kellen Watson of Daily Acts has been providing a column on sustainable gardening practices each month, and we supplement that throughout the year with guest authors.
Pick up a copy of the Gazette all over Sonoma County and stay in touch at www.SonomaCountyGazette.com.
THANK YOU!
ARTICLES
Gardening for Bird Habitat
By Lisa Hug
When we think of attracting birds to our garden, we normally think of putting up bird feeders. But it can be more effective year-round, and enjoyable, to design your garden with providing habit for birds in mind. Read more...
Gardener Alert! Beware of Clopyralid & Aminopyralid
By Michala Jeberg
“It all starts with the soil.” As many gardeners know, improving soil quality with organic matter is essential for growing healthy plants. Many gardeners rely on manure and compost to improve soil structure and to add slow-release nutrients. Unfortunately, these natural materials can become contaminated with herbicides. Even the slightest trace of troublesome chemicals such as Clopyralid and Aminopyralid can quickly kill hearty plants such as peas, beans, peppers, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, and tomatoes when found in soil or compost. Read more...
Summer Fires - WHEN - Not IF
Given our current winter weather, it may be hard to imagine the return of warm, dry, and windy weather that supports the ignition and spread of wildland fires. Yet summer is right around the corner. When you live in California you need to prepare; it is not a matter of “IF” a wildland fire will occur, it is “WHEN”. Read more...
From Drought to Deluge: An Ecological Approach to Addressing California’s Water Crisis as Homeowners and Land-Stewards
By Erik Ohlsen and Permaculture Artisans
The heavy rains this winter, coming on the heels of years of drought, highlight the need to rectify our relationship to water, both as individual land stewards and communities alike. Read more...
Home FIRE SAFE Home
By Jeff Rebischung
Many of us in Sonoma County live in areas where houses are nestled into grasslands, riparian areas, woodlands, and forests. Even homes within city limits adjoin large areas of vegetative fuel capable of transmitting fire. These homes are truly connected to, and are a part of the wildland fire fuels. If it burns, it is fire-fuel. Read more...
Why Your Seed Matters
By Sara McCamant
Seed is the first link of the food chain, yet it is part of our food system that many people pay little attention to. Most gardeners are either intimidated by starting seed and buy starts that others have grown, or they buy whatever seeds the hardware store has on the rack without much thought. Everything from how the plants actually make seed, to all the steps to grow and harvest the seed, are absent from our consciousness when we stand in front of a rack of seeds with pretty pictures on them. Read more...
