Spring on the Cliff/Cannon CliffGardeners, Start Your Engines
Some basic growing points for this area."You need to know that the Inland Northwest is in USDA zone 5 before choosing plants and seeds to grow in your landscape. This means our winter temperatures can go as low as minus 20 degrees.
There are about 120 frost-free days in our growing season, occurring between mid May and mid September.
If this will be your first garden, you need to choose a nice sunny site. Vegetable plants need a minimum of six hours of full sun daily in order to thrive and produce.
The soil should be well drained because plant roots don't like to be waterlogged. Conversely, make sure there is a watering source close by so it is easy to water the garden regularly.
Once you've selected your garden spot, make a list of the vegetables you would like to grow. Because of our relatively short growing season, it is important to choose varieties that will mature quickly. This means tomatoes, pumpkins and winter squash that need less than 100 days to grow before they can be harvested."
From http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/21/gardeners-start-your-engines/
by Susan Mulvihill and can be reached via e-mail at:
inthegarden@live.comP.E.A.C.H.
http://peachlocal.com/
P.E.A.C.H. Community Farms and Gardens are part of the Our Fresh Future for Spokane project of People for Environmental Action and Community Health (P.E.A.C.H.). They produce nutritious, fresh organic produce and make it available at below market cost to the Spokane region's low income population. Next meeting: Mar. 6 - Orchard and Tree Fruit Workshop Series, Six Fruit Tree Workshops with Orchardist Ray Gilbert. Interested in The kids FARM CAMP? See the web page: http://peachlocal.com/farm-camp
The Peach folks have another useful site: http://foodnotlawnsinw.com/Gardening classes
WSU Spokane County Master Gardeners are offering the following gardening classes at the Spokane County Extension Center, 222 N. Havana St.:
The Beginning Gardening series will run March 27 and April 3, 10 and 17 from 10 a.m. to noon. Topics include soil preparation, basic gardening practices, easy vegetables and flowers to grow, and lawn and garden maintenance. You may take individual classes. Cost: $35 for the series.
The Grow Your Own Food series will run April 1, 8, 15 and 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. Learn how to grow culinary herbs, home fruit and heirloom vegetables, and how to garden with raised beds. Cost: $35 for the series, or $10 for individual classes.
Call (509) 477-2048 to pre register.
Spokane County Conservation District
The Inland Empire Gardeners
is a fun group. At the February 4th meeting there must have been over 150 guests. Members bring plants, seeds, snacks, and stories to share. That meeting's speaker was prolific author Jack Nisbet (http://jacknisbet.com/). He wrote about David Douglas, for whom we named the Douglas fir. There is no charge to attend.
Except for December TIEG generally meet on the first Thursday of each month at The Luxury Box Meeting Hall: 10512 E Sprague at U-City in the Spokane Valley (corner of University/Appleway).
The BIG event for TIEG is the Garden Expo May 8th at the Spokane Community College 1810 N. Greene Street. http://tieg.org/garden-expo/
For more TIEG info: http://tieg.org/