Rick is asking the Ventura County residents to help him collect more specimens for a paper he is currently writing on this find.  He expects that these specimens may well end up in either the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco or the American Museum of Natural History in New York because of the importance of this discovery.  Your work will become a part of entomological history!

Please refer to the image of the spider to help you identify any possible finds. Rick has noted, “The spider is chocolate brown in color and some females lose A LOT of the light marking on the abdomen.”

Toward this end, Rick is asking Ventura County residents willing to help him, to please:

Have a few amber prescription containers on hand.

Search in your yard for this new spider:

• under plastic patio furniture
• in the indentations under garbage cans
• under potted plants that are raised off the ground
• under picnic tables

If you suspect that you have found the spider, use a stick to carefully maneuver the spider into the amber prescription container.

Please place a piece of paper towel in the container so the spider has something to hold onto during transport but also enough space to move around some; perhaps a piece that doesn’t exceed 1/3-1/2 of the size of the container.

Please mark each specimen container with the following:

• Date and yard location of find
• Complete house address of find
• Your name and phone number

Please mail your live spider within one week or so of its collection, keeping it out of the heat in the meantime.  A padded envelope would be helpful.

Please send your specimens to:

One further note from Rick:  “the mature female is as large as a black widow and therefore, is large enough to inflict a bite; however, the effects of the bite are minor.”

New Spider Discovered in Ventura County is a post from: Community Gardens Blog

There are bobcats living in the barranca just past the condos. First, we had one, then it took a mate, and now there are 2 half-grown bob kittens roaming the hills.

When the first one showed up, we had coyotes, rabbits and squirrels, but not a single house cat on the hill. The adult bobcats have tangled with the coyotes who leave the area alone now. Caring for the kittens has reduced the adults’ range this last year, and the impact on the local rodents has been dramatic.

The bobcats has reduced the quail population considerably, but now we have gone from being over run with rabbits and squirrels to being almost rodent free. A biologist recently said the way you judged bobcat presence was the lack of jack rabbits

An adult bobcat ranges a mile or more in any direction, but the kittens only venture less than a mile. After eliminating everything except the gophers, I expect the kittens to be showing up at the garden along with their parents to help out with the squirrel and rabbit problems.

Another natural predator that should be familiar to you in the garden is the falcon.

We are lucky to have a pair successfully nesting in the area. After creating a more meadow-like yard, open to the sky, the falcons have spent a lot of time working my garden and orchard areas.

Together with the red-tail and red-shouldered hawks and resident owls on patrol, our rodent problems are greaetly reduced.

Now, if they would just work on the gophers…

Garden Predators and Antonio Garden is a post from: Community Gardens Blog

The weather we have had the last two winters has been quite puzzling. We had La Ninas predicted but got El Nino rains. And 92 degrees days followed by 45 degree days. East Winds (or Santanas) followed by monsoons.

What we are seeing in our gardens is cool weather crops bolting from the heat, and warm season veggies being challenged by the cold weather. Here  are a couple of ideas for you to consider.

Grow your own shade to protect your cool weather veggies

Here is the quandary – most veggies need full sun, some veggies need shade. How do we get both? And how do we maximize our limited gardening space?

How about a grow-your-own shade system.

Shade Structure View From Above

I wish I could give credit for this idea, but forget where it came from. Shade structures from light wood frames and chicken wire or light mesh makes a sturdy support for climbing or sprawling plants. The supporting frame can be any convenient size, and can be readjusted to change the shadow cast.

The frames double the amount of growing space with a shade providing plant, given full access to the sun, and cool weather veggies in their own micro-climate.

Sprawling plants, such as cucumbers or peas provide shade and developing fruit benefit from being kept off the cold, damp ground.

Shade Structure Side View

Other early developing plants that needs support are determinate tomatoes. Try growing these on mesh and the fruit will hang out the bottom, waiting for you.

‘Determinant’ means the plant’s genetics have determined the number of tomatoes they will grow, and they grow them all at once.

These fruit heavily, suddenly, and tend to be early season varieties – which means they are in and out before summer really hits.

New Zealand Spinach is another possibility. This plant is not a  true spinach, grows rapidly, easily, and adapts well to our weather.

Ours was started from 1 packet of seeds in 1952. This plant has proved to be both drought and heat tolerant (although not at the same time).

New Zealand Spinach

This under-appreciated green is very high in nutrients, often 50% more than ‘real’ spinach. It gives a slightly spicy taste to recipes calling for spinach. The leaf is thicker than spinach and slightly fuzzy, giving it more texture than true spinach.

Another nice thing about this plant is that is doesn’t care if it is hot or cold – or both.

It grows quickly enough that you can adjust the light that passes through simply cutting it back harder or not. If let go, it forms a dense mat that covers the ground, preventing weeds. Any excess, with all the water and nitrogen it contains, does wonders for your compost pile.

Cool Weather Veggies to Grow in the Shade

Understory veggies that would benefit from the shade and cooler micro-climate include shorter lettuces  (such as the ‘cut-n-come-again’, mache mixes, or other baby lettuces) in front, with taller varieties such as Romaine, chard, or taller cabbage family plants (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) placed to the rear.

The stair-step arrangement allows air and predators access to your plants, keeping them dry and free from bugs and diseases. Or at least, that’s the theory Our experience with aphids hiding in curled leaves shows the value of keeping areas open - watch that drama unfold.

The outlook is bright for predatory insects. The long wet winter has given us an abundant crop of predatory insect. An army of lady bug larvae was emerging in this morning’s warmth – and heading off to feed…

Remember when ordering seeds this year Renee’s Coupon Code that brings Camarillo Community Garden 25% of each purchase is FR442A – as we mentioned in this post on our new partner.

What to Plant When the Weather Can’t Decide is a post from: Community Gardens Blog

MEETING MINUTES

Thursday, January 27, 201

at Pleasant Valley Recreation & Park District

1605 E. Burnley St., Room 3, 6:30 PM

Status of New Garden – Progress so far with PVRPD, board meeting.

• Met with Daryl Wagar and will now be working with Matt to iron out details

• Some garden members will be ‘loaning’ money to cover costs of fencing- complete with an agreement for repayment with 1% interest. We are open to more contributors.
• Will be on board agenda for the March meeting which will be Wednesday, March 2 at 6:00 PM. We need as many people as possible to attend that meeting.
• If all goes well, we could see ground-breaking for April or May latest, hopefully, and it will start in increments of 40 to 50 plots at a time.
• Water – How the water cost will work.

Next Workday – We have scheduled a workday for Saturday, February 19. Below are some of the things we need to accomplish.  A list of things to do will be prepared prior to the workday by the steering committee.

• Move around the hay bales
• Clean up front area- some materials laying there, put away the seed-trays (or take some to start your seeds!)
• More mulch for pathways
• Planting more flowers around the perimeter – It has been suggested that we don’t plant Sunflowers because it brings the squirrels.

Maintaining Antonio Garden

• Request for ongoing clean-up/maintenance of Antonio.  Need people to volunteer in plot manager duties!!! PVPRD people DO visit- they have the combo so we want to look neat. Remove unnecessary poles, sticks, etc.

Moving fruit trees from outside the fence to inside.

Plot maintenance

• We briefly went over some of the Plot  bylaws and reminder that we WILL repossess gardens if unattended for more than a month or so. By Laws need to be moved so a link is on the CCG home page.
• It was suggested that we number and put first names on each plot.  We will create a new plot layout for the website.

Soil amendment resources- free horse manure in TO, at Cam High, etc

Earth Day update- April 17, 10-4

• See website earthdaycamarillo.com – Will be bigger and better than last year- advert support from City and PVPRD, will have food, a lot more kid stuff- asking for your input, support, volunteer, help us get the word out as it gets closer!

Fundraising/donations

• Members are requested to donate one dollar to help cover cost of room ($16 per evening). We look forward to doing another El Gallo party this summer after Earth Day.

Next meeting is 6:30 on February 17 at the PVRPD, Room # 3.

Respectfully submitted by,

Marilyn Gardner

Camarillo Community Gardens

Meeting Minutes – January 27, 2011 is a post from: Community Gardens Blog

Saving Seeds

Now that we have been harvesting our crops, a number of people have asked about seed saving. Today I got a a copy of a new publication on seed saving. Although it is designed for teachers with school gardens, there is a bounty of really useful information included for everyone.

I have loaded the book onto our site, and you can read it by clicking this link: A Handful of Seeds – SEED STUDY AND SEED SAVING FOR EDUCATORS, by Tina Poles, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. If you would like to save a copy to your computer, right-click the link and select ‘save as…’ from the pop-up menu.

As I said, this is meant for use in schools, but you will find everything from basic botany, parts of flowers named and explained, what (and why) are there fruits, essays on our major food crops and our food pioneers.

Saving Seeds is a post from: Community Gardens Blog

Garden Plot Waiting List is a post from: Community Gardens Blog

A biodynamic farm is viewed as its own ecosystem and most often includes a diverse mix of crops and livestock, which are considered complimentary. Biodynamic farmers use “unique preparations” and compost. Planting, cultural operations and harvesting are guided by celestial events.

With a mix of organic principles and cosmic spirituality, practitioners believe their compost emanates “energetic life forces to vitalize vegetables, plants, flowers, lawns, gardens, farms and our earth.”

While much of mainstream agriculture is unconvinced about the value of biodynamic tenents, UCCE farm advisor Glenn McGourty sees their value.

Many of the precepts do seem to be viable, and recently, many are being tested in a scientific manner by University agricultural researchers. This article in the San Francisco Examiner suggests that the ‘mainstreaming’ of biodynamics is close at hand. There are currently 75 California wine producers either certified biodynamic or in transition and the number is growing by 15%t each year.

Others, as suggested in this Agricultural And Natural Resources News blog post, think the system is a ‘hoax’, and are  “shocked and outraged” that UC Cooperative Extension is co-sponsoring a “Shortcourse in Biodynamic Winegrowing.”

Napa County farm advisor Glenn McGourty says such farming systems “are well documented to improve soil quality, grow productive crops, reduce the need for petrochemical inputs, recycle farm byproducts in a safe and effective way, and provide a gentler footprint on nature compared to some practices used by conventional growers.”

“There are lessons for all of agriculture in some of the basic agronomy that biodynamic farmers practice,” McGourty continues.

I am in contact with several of the farm advisers noted in the stories and hope to be able to present you with detailed research on this subject – so stay tuned!

Update!

Here is a link to an article titled, “The Science Behind Biodynamics” by Lynn Carpenter-Boggs, Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University.

Biodynamics (BD) is experiencing an upsurge in interest, along with related organic and sustainable farming practices. However, BD has some unique aspects that are poorly understood and steeped in myth. Biodynamics may not be the cure-all that some practitioners claim it to be, but the BD system clearly holds potential to improve agricultural and horticultural production and to teach us about beneficial microorganisms and biochemistry.

What is Biodynamics, and What is it Used For?

Biodynamics is an esoteric approach to agriculture created by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Steiner was also the father of the philosophy “anthroposophy,” anthroposophic art, anthroposophic medicine, Waldorf schools, Camphill communities, Eurythmy dance, and several other movements in science and culture. In 1924 a group of farmers concerned with declining soil and food quality approached Steiner for a solution. Steiner, neither a farmer nor a scientist, drew on traditional European farming mythology and new impulses from anthroposophy to build BD. Biodynamics was envisioned to not only produce ample food and fiber, but also to heal and nourish the people who depend on these products by healing the soil, plants, animals, and earth.

You can continue reading here…

Biodynamics and Permaculture is a post from: Community Gardens Blog

Asparagus spears

Asparagus is a really interesting plant, very tasty, expensive to buy but easy to grow. Growing asparagus is a test of will, however. The plants need time to develop strong, thick roots that can produce a continuous supply of spears. They required deep well drained soil, full sun – and patience…

Here is what is involved. Asparagus is a heavy feeder and appreciates rich, loose, well composted and manured ground. The plants are planted from seeds, but more often from ‘crowns’, or the growing top of a root mass. Growing from seed requires and extra year before you can start harvesting spears. Here are some garden seed catalogs that feature asparagus: Baker Creek (seeds), Seeds of Change (crowns)

Asparagus plant

When the soil warms the crowns use their stored energy to sent up new plant shoots – the ‘spears’ we eat. If the spears are allowed to grow, they develop into a tall, feathery shoot. The foliage converts sunlight and the nutrients in the ground into sugars which are stored in the root crowns for the next year.

The plants exert significant energy doing this, and over-harvesting will exhaust the plants’ energy. Whenever spears begin to thin, stop picking and let the plants recover for the rest of the year.

Asparagus Growth Progression

Asparagus is usually planted in a trench. The soil at the bottom of the trench should be heavily enriched and manured a week or two before planting. Include blood and bone meal, leaf mold and compost.Work the nutrients into the soil, berm up a row along the center of the trench and reserve some of the enriched soil to cover the crowns.

Asparagus root system

Root crowns should weigh a couple of ounces but often you have to settle for much less. Reject any crowns that show fungus, look withered, soggy or slimy, or have a moldy odor.

Asparagus Tall

Now you can plant in your ‘rested’ bed. Spread the crowns out with the root tips fanned out evenly. Cover with the Crowns wit 2″ – 3″ of the enriched garden soil you pulled aside. Keep the crowns moist, and continue to add more of the enriched soil to the bed as the spears grow, leaving the top few inches exposed.

Do not harvest any of the spears for the first year. Let the crowns develop and crown the roots and rhizome. Harvest lightly for 3 to 4 weeks the second season, then let the asparagus recover. Your harvest intensity and production period can be increased in following years.

For more information on growing asparagus, please visit the following sites:

Growing Asparagus in the Garden, UC Davis Vegetable Research and Information Center (Right-click the link and chose ‘Save As…’ to download the printable, 2-page pdf to your computer)

Ohio State Extension Service ‘Asparagus Growing in the Home Garden‘ Fact Sheet



Growing Asparagus is a post from: Community Gardens Blog

Planting a fall garden

Last month, we talked about getting out the cool season seeds and starting a fall or winter garden. The weather, again, was weird and temperatures in the high 90s don’t suggest cool season crops. A couple of us standing around in the garden with temperature in the high-90s and we were discussing putting in more tomatoes…

But lets assume it does cool off. If that happens we should be looking at planting veggies from this list:

Asparagus: If you have the patience, asparagus is a great investment. It takes a couple of years before you can bring in a big harvest, but once producing the plants will provide shoots for years. Look for asparagus ‘crowns’ the size of your hand – the bigger the better. Plant the crowns in a trench filled with compost, aged manures and soil. Fill the trench in each year with fresh manures. The crowns will grow when you allow the spear to develop into foliage. Taking too many too early will deprive the roots of the nutrients they need to develop.

Follow this link to read more about how to grow asparagus.

This is a good time to get in your root crops like beets, kohlrabi, chard (chard is related to beets), and turnips. Beets grow all year long, are slower to develop in cold weather, but are sure to please.

You can start putting in the cabbage family plants. These include cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts.

Other cool weather veggies appropriate for planting now include carrots, endive, garlic, leeks, lettuces/mache, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, and spinach.

Here are some on-line resources to help you along the way:

Seed Suppliers:

• Renee’s Garden Seeds
• Seeds Of Change
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Informational Sources:

• California Gardening Advice from UCCE
• When to Plant Vegetables
• Recommended Vegetable Varieties

Starting A Fall and Winter Garden is a post from: Community Gardens Blog

Garden Rules is a post from: Community Gardens Blog