The last session of the discussion series, Gardeners’ Give & Take drew a number of “regulars”, as well as a new face or two, to the sunny table at Five Points Bakery.  The discussion covered a range of gardening topics, including:

– releasing ladybugs and beneficial nematodes as natural and effective means of pest control in the garden.

– troubleshooting some problems with plant performance last year including pH levels, soil amendments, contamination, raised beds, tomato blight and rodent problems.

– gardening books, as well as upcoming workshops and programs for garden education, at Urban Roots and elsewhere.

All the participants in Gardeners’ Give & Take were very enthusiastic about this discussion program, as a really nice way to feed our heads with ideas for our gardens, especially in this time of the year when we can’t get out and dig but we sure are beginning to think about it.  We look forward to another round of talk next year.  Thanks to Five Points Bakery for providing such a congenial place for us to meet!

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This Saturday is the last session of Gardeners’ Give and Take for the winter season.  It has been a good series of discussions among the cold-hardy gardeners who have come out to brave the February Saturday mornings at Five Points Bakery.  The talk has covered a broad range of gardening topics.  March is finally here, Spring is in sight, and Gardeners’ Give and Take is still open to any of you who have gardening issues on your mind, so feel free to join in Saturday March 6 at 10am.

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The second session of Gardeners’ Give & Take was held on Saturday and the discussion ranged through several interesting topics.  We were glad to have the participation of Colleen O’Neill Nice, who brought along several beautiful home grown ferns to cheer up our table.  (Colleen is an avid plant propagator, among other things, and she will be leading a workshop at Urban Roots on Saturday February 13th at 10am on “Three Simple Ways to Propagate Plants”.)

We discussed:

 – treatments and remedies for several fungal problems that we have experienced in our gardens, including mildew, black spot, and rust.  

 – “edible” fungi – that is, mushrooms: how to grow them, how to identify them, as well as the difference between edible and really delicious. 

 – plant recommendations for a water garden, in this case a pondless waterfall newly created in the backyard garden of one of the participants.

 – Finally, we also tried to identify a problem with a Christmas Cactus, talked about growing conditions for these types of plants, and different       requirements for different varieties.

We look forward to two more sessions of GG&T at 10am on Saturdays, February 20 and March 6. To sign up for Gardeners’ Give & Take, or for a workshop in our Winter-into-Spring Series, go to [email protected] or call Urban Roots at 362-8982.

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The first session of Gardeners’ Give & Take drew some dedicated gardeners out to Five Points Bakery on a sunny January Saturday morning.  Liz Lipsitz opened the floor, explaining that UR conceived this format as an opportunity for gardeners’ to bring questions, problems, ideas, news and knowledge to share – in winter.  After all, “gardeners don’t stop being gardeners just because the ground is frozen.”  Sure enough, a lively discussion ensued:

One gardener described problems starting seeds indoors, which can be caused by things like poor planting media, poor nutrition, inadequate light, etc.  We discussed the wide variety of requirements different kinds of seeds might have in order to germinate and thrive in an indoor setting.  We were fortunate to have Richard Price on hand, to share his expertise on seed starting with the group. (Richard will lead a workshop on seed starting on February 27 at 2:00 pm at Urban Roots.)

Another gardener brought a related issue to the table: she works on gardening public spaces on a low budget and relies heavily on plants that will self-sow in harsh conditions with little pampering.  The group was able to offer quite a few suggestions for plants that might work well for her, in particular suggesting plants that can be winter sown directly into the garden because they actually prefer a period of chilling before germination.

A plant identification was made, suggestions for contacts to help with growing and gardening projects were offered, and all in all it was a productive session of Gardeners’ Give & Take. 

About Gardener’s Give and Take

Gardener’s Give and Take is a series of “round table” style discussions.  The subjects will be determined by the participants.  Maybe you have questions about how a plant performed in your garden last year, about a pest or disease, about gardening in new spaces or redesigning the garden you have…  Maybe you just want to get in on the talk, to “get your gardening fix”, in whatever way that you can. 

Gardener’s Give and Take is a place and time to share questions, problems, knowledge and ideas.  At each session, an expert in some aspect of gardening will be on hand to facilitate our talk, and to initiate discussion on something if there happens to be an unexpected lull in the conversation.  There will be coffee, tea and baked goodies available too, delicious and fresh from Five Points Bakery.  Visit [email protected], or call the store at 362-8982 to sign up for a session, or all four sessions, of Gardener’s Give and Take.  They will be held Saturday mornings at 10:00 on January 23, February 6, February 20, and March 6.