Santa Barbara Organic Garden Club Contact: Linda Saltzman 563-2089 or email lbuzzell@aol.com

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2002 ARCHIVE

Hi all you SB Organic Gardeners!

Oct 2002 News

SANTA BARBARA ORGANIC GARDEN CLUB NEWSLETTER
Oct 2002
Editor: Linda Buzzell-Saltzman -- lbuzzell@aol.com

Contents:
1) This month's free talk: "GROWING ANTIQUE APPLE TREES ORGANICALLY" with Neil Collins, owner of Trees of Antiquity in Paso Robles, Wed, Oct 16, 7 pm. Next month: "PREPARING FOR BARE ROOT SEASON: ROSES, BERRIES, FRUIT TREES, RHUBARB, ARTICHOKES AND MORE!"
2)  HOLLY-LEAF CHERRY - NATIVE SHRUB, CHUMASH FAVORITE
3)  NEWS: Check out GARDENS FOR PEACE at www.gardensforpeace.org
4)  GET ON OUR LIST OF ORGANIC LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS
5)  TIPS OF THE MONTH: a) DON'T CONFUSE PINEAPPLE GUAVAS WITH STRAWBERRY GUAVAS!  b) WHERE TO GET YOUR BENEFICIAL INSECTS  (Send us your best tips too.)
6)  FACTS ABOUT LAWN CARE from member Mardena Waller

(*If you'd like to be removed from our e-newsletter list, just e-mail us back with your request.)

1) October event: GROWING ANTIQUE APPLE TREES ORGANICALLY. Neil Collins, owner of Trees of Antiquity in Paso Robles (formerly Sonoma Antique Apple Nursery) will teach us how to choose varieties for our climate, how to order and plant bare root stock, and how to care for young apple trees throughout the year. Neil is at (805) 467-9909. FREE APPLE TASTING!!!
Date/Time: Wednesday, October 16, 2002, 7pm
Location: Community Environmental Council, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara
Fee: FREE
Call for info: (805) 563-2089
Reservations: Not necessary

November event: PREPARING FOR BARE ROOT SEASON: ROSES, BERRIES, FRUIT TREES, RHUBARB, ARTICHOKES AND MORE!  Larry Saltzman, co-founder of the Santa Barbara Organic Garden Club, leads a discussion of best varieties for Santa Barbara, where to get them, how to prepare for planting. Date/Time: Wednesday, November 20, 2002, 7pm
Location: Community Environmental Council, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara
Fee: FREE
Call for info: (805) 563-2089
Reservations: Not necessary

2) HOLLY-LEAF CHERRY IS A NATIVE SHRUB whose fruit was loved by the Chumash. Prunus ilicifolia is also called Islay or Evergreen Cherry and is a chaparral plant that loves full sun, good drainage and dry hillsides.  It is covered with creamy flowers in spring and then berries that are loved by people (although they are a little tart with more skin and seed than pith), birds and other wildlife.  The plant is slow growing to 25 feet, and is native to the coast ranges.

3) NEWS: Peace is on a lot of our minds these days, and it's nice to know that GARDENS FOR PEACE (www.gardensforpeace.org) exists "to identify and link established gardens throughout the world where contemplation and meditation by individuals and communities will foster respect for the environment and a climate for peace among all peoples."

Gardens for Peace has gardens on four continents with educational programs for elementary through college students drawing on the concepts of ecopsychology.

The SADAKO PEACE GARDEN AT CASA DE MARIA IN SANTA BARBARA was dedicated as an official "Garden of Peace" on June 30, 2002 by Arun Gandhi, the 63 year old grandson of the great peacemaker and head of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Peace.

OTHER OFFICIAL 'GARDENS FOR PEACE' are in Tacoma, Atlanta, Decatur, Madrid, Nairobi and the Republic of Georgia, among other locations  Obviously we need more!  Besides the Sadako Peace Garden, only one of these gardens, the 10-acre estate Lakewold Gardens in Tacoma, Washington, is on the West Coast.

"Throughout history, the garden has symbolized the ideals of spiritual harmony and quiet contemplation -places of peace - as reflected in literature, art, philosophy and religion. The work of Gardens for Peace is to promote publicly a worldview that focuses on meditation, and to affirm and link efforts to create individual and world peace and environmental responsibility. The organization connects gardens across the world, as well as the people who share in the peace and harmony of those gardens, bringing places and people of the world closer together.
Gardens for Peace is nonprofit, nondenominational organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1984, Gardens for Peace was created to promote the concept of the garden as a place of meditation and peace and to identify and designate existing gardens around the world as symbols of peace."

"The philosophy of the organization finds its roots in history, where the garden has long stood as a symbol of spiritual harmony and quiet contemplation. Many of the world's religions and mythologies include gardens as symbols of innocence, peace and spiritual equilibrium. Artists, philosophers, poets and other literary figures from all ages and cultures have long recognized and used the symbol of the garden in their works. Throughout these works, gardens have been represented as refuges where people can be at peace and in spiritual harmony with themselves, their world and nature."

"Taking this philosophy to a more tangible level, Gardens for Peace has established criteria for selecting and designating national and international gardens, as well as gardens on college campuses and in corporate settings, that best exemplify ideal sites for meditation, and development of a sense of harmony between man and nature. The designated gardens may be publicly or privately owned, but one criterion for designation is that the public have access to the garden so that the organization's message can reach the largest possible audience."

WANT TO CREATE A GARDEN FOR PEACE? "Any garden considered for designation as a member of the international network of Gardens for Peace must meet certain, general criteria. For example, the garden must have a feeling of peace and tranquility, as well as a sense of safety and refuge. It must provide a sense of enclosure and offer visual stimuli in terms of line, form, color and texture, as well as non-visual stimuli, such as running water or fragrant scents. In addition, while some gardens may charge an admission fee to ensure proper upkeep, each garden in the network must be open to the public.
Other factors include:
· Coherence: a unified setting with repeating elements, textures and structural factors;
· Legibility: familiar patterns which bring an ease to making sense of the scene;
· Complexity: variety or diversity to ensure interest and keep viewers occupied;
· Mystery: the degree by which more information can be obtained by proceeding further into the scene"

WANT TO NOMINATE A LOCAL GARDEN TO BECOME AN OFFICIAL "GARDEN OF PEACE?" "The Board of Directors and the members of Gardens for Peace are continually reviewing and evaluating gardens for inclusion in the network. There may be one in your area. If you would like to nominate a garden for consideration, you can download our nomination form and send it to us! Please include photographs. If the garden you are designing as a Garden For Peace is approved an official garden marker will be purchased for your garden site."

4) ARE YOU AN ORGANIC LANDSCAPER?  We're getting quite a few requests for referrals to folks who will design and build organic gardens.  If you'd like to be on our list, please send us a brief paragraph about what you do and how you'd like clients to contact you. And of course we recommend certified "Green Gardeners" (www.greengardener.org) for ongoing maintenance.

5) TIPS:

a)For us, October is PINEAPPLE GUAVA (or, more properly, feijoa sellowiana) month.  Our godson starts begging us for guavas in August and there is great celebration when they finally arrive in late Sept and early October!  The feijoa is easy to grow in pot or ground, and rewards us with luscious, sweet, egg-shaped fruit. And the secret is that the spring flower petals are absolutely delicious as candy, and taste great out of hand or in a salad. But don't make the mistake of substituting the Strawberry Guava (Psidium cattleianum or littorale), a quite different fruit.

b) WHERE TO GET YOUR BENEFICIAL INSECTS:
Ron Whitehurst
Marketing Manager

Rincon-Vitova Insectaries,
Biological Solutions for Pest Management
P.O. Box 1555, Ventura, CA 93002-1555
805-643-5407 800-248-2847 (BUGS) fax 805-643-6267

e-mail: bugnet@rinconvitova.com
web: http://www.rinconvitova.com

6) Member Mardena Waller has passed along some interesting statistics that support the notion of edible landscaping vs. traditional lawncare:

Here are national annual average expenses of
home gardening:

lawncare $220
landscaping 174
tree care 97
flower gardening 88
Insect control 60
vegetable gardening 58
flower bulbs 40
indoor houseplants 40

It's probably cheaper to do edible landscaping and flowers, than to do a lawn, and they can be easier to care for. Your water bill could be about the same or less (depending on what you plant), but you have something to eat from it, and it's very appealing visually. (Note from Linda: we're currently saving thousands of dollars a year from our fruit trees and backyard veggies vs. what they would cost at either the Farmers Market or Lazy Acres)

Wildflowers are great and I will investigate costs of wildflowers to see
if that vs rose gardening or other flower gardening would cut costs even
more.

Deleting harmful chemicals for "insect control" is another cost cutter over time, and if you put in attractive plants, water and shelter, our ever-faithful working birds will do your bug extermination."
 
 

Sept 2002 News

The next meeting of the Santa Barbara Organic Garden Club will be tomorrow -- Wed, Sept 18 at 7pm.

We'll present a FREE talk on WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR ORGANIC FRUIT HARVEST: JAM, CHUTNEY, DRIED FRUIT. Mary Luce Wellington of Wellington Farm (www.wellingtonfarm.com) will teach us the old-fashioned way to use seasonal fruits. We'll cover everything from figs to feijoas, plums, apricots, peaches, citruses etc.  The Santa Barbara Slow Food Convivium is co-sponsoring this event with us - thank you!

Location: Community Environmental Council, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara

Fee: FREE

Call for info: (805) 563-2089
 

July 2002 News
SANTA BARBARA ORGANIC GARDEN CLUB NEWSLETTER
July 2002
Editor: Linda Buzzell-Saltzman -- lbuzzell@aol.com

Contents:
1) This monthís free talk: "BUILDING A WATERSHED-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPE: THE JOYS OF PERMEABLE PAVING, ECO-ROOFS, DRY STREAMBEDS AND SWALES" with landscape architect OWEN DELL, Wed, July 17th, 7pm
2) ARE YOU AN ORGANIC LANDSCAPE DESIGNER?
3) NEWS: Monte Vista school needs organic garden helpers! Earth charter news. "How to Build a Straw-Bale Home" workshop.
4) CAPERS ? a Mediterranean that likes our climate
5) TIP OF THE MONTH:  ...  SEND US YOUR BEST TIPS TOO!
6) Next monthís talk: WE TAKE AUGUST AND DECEMBER OFF!  Our next meeting will be on the 3rd Wed in September.  See you then!  Happy Fiesta!

1) The Santa Barbara Organic Garden Club will present a free talk on "BUILDING A WATERSHED-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPE: THE JOYS OF PERMEABLE PAVING, ECO-ROOFS, DRY STREAMBEDS AND SWALES" on Wednesday, July 17 at 7 p.m. at the Community Environmental Council Gildea Center at 930 Miramonte Drive in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbaraís OWEN DELL, a nationally recognized landscape architect and contractor who specializes in sustainable landscaping design and construction, will describe the rapidly growing  "New Watershed Movement" -- the design and management of watershed-friendly homes, landscapes and public infrastructure.  He will also share practical ideas and slides showing many ways that homeowners, gardeners, landscapers and builders can both protect Santa Barbaraís creeks and oceans and at the same time harvest free water for their gardens by installing eco-roofs, permeable paving, dry streambeds and more.

For more information call: (805) 563-2089.

2) ARE YOU AN ORGANIC LANDSCAPER?  Weíre getting quite a few requests for referrals to folks who will design and build organic gardens.  If youíd like to be on our list, please send us a brief paragraph about what you do and how youíd like clients to contact you.

3) NEWS:

We also have a booth lined up at the Organic Festival, coming to Santa Barbara's Oak Park on Saturday and Sunday Sept 8-9.  Our booth will feature the fabulous Michael Thompson and his worms! (Those of you who attended Michael's extraordinary presentation to our group a while back will know that I'm not exaggerating). As he did at our talk, Michael will have a water garden and vermocomposting bins for display and will give away free worm samples and information.  BUT WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS EVENT A SUCCESS!

Here's what we need: 1) help decorating our table with vegetables, baskets, flowers, etc. 2) your help in sitting at the booth for an hour or so (we'll make up a schedule) on either day. 3) if you're an artistic type, we could use a poster on posterboard with our name on it! 4) if you have a xerox, you could run off some club flyers so we can hand them out to folks attending the event. 5) if you have a canopy or umbrella on a stand, this would give us some shade!

If you attended last year, you know it's lots of fun.  Even if you don't have time to help, we hope you'll visit the Festival and drop by our booth to say "hi!" and see Michael's wonderful worms!

HELP IN AN ORGANIC SCHOOL GARDEN. There are some organic school gardens in need of volunteer support, "starts," advice, etc. The vegetable, herb, and butterfly gardens, as well as the native plant nature trail at Monte Vista School on Hope Avenue, Santa Barbara, have ongoing needs and opportunities. Anyone interested in supporting this environmental and nutrition education work may contact teacher Judy Sims at her home at 687-3262.  Hereís a letter from Judy with specific request for composting help:

"Hi folks!
I was SO SORRY not to make the May 15th "Habits of highly Successful Composters" event. Eric Werbalowsky was undoubtedly an inspiration and full of helpful hints. I need to get his and your help. Here's the scoop.
I have various kinds of composting/recycling projects going on at Monte Vista Elementary School. One BIG one, started with a grant from the California State Deptartment of Education, was in the area of garden-enhanced nutrition, and had as a major portion the development of a large-scale VERMI-COMPOST project, aimed at recycling all of our school's lunch food waste (minus the meat and cheese, of course). Well, an engineer father at the school designed and helped get the project constructed. We've lined up some worms to be donated from Santa Monica City College. However...here's where I hope some of you can come in...the project needs help in finishing the covers for the two 20 foot by 3 and 1/2 foot frames (6 covers). They are designed and built, as roll back, canvas covers, and one is installed, but 5 more need assistance. Also, setting up and carrying out the process of food collection and composting--and caring for the worms!--is in need of help. I have tons of supportive materials and contacts, but I'm teaching K fulltime, and can't be there to do it all (nor am I physically capable of the construction part, alone).
PLEASE consider visiting us, advising, helping, etc. This has the chance to be a fantastic demonstration project for other schools and businesses. I plan to develop a school assembly in the early fall to introduce the process, once everything is ready to roll. My goal is the first week of school, or as soon as it can happen!
I also have 6 compost bins and a compost roller that could use help.
Our environmental project work at Monte Vista School (730 Hope Avenue) as been featured in the news, and will be highlighted in two publications from the CA State Dept. of Education, soon to be released. We would love for some of you folks to be a proud part of this!
I may be reached at home at 687-3262, and live very close to the school, so could come over on short notice to meet at the site with anyone interested in "having a tour." Please consider our work for some meaningful volunteer assistance for a super cause! We need to teach these kids, and their families (and the staff!) the importance of making fantastic compost by recycling food waste (and green waste).
I also hope that schools can be targeted for green waste pick-up. It bothers me that the neighborhood has this service at the curb, but that the neighborhood school has no opportunity (I've written letters) for this service. A once-a-month, drive-by shredder service at the dumpster site would be a start...a donated service, with a set time, where school gardener and youth garden/nature trail project people could pile up material, ready to be chipped! And...we could keep the chips and use them!
Hoping to connect with you wonderful people."
Judy Sims, K teacher, Monte Vista School 687-3262 (school: 687-5333

THE UNITED NATIONSí "EARTH CHARTER" IS PICKING UP STEAM. The Ark of Hope carrying the Earth Charter is travelling around the globe and will arrive in South Africa on 10 August and will be on exhibition in Johannesburg until 17 August. On Sept 28, 2002 the Second Earth Charter Community Summits will host grassroots gatherings simultaneously that inspire people to make the vision and principles of the Earth Charter, a reality in their homes, workplaces, schools, and communities.

"The Earth Charter Community Summits are a time to come together and to
choose a future and to follow a path that is rich in hope, optimism and
love. The plan for this year's Earth Charter Community Summits is to
involve as many cities as possible to host festivities and interactive
discussions so people are inspired by the Earth Charter's vision and
principles and take part in the implementation of the Earth Charter in
their locales. The First Community Summits took place last September.
There is an interest in expanding this year's summits beyond the US to
include cities in other countries. Summits across time zones around the
globe present a challenge for satellite uplinks and whole-scale round-
robin connections via webcast among the cities. For more information see
http://www.earthchartersummits.org"

For more information on these and other Earth Charter activities taking
place around the world, please visit the Earth Charter website at:
http://www.earthcharter.org or contact us at: info@earthcharter.org
from CLifeChris@aol.com:

HANDS-ON WORKSHOP "HOW TO BUILD A STRAW BALE HOME" July 27-28
Spread the word - an excellent camp and conference center is in the making! Set in a beautiful living forest with incredible ocean views, Camp Ocean Pines is ideally situated to gather people of all ages for retreats and events that encourage personal, physical and spiritual growth. Get involved where your idealism and vision will make a difference!

"YOU get hands on experience from the leaders in the field and WE get two new
strawbale cabins! Talk about a "win-win" situation! On Saturday-Sunday, July 27-28, the
Sustainability Group (local leaders in solar and straw bale architecture) will be leading
a 2 day workshop on straw bale construction. Cost for the workshop is $50, limited to
the first 40 to register! If you are coming from out of town and would like to spend the
night in completed strawbale cabins and have all meals prepared for the 2 days, add
$75."

Chris Cameron
Director, Camp Ocean Pines
1473 Randall Drive
Cambria, CA 93428
805-927-0254
CLifeChris@aol.com

5) MORE ON CAPERS. Miriam Kresh of Tsfat, Israel has posted some fascinating info on capers at http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/index.html  She tells us that the caper grows everywhere the olive grows ? thatís California!  Recently we saw a lovely plant growing in a gravel path at Sycamore Herb Farm in Paso Robles, and the flowers are stunning.

Miriam says this Mediterranean plant, whose Latin name is Capparis spinosa (thorny butterfly), "is an edible weed with a history stretching back to Pharaonic times. Tightly rooted in a rock crevice, it bushes out gallantly during the most arid months of the Mediterranean summer. Small buds, closed tight as fists, spring daily from the long shoots, opening eventually into exquisite white flowers with violet pistils and stamens; they look like butterflies at rest. The small, thumbnail-shaped leaves descend the reddish stem at short intervals, armed at the joint with subtle, small hooks which discourage grazing animals; itís known that not even a camel will eat the caper. Caper fruit resembles a small cucumber hanging down, and may be also be pickled, after having been soaked.

"The literature on the subject of capers is most concerned with its rubefacient (skin-irritating) property, as the plant yields mustard oils, upon being crushed. Thatís probably another reason grazers stay away; I myself am prepared to come home with hands pricked and stinging from a caper-picking expedition. Folk medicine, however, knows the fruit and tender tips to be alterative, astringent, diuretic, expectorant, and carminative.
Known best as a culinary herb, Capparis spinosaís pickled buds are a gourmet item whose cost is justified by the laborious and painful process of hand-picking. The smallest buds, viewed as the choicest, are the most expensive. (Large buds are those which are close to blooming, and could become mushy in the pickling process.) Despite this, a new, giant variety is gaining popularity. It is known as the caperberry, and can be substituted for olives in many recipes. Spain and Africa supply most of the worldís pickled capers, although they are cultivated (or grow wild) all along the Mediterranean through Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt. In effect, climates where olive trees thrive are those good for capers. Rarely is the caper found in the United States, although parts of Florida or California are possibly suitable. It is known as an "exotic": I have seen prices as high as $2.50 for five seeds...

"You have to be dedicated to pickle the caper. Harvesting it means bearing a certain amount of prickly agony. Tiny green buds appear daily on the bushes, which must be constantly monitored for new appearances. The small, closed bud with no streak of white on it is what you pick, if you want a firm but tender product. For pickling the shoots, cut them into finger-sized lengths and peel them. If picked too mature, the fruitís seeds will be large and bitter, rendering it unpalatable, so pick only the smaller fruit.

"Then your crop must be soaked for two days, changing the water once; this allows a flavorful fungus which is on the plant to develop (good cheese also needs fungus). Finally, get out your mason jar and cure the caper: any simple salt or vinegar pickling recipe will do. The flavor of the finished product will be piquant; bitter-sour."

5) TIPS: Cut your lawn down to size this month ? and let it go "golden."  By mid-summer you can tell how much flat green-space you really need for entertaining, kids playing, paths etc.  You may find that you donít need any, and can substitute gravel, dirt or permeable paving of some kind.  Or you may want to put in a super-drought tolerant lawn substitute.  What weíre trying this year is letting our grass paths go "golden" naturally, like the rest of the state.  Itís an interesting look!

6) AUGUST IS A MONTH WE TAKE OFF.  NEXT MEETING: SEPTEMBER.
 

April 2001 News
 

Many of you planted fava bean seeds last fall and have a wonderful crop in your gardens now, just begging to be eaten. ?Others may have seen the fat-podded fava beans now showing up at the Farmers Market -- by all means pick some up!

Favas are a wonderful, very easy annual crop -- they're Mediterranean, so they like our climate. ?Also, they add beauty to any part of the garden, as they look like a cross between pale delphiniums and bear's breech, with pale whitish flower spikes up to 4' tall (even taller if they like your manure!).

A couple of things to know about favas: 1) some people of Mediterranean extraction are said to be allergic to them, so start with one or two beans to see how you do.
2) The outer coating of the beans can be bitter, especially on mature beans. ?Many recipes suggest that you boil water, put the shelled beans in it for a minute on simmer, then drain and douse with cold water. ?At that point you can pierce the outer coating of the bean with your fingernail and squeeze the inner beans out. ?This is a lot of fussy work, so I only do it with really mature beans. ?I kind of like the flavor of the outer coating once it's been boiled for a minute or two. ?

The easy thing at this point is to just pour some vinaigrette over the beans, and serve warm or cold.

Organic Garden Club member Diane Erceg passed along a couple of recipes to me -- thanks! ?Here's a version I like:

In a large skillet, heal olive oil over medium heat. ?Add beans that have been prepared as described above, a clove of minced garlic and some rosemary chopped fine. ?Cover and cook until beans are tender, 5 minutes for young beans, more for older ones. ?Stir in a little lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Yum! ?Thanks, Diane!
 

February 2001 News          back to top

Hope you've marked your calendars for our next meeting Wed, Feb 21 at the CEC/Gildea Center, 930 Miramonte Drive in Santa Barbara.  The Santa Barbara Permaculture Guild's Wesley Roe will moderate a discussion on "PERMACULTURE TIPS FOR THE BACKYARD GARDENER" with Ojai permaculture designer Pierre Constans.  They'll cover spiral herb gardens, "chicken tractors", irrigation systems, soil health, flowers, beneficial insect habitat and much more!

And many thanks to member Baker Moore and arborist Bruce Van Dyke for a very successful January meeting, greatly enjoyed by all who attended.

Also, member Mardena Waller is organizing a wonderful event Sat Feb 24 at Cal Tech in Pasadena on how bioengineered foods are imperilling the health of people with gluten intolerance. Our own Marshall Chrostowski will be one of the featured speakers.

BIOENGINEERED FOODS AND CELIAC AWARENESS
February 24, 2001, public invited, free.
Contact Robert Jeffers or Mardena Waller, (626) 564-8339,
msomac@earthlink.net.  For more information
on celiac disease, contact Carol Tipton, (818) 845-8054,
catipton@pacbell.net.

Celiac disease, an autoimmune disease, is an intolerance to gluten contained in wheat, oats, rye, barley, etc.  Treatment is removal of gluten from diet; no surgery, no drugs.

The meeting is in Beckman Institute Auditorium at Caltech (California Institute of Technology) in Pasadena, California.  Noon to 3:00 p.m., February 24, Saturday.  Free admission, free parking, and free food. Celiacs and non-celiacs are invited.  All speakers are donating their time.

Danna Korn, founder R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids), author of "Kids With Celiac Disease", book purchase and signing, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Robert Jeffers, Caltech Ph.D. and celiac, "Long-Term Medical Record-Keeping for a Lifelong Disease (Celiac)", 1:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Steve Sprinkel and Marshall Chrostowski, "Bioengineered Foods and Celiac Awareness", 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.

Gluten-free foods, Living Without magazines, and other goodies and treats donated by Pasadena's Wild Oats Community Market.

Our group is the Celiac Disease Foundation -- Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena Connections Group.  We have originated the program and are sponsoring it. We are neutral, and have no affiliations with Caltech or any other University or biotech research programs, any food growers or food processors, or any governmental or environmental organizations.

The two closest hotels are:  Hilton Pasadena, (626) 577-1000, or Ritz-Carlton Huntington, (626) 568-3900.  Caltech is 5 minutes from the Huntington Gardens and Library.  The closest airport is Burbank.

Directions to Caltech in Pasadena, CA:
#134, exit Lake Ave., South, to Del Mar,left (next to Macy's), 2 blocks to Wilson,right,1/2 block park.  Free Caltech parking structure on Wilson, between California and Del Mar.  Walk across street (Wilson) to Beckman Institute Auditorium (behind construction site).

#110, in Pasadena,turn right on Del Mar, go past Macy's, right on Wilson, park.

November 2000 News     back to top

Instead of our regular meeting at the Gildea Center/CEC, in November we will be co-sponsors of a special Pacifica Graduate Institute presentation on "Rescuing Heirloom Garden Plants" featuring Kent Whealy, Executive Director of the Seed Savers Exchange.  Other co-sponsors include the Community Environmental Council, The Ending Destructive Genetic EnGineering Campaign, Growing Solutions, Island Seed & Feed, KUSA Seed Research Foundation, La Casa de Maria, Santa Barbara Permaculture Network and Seed Savers Exchange.  Pacifica's Marshall Chrostowski, who spoke at our last meeting, is organic land manager on the campus and has been growing out heirloom and traditional seed varieties since 1991 on the school's organic farm.

This should be a great event -- we hope to see you there!

NO MEETING IN DECEMBER -- HAPPY HOLIDAYS! -- NEXT MEETING JANUARY 17 AT THE CEC/GILDEA CENTER.

More on that in our next newsletter Ö

NEWS FROM OCT 18TH MEETING

The meeting last Wednesday night with Stefan Long of Rincon-Vitova Insectaries in Ventura (pinch hitting for new grandfather Ron Whitehurst) was a big success and gave our members a lot of practical, nitty gritty info on how the "good bugs" can help organic gardeners balance our backyard ecosystems.

Matt Buckmaster of Island Seed & Feed did a great job of MC'ing the proceedings, which were a little more chaotic than usual as we met in the CEC kitchen! But our cozy surroundings only added to the ambiance and we all learned so much.

For example (and I hope I got this right, StefanÖ)

HONEYDEW-FEEDING ARGENTINE ANTS ARE "BAD GUYS" PREVENTING "GOOD GUY" PREDATORS LIKE GREEN LACEWINGS FROM GETTING TO GIANT WHITEFLIES (ALSO MEALYBUGS, APHIDS)

Stefan explained that these honeydew-feeding ants prevent "good" predator insects from getting to the whiteflies -- which cause the strands of white, snowy filaments now showing up around town on hibiscus and many other plants -- and gave us a couple of tips you might want to consider:

1. Apply tanglefoot to base of infested plant (although one of our members was concerned that this might hurt certain birds).
2. Fill a soda bottle with Boric Acid Syrup Ant Bait (recipe below), stuff the narrow top with cotton wool and gently lie it on its side where the ants can get at it.  They take it back to their nest.

ANT BAIT RECIPE
 1 Cup sugar
 2 Cups water
 1 teaspoon boric acid (less toxic to humans than table salt)
Mix all ingredients and stir to dissolve.

We also heard about the beneficial effects of nematodes, which kill ground termites, ants, grubs -- but not earthworms.

AVOCADO HEALTH TIP

Stefan suggested we water our avocado trees less and use slow release organic fertilizer to avoid "nitrogen flush" soft growth that's attractive to "bad guys."

RINCON-VITOVA DONATED REFERENCE BOOK TO S B ORGANIC GARDEN CLUB

Stefan donated a 3-ring binder full of info on biocontrol agents, pests etc. to our club, so our members can look up articles and tips on organic controls.  Thank you!!!

OTHER NEWS:

"GARDENING CAN BURN UP TO 300 CALORIES AN HOUR AND IT'S A GOOD FORM OF RESISTANCE TRAINING," says the L.A. Times (Oct 16, 2000) "Turning a compost pile and digging holes in the ground provide a challenge to your muscles similar to lifting weights.  Continuous raking, shoveling or hoeing strengthen your heart and lungs just like walking on a treadmill.  And squatting down to pull out weeds or reaching overhead to prune trees improves flexibility and balance throughout your body."  And no expensive gym or class fees!  Plus you cut down on garden helper costs.  Sounds like a bargain to us -- especially if you garden organically so you're in a healthy environment.  Plus new research shows that exercising outside has greater health benefits than indoor exercise.  But then we gardeners could have told them that a long time ago, no?

IF YOU WANT TO USE GARDENING AS YOUR MAJOR FORM OF EXERCISE, three books on gardening as exercise recommended by the Times article are: "Fitness the Dynamic Gardening Way" (Balance of Nature Publishing, 1992), "Gardener's Fitness" (Taylor Publishing, 1999) and "Shaping Up America's Green Thumb" (Bradshaw Personal Fitness, 1998).
 

Many thanks to Kathy Rem for the report below on our September meeting.  Hope this is helpful, especially for those of you who had to miss it.  In the meantime, mark your calendars for Wed Oct 18th 7 pm at the Gildea Center, 930 Miramonte Dr. in Santa Barbara.  This month's event will be on "What's Bugging You" and will feature Ron Whitehurst of Rincon-Vitova Insectaries in Ventura who will talk about beneficial insects and other non-toxic solutions to unwanted pests.

November's event, which we'll be co-sponsoring with other organizations) will be at Victoria Hall downtown on Thurs Nov 16th at 7pm. It will feature Kent and Diane Wheatly who will talk about the art of saving seeds and the amazing work of the Seed Savers Exchange. No charge for either of these events.

In the meantime, happy gardening!  We've got our spinach and peas in the ground and are doing battle with the local raccoons.  So far, our motion detector hose is helping!

October 2000 News          back to top

Minutes to the September 20th mtg

On September 20th we had our meeting of the Santa Barbara Organic Gardening Club at the Gildea Resource Center, 930 Miramonte Drive.  Our topic was Edible Landscaping.  The Panel participants were Marshall Chrostowski and Sean Hutchinson.

Marshall started out the talk speaking of managing living systems that come together forming their own environments.  To become an organic gardener and to create the organic garden you need a profound knowledge of your own specific place.  Sit and observe your space, see what's going on.  What natural life is already existing in the space?  Then answer the "Three F's"-  Function, Form, Features.  Some questions to ask yourself are: Will we restructure the site or restore the habitat? Are we going horizontal vs. vertical? Will it be exotic or native? Will we have lawns or meadows? Annual or perennial?

Some thoughts on these ideas were: vertical is usually best.  It is very important that there are messy and/or wild parts in the area. Most gardens are planted with exotic plants as most of our vegetables do not grow wild around our area.  And annuals require more water as perennials tend to be native and adaptable to the area, needing less water.

Sean Hutchinson started his talk centering on gardening being an honorable profession.  He dispelled some modern day thoughts of gardening being a lesser activity.

Sean was full of witty and insightful one liners, one of which was "Nature abhors a
garden."  He went on to talk of some "weeds" that are edible and ones that can be used in the landscape.  He gave a wide range of edible plants to use.

Many different ideas were offered up for conversation and a lively discussion brought us to the end of the meeting. After our regular meeting was adjourned Linda Buzzell-Saltzman led us in a business meeting. Volunteer positions were discussed and some were filled. Many ideas were thrown out in a brain storming atmosphere and we realized that there are so many topics, guest speakers, and field trips that it will take the next few years to so all these interesting and stimulating events.  We have a multitude of resources right here in our community and a group of organic gardeners happy to share in those resources.

Our next meeting will be October 18th at 7 pm. The topic: Whatís Bugging You.  Hope to see you there!

August 2000 Notes:          back to top

We wanted everyone to hear the exciting news about what's planned in September, our "organic edible landscaping" month.

(Note: If you'd like to receive an official snail mail invitation to the San Ysidro Ranch event, please e-mail us a snail mail address a.s.a.p. )

1) On Wed. Sept. 13 we will be part of an elegant special event in collaboration with the local Slow Food Convivium at the San Ysidro Ranch.  This event will feature Thomas Cole, organic gardener of the hotel's kitchen garden and Stonehouse chef Jamie West, who will prepare appetizers and will do demonstrations for us. There is a $15 per person charge to cover costs of the appetizers and wine that will be provided.  Many thanks to Slow Food's Pamela Sheldon Johns, a prominent local food author, for coordinating this event.

You may want to check out www.slowfood.com for more info on the growing international Slow Food movement, which encourages us to give up junk food, slow down and enjoy the work of local farmers and "food artisans."

2) The following week, on Wed. Sept. 20th, we will have our usual meeting here at the Gildea Center where we will talk about the nitty gritty practicalities of how to create your own edible landscape and kitchen garden at home.  That event will be free.  So whether or not you attend the San Ysidro Ranch event for inspiration, we hope you'll be at the Wed Sept 20th get-together to share your questions and ideas about planting "double duty" trees, shrubs, perennials, veggies and herbs that are not only beautiful but also provide food for your family and other families in our community.

Hope your gardens and pots are doing great this month.  Our tomatoes are really coming in now, but the grass looks terrible!  Oh well, that's August in Santa Barbara, the place where some wag said there are four seasons: Fog (June), Fiesta (August), Fire (we hope not, but it can happen in Sept, can't it?) and Flood (El Nino 2, anyone?).

notes on previous meetings:

"THE JOYS OF ORGANIC GARDENING" Aug. 16
we had a great meeting last nite with 33 attending.  Matt of Island Seed was a featured panelist plus Ellen McLaughlin.  They were both terrific and everyone enjoyed their input.

A new local organization, the Santa Barbara Organic Garden Club, presented a free panel discussion on "The Joys of Organic Gardening: Practical Tips for New and Experienced Gardeners," on Wednesday, August 16th at 7 p.m. at the Community Environmental Council Gildea Center at 930 Miramonte Drive in Santa Barbara.

Moderated by the organization's co-founder Larry Saltzman, a computer programmer whose hobby is growing organic fruit and vegetables, the panel will included: Ellen McLaughlin, an organic garden consultant who for 8 years managed a 10 acre organic protea farm; Matt Buckmaster, partner at Goleta organic nursery Island Seed and Feed, and a local organic landscape designer.

Among the topics the panel discussed are: the best "bulletproof" plants that love our local climate; easy ways to heal even seriously compromised soil; how to mix plants to create healthy biodiversity that foils disease and unwanted pests; and container gardening advice.

The Santa Barbara Organic Club had its first meeting on July 12, 2000 and plans a number of local events and activities on topics like edible landscaping, backyard wildlife habitat, the art of composting, how to create a sacred space in your home garden, as well as field trips to regional organic gardens and farms.
 
 

The First Annual California Organic Festival

Volunteer with First Annual California Organic Festival