Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Seed Bombs!

Seed Balls (or Bombs as guerrilla gardeners refer to them) are actually an ancient method of coating seeds in a medium of clay and compost, which allows the gardener to "toss" them into a field where they eventually dissolve while the seed is germinating and being nourished by the compost. This protects the delicate seeds from birds and other seed-eating animals, while also allowing the seeds to be sown whenever it suits the gardener, regardless of the weather. Today guerrilla gardeners toss the "bombs" into abandoned areas where food and flowers bloom in the place of weeds and trash.

Join the Garden Club on Tuesday February 7 as Andrea Mull shows us how to make Seed Bombs. Come prepared to get your hands dirty!

The Cottage Grove Garden Club meets from 6:00-8:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors. Our meeting begins at 6pm, the workshop at 7pm. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

Monday, January 2, 2012

January 2012

Here's a sampling of garden-related happenings in the wider Cottage Grove area this month.

January 3 (Tuesday), 6pm: Cottage Grove Garden Club. "An Introduction to Permaculture and Whole Systems Design"

A holistic approach to gardening and sustainable living, Permaculture is a method of design that centers around whole systems thinking. Devon Bonady, owner and steward of Fern Hill Nursery and Botanical Sanctuary in Cottage Grove will share the ethics and principles of Permaculture design for a variety of sites, from urban gardens to rural homesteads. Using local examples, she will include ideas and recommendations for gardeners who want to create a more efficient, low-maintenance, or ecologically integrated garden and home.

Garden Club meets at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (3rd and Adams). Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

January 9 (Monday): Sustainable Cottage Grove meeting, 6:30, Healing Matrix (across from Axe and Fiddle)

January 10 (Tuesday): The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Ivette Soler author of "The Edible Front Yard." Campbell Community Center (155 High St., Eugene), at 7:00 pm.

January 13 (Friday): Sustainable Cottage Grove potluck, (open to ALL!), 6:30, Healing Matrix (across from Axe and Fiddle)

January 16 (Monday): Avid Gardeners hosts Marty Wingate at 7pm.

January 16 (Monday): Food Hub meeting (Victory Gardens speaker), Healing Matrix (across from Axe and Fiddle)

January 17 (Tuesday): Cottage Grove Garden Club Board Meeting at the Community Center from 6:30-8:00 pm includes an important budget meeting.