San Diego garden expert, author, teacher, and designer Nan Sterman is offering seven seed starting workshops at locations throughout San Diego County this March.

This workshop focuses on seed starting basics.  You’ll start with how to read seed packages and which seeds to start in which seasons. Learn about containers for starting seeds and the best soils, too. Everything a hoping-for-green-thumb needs to raise a summer full of vegetables, fruits and herbs will be covered. Then, you’ll literally dig in and get planting!

Participants end up with:

• dirty fingernails
• smiles on their faces
• an entire garden of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, basil, pumpkins and more… seeded and ready to sprout!

From Nan, 

“For the price of a trip to the grocery store, participants start several hundred dollars worth of plants, which can, over the course of the summer, produce hundreds of dollars worth of produce. Once they gain those skills, they’ll know how to produce that value again next summer, the summer after that, and for years to come.”

These intimate, hands-on workshops are limited to 15 – 20 people… and advance registration is required.

March 4, 2012, 1 PM to 3 PM, at a private home in La Mesa, ticket info

March 10, 2012,10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, at Southwest Boulder and Stone, Pacific Beach, ticket info

March 11, 2012, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, at The Olive Branch Green Building Supply, North Park, ticket info

March 17th, 10 AM to noon, at a private home in Encinitas, ticket info

March 18, 2012, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, at The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant, Old Town, ticket info
*for this special event, The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant’s Chef Andrew Sasloe will be serving tasty treats made with the same vegetables we’ll be planting.

March 31, 2012, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, ticket info

For more information on the series, visit www.PlantSoup.com

About Nan Sterman:

California native Nan Sterman is dedicated to the transformation of planted landscapes from overly thirsty and resource intensive to climate appropriate and sustainable. Her efforts combine age-old techniques with modern technologies.

Nan has worked towards this goal since the 1970s when she was involved in the first wave of the sustainability movement. Her initial training was at the Integral Urban House, a demonstration retrofit Victorian home in Berkeley, California. She went on to earn a botany degree from Duke University, a Masters in biology from UC Santa Barbara, and a Masters in instructional design from San Diego State University.

Nan parlayed her early experiences in sustainability to address modern day issues. She is author of California Gardener’s Guide vol II, the only book about low water, Mediterranean climate gardens written specifically for California home gardeners. In 2010, she added Waterwise Plants for the Southwest to her publication list.

Nan has a monthly water-wise garden column in the San Diego Union Tribune and is the gardening expert for San Diego public radio’s Midday Edition talk show. She also writes for publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Sunset, Better Homes and Gardens, and Organic Gardening. She Nan co-produces, co-writes, and hosts A Growing Passion, a television show that takes viewers on tours of beautiful, inspiring home gardens.

Nan speaks, teaches, and writes about low water, sustainable and edible gardening, all of which she designs for client’s homes and school gardens. She seeks out plants, methods, and technologies that ensure client gardens are as water-efficient, low maintenance, and beautiful as possible.

Nan is a board member of the Garden Writer’s Association and a founding board member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, San Diego District.

Nan Sterman’s website is www.PlantSoup.com

Don’t forget that Tuesday 2/21 @6pm we have our meet

Everyone in town is ECSTATIC that the new laws have passed for raising backyard farm pets. Tuesday 2/21 @6pm we’re having a free discussion that will talk about the laws and how to raise healthy, happy animals. The laws go in to effect March 15th, so now’s the perfect time to gather quality info!

We expect this class to be PACKED, so please carpool.

Also, **we’re planning on recording and sharing this class** so if you cannot make it, don’t worry.

Free event.  No cost to attend.
For more information on the laws: http://bit.ly/xsmRWr

For more in-depth information, come to our FREE Raising Chickens class on Sunday 4/1 or our FREE Raising Goats class on Saturday 4/14.

p.s. Feel free to print a copy for your local library or office to share our classes with your friends.

Threads disappear in seconds and corn is ready for consumption!

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Chickens:

• Roosters prohibited.
• Up to 5 chickens allowed with no setback requirements from the onsite house.  The coop must be located outside the required setbacks.
• Up to 15 chickens allowed with no setback from onsite house.  The coop must be outside required setbacks, or at least 15 feet from property line, whichever is greater.
• Up to 25 chickens may be kept on premises, as long as the coop and outdoor enclosure are a minimum of 50 feet from any residential structure.
• The coop must be predator proof, watertight, ventilated, easily accessed and cleaned, with a minimum of 6 square feet per chicken.

Miniature Goats:

• Can be kept at single family homes and lots developed with single family homes.
• Miniature goats only.  Must be de-horned.  Males must be neutered.
• Shed must be located outside required setback, predator proof, watertight, ventilated, easily accessed and cleaned, with a minimum of 5 square feet per goat.
• Enclosure must have minimum 5-foot high fence, minimum pen area of 400 square feet, excluding shed.
• Goat products allowed for personal consumption only.

Bee Keeping:

• Allowed Citywide.
• For up to 2 hives:  Must be located no closer than 30 feet from offsite residence and 50 feet from right of way.
• More than 2 hives:  Must be located 600 feet from offsite residence and 100 feet from right of way.
• No more than 2 hives allowed per lot.
• Must have 6-foot screen unless located 8 feet above grade.
• Required compliance with recognized best practices for bee keeping.

Farmers’ Markets:

• Daily Farmers’ Market Stands which sell produce (no value-added merchandise) could be permitted in all commercial zones.  They could be no larger than 5-feet deep and 16-feet wide.
• Weekly Farmers’ Markets could be permitted as a limited use in all commercial zones (except commercial parking zone) and IL-3-1 Industrial Zone.
• Retail Farms could be permitted in all of the Commercial Regional, Commercial Office and Community Commercial Zones, as well as IL-3-1 Industrial Zone.

Community Gardens:

• Allowed to sell produce in residential zones one day per week.
• Allowed with Neighborhood Use Permit in the IL-21 industrial zone.

Most of the changes are expected to go into effect in mid-March.

Click here for more information.

{Via: 9gag http://9gag.com/gag/81636/)

This week’s free pruning handout covers different parts of a tree, the three ways to train a tree, and guidelines for pruning fruit trees.

It’s the handout Kate used for class participants and will help guide you as you head out to prune your lovely fruit trees and roses.

Kate is the owner of Kate’s Garden Design & Services.  She is offering a special discount for consulting or pruning advice to City Farmers customers.

Kate can be reached at (619) 610-9981

Series will cover…

February 29
Introduction to Gardening for Food and Beauty

March 7
Understanding Soils, Fertilizers and Amending

March 14
Planting, Spacing and Choosing

March 21
Maintaining, Pruning, Insect, Disease, and Weed Control

March 28
Other Things to Have in the Garden for Food and Joy

Time: 5:30-7:30pm

Location: Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center - 4126 Executive Drive – La Jolla, California 92037

Cost: $20/Member; $25/Non-member per workshop (OR sign up for all 5 for only $80/JCC Member; $100/Non-member)

Learn more: Click on the following links for more information or to register or call, 858-362-1141

Pop a straw through the bottom of a strawberry.  Push up and voila! You have a hulled little number for freezing, preserving, baking or margarita making.

p.s. So you know how we have dig-your-own strawberries, right?  Organically raised on premise (in our greenhouse) these little darlings come in many varieties and are the perfect blend of sweet and fiber.