Meeting agenda and composting class

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, the 11th of April, at 7 p.m. in Camden Grange. 

We have another of our famed mini-class symposiums, with the following speakers and topics:  Jane Bolz will talk about her rodent (gopher, mole, vole) defeating, alternative raised beds; Steve Byars will talk about the relatively new seed starting method of "Wintersown" seeds; Kevin Miller and Su Chism will talk about the possible gardening uses of surplus mini-totes (or super sacks); and I will have a short demonstration of fruit tree pruning techniques (complete with volunteer tree!). 

Club members are asked to bring to the meeting some of their favorite snacks/desserts, unwanted seeds or plants, and those dratted duplicate seed company catalogs.

Club blogmeister Su Chism is offering club members LOTS of drywall scraps and chunks, for those of you who want to use the product in your garden soil. I researched the subject of adding drywall/wallboard/sheetrock to soil, and found that (as usual, these days), there is ambivalence (meaning "good" vs. "bad").  Some knowledgeable folks say that drywall breaks up clay and heavy soil, and is therefore good, while other knowledgeable folks say that drywall adds nothing useful.  Your mileage may vary, though you will still have to run the drywall through a chipper/shredder or under a rototiller.

For those who want some additional information on the subject, you may find University of Wisconsin bulletin A3782, "Using recycled wallboard for crop production", written by Richard Wolkowski, here.

Finally, the Master Gardeners of Pend Oreille County will offer a class, "The Soil Food Web and Composting", with Spokane County Master Gardener Ryan Herring, on the 13th of April, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Extension Office (227 S. Garden Ave.) in Newport. The class will focus on the soil web, and discuss what steps you can take to start improving your garden soil – a hands-on "building a compost pile" activity will take place in the second half of the class, so bring work gloves, and dress appropriately for outdoor activities. Cost for the class is $5 per person for the public, and you can bring a friend or neighbor for just $2 more.  You can register for the class by calling the Extension Office at 509-447-2401.

jim