Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

A PVFS Customer Question with Staff Response

Question:
How do you deal with peach leaf curl. I guess it’s a problem here. Some people use a copper spray. That’s not organic is it? What do I need to do to prevent this or to help the peach survive this. Thanks, Susan

Answer:
Most people use either a copper or sulfur spray during the dormant season. Ideally, you would spray three times while the leaves are off the tree, with the third spray being just as a little bud color is beginning to show. The sprays we sell are used by organic home-gardeners. If you have our 2010 Main catalog, the lavender section on page 130 explains the use of mineral fungicides quite well. If you are a certified organic grower, you must check with your certifying agency to see if the products are approved.

I have had some success at treating peach leaf curl with compost tea during the growing season. Some people pick all the infected leaves off and fertilize to help the tree make a new set of leaves, which are usually disease free. If you decide to replace the tree, Frost & Q-18 are two curl-resistant varieties.

Hope this helps,

Here at Peaceful Valley, we are in the throes of bare-root sales. However, the terms and restrictions for what can and cannot be planted can be confusing, especially for the first time grower.

The first thing to consider is your growing zone. This is a general description of how warm or cold your temperatures get year round. Where people tend to get confused, even experienced growers, is that in the US, there are two different forms of zone charting: The USDA and Sunset Magazine, possibly more. For simplicity, Peaceful Valley employs the USDA chart exclusively.

How, then, can you find, with any certainty, what USDA zone are you in? You can find zone maps in many locations, but even those cannot be as specific as you need. Fortunately, the good folks at the National Gardening Association have put together a searchable zone chart! Simply go here, and enter your zip code. You will get not only your USDA zone, but links to articles pertaining to growing conditions in YOUR area!

Another question many people have is “How many chill hours do I have? What is a chill hour, anyway?” According to Dave Wilson (the company that has supplied the majority of our bare-root trees for nearly a decade, and services many other nurseries around the nation) a chill hour is defined as one hour under 45 degrees Fahrenheit. However, its not always that simple. For every hour over 60 degrees, you have to subtract one hour. There are other, more specific rules (search for Utah Model Chill), but this is a good general guide.

Now, most people don’t sit out with a clipboard and a thermometer every day, calculating chill data. So, to get your approximate number of chill hours, you would go to your local Ag department — they usually have that data. If you are lucky enough to live in California, our wonderful UC system actually has monitoring up and down the state, with not only recent data, but in some cases, going back 5 years — you get a great picture of trends. The website, broken down by county, can be found here.

As always, we are here to help. Our catalog features many different icons to give you an idea of what grows well in warm climates (ideal for areas like Los Angeles), and what grows well in frigid areas, like Nebraska. But remember, we cannot hold shipments until it gets warm enough for you to plant. There is a method called “heeling in”, which allows you to care for your bare root plants until you are able to plant them in their permanent home. The literature we send out with our plants includes that information, but it can be viewed by downloading the .pdf file on the description page of all our bare-root stock.

Good luck, and Happy Planting!

A Nevada County town is using biological warfare in a battle to get rid of thousands of gophers that are overtaking a city park. They are planning an aerial assault using barn owls.

Read more here.

Last night we took a break from the daily grind and sat down and watched a movie. We have received Food Inc in the mail and absolutely loved it. I know many of you have already seen it by now, but if you haven’t, it’s a must see. (Food Inc Trailer (2:16))

While the ideas & observations put forth in the movie were not new to my family, it was a good reminder as to why we make the buying decisions we make. The movie also made me all the more thankful for the community we live in!

For example, when we buy beef, we always buy it from our local co-op which sells Nevada County Free Range beef. I’ve met the owner, I’ve seen the cows grazing on grass just outside of town, and I know where the beef I feed my family comes from. A few years ago, when we lived in a large city, we would buy packaged beef that had been shipped in from half way around the world! Having changed our buying practices, our old buying habits seem rediculous. This made me VERY thankful that we have a local, grass fed, beef supplier.

Chickens, however, are another story. I know of at least four local farms that process chickens (I’ve learned of them via our Local Food Coalition e-mail list), however their prices seem to start at $10 a bird and go quickly up to $20 a bird. This is hard to swallow when I can buy TWO chickens for $9.50 at a big box wholesale store. I guess I find myself in the “artificially cheap food” vs “organic &/or local food” price personal battle. In 2010 I plan on visiting these farms I’ve learned of. I hope to find a way to afford and/or buy many local chickens in bulk this year. One this is for sure, after watching Food Inc, I don’t think I can stomach buying chickens at the big box store for some time!

May we all find more local (& organic) food options in 2010!

2009 – just weeks before the impending future… 2010. As the cool morning air settles, the PVFS staff dons their yellow rain slickers and prepares to receive a massive truck packed full of bare root trees.

Only the “powers-that-be” know how many happy people will set their teeth into a piece of luscious fruit produced from one of these fantastic fruit trees within the coming years.

You have probably sat around on many occasions and wondered “what does it look like to pack 8,000 bare root trees into a cargo truck?” The truck is full of bare root fruit trees and bare root nut trees.  Well question no longer:

The general process for receiving these trees requires us to unload them, bundle them to their corresponding bin, count them, “heel them in” and then begin to fill orders. With a full crew down in the warehouse just unloading and “heeling-in” these bare roots will take the entire day – perhaps the first half of the following day.

We have already taken orders for about a quarter of these trees, they are selling fast. Place your order now to receive the varieties that meet your zone and chill hour requirements!

If you would like more information about Bare Root Trees see our literature here.

To Compare the beautiful weather we are having this year compared to unloading these trees last year click here.

Read our article below to help you with planting your bare root trees:

How to plant a bare root tree

We have three raised beds with simple PVC hoop housed built over them. I have agribon floating row cover secured over the hoops to prolong our growing season (we’re in zone 7 at 2000′ in Grass Valley, CA). This is my first year trying to garden through the winter and our little hoop houses received their first BIG test last night when we received about a foot of snow. So far, so good…. all three hoop houses are still standing and the snow is insulating the rows. I’ve since brushed the snow off the top.

This weekend we watched Food Inc. and I must say I have never been so glad that I am a vegetarian.  Throughout the hour and a half of this informative documentary I vacillated through feelings of: shock, anger, sadness, disgust, and hope.  I have always known the food industry in this country is bad – I mean this is the main reason I eat organics and work with an organization that has sustainability in its forefront of awareness.  But seriously – if the mistreatment of animals, people, and the natural world in general displayed in this movie is even half true, these massive food corporations are utterly despicable.

Now more than ever it is imperative for each one of us to excersize our power in this country by influencing the production of food in this nation by every means possible.  We need to not only vote appropriately – but as the movie says “vote every time we go to the market.”  Buying organic products and local produce – and even better, growing your own garden, is a direct way to let these massive food producers know that individually we do care about the quality of our food, and we do insist that the means by which it is produced is viable and not damaging to the natural world.  Where you spend your money – determines how the environment is treated.

I will not lie to you watching this movie is a bit depressing, however, I suggest that everyone (especially those who consume foods that contain corn or soy products – which is most everyone because 80% of food and non-food items at the supermarket contains some of these derivative substances) watch this movie.  Depressing can be good if It inspires us to all take a look at where and how we get our food, because the truth has been hidden far to long, and responsibility is necessary if we want to turn this all around.  The motto of PVFS has never rang so true – Grow Organic! For life!

A PVFS Customer Email – Staff answer.

Question:

I am very ineterested in buying a couple Persimmon – Fuyu-Jiro (Standard) trees and I have a few questions.  Do these type of trees need pollination? Can they grow well in Southern CA? We live in San Diego County, 2 miles away from the ocean. Also, I would like to learn about Kiwwi. the same questions. Thank you!

Answer:

The Fuyu-Jiro Persimmon does not need a pollinator.  They grow within USDA zones 7-9 as long as you get 200 hours of chill time for them, they should do fine.

Also, the Kiwi doesn’t need a pollinator, both male and female flowers are on the same vine.  I’ve attached your local Master Gardener’s Extension office, they may have better information particular to your area then I have available to me.

Take a Look at the Master Gardeners National Website here.

Hope this helps.

Recently, I was asked what a CSA is and what these letters stand for. While I know what a CSA is, I  didn’t know what the acronym meant. So, I looked to the place where I find many answers, the internet search engine Google! I was able to find out not only what CSA stands for (Community Supported Agriculture) but I found a great website (http://www.localharvest.org/csa/) that gives a lot of information about CSAs and explains what they do, where they are, and how they function. Take a look at this site if you are interested in finding a local CSA in your area, want some great tips on what to expect when joining one, or on your own find out what “CSA” stands for, so you can use the term with confidence!

Have any tips to add about what to expect from a CSA, please respond to this post and share your stories.

Also take a look at our Freshman Farmer blog – filled with our Farmer fledglings most of which have created and are running their very own CSA farms.

Happy growing!

PVFS Brand Organic Compost

I’ve had the privilege of attending a free composting class sponsored by Nevada County Recycles which took place at Fulcrum Farm in Penn Valley. It was taught by one of the owners of Fulcrum Farm, Marney Blair (Fulcrum Farm produces the very same compost we use at our local store to brew our fabulous compost tea!). I came away from this class excited, inspired and just generally feeling good about how amazing composting can be!

I knew a bit going in but came out with that “I know nothing” sense on this subject… however very excited about learning so much more about the process. It can seem complicated but it’s not and it’s ALL natural, it’s the ultimate recycling program. I picked up a couple key points, like most residuals, i.e., pesticides, fertilizers, etc., will be neutralized through the process. I learned about how to touch and feel for moisture content and bulk density, what is carbon and what is nitrogen… then how to combine the various materials just by knowing what you are looking at and feeling. I learned what good compost should look like, smell like and feel like. If it’s black… NOT good, it’s been burned. I never knew that!

Anyway, there’s another class coming up next week and I CAN’T WAIT to go! Once you’ve gone to one of these classes, Marney will come out and do a free consultation to. She was a wonderful and inspirational teacher. You can always tell when someone has passion for what they do. Marney’s got compost passion. If you want to get in on this party:

Contact Lynne Cody Lacroix
Recycling Technician, Nevada County Recycles
950 Maidu Avenue
Nevada City, CA 95959
530.265.7119
NevadaCountyRecycles.com

You’ll be glad you did!