Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

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 set of  PVFS Customer Emails with Staff Responses.

Question:

I received my fall 2009 catalog and see you carry Redhaven peach trees. I would like to know if they come on Citation rootstock or, if not, what rootstock do they come on?

Answer:

Yes, the Redhaven Peach trees come on Citation rootstock. The bare root trees are available for order now, but will not begin shipping until December. Please feel free to contact me directly with any further questions.

Thank you for your interest and happy Fall!

Question:

I have a few more questions.  I live in The Scott Valley In the Siskiyous, Sunset zone 1.  We get about 90 days between 3 day freezes. I would like to know if my selections will be alright.  1) Harcot on Citation, 2) Chinese on Citation, 3) Italian/Europ Plum on Citation, 4) Craig’s Crimson Cherry?   Also will Harcot or Chinese polinate Tomcot?

Answer:

Sunset zone 1 indicates that you are in a very northern hard freeze area?  I’m afraid I am unable to determine where you live?  The Harcot & Chinese recommends within zones 4-9.  The Tomcot is recommended in zones 7-9.  This would suggest that these trees would not survive the winters.  Do you have a local Master Gardener’s Cooperative in your county?  They could probably help with the local particulars.

Please write back with high and low average temps and your location so I can better serve you.

Question:

Thanks again for your help.

I live in Etna CA. US zone 7, sunset zone 1, but I buy all my trees for zone 4. We have vary short season so it can get pretty cold early in september. I already have a Tomcot apricot and need to know if Harcot or Chineese will polinate Tomcot? and will Italian/Europ Plum do alright here?

Answer:

Looks like the Italian/Euro Plum will do fine in your area, it’s recommendation is for zones 4-9, it blooms late (this is good), and does well in colder regions.

The Tomcot is semi self fruitful but will yield more fruit with any other Apricots in the area.  So you should see more fruit with either the Chinese or Harcot nearby.

The Cherry tree you inquired about may have some challenges with the freezing, if you can put it on a south side close to a building it may do alright, it is zoned for areas 5-10.  The Montmorency and the Van are the only Cherries zoned 4-9.  The Montmorency is self-fruitful, the Van needs pollination by any other sweet cherry.

See our Bare Root Planting Guide here.

A lot of our earliest and most vibrant reminders of Spring are bulbs.  But what happens after the flowers have gone and the leaf material has turned brown and wilted?  If they are inter-planted with other perennial plants or late blooming bulbs your beds will look wonderful through summer.  Then Winter hits and we sometimes wonder where the bulbs went and will they make it through our typical winter freezes?  The good news is that most of our favorite bulbs are in the hardy plant category that can over winter underground even where frost penetrates deeply into the soil.  Crocus, Daffodils, Tulips, Lillies and Hyacinths fall into this category.  Bulbs will benefit greatly from a 2-4″ deep mulch of shredded bark or hardwood, leaves or compost.  Mulch prevents the ground from alternately freezing and thawing, which can heave bulbs right out of the ground during winter.  In summer, mulch conserves moisture and keeps the weeds at bay.  Wait until the ground freezes to apply a winter mulch to fall planted bulbs.  Check your local Master Gardeners County Extension for more information in your area.

It’s feeling a bit like Fall here in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Time to start thinking about Fall and Winter proofing your gardens, cleaning and putting up your tools and harvesting those last but not least vine ripe tomatoes. It’s also a great time to get those cover crops and wildflower seeds in the ground while the soil is still warm enough to get the seeds to germinate and put some roots down to hold them in place for the winter. Then they are ready to “take off” when the warmth of Spring wakes them up again. Then you’ve got a great start on your garden soil building, and wildflowers will be mature enough to put on some flowers for beautiful spring and summer color! Don’t forget to plant your greens, brassicas, garlic, onions and potatoes too!

Can anyone recommend a cover crop for planting now (late June) in Reno, NV. If you’re not familiar with the high desert climate, it’s arid, warm to hot during the day and cools off quite a bit at night. Average last killing frost is May 12, average first killing frost is Sept 15.

I have a plot of sandy loam with low nutrient levels that I’d like to plant with veggies next year. I’ve heard that planting a cover crop adds nutrients when tilled under.

Thanks,
Dave

Question:

Dear Expert,

I am new to gardening, and I’ve had a little luck with the usual
suspects: tomatoes, peppers, onion and so forth. I would like to
plant blueberries next year. I live in Santa Monica, California and
would like to know if the sharpblues have any hope of thriving there.
If so, when can I get them from you and what exactly do I need to do
to create the right conditions. I understand that in CA we have too
much alkaline in our soil, but I don’t know how to prepare the
appropriate recipe in buckets to grow blueberries. I have compost
here. Can you help me?

Thank you,

Answer:

I looked up the data on Chill Hours for your area, and it seems to me that Sharpblue requires more than your climate could give (look here for California Chill hours by County). Chill hours are the number of hours below 45 degrees between November and February, many fruit trees and bushes need a certain amount of these hours in order to set fruit. The blueberries we carried last year with the lowest chill hours are the Misty and the O’Neal (you need at least two different varieties for pollination). However, when you receive the Fall catalog, you may find new varieties with low chill hours. You can sign up to receive a catalog if you don’t already at www.groworganic.com. We have blueberries in the winter, sold as “bare root” because they are dormant, but you can order in Fall when you get the catalog.

As far as growing in containers, you might consider using 2/3 Peat moss and 1/3 potting soil, as well as an acid fertilizer (you could throw in some compost if you’d like). We have a good fertilizer called the “Acid Mix”.

Hope that helps! Thanks for growing organically!

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It happens every year, the weather warms up and the impulse to plant becomes irresistible. “It’s spring! Let’s go” you say.

And lately, it seems to happen every year: a sneak attack frost in late April zaps your early garden.

The point is, every region has its traditional frost dates… and it’s always later than you expect. Ask around and confirm. Around Nevada City, people say it is around Mother’s Day (do I really have to wait that long?)… take your time, plan things right.

I can heartily recommend a little Agribon frost protection for your garden. We sell it by the roll or as “frost blankets”. It’s good to know when you get growing that you can tuck your plants in at night. Our Freshman Farmers use it as a rule, invest in it and give yourself some peace of mind. We also carry portable greenhouse type devices, like the fantastic Wall O’ Water and Solar Bells. They are essential for protecting from frost when you hear of a plunge in temperature later than you were expecting.

Now is a good time to plant cold season crops in our region, Grass Valley, CA. In our nursery you can find a good variety of things that are good to grow now: chard, mesclun mix, lettuce, mustard, things like that. Pak choy. Good stuff. You can browse our Winter Catalog by clicking here, we featured a good selection of our cold season seeds.. Or you can use our brand new organic seed browser here, at PeacefulValleyOrganicSeeds.com.

While you’re at it, you might want to check out our huge selection of organic vegetable starts, available online.We will have a huge selection of certified-organic, locally-grown, vibrant and unique seedling varieties on April 15th… we’re shipping them out starting April 15th and they go fast, so pre-order now! If you live near us, come on by!

UC Davis supplies California with invaluable information regarding last frost dates, planting schedules and so much more. A great place to start is their home page.

They offer a good overarching guide to California Frost Dates, and they also provide a great spring planting schedule, plus a seed starting schedule.