Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

Today, June 2nd, marks the first Tuesday Farmers’ Market at the Presbyterian Church in Nevada City.  The cross streets for the market are Ridge Road and Zion St.  The market is adjacent to the Imaginarium.

Come out for fresh vegetables.  At the market you will find local produce vendors, organic produce vendors, food, drinks, locally made pastries, cheeses, and out-of-town produce and fruit growers.

Find us from 3-6 PM tomorrow and every Tuesday through October.

For the Growers’ Market,
Andrew
Four Frog Farm

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.

Wendy Wagner is using local, organic produce for everything from cooking classes to catering. It’s great to see someone bring farm-fresh produce to the table!

IN THE KITCHEN will be hosting an afternoon of cooking and sharing food on Saturday, January 24th to celebrate the GRAND OPENING!

From 3-6 pm the kitchen will be open for tours, munching and mingling. Come and check out the beautiful new space that has been lovingly renovated from a residential bungalow to a commercial kitchen and event space!

A menu of hearty seasonal fare will be cooked and served throughout the afternoon. Come by to have fun and get acquainted with what In The Kitchen has to offer.

Read more on Wendy’s Blog: Local Food Tastes Better! 

I am sitting here on Saturday in my cubicle at Peaceful Valley.  Its getting cold outside.  The ancients believed that the Great Father dies away during the fall, to lie dormant in the winter, and is reborn again in the following spring.  It sure feels like that sometimes.  But driving down Nevada Street, in Nevada City, while the last throws of his death rattle produce some spectacular color in the trees is an amazing sight.  Some of the leaves are such a vibrant red color it looks like they are on fire.   Death is not the end, but a inevitable change which lays the foundations for something adapted and new.