Master Gardener?

Susan at Garden Rant has a post today titled, "When Master Gardeners Break The Rules and Say They Are Master Gardeners."  Susan say's, " I received an email complaining about two Illinois Master Gardeners identifying themselves as such on the Directory of Garden Coaches. " According to Monica from the Illinois Master Gardener program, "all states have similar policies and Master Gardeners are not allowed to use their title in any form of commercial advertisement." If your sign up for the Master Gardener program you also sign up to abide by the rules. Seems pretty clear.  More to my interest is why people who sign up and complete these courses can call themselves "Master Gardeners"? Imagine taking a class on cooking for a  50 hour cumulative period of time, taking a test, and then calling yourself a "Master Chef?" I have been in the nursery trade for over 30 years and I don't even consider myself a "Master Horticulturist."

This is not to diminish what Master Gardeners do, or the fact that some in the program might very well be "Master Gardeners." Perhaps it's time to think about changing the name of the program to something that more accurately describes what they do? With so many people newly interested in gardening it might be less intimidating to them if the didn't have to consult with "Masters" when asking questions. In their minds it might be like having to call Emeril Lagasse, who is most certainly a Master Chef,  to ask what it means to add a "dash" of seasoning to a dish. They likely would be too intimidated, and not call. If we in the gardening professions are having discussions about this you can only imagine what the newly excited gardener might thinking.

It's time for the Master Gardener program to ask itself if it might be more beneficial to change the name to something more descriptive of what they actually do. It's a great program, and the people who complete it are to be congratulated. Let's come up with a title less intimidating to the public who are the beneficiaries of the knowledge gained by the "extension volunteers" hard work.

Horticulture is a trade for the future

Spring has arrived here in the mountains of Northern California. The Redbuds have just finished blooming and the native Ceanothus are in full bloom. Customers have returned, and many are anxious to get the garden going. Thank goodness for our trade and our communities that people have taken such an interest in food production. It's a lifeline for some business that had depended on "ornamental" (plants that cannot be consumed) sales in the past.

In my opinion the trend towards bringing food production closer to the end user will intensify. The time will come when even city dwellers will have the option to rent an apartment in a building that, as part of the rental agreement  includes a supply of food grown in the building. We could see the roof utilized when the weather is appropriate,  and when it's not a floor dedicated to the production of food under lights. Who will operate and grow this food? The next generation of horticulturist.

It's a fantastic time to be involved in horticulture. That may sound odd given the number of closing garden centers and suppliers. Make no doubt that the trade is in the throes of huge change. We know that change often occurs during times of social and economic upheaval when the only choice is to "change or die".

It's a trade that's made for the future, once we "in the trade" see that things have changed and doing business the way we learned may not work in this new environment. We must be open to new ideas, as well as new definitions of what it means to be a "gardener". I think the plant businesses that will flourish will be those who recognize this, and not be held back by what we "think" a garden center should be. The key is to look at the change going on around us, and use it as an  opportunity for making things better.

The future of community supported agriculture

There is a lot of talk about changing the way food gets to market. It's nice to see people who are willing to put the time, and effort to see if they can make it work. Farming, whether it's "old school" dirt farming or soil less hydroponic farming is hard work. Will the younger generation be willing to put in the immense effort needed to bring our food to table?

South Fork Farm at Gold Hill is owned and operated by Jaclyn Moyer and Ryan Dorsey. The couple lease 12 acres from The American River Conservancy, which recently purchased the historic 272 Veerkamp property at Gold Hill. The property is the site of the first Japanese colony in North America, The Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Colony.  As we drive by the farm twice a day on the way to and from work my curiosity brought me to the farm. I was met by Jaclyn and Ryan who took the time out of their busy day to show me around.

The farm is certified organic and a Community Supported Agriculture enterprise.We walked through the fields where their first crops we're growing and being harvested. Since this is early spring there was lot's of lettuce varieties as well as other leafy greens. Onions we're planted as well as garlic. Inside a hoop house built over the soil we're young seedlings of heirloom tomatoes, many of which will be planted in the hoop house so as to provide an earlier crop.

A wood fired oven has been built to bake bread that will be made out of heirloom wheat being grown on the farm.  This is interesting  in light of renewed interest in heirloom wheat. Some people feel it may be an answer for our current problems with obesity and diabetes, which we talked about last year. They have planted the majority this year in Sonora Wheat. According to slowfoodusa.org Sonoma Wheat"comprised the majority of production by 1880 in California’s Central Valley, where 2,550,000 acres of wheat were grown, the largest wheat enterprise in history at that time...Since the 1950's "it has not been used in commercial production anywhere on the continent."

The last couple of days we have driven past the farm where we could see smoke rising from the oven as it's being "cured" in preparation for it's first loaves, this fall.  It will be fun to try the bread baked from this grain, and grown just down the road from us. I would like to see this type of enterprise replicated in other communities, both urban and rural. While there is like no doubt the commercial mega farms are not going away, the rise of these smaller farms producing organic food closer to the market should be a growing trend. Even more exciting is to find younger people like Jaclyn and Ryan who are willing to make the commitment to try this new enterprise. It's from these efforts that we will carve out a new way forward in growing our safe food supply.

Lose what doesn't work

What could you give up and not miss? Is there stuff or an attitude that could be dropped for something better? We have been doing this not only at home, but throughout our business. In the past garden centers we're the places you went for all things related to gardening. Now you can pick up some vegetable starts while shopping at Trader Joe's, pick up trees at Costco, and finish off with fertilizer bought online. Who needs a one stop garden center?

Lot's of garden shops have categories or departments that are relics from the past. Perhaps its that that  tool department that always needs dusting, or rose department that always needs pesticide applications? Don't even get me started on that gift department. Some stores do well with their gift department, and others do well with tools, but they might not be for you.

I find it useful to also ask regularly what department, item, or attitude could be discarded to the benefit of the company, and ourselves. We recently went paperless, and it's only made things easier. When we get invoices, business cards, or other papers we need to save they are scanned and stored digitally in "the cloud." I still have the information we need, but without the paper filling up filling cabinets and space. Gifts are another area that never worked for us, so we have no gift department! I don't miss dusting them at all.

It's harder for those of us that have been in the trade for awhile to discard what in the past was a given at a garden store.  What department, method, or attitude could you discard right now without hurting business? Better yet what could you discard and improve business? We added a hydroponic/ indoor garden department since it was a needed in our particular region of northern California. The customers have responded, and we live to do business another day! It took the place of an indoor area that in the past would have been used for gift items. Now we don't have to dust as often.

Ignore the trends and do what you love

As the pace of change increases it often becomes difficult to "keep up". So much has changed in the gardening businesses that even veterans of the trade are having a hard time adjusting. I believe the key is to enjoy what you do right now. That's really the only way to stay sane in today's world. Milton Glaser is a 83 year old graphic designer most famous for the "I (Heart) NY" logo. Two things stood out for me in this article at coolhunting.com.  The first is about not following the trends.  He say's, "I don't follow any designers, it's not my character. I mean there are a lot of young, good practitioners. I actually should be more conscious of what's going on in the field but I've never used the field as my resource, I use history—and an awful lot of history I still don't understand".

The second concerns loving what you do, and ignoring the pace of change. "If you spend your life doing what you love, the speed at which the world goes on and changes around you is irrelevant."

Great advice. Ignore trends, and do what you love.

Garden Centers are dead. Long live the garden center!

The picture shows the "garden center" at our local Whole Foods. They have had the metal racks with the plants on them in years past. They have sold soil amendments, too. This year was the first time they decided to put their banner up proclaiming the front of the store a "garden center".

It's come to the point where anyone selling a few plants or soil amendments can call themselves a garden center. As the younger generations and new gardeners start to experience their first "garden center" the idea of  independent garden centers will diminish. Who needs a real garden center when they can buy the organic, locally produced vegetable starts at the grocery store (garden center).

This trend is here to stay. It means the number of independent garden centers will continue to decrease as businesses attach small garden outlets to their stores, and call them garden centers. The memory of what garden centers were will soon fade, as more and more of us buy our garden supplies at Whole Foods, Costco, The Farmers Market, Home Depot, Trader Joe's, The Hardware Store, The Hydroponic Store, online, etc.

Yes, there is still room for indie garden centers, but their numbers will be much decreased. The new era of garden retailing is here to stay. Where do you and your business fit in?

Build your business by building your community

What’s the most valuable asset a garden store possess? The land it sits on? It employees? The merchandise or plants? It’s resale value? I contend the most valuable asset is the garden centers ability to generate and nurture its own enthusiastic customer base. As the cost of producing plants drops, and the quality continues to rise you will find excellent plants even at the mass merchants. Quality will no longer be the exclusive domain of independent garden shops. More and more we find good quality plants available at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, the box stores, Costco, Ikea, and any number of other outlets not traditionally associated with gardening.

A persons initial interest in gardening may be sparked by any number of reasons, but we can no longer expect the interested gardener to shop at a independent garden center or IGC. They are just as likely to pick up their plants at Costco, at a price that can’t be beat. We no longer depend on the natural and societal pressures that compelled many to garden in the past. What we need to do  is to help create a whole new generation of enthusiastic gardeners. This can be accomplished by the smallest garden shop utilizing the power of social media. The ability to communicate with a large number of people “levels the playing field” between the large concerns and the smallest ones.

Once we have helped the new, now enthusiastic gardeners, we will have to nurture them. They won't just show up at the door next year if we don't give them a compelling reason to "keep it up" and reap the benefits. To many other fun or necessary things to do in life to occupy their time. We need to build our own communities of enthusiastic gardeners, and then give them the tools (social media perhaps) to help spread the word.

The Petaluma Seed Bank (which only sells hybrid seeds, no plants) is a great example. What the Petaluma Seed Bank and their owners Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds have done is tap into the zeitgeist of the times. They create their own buzz via their catalog, online presence, and events to keep the gardeners interested. They have both brick & mortar as well as online sales. They are political (anti GMO), and donate time and money to their (and their customers) causes. They grow their own food on their own land (they walk the talk), and then discuss the results and possibilities with their customers. They have created a community of enthusiastic customers who share their love of the business.

We don't just sell plants and fertilizer anymore. We will have to create,organize, and nurture communities of like minded people who share a common goal, or interest. In our case that revolves around horticulture in general, but could also go off in a hundred different niches. Find your niche, and become the best in that world.

The Future of Horticulture

I was asked if their was much of a future in horticulture. They we're interested in whether to pursue it as a career. This is what I wrote back.

The future of horticulture is the future of man. They cannot be separated and as such horticulture will become even more important to our lives in the future. The future for the horticultural sciences has never been brighter. Like many subjects the field is changing rapidly and what worked in the past sometimes does not work in the present. Many of the traditional connections that people made with horticulture are changing. To be successful as an entrepreneur of the horticultural field requires the ability to change quickly as your market changes. No longer is their a set path for anyone to follow.

A whole new generation of gardeners needs education, the tools, and the inspiration to take us further into the 21^st century. The possibilities for producing food closer to those who need it, as well as food safety  will open whole new areas for urban horticulture, hydroponics, pomology, herbology, etc. As more people discover the benefits of plants new ways to utilize them will need to be developed. Miniature gardening, vertical gardening, water gardening, locally supplied flower gardening, and more.

I have never been more optimistic in the power of horticulture to change the world for the better. Many of the traditional players in horticulture are disappearing, only to be filled by new players with different methods.

Horticultural jobs, where are they?

When it comes to social media platforms, Linkedin seems the odd one out. Compared to Facebook, Twitter, and even Google+, Linkedin seems little mentioned in the press. So it was a surprise when I read an article titled, "LinkedIn's 4Q gets rave reviews from investors" in SF Gate.  According to the article, "the latest quarter was highlighted by an influx of 15 million accounts to propel LinkedIn's total membership beyond 200 million. Visitors to LinkedIn's website also viewed 67 percent more pages than the previous year, an indication that the company's efforts to add more business news and career tips from top business executives are paying off." I started to notice an increase in new membership last year at our Linkedin Group, "Garden Centers, Nurseries, and New Media". We now stand at almost 5500 members from all over the world. What interested me is watching the membership grow when large horticultural concerns close down or downsize. You hear that so-and-so company is closing down, and suddenly new members join from that company, likely putting their feelers out for work. Linkedin has job boards where you can look for work, or post for workers.

The horticultural fields are changing rapidly and job disruption is becoming more common. If you want to get into, or stay in the horticultural trades where can you go and see what's available in the field?  Do you have a job opening you would like to promote to forward thinking people? Join our group and post it here. 

After 50 years, Yerba Buena Nursery has moved.

After over 50 years at their location on Skyline Blvd., Yerba Buena Nursery is moving! The California native plant nursery is headed to new digs in Half Moon Bay along Hwy. 92, near Pastorino Farms. Anyone who has visited their Skyline location can attest to it's beauty, yet it is a bit out of the way. Only people looking for the place would likely have ended up there. With this new location on a heavily traveled road they will have a chance to draw in more casual visitors.

I have only been to Yerba Buena Nursery a couple of times. It's been quite a awhile since I can remember being waited on by the founder, Gerda Isenberg. Gerda was a pioneer in the California native plant world.  I was working at Christensen's Nursery in Belmont, just over the hill from Yerba Buena. We took the drive up Skyline Blvd. searching for the nursery, as it was at the time the only native plant nursery around. This must have been the early 80's, and I can remember driving down a long dirt road to a nursery carved out of the surrounding redwoods. Gerda was there doing nursery stuff, and tea was being served. It seemed like a magical place.

Even though the Skyline location was where it all started and has the memories, it will be easier to visit the new location. It's also nice to see Half Moon Bay continue it's reputation as a nursery town.  We will make a point to visit the next time we're headed coast side.

St. Brighid's Day

St. Brighid is one of Ireland's patron saints, and today she is celebrated.This day also signify's in Gaelic, the beginning of spring. It's one of those ancient celebrations that can trace it's roots back into Pagan days. Interestingly, it may be a forerunner of our Groundhog Day. In the old tradition people would watch for serpents or badgers leaving their winter dens. A Scottish-Gaelic poem about the day,

Thig an nathair as an toll Là donn Brìde,Ged robh trì troighean dhen t-sneachd Air leac an làir. "The serpent will come from the hole On the brown Day of Bríde,                                                                               Though there should be three feet of snow                                                                             On the flat surface of the ground."

I had never heard of St. Brighid's day. A nurseryman in Ireland commented on my picture of Snowdrops blooming at the nursery. He said his too we're in bloom, and mentioned the celebration. I like it as it  connects me with a time long ago. It marks the changing seasons with celebrations based on the light in the sky, and not on whether it could be moved to a Monday so as to avail ourselves of a three day holiday. St Brighid's day always falls on the 1'st of February.

It does seem to be getting a little brighter at 5 pm.

LA creates first "public orchard"

Los Angeles has created a public park complete with public orchard. According to a LA Times article county officials, " hope the 'edible art' will encourage more locals to spend time there." Apparently it's the states first public orchard with residents planting "27 fruit trees and eight grapevines in Del Aire Park and 60 additional fruit trees in the surrounding neighborhood."

Three artists calling themselves, "Fallen Fruit" designed the orchard. David Burns, one of the artists said, " This is about creating something that is abundant that has no ownership." The Times say's, "for now, a wooden sign overlooking the trees describes their purpose: 'The fruit trees in this park belong to the public,' it says. 'They're for everyone, including you. Please take care of the fruit trees and when the fruit is ripe, taste it and share it with others.'" They planted "plums, pomegranates, limes, avocados and apricots." One of the residents across the street said, "he loves having fruit trees across from his home."

I am not sure how this is going to work. Will the county or residents maintain these trees? Who will be allowed to harvest the fruit? How much fruit can one community member take? The statement that, "this is about creating something that is abundant that has no ownership," concerns me. When no one "owns" the plot, who will feel the need to maintain it? If one neighbor ends up doing most of the maintenance how will they feel when others swoop in to take limes for their mojito's?" How much fruit is enough for one person to take?

Considering the number of fruit trees in the LA area that already bear fruit on property, and then is left to rot on the ground, I don't hold out much hope for this. Community gardens and farmers markets make it because people feel ownership, whether it's a small allotment or selling the fruit at market. This project has the county to fall back on, so their is no sense of ownership or pride in keeping it up. I hope it works, but I am afraid this has the makings of a "temporary art project".

Fallen Fruit has some interesting ideas however, one of which is "Public Fruit Maps".  According to their website, one of their "core projects is to map neighborhoods to which we are invited, mapping all the fruit trees that grow in or over public space.  The maps are hand-drawn and distributed free from copyright as jpgs and PDFs." This is a great idea, and one which may have more potential than the "public fruit park". They have also created a project titled, "Fruit Tree Adoptions". According to Fallen Fruit they "distribute free bare-root fruit trees in a variety of urban settings.  We encourage the planting of these trees in either public space or on the periphery of private property, in order to create new kinds of communal life based on generosity and sharing.  Each recipient signs an adoption form promising to care for the tree — initiating a relationship with it." I like the adoption form which provides that sense of "ownership", which may encourage the person signing up to adopt the trees to maintain them.

The chapparral comes to life

Where I live the passing of the  solstice and the arrival of winter rains brings the chaparral to life. Walking through the chapparral one can hear the sound of bees, busy at work on the manzanita flowers.

Chaparral occurs in a very small area of the world. Only about 5% of the state of California has chaparral. Chaparral is a Spanish word derived from chaparro, meaning a "small" or "dwarf" oak. The area is known for it's lack of rain during the summer and early fall. Often 6 to eight months will pass without a drop of rain. When winter arrives it can rain 45 inches in just a few months. With the rains, plants that have been dormant during the long dry summer come to life.

Manzanita can be roughly translated from Spanish as to mean "little apple" for the berries that develop in summer from the small bell shaped flowers. The flowers  appear early winter, like the one pictured above at the UC Botanical Gardens at Berkeley.

Today the sun is shinning and the ground freshly rained on. A perfect day for a walk.

Merry Christmas,  from deep within the chaparral.

Fungus threatens both ash trees and British nurseries.

According to The Guardian, "A fungus that has already affected 90% of ash trees in Denmark over the past seven years has now been detected in a handful of locations in the UK. If our government does not act urgently, warns the Woodland Trust, all Britain's estimated 80m ash trees could be lost to the fungal disease known as "ash dieback".  The Guardian say's, "Nurseries infected with the deadly fungus set to wipe out Britain's 80m ash trees have been removed from the official map of the outbreak the Guardian can reveal, after nursery owners complained that being identified might hurt their business."

While some nurseries are happy to be removed from the map others like "Judy Davey, who runs the Perrie Hale Forest Nursery near Honiton in Devon  said she had publicized the fact that an infected ash plant, bought from another UK nursery, had been discovered.  We decided to take the bull by the horns...we wanted people to know we were controlling this disease. Davey, whose nursery is in its third generation of family ownership, said the overall impact on the business "'has not been as bad as we feared'".

There is no cure for the disease.

"May the mysteries of Midwinter darkness be be illuminated by the fire of your dreams"

While checking out Facebook updates today one from Brian Bates arrived. Wikipedia say's, Brian "is best known as the author of best-selling books on the shamanic wisdom of Anglo-Saxon England, and for his award-winning course at Sussex on "'Shamanic Consciousness'".

My connection to Brian is horticultural, as we both worked at Christensen's nursery in The Bay Area. While we worked there at different times,  our shared experience brought us together online some 30+ years later.

Today's update is , "May the mysteries of Midwinter darkness be be illuminated by the fire of your dreams", accompanied by the above photo. The photo and quote are perfect for what is turning into a rainy, stormy day here in The Sierra Nevada.

Enjoy.