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The hungry insurgent
BY CHARLEY UNDERWOOD
As I write, snow and ice are still thick on the ground and it’s below freezing, but I am planning for the spring. I’m getting ready for maple syrup season. As daytime temperatures inch above freezing, the sap starts to flow. To get ready, I have contacted friends and neighbors with maple trees, bought my taps, checked my buckets. I am feeling a smug self-satisfaction at using an “untapped” urban resource.
But then I run into a wall. Despite the snow, Minneapolis is in a severe drought and trees are seriously stressed. To protect the trees, I need to put in fewer taps, and the sap won’t be as plentiful as expected. I have run into global climate change; from now on, we can expect the unexpected. We are likely to experience both long periods without rain, as well as occasional flash-flooding. We get both high water bills and flooded basements. So what can we do?
Well, sometimes we lower our expectations. With my maple project, I figure that I will have fewer taps on more trees, adding to the work. Or a gardener might plan on a certain amount of crop failure, buying more seeds and planting more.
Sooner or later, though, we have to use water more intelligently. Avoid watering in the full heat of the day, for example; watering in the cool of the morning delivers the most water to the plant and the least to the air. Watering the soil instead of watering the leaves is also better, because there is less evaporation and because it discourages plant diseases that thrive on wet leaves. Consider mulching around your plants, since nothing evaporates faster than bare ground. You can even collect “graywater” from your kitchen sink for your parched trees.
We can expect droughts and floods and more tornadoes and all kinds of crazy weather, all due to climate change. We can expect higher temperatures and sometimes much lower temperatures, since our weather patterns are in the midst of profound change. Some plants will grow where they didn’t grow before (I think of sweet zone-5 cherries here), and we can expect large die-offs of species that used to live here happily. All we can do is to pay attention to the changes and adapt the best we can. The good news is that we can do this as individuals; we don’t have to wait for some big government initiative to do this. Just water smarter, plant tough veggies, build in back-up systems in case things don’t go well. To paraphrase the Beatles: “We’ll get by with a little help from our friends.”
Last, there are two sales that you absolutely should not miss. The Food Resource Hubs have a truly wonderful deal, providing seeds and starter plants for the home or community gardener. You join at different levels, depending on the size of your garden, and for $10 to $50, you get the seeds and seedlings you need at an amazing price. Call 612-821-2358 or check them out at http://www.gardeningmatters.org/hubs. The Hubs also sponsor free classes and host community events. Also, don’t forget the amazing Gardening Matters Spring Resource Fair on the afternoon of March 9, details below.
The second opportunity is the Minneapolis Tree Sale, a great program the city holds through the Tree Trust (http://www.treetrust.org/). You sign up, buy a 6 to 8-foot tree at the subsidized price of $25, pick it up and plant it in your yard. Fruit trees offered this year are serviceberry (which grows well in fairly shady places) and Bali cherry. Sale starts on March 25, but you had better order as soon as you can, since that cherry tree sold out in 4 hours last year. (I am more than a little angry that they are cutting back on that program due to budget constraints, especially since we have so much money for stadiums.) Questions? Call Tree Trust at 952-767-3880.
I should mention that gardening classes are now in full swing. Check the calendar below. Neighborhood garden centers, like Mother Earth Gardens or Minnehaha Garden Center or Southside Farm, are staffed with folks to answer your questions. You can also call one of the Hennepin County Master Gardeners at 612-596-2118 or online at
http://www1.extension.umn.edu/master-gardener/ask/
Wednesday, March 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m. $15, RSVP required.
“Vegetable gardening,” Roosevelt High community education,
4029 28th Ave. S., Mpls. 612-668-4828 or online at
http://www.mplscommunityed.com/
Thursday, March 7, 6:30-8 p.m. $20.
“Learn to grow a straw bale garden,”
MN Hort Society classroom, 2705 Lincoln Dr., Roseville.
Register at 651-643-3601.
Saturday, March 9, 10:30-noon. Free but RSVP required.
“Small space veggie gardening,” Penn Lake Library,
8800 Penn Ave. S., Bloomington.
612-543-5800 or online at
http://www.hclib.org/pub/events/
Saturday, March 9, noon to 5 p.m. Free (or donation).
“Community Garden Spring Resource Fair,”
Metro State University,
700 E. 7th St., St. Paul. 612-821-2358 or
http://www.gardeningmatters.org/
Thursday, March 14, 6-7:30 p.m. Free but RSVP.
“Advanced Veggie Gardening,” East Lake Library, 2727 E. Lake St.
612-543-8425 or online at
http://www.hclib.org/pub/events/
Saturday, March 16, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Seed distribution to members of Southside Food Hub,
location to be determined.
Information at 612-821-2358 or
http://www.gardeningmatters.org/hubs
Saturday, March 16, 10:30-noon. Free but RSVP required.
“Community gardening,” Sumner Library,
611 Van White Mem. Blvd., Mpls.
612-543-6875 or
http://www.hclib.org/pub/events/
Monday, March 18, 7 p.m. Free but RSVP required.
“New plant introductions,”
Mother Earth Gardens at Riverview Wine Bar, 3745 42nd Ave. S.
info@motherearthgarden.com or
612-724-2296 or in person at store 3738 42nd Ave. S., Mpls.
Tuesday, March 19, 6-7:30 p.m.
Free but RSVP required. “Small space veggie gardening,
” Webber Park Library, 4310 Webber Pkwy., Mpls.
612-543-6750 or
http://www.hclib.org/pub/events/
Tuesday, March 19, 6:30-8 p.m. Free but RSVP required.
“Advanced veggie gardening,”
Nokomis Library, 5100 34th Ave. S., Mpls.
612-543-6800 or online at
http://www.hclib.org/pub/-events/
Tuesday, March 19, 6:30-8 p.m. $20.
“Container gardens: mixing veggies,
herbs and flowers,” MN Hort Society classroom,
2705 Lincoln Dr., Roseville.
Register at 651-643-3601
Saturday, March 23, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.,
Seed distribution at Phillips Hub,
Waite House, 2323 13th Ave. S., Mpls.
612-821-2358 or http://www.gardeningmatters.-org/hubs
Monday, March 25, 7 p.m. Free but RSVP required.
“Beautiful edible landscapes,” Mother Earth Gardens at
Riverview Wine Bar, 3745 42nd Ave. S.
info@motherearthgarden.com or 612-724-2296
or in person at store 3738 42nd Ave. S., Mpls.
Tuesday, March 26, 6:30-8 p.m. $20.
“Landscaping with drought tolerant plants,”
MN Hort Society classroom, 2705 Lincoln Dr.,
Roseville. Register at 651-643-3601
April 2, 16, 23, 30 & May 7 & 14
(6 classes), 6-8 p.m. $100.
“Beginning veggie gardening series,”
MN Hort Society classroom, 2705 Lincoln Dr.,
Roseville. Register at 651-643-3601
Thursday, April 4, 6-7:30 p.m. Free but RSVP required,
“Advanced veggie gardening,” Pierre Bottineau Library,
55 Broadway St. NE, Mpls. 612-543-6850 or
http://www.hclib.org/pub/events/
Monday, April 8, 6-7:30 p.m. Free but RSVP required.
“Backyard success with apples,” Rogers Library,
21300 John Milless Dr., Rogers.
612-543-6050 or http://www.hclib.org/pub/events/
Saturday, April 13, 1:30-3 p.m. Free but RSVP required.
“Advanced veggie gardening,” Washburn Library,
5244 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls.
612-543-8375 or online at
http://www.hclib.org-/pub/events/
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