January

January 21, 2009

With renewed hope and optimism, we wish all of you the best in 2009!

We are ready to start into this next phase, despite the difficulties, and we look forward to visiting with you and all our customers after our winter break. Thank you all so much for another interesting and engaged year at the store.

And on that note, one of the things that holds ultimate potential and promise: The Seed. We've expanded our seed selection this year. We are carrying both Botanical Interests, our stand-by, family owned, beautifully illustrated seed packs, and Seed Savers, with a larger selection of edibles and heirlooms. As always, we'll carry everything else you need for indoor seed starting.

See the seminar list below for seed starting and other great (and free) learning opportunites. The other new winter product we've picked up is an eco-friendly ice melt, called Pro-Melt. The product is coated with a byproduct of sugar beets. According to it's producer, Scott Secor from Cedar Rapids, IA: Unlike traditional rock salt, he says this solution works in -10 degrees weather and you can use 30-percent less to get even better results. "It's substantially less abrasive on concrete and blacktop. It elminates that freeze-thaw cycle that breaks up the concrete," Secor said. The City of Cedar Rapids and UNI have used it. Interest is growing, he says, because it's environmentally friendly, less run-off and safe for pets. "It's friendly. They're not going to be burning their feet like the other chlorides out there," Secor said.

Other than all that excitement, the store is in transition as it always is this time of year, but stop in and browse some seeds and houseplants, or pick up some firewood. We're looking forward to it. Here are the hours and seminar schedule:

Hours: Mon./Tues. closed, Wed. thru Sat. 10-5, Sun. 12-4.

SPRING 2009 SEMINAR SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, FREE OF CHARGE! All classes begin at 7pm.

EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE, WHICH IS ON A THURSDAY EVENING:
February 12: Caring For Your Houseplants.
To transplant or not to transplant, that is one of the questions. How to keep your houseplants healthy with proper soil, water and natural pest control, as described by our own Mary Jane Lavin.

February 18th: Get Your Seeds Out 2009!
We are planning to do a multi-season food production series in the future, and we envision Elizabeth Wheeler’s Indoor Seed Starting seminar as step one. She will cover all types of seeds in this class and show you how to be successful starting indoors in our cold climate.

Feburary 25th: Urban Vegetable Gardening.
An excessively popular class last year, we’ve decided to offer one class in February and one in March this year. All the basics for successful organic veggie gardening in the limited space of a small city lot, along with the stylings of Carrie Christensen.

March 4th: Urban Raingardening and Rainwater Harvesting.
Tory Christensen will introduce the topic of urban raingardens and rainwater harvesting on a residential scale. The first half of the class will highlight the environmental importance of reducing stormwater runoff. The second half will showcase local examples of successful projects in the Twin City Metro and provide inspiration for designing your own rain garden or harvesting system.

March 11: City Chickens!
LIVE POULTRY WILL BE PRESENT! Peat Willcutt and Rocky Gordon will walk you through successfully applying for a permit, "Eggcellent" egg recipes, housing, feeding, caring for and keeping poultry in the garden. Come and learn how chickens and other poultry can be both easy to care for and greatly enhance your garden and life!

March 18: Urban Vegetable Gardening.
Your second chance to get in. See above.

March 25th: Using Permaculture to Create Productive and Abundant Landscapes.
How do we design landscapes to mitigate the impacts of climate change?  How can we create beautiful, productive and abundant landscapes in these challenging conditions? Permaculture offers a set of design principles and tools to do just that. Paula Westmoreland of Ecological Gardens will discuss the ways you can apply them to build natural wealth in your own backyard.

April 1st: Made in the Shade: The Many Options for Gardening with Shade Loving Plants.
All we usually need to say is Russ Henry of the Seward Coop gardens will be the instructor, but beyond that, we sure live with a lot of shade in the city, and there are lovely and surprising options for filling your shady spots.

April 8th: Natural Lawn Care and the Use of Corn Gluten Meal.
Another popular class from last year, it is led by Brian Tjiaden, a natural lawn expert and our corn gluten distributor. He will explain how this all natural, non-toxic pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer works, and how to work with it.

On weekends in March, we are planning on three workshop format classes: Creating Your Own Herbal Tinctures, Home Ecology: Cleaning and DeToxifying Your Home Environment, and Butterfly Gardening for Families. News on those in the next letter.

See you there.

Karen, Paige and All of Us at the Store.