Cabin Fever Gardening Conference 2018 – Don’t Miss it!
If you’ve been looking at my events calendar lately, you’ve probably noticed there are all sorts of wonderful garden-related activities coming up in the next few months. One of the best is Cabin Fever, a daylong educational event put on by the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County. Here’s how it works:
You get to choose 4 classes out of 12 offerings on awesome, relevant topics (see below). There will be a box lunch and the opportunity to win all sorts of cool door prizes. All of this for the price of admission, which is $75. Cabin Fever takes place on Saturday, March 24 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Why am I writing about this so early? Cabin Fever is a very popular event that sells out quickly and I don’t want you to miss out!
Take a look at the topics:
Morning Session I: (choose one)
Pesticides: The Label is the Law, with Aaron Brown. Learn what to do about the pests in your garden from Aaron Brown of the Pesticide Division of the WSDA. Learn why it’s so critical to follow the insturctions on each pesticide label and what you can do to solve your insect problems before first reaching for the chemicals.
Roses, Roses, Roses, with Carol Newcomb. As owner of Northland Rosarium, Carol Newcomb is well qualified to help each of us learn how to care and provide for roses so that we can enjoy their long summer bloom cycle and beauty. From spring care to winterizing our roses and everything in between, she’ll help us learn the best tips and tricks.
Adaptive Gardening, with Cathi Lamoreux. Intangible benefits of gardening continue as we age. Our interaction with the natural world, and the ability to get outside remain, and sometimes become even more important, as we continue to tend our gardens. Adapting our spaces, tools and techniques can keep us ahead of changing dynamics within our bodies and our gardens. Change is nature’s way of adapting and we need to be as attentive and smart about it as Mother Nature in order to keep doing what we love.
Morning Session II: (choose one)
Transcending Rules: Pruning from Knowledge and Observation, with Kelly Chadwick. Pruning requires scientific knowledge of trees and an artistic sense of the space where the tree will grow. Learn all the basic rules and when to break them from Kelly Chadwick, owner of Spirit Pruners in Spokane.
Dead Trees and Living Shrubs: Key Habitat Elements for Gardeners, with Ken Bevis. As a forest wildlife biologist, Ken Bevis will talk about the value and acceptance of dead snags and downed trees in a healthy ecosystem and our landscaping.
Native Pollinators: Beyond the Honeybee, with Pat Munts. Honey bees aren’t the only insects out there doing pollination. Come learn how to identify and then provide food, water and shelter to support our native pollinating bees and insects. Some of them are even more efficient at the job than honey bees. (Pat writes the garden columns for the Thursday “Voice” section of The Spokesman-Review.)
Afternoon Session III: (choose one)
Gardeners Making a Difference, with Barbara Safranek. Gardeners are uniquely positioned to develop a constructive conversation with nature, to create the grassroots for a cultural shift in caring for the environment, and to model how good garden design can promote sustainability. How does life in the garden foster knowledge of and connection to the world around us? How can the gardener’s tradition of generosity build a healthier human community and a healthier planet?
Using Your Pine Needles, with Ryan Herring. Pine trees and their needles are acidic so when can the needles be used as a garden mulch? Learn from Master Gardener and Master Composter Ryan Herring on how to use this mulching material and what the results from the spring 2017 research project taught all of us.
Beyond Organic, with Kathy Callum. A new food label is coming and it goes beyond Certified Organic. Learn from Master Gardener, Master Composter and Community Garden Coordinator Kathy Callum what the new label of “Regenerative Organic Certified” requires and why it is important here in the Northwest and across the globe.
Afternoon Session IV: (choose one)
Importance of Soil Biology, Tanio Biologicals. Tanio Biological is dedicated to producing natural sustainable solutions for healthy soil and crops. Find out how they can help us to augment microbial activity to improve soil and plant health.
Native Plants, with Robin O. Quinn. The term “native plants” refers to plants naturally occurring in the landscape without human introduction. Not only can natives be beautiful but there are many benefits to choosing them for your home landscape. Learn from botanist and Eastern Washington professor Robin O. Quinn about reasons for growing natives and get the list of her favorites for this area.
All About Lavender, with Maggie Smith. Learn all about luscious lavender from Maggie Smith, owner of Fleur de Provence Lavender Farm in Greenbluff. Did you know many varieties of lavender can be grown in our zone? Some are white, some pink, and many are blue to light lavender but all are fantastically fragrant. And if you need one more reason to plant lavender, just know that the bees love these lavender beauties.
Now that you’ve seen the great topics offered, here’s how to get your tickets: You can either purchase them online through Brown Paper Tickets, or call them directly 24/7 at (800) 838-3006 to place your order.