March 17 Column: Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium

Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium, rose, Graham Thomas
Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium, bee on daisy

After the lengthy winter we’ve been experiencing, we Spokane-area gardeners can celebrate the arrival of spring by attending this year’s Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium. That is the subject of this week’s garden column, which you can read below.

Column: Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium offers gardeners a chance to dig into learning

After enduring a winter that began innocently enough but has been pretty harsh in the last several weeks, we gardeners deserve a break. We also need a little inspiration and education so we can make the most of this year’s garden season.

What better way to accomplish that than by attending the 10th annual Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium?

This event, a fundraiser for the Spokane County Master Gardener program, will take place on Saturday, March 30, at CenterPlace in Spokane Valley. Those attending can choose from a lineup of interesting and helpful classes geared specifically for gardeners in the Inland Northwest. Lunch is included as well.

Class offerings:

“Create Your Dream Garden with Roses and More!” _ Carol Newcomb, owner of Northland Rosarium, will share photos of beautiful rose gardens from around the world. She’s also discuss how to incorporate roses and their complementary plants into a garden.

“The Dirt on Good Soil” _ Master Gardener and Master Composter/Recycler Laren Sunde will explain how to improve your soil to keep it healthy and productive.

“Applying Permaculture to Your Landscape” _ Beth Mort, owner of Zinnia Designs and Snapdragon Flower Farm, will teach the basics of permaculture to help you apply the concepts to your own landscape.

“Plants for Pollinators” _ Spokesman-Review columnist and Master Gardener Pat Munts will discuss how to select plants that are appropriate for our region. Learn where to plant them in order to attract pollinators to the garden.

“Neighborly Wildlife” _ Ken Bevis, a forest stewardship biologist, will take a fun approach to living in harmony with the wildlife in and around our gardens.

“Vertical Vegetable Gardening” _ Master Gardener Marilyn Lloyd will share tips on a method that provides vegetables with more sunlight while making it easier to water and harvest them.

“Rabbits and Rodents and Deer, Oh My!” _ Master Gardener Mark Stiltz discusses what he has learned about living peacefully with the critters that have a penchant for nibbling on plants.

“Protecting Your Home and Landscape from the Next Wildfire” _ Guy Gifford, Fire Prevention and Firewise Coordinator with the Wash. Dept. of Natural Resources, will explain fire zones that surround a home. He’ll also suggest plants to choose or avoid when landscaping.

“Trees and Shrubs: Beyond Planting” _ Certified arborist Ben Kappen will share techniques for ensuring the success and longevity of the trees and shrubs in our landscapes.

“Vermiculture: Earthworms for Compost and Gardens” _ Jeff Wood, owner of Marle Worm Growers, will demystify what earthworms do for compost piles and gardens.

“Drought Tolerant Plants for the Home Landscape” _Diane Stutzman, owner of Desert Jewels Nursery, will share how to use drought-adapted native plants. The goal is to create a healthy and more sustainable landscape.

“Propagation: It’s Easier Than You Think!” _ Steven Nokes, Master Gardener and owner of six greenhouses,  will explain how to propagate plants.

In addition to the classes, there will be a raffle and door prizes. Vendors will be selling books, succulents, garden art, vermiculture supplies, jewelry and more.

If you go:

What: Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium

When: Saturday [Mar. 30] from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Where: CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley

Details: Attendees choose four educational sessions out of 12 offerings, event includes a boxed lunch.

Tickets: Go to mgfsc.org for online registration or call Brown Paper Tickets directly at (800) 838-3006 before the deadline of March 22. The tickets cost $65, or $60 for Master Gardener Foundation members.

This week’s video: Seed-starting part two

For my video this week, I had to once again shoot it indoors on an indoor topic. Fortunately, many of you came to the rescue when I asked for suggestions on my Facebook page. Thank you! I had multiple requests about what I’m growing this year, what we use our greenhouse for, and which seeds can be started now.

So here’s the resulting video:

In the video, I mentioned our capillary mat set-up in our little greenhouse. You can see the specifics of it in this blog post from a few years ago. I hope you found the video helpful and got a chuckle out of my goofy ending!

Let’s hope I can do my next video outdoors! Fortunately, we have quite a warm-up coming so I feel encouraged.