Most of us think of spring as planting season. Ask anyone who has spent years working with plants in Santa Cruz County, though, and you’ll hear a different answer: fall is when the real work gets done. Plant in fall and the soil is still warm from summer, so roots keep growing. The rains do your watering.
On Wednesday, September 30, the Felton Library Friends are hosting a free presentation on exactly this, and there’s still time to act on what you learn.
Volunteer presenter Jean “Jet” Van Ausdall will walk through what to put in the ground this season, including cool-season vegetables, ornamental and fruit trees, perennials, and California natives. Jet has worked at Scarborough Gardens in Scotts Valley for more than 18 years and has taught a number of gardening classes in and around San Lorenzo Valley, so she knows what actually works in our soil, our fog, and our rainfall patterns. That local specificity is hard to get from a book or a video.
A Q&A follows the presentation. Bring your questions, including the ones you’ve been meaning to ask someone for a while. What to do about the bed that never quite worked. Whether it’s too late for garlic. Which natives will survive on the shady side of the house.
This is a Community-Led Learning program, part of an ongoing partnership between the Felton Library Friends and the Felton Branch Library in which local volunteers share their expertise with their neighbors. It’s free, and no need to register.
Afterward, take a walk through Felton Discovery Park just outside the library doors. It’s planted entirely with California natives. And if the talk leaves you eager to get started, the Friends’ Seed Library is worth a look while you’re in the building.
Benefits of Fall Planting Wednesday, September 30, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Felton Branch Library, Community Room 6121 Gushee Street, Felton, CA 95018
Free and open to the public
Sponsored by Felton Library Friends
More about Felton Library Friends: https://www.friendsofsantacruzlibraries.org/felton/
