The Providential Gardener

Dealing with Those Pesky Pests on Fruit Trees

Do you have an apple tree or other fruit tree in your yard? For those of us who are interested in growing apples and other orchard fruit, we missed some very interesting meetings in the last three months. So make note of this: each year in April, May, and early June the Rhode Island Apple IPM (Integrated Pest Management) has a series of "Twilight Meetings" held in selected orchards. Members tour the orchards and learn about how to manage fruit crops with a minimum or no pesticides. Anyone can join the RI Fruit Growers Association (send email for details on joining). It is a fabulous learning experience for anyone interested in growing apples and other fruit. URI sponsors the RI Apple IPM, which tracks the damage pests cause on fruit tree crops. Reports are issued every two weeks. See, for instance, today's (June 13) Recorded Pest Message in Print, which reports on current problems with plums and peaches, as well as apples and what to do about the pests and diseases. If you were looking at your peach tree this morning and wondered if you would have any decent fruit this year, this is a great source of information. Thanks to Allan Hill of Hill Orchard for bringing this website to the attention of the Providential Gardener. Our local fruit growers are trying to grow more and more fruit without use of pesticides. The RI Apple IPM is helping them move in that direction.

Rain Gardens

The [Chesapeake] Bay Weekly published a great article in 2002 about the benefits of rain gardens and how to create them. Even in droughts homes with rain gardens don't need to water. They clean the pollutants out of the water - the earth is a natural filter. The details are a little less rigid than the URI recommendations, but these gardens apparently work as well. Rain gardens are sprouting up all over the U.S. A Google search will probably turn up a lot more information.

Rain Gardens

Now that Providential Gardeners have endured the downpours of last October and the past week that flooded basements and yards and turned streets into rivers, it's time to consider rain gardens. A demonstration rain garden has been installed at North Kingstown Town Hall, and probably many of us wish we had such a garden. Rain gardens are at least 10 feet from a building's foundation and collect the rainwater that hits the roof, holding it for up to six hours so the water goes back into the earth, replenishing ground water rather than running into the street to the rivers and eventually the bay. URI's Healthy Landscapes website has everything we'd need to know about rain gardens. They can be very pleasing, interesting landscape features. Check it out!

Farm Fresh RI - Louella Hill

For a great article on the founding and organization of Farm Fresh Rhode Island and its founder, Louella Hill, see ProJo, September 23, 2005: Farm Fresh Rhode Island Connects Farmers and Chefs ~ But director Louella Hill wants to do more. "I'm trying to develop the connection from farmers to individuals; from farmers to businesses; from farmers to institutions."

Check ProJo Lifebeat on Thursdays

The Thursday Lifebeat section of the Providence Journal has a list of the current week's house and garden events.

Read ProJo Home & Garden Calendar Sundays

The ProJo does not seem to have a link to the most recent calendar, which appears in the J  (Home/Lifebeat) Section of the Sunday edition each week. The May 18 calendar is available on the web, though, and it has some of the following events listed. Here are some highlights from the ProJo June 4, 2006 Home & Garden Calendar:

Backyard Habitat Workshop. Audubon Society of RI Environmental Education Center, Bristol. Sunday, June 11, 10 am - noon. Call 949-5454, ext. 3041. Advance Registration. [Listed on Audubon Society EEC Events page.]

Gardening and Landscaping for Wildlife. Audubon Society. Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, Smithfield. Call 949-5454, ext. 3041. Fri, June 9, 7 - 8:30 pm. Advance Registration.

Briggs-Boesch Farm Garden Program: Introduction to Farming and Gardening, 830 South Rd., East Greenwich. Sunday, June 11. Call 884-5118 for info.

Garden Marketplace and Expo, Hyatt Regency, Goat Island, Newport. 874-2929. At the 2006 Master Gardener Conference - plant sale, ask a master gardener, etc.

Gentian Garden Club's Beauty All Around Us: A North Country Garden Tour. Saturday, June 10, 9 am - 5 pm, North Scituate Community House, Route 116. 934-1899.

Guided Walking Tour, CCRI's Knight Estate, 486 East Ave, Warwick, 333-7150. www.ccri.edu. Every Wed noon to 4 pm through June 28.

Lecture/Booksigning: Gardening in Ethnic America. Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, 396 County St., New Bedford, MA. 508-997-1401. Thursday, June 8, 7 pm.

Habitat Landscaping, Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, Route 114, Bristol. Sat 10 a.m. - 2:30 pm. 508-877-7630 or email registrar@newfs.org.

I left out a lot of other events listed in the ProJo Home & Garden Calendar, but I've added a lot of links to make it easier to find even more info. ~ ProJo is a good source of info for Providential Gardeners!

Keep Informed on the Providential Growing Community ~ Introduction

There are many ways to keep up on "Growing Community" news of interest to Providential Gardeners. This category will point to sources for info on meetings, workshops, classes, exhibitions, lectures, booksignings, markets, garden tours, etc., in and around Providence, RI. Of course, the whole Weblog itself is a source of this news, but the Providential Gardener cannot list everything here ~ this Weblog links you to many other sources of news you can check out for yourself. When you find groups that sponsor events you like, make a habit of checking them out regularly, too!

My main news sources are listed on the right side of the Weblog page, under Events, Meetings. As I discover more useful sources, I'll add them. There is a lot to do out there! I'm sure you'll find something that interests you if you love trees and gardens ~ of if you just love to eat!

Fresh Greens in an Old City: The Changing Face of Urban Agriculture

Place, Taste, and Sustenance: The Social Spaces of Food and Agriculture
June 7–11, 2006 at Boston University. A Joint conference of The Association for the Study of Food and Society and The Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society. For the conference schedule see http://www.bu.edu/lifelong/conference/schedule.pdf.

A Rhode Island segment of this conference is:

Fresh Greens in an Old City: The Changing Face of Urban Agriculture
Sunday, June 11, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. • $50 (includes lunch)
Join Louella Hill, Director of Farm Fresh Rhode Island, an organization that connects farmers with chefs on a fascinating tour of “farm to table” in Rhode Island. Along the way, you will visit Dutra Dairy Farm, Hmong Incubator Farmers, the A.T. Siravo Produce Warehouse, and the historical Governor Dyer Cooperative Market. While visiting, we will discuss shifting methods of production, small-farm viability, marketing techniques and agricultural land trusts. Lunch will consist of a local menu, at Agora Restaurant.

For more information, call 617-353-9852.

Join the Crowd, Donate a Tree!

Elm trees are growing again in Providence’s North Burial Ground thanks to Forest Hills Nurseries of Cranston. 

About 30 young elm seedlings of the cultivar, Discovery Elm (Ulmus davidiana Japonica), which is resistant to Dutch elm disease, were offered to North Burial Ground when a Providence resident bought a copper beech from Forest Hills Nurseries to donate to North Burial Ground in May of 2005.

The donated beech tree was planted in May 2005 within the North Burial Ground fence, across from the Armory of Mounted Commands on North Main Street in Providence. The European copper beech tree is expected to have a height some day of more than 80 feet, and a spread of 50 to 70 feet. Today, the beech tree is thriving and on its way to the heights.

The elms donated by Forest Hills Nurseries will be graceful and prominent additions to the North Burial Ground. Over the years, many trees have died and were not replaced. Many of the existing trees at North Burial Ground are in poor condition.

In 2004, several tree stewards from the Rhode Island Tree Council inventoried every tree at the burial ground, identifying the species and describing the size and general health of the trees. The inventory is the basis for a master plan for North Burial Ground. Bradford Associates, landscape architects in Providence, is developing the master plan for the city-owned burial ground.

Tree stewards have also established a tree nursery for future plantings throughout the Burial Ground.

Anyone interested in donating trees for public spaces in Rhode Island may call the Rhode Island Tree Council for location suggestions. 401-861-1995 or RITree@RITree.org.

2006 Farmers’ Market Season kicks off Saturday, Hope High School Farmers’ Market

   Hope High School Farmers’ Market Opens Saturday, June 10^th, 9:30 to 12:30 p.m.

   Farmers’ markets are a great way to bring freshness to the heart of Providence.  This year the Downcity / Farm Fresh RI Market Season kicks-off on Saturday, June 10^th, at the Hope High School Farmers’ Market.  All farmers from last year will be present: Hill Orchards-Johnston, Arcadian Fields--Hope Valley, Woodstock Farms—CT, Wishing Stone Farm- Little Compton, City Farm- Providence, Bettencourt Farm- Warren, Cook Valley Farm—Wrentham and Friendly Farms- Cumberland.  Also present will be Marcia’s Chutneys and Handspun Wool. 

   The Hope St. Market will feature foods produced in the Rhode Island region such as fragrant herbs, heirloom tomatoes, crusty breads, farm fresh vegetables, tender baby greens, sun-ripened berries and zangy apple cider.   Join us throughout the season: from strawberries in June to sugar pumpkins in late October.  The Hope Street Market is a community event—and will feature local performers, chefs, artists and flavors.  Stop by and show your support for local agriculture and really fresh food!

   For info on all Providence Area farmers’ markets, visit: www.farmfreshri.org.  By late August, there is a farmers’ market everyday of the week! Don’t miss out!

Submitted by Louella Hill, Farm Fresh RI, Market Manager, Phone: 401-301-7690