In the Garden: Have cabin fever? Gardening symposium just might cure what ails you

Sat., Feb. 25, 2023

This year’s Cabin Fever Gardening Symposium, which begins on March 18, will feature talks on attracting pollinators, waterwise landscaping, climate change and other timely topics. (Susan Mulvihill)

By Susan Mulvihill For The Spokesman-Review

The beginning of a garden season is one of the best times to learn new horticultural skills. That way, we can implement and build upon all of the wonderful knowledge we’ve gained while it’s still fresh in our minds.

Gardeners will learn useful information on a wide spectrum of timely topics during the 13th Annual Cabin Fever Virtual Gardening Symposium. Sponsored by the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County, this year’s theme is “Sustainable and Resilient Gardens.”

This event kicks off with a presentation by principal speaker Benjamin Vogt on March 18. He is the author of the new book “Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design” (3 Fields Books, 2023) and “A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future” (New Society Publishers, 2017). Registrants can view a recording of his program from March 20 to April 20.

I was delighted to be asked to participate in this educational event which is also a fundraiser for the Spokane County Master Gardener program. The topic of my presentation is “Organic Control of Vegetable Garden Insect Pests.”

Here is the list of the other topics and presenters:

Gardening Without Peat – Director of the Horticultural Substrates Lab at North Carolina State University, Brian Jackson will share the latest scientific findings concerning the sustainability of continued peat extraction and discuss peat alternatives.

The Microbiome of Soil Health – Nathaniel Stacey, director of the Farm Program at Tilth Alliance, will discuss how soil microorganisms have a direct impact on the cycling of nutrients within the soil and the many ways they positively impact plant health.

Firewise Gardening – Forester and certified arborist Ben Peterson will review the important steps homeowners should implement in order to prevent potential wildfire damage.

Seed Saving – Duane Zbranek is a retired veteran and the greenhouse manager for the Vets on the Farm program. He will share his extensive knowledge on the best seeds to save, store and share.

Waterwise Landscaping – Co-presenters for this class are Spokane County Master Gardener Kris Moberg-Hendron and Kyle Merritt, who works in water conservation for the City of Spokane. They will discuss ways to reduce water consumption while choosing drought-tolerant plants for the landscape.

Pollinator Pathways – Sherrie Villmark, who has run the Pollinator Parkways project as a volunteer for seven years, shares her passion for pollinators and the simple steps homeowners can take to support and protect them.

Growing Residential Food Forests – Spokane County Master Gardener Gloria Jean Baca focuses on how residential communities can increase access to fresh produce in urban food deserts.

Changing Climate and Changing Gardening – Garden columnist Pat Munts discusses how climate change has been affecting our gardens and offers many useful strategies for adapting to these challenging conditions.

Paradox in the Garden: Do Science and Art Collide or Collude? – Eastern Washington University biology professor Robin O’Quinn explores the use of native plants to help us establish resilient and sustainable gardens.

Susan Mulvihill is author of “The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook” and “The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook.” She can be reached at Susan@SusansintheGarden.com. Watch this week’s video at youtube.com/susansinthegarden.