| Strawberries
in November: Reviews |
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Fine Gardening East Bay Express Sunset (does anyone have a copy?) Montclarion Daily Californian Oakland Tribune Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Guardian Contra Costa Times |
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Fine Gardening, May/June 1988 Strawberries in November: A Guide to Year-Round Gardening in the East Bay by Judith Goldsmith. Heyday Books, P. O. Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709; 1987. Strawberries in November is a perfectly good book - practical, clearly written and useful - but unless you live in a narrow corridor around the perimeter of San Francisco Bay, almost nothing is says will apply to your garden. Read on anyway, because Strawberries is a fine prototype of a new and, it is hoped, proliferating breed called the bio-regional gardening guide, and author Judith Goldsmith wants to inspire people all over the country to produce "hundreds of them, one for every bio-region." A bio-region, Goldsmith writes, is a geographical area with a "unique interlocking web of life distinguishable from that of neighboring regions." To garden well, she feels, "one has to be in touch with the earth's rhythms," and to achieve that one has to understand what is unique in one's bio-region. Goldsmith's own region, the East Bay, is ecologically unusual enough to verge on eccentric. Summer arrives in September, fog can provide 10 in. of precipitation a year and November is a dandy time to plant strawberries. [Author's note: Never said that - harvest them, not plant.] Frost is rare and always light, and all the rain falls between mid-October and mid-April. Watching her own and other East Bay gardens, Goldsmith noticed that apparently none of them had ever read the books that tell how to bloom, fruit and die on a proper schedule. Even region-specific books such as The Sunset Western Garden Book often didn't apply. So Goldsmith wrote her book with a focus on "when to" rather than "how to" information. (For advice on the latter, she provides a list of reference books.) Organized by month, Strawberries in November is an annotated calendar of when to plant, prune, fertilize, de-bug (organically), and harvest food crops and ornamentals. Each chapter also has an extensive "Bloomlist" cataloging the color and time of first bloom of plants generally known to do well in the area. The list covers trees, shrubs, ground covers, vines, herbaceous perennials, annuals and bulbs, with a special section on native plants. Every bio-region is a storehouse of idiosyncrasies, and sometimes even the most obvious of them can go unnoticed. "When I began to write," Goldsmith told me, "I didn't think of our unique fall planting season as an obvious feature of the area. Then I thought, 'Of course!' But it wasn't common knowledge." So few people gardened in fall that local nurseries let their stock decline. Strawberries is credited with reversing the trend. Demand for fall starts has increased, and nurseries are promoting the book. It's this kind of ripple effect that is so exciting about the bio-regional approach. Everything is happening within a manageable area, and on a level where communication between gardeners, horticulturalists and supplies is possible and everyone understands what you mean about the weird freeze of '86 or the ubiquitous blue goo. In the interest of inspiring others, Goldsmith outlined for me the steps she took to create Strawberries. A self-professed lover of research, she integrated a wide variety of sources into the book, but successfully kept it from being "heavy." First she compiled her notes from horticulture courses taken at Merritt College in Oakland. Then she studied the garden sections of Sunset Magazine over a 20-year span, reading all the January issues, then all the February, etc. (Sunset specializes in western plants and publishes region-specific editions.) Having collated the information from Sunset, she cross-checked it with horticultural references, professors and long-term local gardeners. Much of it had to be adjusted for the East Bay microclimate. Goldsmith then turned to a loosely affiliated band of gardening enthusiasts called (what elsse?) The Revolutionary Garden Party. This group provided a vast but previously unorganized storehouse of practical knowledge, and also contributed the book's truly inspired motto: "Composting is collaborating with God in converting the inevitable entropic drift of the universe into . . . broccoli." Goldsmith interviewed some 25 party members, especially concerning food crops that weren't well documented elsewhere. "That's where I learned you could plant carrots and potatoes in winter, and that tomatillos are a perennial. I asked, 'When do you plant? What cultivars do you use?' The two books that had been written for this area before would give only two or three varieties. I found that for some things there were a dozen or more that had been tried and had done well. (The group's experience) took the place of the research station we don't have here." Finally, Goldsmith compared her information with that in other books about the area, integrated years of her own observations, indexed it all and compiled a resource guide. "(The latter tells) where to get rice hulls and earthworms and such. It seemed like such insider information that it was important to get it out." Finding a publisher wasn't hard, Goldsmith said, as Heyday Books had expressed an interest from the first. Given the success of this book, other regional presses might easily be enticed by the idea of a bio-regional guide. Advertised largely by word of mouth, Strawberries sold 2,000 copies in its first five months. It is widely available, and local bookstores make a point of keeping it in stock; some nurseries and hardware stores carry it as well. According to booksellers canvassed by Heyday, it's being asked for by name and purchased in multiple copies, one to keep and one or more to give. After all, where else is an East Bay gardener going to learn that watering California poppies thoroughly in April will greatly extend their bloom, and that ceanothus absolutely should not be pruned until the rains are over? Strawberries in November is a must for gardeners in its bio-region and should be an inspiration to anyone thinking of compiling such a guide for their own area. The 24 recipes Goldsmith includes are alone worth the price of admission. If she ever finishes the cookbook she says she's working on, watch for it. Meanwhile, Goldsmith is lecturing, designing gardens, writing for Northern California Home and Garden, trying to organize an information-exchange service among gardeners, and tending her own backyard in a T-shirt that proclaims: "I garden . . . therefore I am." - Jill Hannum |
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East Bay gardening guide will please food and flower growers alike The Montclarion - Books June 30, 1987 by Barbara Sloane "I garden . . . therefore I am." That statement emblazoned on Judith Goldsmith's T-shirt says it all. The Oakland author of Strawberries in November loves to garden. She has also produced a guide to gardening in the East Bay. Goldsmith has lived and gardened in [the East Bay] for the past eight years. [After] her move to this area from Southern California, she began taking horticulture classes at Merritt College. Her interest in [the] East Bay [ecosystem] was initially sparked by the [creek] she discovered . . . near [an earlier] Oakland home. That ecosystem led to her involvement in creek preservation and the desire to know more about [the] East Bay [and its environment, including its gardening]. "The East Bay offers unique gardening possibilities," claims Goldsmith, "but it also offers unique problems." Strawberries in November is her guide to other local gardeners facing those opportunities and difficulties. In the front of the book is a Bay Area map which covers the cities between Newark in the south and Richmond in the north. This is the area for which she describes growing conditions. The first chapter describes [the] "bioregion" in terms of climate, soil and water, microclimates, advantages and problems, and the rhythms and harmonies of an East Bay year. Succeeding chapters deal with each month of the calendar year. Goldsmith provides specific instructions for the [area's] fertilizing, planting, pruning and harvesting chores. Some chapters also list gardening events, such as the San Leandro Fuchsia Society's annual July show in Macy's Bayfair Store. Two sections in each chapter, "Recipes" and "Blooming Plants" reflect Goldsmith's perception that "most people tend to fall into either the vegetable or flower-growing camps." Goldsmith says she's always been interested in growing food [as well as flowers]. The recipe sections are keyed to seasonal produce. The June recipe, for example, is for zucchini bread. Although Goldsmith has lived in her present house only one year, she proudly claims to have eaten from her garden all last winter. "Mainly I grew arugula and broccoli raab for greens for winter salads." Even with her leaning toward food crops, Goldsmith acknowledges that she has discovered a deep love for herbs and other flowering plants. Each chapter of Strawberries in November ends with a list of plants which start to bloom in that particular month. "What I've always wanted in a garden is something I could enjoy all year round. That's what I really like best about the [Bay Area fogbelt]. It's absolutely unique in that we can grow palms and pines. We can enjoy something growing in our gardens all year." Goldsmith's own Oakland garden reflects this opportunity. It's hard to believe that only a year ago, it was covered with ivy, blackberries, bamboo, weeds, and dandelions. Now in a relatively small area, she has planted over 50 varieties of plants, including herbs, vegetables, fruit trees, and flowers. Artichokes, fennel, snakeroot, woolly lambs' ears, persimmon, rosemary, borage, fava beans, plum - the roll call covers a vast range, but obviously only scratches the surface, as the index in Strawberries in November lists over 1,000 plants for our area. Underlying Goldsmith's planting strategy is a deep belief in conservation techniques. She's a strong advocate of composting and recycling. She also urges people to attend classes at Merritt College's landscape horticulture department. "They really teach specifics about this area," explains Goldsmth. "In fact, it was Tom Branca, chair of the department, who mentioned the need for a book like mine and encouraged me to write it." Addressing the problems of gardening in the East Bay was a major purpose for Goldsmith. "Our fog belt and dry summers confuse many transplanted midwestern and eastern gardeners," she said. Goldsmith anticipates many growing problems this summer because of our dry winter. In the book she stresses using more drought-tolerant native or Mediterranean-climate plants. She also advocates drip irrigation. "Above all, local gardeners need to be knowledgeable about this area." Clearly, Strawberries in November is intended to meet that need. Goldsmith sees four possible audiences for her book: (1) amateur gardeners; (2) professional gardeners; (3) people who want information about the best months to buy fresh produce; and (4) people who want a guide to native plants. The latter group should find Goldsmith's illustrations of numerous plants throughout the book especially helpful. The illustrations' accurate details attest to Goldsmith's two fine arts degrees and her expeerience as a graphic artist for Diablo Valley College. To encourage and inform all gardeners, Goldsmith will present workshops on fall and winter gardening this September at Berkeley's Ecology Center and the Magic Gardens Nursery in Berkeley. July is not a great time to plant anything, advises Goldsmith. However, it is a good time to use Strawberries in November as a planning guide for future harvests. |
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Bioregionalism: Writer says good gardens help ecology The Daily Californian July 15, 1987 by Hilary Ann Macht Local author Judith Goldsmith urges East Bay dwellers to cultivate our gardens for global good. In the preface to Goldsmith's "Strawberries in November: A Guide to Year Round Gardening in the East Bay," Peter Berg explains the book's focus as an extension of his theory of "bioregionalism." A bioregion, he writes, is a geographic area with a unique interlocking web of life distinguishable from that of neighboring regions. If gardeners treat their bioregion with respect, according to Goldsmith, they can give to as well as receive from the Earth. "If each of us works to plant properly and care for the soil and birds and insects right in our own back yard," she said, "the incremental change will make this world, not to mention our own neighborhood, a nicer place." "It's really important that we learn to look at where we're living and live well in it, without forgetting or giving up the state, national and global issues," Goldsmith said. Proper care of a bioregion could help alleviate some crucial problems such as waste disposal, loss of habitat, drought and poor water management. "We've done enough damage already," she said. "Let's look at other things to do to conserve water." In "Strawberries," Goldsmith discusses the use of drought-resistant plants, which need relatively little water to survive. She advocates drip irrigation, a system that waters plants directly at their roots, and calls it one of her biggest hopes. "Drip irrigation is so much cheaper and saves so much more water than overhead spraying," Goldsmith said. But people could "get a lot closer to self-sufficiency," according to Goldsmith. Much of the landfill that has begun to choke San Francisco Bay could [have been - Author's note: Since the creation of BCDC, refuse is no longer dumped into the Bay. It goes to Altamont landfill.] used for compost, she said, while food waste could be put back into yards. "We can work to restore our natural habitats by providing food resources for the animals that visit our neighborhoods, like hummingbirds and racoons," she said. But according to Goldsmith, different areas of California have distinctive personalities, and what works in Los Angeles may not work in Shasta or Oakland or Eureka. In [the] bioregion [in which Berkeley is located], for example, September and October are the best times to plant both ornamentals and [cold season] food crops to take advantage of the rainfall. Furthermore, Goldsmith said, . . . annuals should only be a small portion of local plantings, since perennials could be chosen more carefully to include a wide range of drought tolerant and native plants, she said. Gardeners can also help their fruit and vegetable harvests by using bioregional principle. "Food crops can be selected which are well-suited to our locale, so that we really do become food producers, rather than frustrated hobbyists," she said. Published by Heyday Books, "Strawberries" provides a month-by-month schedule of plants in bloom, plants to sow, and plants to harvest. In addition, Goldsmith lists pertinent local events and recipes, ranging from Chinese Mustard Green Soup to Chestnut Cheese Casserole, Goldsmith will conduct fall and winter gardening workshops on Sept. 12 at the Ecology Center. |
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Wintertime, when the growing is easy Eastbay's coast can have gardens all year round The Oakland Tribune July 25, 1987 by Barbara Falconer Newhall THINK WINTER. Think broccoli. Think cauliflower. Think lettuce, spinach, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, carrots, potatoes and parsnips. Winter in the Eastbay cities bordering the San Francisco Bay - from San Pablo and Richmond to the north to Union City and Newark to the south - affords marvelous vegetable gardening opportunities, according to Oakland author and gardener Judith Goldsmith. And now - midsummer - is the time to start thinking about planting for winter. Gardeners living in this coastal zone usually are aware that summer is much hotter over the hills in Pleasanton or Concord. What they may not realize is that winters over there are also frontier than winters in Oakland or Castro Valley. Too frosty for spinach and carrots. Coastal Eastbay residents enjoy a winter that is rare in North America - a winter so mild that it is matched only by winter in places like Los Angeles, San Diego, Baja California and the southernmost tip of Florida. Goldsmith, author of "Strawberries in November," a new book about gardening year-round in the Eastbay, says that many coastal Eastbay residents fail to take advantage of the possibilities that their backyards offer in the wintertime. Goldsmith is a graphic designer by training. Over the years, she has branched out to writing articles about the Eastbay and a book on childbirth. It was working toward a degree in landscape horticulture at Merritt College that transformed Goldsmith "into a green thumb" and taught her to appreciate the unusual opportunities the coastal Eastbay affords. Because of the relatively frostfree winters, she notes, "We can grow things here that must be grown indoors as annuals in places as close as central Contra Costa County - if they can be grown there at all. "We are at the latitude of Virginia," says Goldsmith. But because of a warming ocean current running off the shore of San Francisco, "we have the winter temperatures of southern Florida. "We [occasionally] get a little winter frost, but not enough to affect a tender, semi-tropical plant." Coastal Eastbay residents can grow just about anything except the plants that really like the cold - [some] apples, Russian olive, hybrid crocus, forsythia - and some of the tropical fruits - guavas and mangoes. Plants that thrive year-round in the coastal Eastbay that would die each winter if planted anywhere else include pampas grass, nasturtiums, day lilies and geraniums. Also, "bulbs are great here," says Goldsmith. "Iris and daffodils, which bloom elsewhere only in February, can come back in September or [other times] here." In the coastal Eastbay, the planting season for cool-weather vegetables begins in August and September. Nights are growing cooler, but the ground is still warm enough to coddle seedlings of leafy vegetables and root crops. Planted here beginning in September, leafy vegetables can be harvested all winter. Planted in the spring, leafy vegetables - especially lettuce and spinach - are likely to bolt and go to seed if the weather turns too warm. Among the leafy vegetables that do well in an Eastbay winter are broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, collards, mustards, lettuces, spinach, celery, endive, Swiss chard, arugula, broccoli raab, corn salad, miner's lettuce, and all cabbages including bok choy. In other climates, root crops are normally planted in spring because they are sensitive to frost. But here, they can be planted in August. As the cool winter weather sets in, root crop growth will slow down, says Goldsmith, but when the weather warms up again in February and March, harvesting can begin. A second root crop can be planted in April and May for summer harvest. Root crops that do well in the Eastbay include carrots, potatoes, parsnips, salsify, kohlrabi, beets, Jerusalem artichoke, radishes, rutabaga and turnips. For a longer, staggered harvest, Goldsmith suggests staggering the planting of winter vegetables over several weeks. Perennials that can be planted at any time except deep winter include artichokes, rhubarb, chayote, salad burnet, sorrel, edible fennel, sugar snap peas and strawberries. Many strawberry varieties bear fruit only in June. Goldsmith prefers the Quinault because it bears fruit almost year-round in the coastal Eastbay - inspiring the title of her book. One of Goldsmith's favorite vegetables is the fava bean, "a Mediterranean crop that does well in the Eastbay because we have a Mediterranean climate here." Planted over several weeks beginning in September, favas will fruit April through August. Favas have flourished so well in Goldsmith's garden that she suspects Jack's beanstalk was a fava. "They are a wonderful food - the basic food all through North Africa,Egypt and Italy," says Goldsmith. You can allow the beans to dry on the plant or harvest them moist, saving the step of soaking them overnight before cooking. A further bonus: The seed pods and stems when composted restore nitrogen to the soil. Other vegetables Goldsmith recommends for fall planting include snap beans, garlic, shallots, bulbing onions, green onions and leeks. Like most winter vegetables, these will grow slowly during the winter months and produce in the spring. For further details on the hows and whys of the Bay Area climate, Goldsmith recommends Harold Gilliam's "Weather of the San Francisco Bay Area" (University of California Press, 1962). ++++++++++++++++++++ Gardening success depends on knowing your microclimate The summer sun may be shining today on the tomatoes ripening in [some parts of North Oakland] - but over in [West Berkeley] a gentle fog is probably keeping the spinach and lettuce cool. It is one of the more remarkable characteristics of the Eastbay and many other California regions that numerous microclimates with their own unique weather conditions exist within miles - and sometime blocks - of each other. West Berkeley, for example, is generally cooler in summer than North Oakland, author and gardener Judith Goldsmith points out. And parts of Wildcat Canyon, which runs from Tilden Park to the Bay through El Cerrito and Richmond, get more frequent frosts than other [more] coastal Eastbay areas. Some Eastbay micrclimates are Oakland's Banana Belt (around 52nd Street and Telegraph Avenue), Palm Canyon (below Lake Temescal), and the Eastmont-Oak Knoll neighborhood, where plums bloom in January. Some savvy gardeners are in the habit of exchanging produce on an informal basis with gardeners living in a different microclimate. Goldsmith wishes that Eastbay gardeners could do their bartering on a community-wide scale - perhaps by organizing barter tables at central locations. Goldsmith does not know of a thoroughgoing map of the various Eastbay microclimates. But she says that you can tell what kind of microclimate you live in by when your tomatoes ripen. If you plant your tomatoes by May and they ripen by June or July, you live in a warm microclimate. If your tomatoes don't ripen until August or September, you are in a cool microclimate. Consider planting lettuce. |
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Winter Gardening Takes Root In The East Bay The Sierra Club Yodeler January 1988 In California we are blessed with a year-round growing season. While Easterners are storing their trowels and spades for the winter, local gardeners are busy harvesting persimmons and planting asparagus. Endive, broccoli, and lettuce are among the crops which may be harvested mid-winter in the Bay Area. Hibiscus, primroses, and pansies blossom in December. An increasing number of local gardeners are taking advantage of the year-round gardening potential of the East Bay Area. A measure of their interest in all-seasons gardening is the phenomenal success of Judith Goldsmith's recently released Strawberries in November: A Guide to Year-Round Gardening in the East Bay. Strawberries in November is a comprehensive handbook to East Bay gardening. It features a detailed month-by-month guide to planting, fertilizing, pruning, and all-around nurturing of fruit, vegetable, and flower gardens. It also includes a general introduction to the East Bay's soil and climate conditions, and guide to local resources and events. It is this narrow focus on the East Bay ecology which has made the book a hit with local gardeners. Strawberries in November was released in June, and news of the book has spread, largely by word of mouth, throughout the East Bay gardening community. Booksellers agree that the book fills a long-vacant niche in our gardening literature. Lynn Milburg of Moe's Books summarized the reaction of her customers as follows: "It's been very popular. It is wonderful to get a book that has so much information put together so attractively. It tells you everything you need to know about gardening in the East Bay." Marilyn Capitelli of Avenue Books says, "People are buying multiple copies. They feel so good about the book that they'll buy it and then buy it for their friends. David Kennedy of Cody's comments, "People are asking for it by name. Locals buy it for themselves and use them as gifts. Newcomers to the area buy it to become acquainted with the cycle of the seasons here." Sherrin Farley of Arlington Ace Hardware says, " Strawberries in November has really filled a need for people. It's been my bestselling book ever." And Lynn Gray of Gray's Books says, "People are telling their friends. It's doing great!" Judith Goldsmith lives and gardens in East Oakland. She was trained in horticulture at Merritt College and is active in creek preservation and other conservation activities. She is the author of Childbirth Wisdom from the World's Oldest Societies (Congden and Weed, 1984) and has contributed articles to the East Bay Express on East Bay history and ecology. |
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The San Francisco Bay Guardian April 13, 1988 by Eileen Ecklund When I was growing up in Wisconsin, I loved everything about spring and summer, except one: The Garden. My father had an acre planted in raspberries and another half-acre in everything from strawberries to spinach, corn and tomatoes. The garden, which produced way too much even for a family of five, meant endless work - hoeing, planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, cleaning, canning and freezing. We did a (secretive) dance of glee when the raspberries contracted an incurable disease. Yet the roots of gardening must run deep, because every spring I get the urge to go grubbing in the dirt. The experience of my childhood has mellowed with time, and besides, I really miss the glorious taste of those tomatoes. I suspect there are plenty of repressed gardeners like myself in the Bay Area, many of whom simply don't know how to get started in an urban area, and in a climate they're unfamiliar with. Judith Goldsmith's book, Strawberries in November, should go a long way to helping out the latter category of folks. Goldsmith is quick to point out that her book doesn't include specific "how to" information; rather, she concentrates on the "when to," and lists other resources that can help you with detailed instructions. The book is divided up into months of the year, with categories that tell you what to plant and prune, gather or harvest; give tips on the month's watering, fertilizing and weeding demands; and discuss the insects and disease you can expect to face. Goldsmith also tells you which plants will bloom in which months, and lists annual gardening and botanical events for the month. Strawberries in November is in many ways a philosophical and ideological book, rather than a simple gardening manual. Goldsmith's purpose is to make people more aware of the ecology and rhythms of their particular environment through gardening. She sums up this philosophy in the first chapter: "If each of us works to plant properly and care for the soil and birds and insects right in our own backyard, the cumulative incremental change will eventually make this world, not to mention our own neighborhood, a nicer place." To this end, the book is designed specifically for the East Bay "bio-region" (in his preface, ecologist Peter Berg calls it "one of the first bioregional gardening guides"). Goldsmith's guidelines are, however, broad enough to be useful for the entire Bay Area, especially since her goal is to encourage gardeners to go beyond specific rules and become attuned to their own environment. One section of the book that is particularly interesting is Goldsmith's discussion of the similarities and dissimilarities within the Bay Area and even within the East Bay itself. She lists specific "microclimates" within the East Bay that range from an Oakland neighborhood where plums can be in full bloom in January to Wildcat Canyon, which gets frosts more often than its surrounding areas. Strawberries in November is a noteworthy enterprise, an attempt to help people educate themselves about the environment in which they live. If it introduces just one urbanite to the pleasure of nature, or draws just one renegade back to the land from which like me, he or she ran screaming, it will have succeeded. |
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