Meridian Co-Op Gardeners-KLEINER PARK

11/18/2025

A bit more on cilantro varieties.

Explore the unique flavors of different cilantro varieties, from classic to bold cultivars, and discover the best choices for your cooking needs.

11/17/2025

Cilantro (planted early August) continues to grow in the garden. It will overwinter well and give us an early spring harvest. Once the weather starts to warm it will flower and go to seed (these seeds are also known as coriander).

11/17/2025

Here are a couple of great classes being offered at North End Organic Nursery by Snake River Seed Cooperative. This Saturday.

When: Saturday, November 22nd 3:30-4:30pm.

Successful seed saving doesn’t happen by accident! Growing plants for seed differs from growing plants for food in several important ways. Come learn the basics of seed saving so that you can plan your garden for seed saving success next season! We’ll cover how to lay out your plot for seed saving, how to choose varieties for organic seed production, and loads of other seedy wisdom to set you up for success!

Come early for:

Seed cold stratification

* When: Saturday, November 22nd 2-3pm

Many flower seeds, especially native flower seeds, need a period of cold in order to break dormancy and sprout. Learn several basic organic techniques for cold stratifying seeds in this lively workshop!

You can register for one or both FREE workshops by calling the North End Organic Nursery at 208-289-4769

This event is supported through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP). Know a farm interested in transitioning to organic? Reach out to Hanna, an Organic Transition Specialist, at [email protected].

11/16/2025

This is excellent information for planning when to plant flowers, including using frost charts effectively, understandung hardy and tender annuals and biennials, soil temperature, cold stratifcation and winter sowing (NOW), and so much more. This is a keeper.

Learn how frost dates, soil temperatures, and photoperiods impact planting decisions for flower farming. Discover actionable tips for hardy and tender crops, cold stratification, and season extension methods to optimize your growing season.

11/15/2025

The mild November temperatures have been warm enough for the garlic to germinate. These sprouts will most likeky die back with colder weather. Healthy new leaves will emerge in the spring, and you can expect a good harvest around the Fourth of July.

11/15/2025

The winter soil builder cover crop blend from North End Organic Nursery is growing strong and will continue to do so through most of winter. The buckwheat on the right has already died back with the cooler temperatures. The buckwheat is nice because it breaks down quickly and is easier to replant in these areas. The winter soil blend will require additional work in the spring (crimping, mowing, or tilling ) to be able to plant again:

See video in comments

11/14/2025

How do you plan for the next garden season? In our community garden we assess the most recent garden year (successes and failures) and then:

*make decisions about what stays and what goes and what might be added for the first time. We love trying new varieties.

*review previous garden calendar and prepare new garden calendar with important dates (this helps with starting seeds in the late winter and early spring)

*create new garden maps for crop rotation and figure out what goes where

*assess our seed supply

*order seeds as needed

11/13/2025

The planning begins. I’ve shared one of my favorite and inexpensive calendars from Dollar Tree ($2) before. I like the larger grids to write in and seeing the entire month at one time. I start by writing in important dates like first and last frost, and mark each week before the last frost date.

Some seed packets will tell you to start seeds indoors “so many” weeks before the last frost date. These dates are recorded. You can also mark planting out dates for each crop. I find the calendar is helpful to keep things organized.

Next season we want to do a better job tracking dates for our succession planting.

11/10/2025

Coffee grounds yay or nay?
Here is the AI overview because most articles had way too many ads. See articles in comments.

The main myth is that coffee grounds are acidic and benefit acid-loving plants; however, after brewing, they are near-neutral (pH 6.5–6.😎 and do not significantly lower soil pH.

Another myth is that directly adding coffee grounds to soil is beneficial, but this can inhibit plant growth; instead, they should be added to a compost pile where they can decompose properly. While they can be a good source of nitrogen and beneficial for soil microbes, they are not a miracle fertilizer and should be used as part of a balanced approach to soil amendment.

Debunked myths
Coffee grounds are acidic: False. After brewing, the grounds are close to a neutral pH, between 6.5 and 6.8.

Coffee grounds lower soil pH: False. The pH change from using coffee grounds is temporary and not significant enough to make a difference for acid-loving plants like azaleas or blueberries.

Directly adding coffee grounds to soil is beneficial: False. High concentrations can inhibit plant growth. They are better added to a compost pile where they can decompose and their beneficial properties can be released over time.

Coffee grounds are a powerful fertilizer: False. While they do contain nitrogen and other trace minerals, their nutrient release is slow, and they are not a substitute for a balanced fertilizer.

What to do instead
Compost them: Add coffee grounds to your compost bin to decompose properly before adding them to the soil. This allows them to break down and their nutrients to become available to plants.

Use them as a pest deterrent: Some gardeners report that the scent of coffee grounds can deter slugs, snails, and ants.
Improve soil structure: Once composted, coffee grounds add organic matter, which improves soil structure and provides food for beneficial earthworms and microbes.

11/08/2025

One more surprise from NC crops.
The region is sometimes called the unofficial clary sage-growing capital of the world due to the high volume of cultivation for the company Avoca Inc., which extracts sclareolide from the plant. (AI)

With about 120 farming operations growing 25,000 acres of the crop, northeastern North Carolina is the unofficial clary sage-growing capital of the world.

11/08/2025

Leaves in your garden are a valuable resource. They can be turned directly into your garden or added to a compost pile to create a rich garden amendment. They can be used as mulch. You can spread a layer of leaves around perennial plants to insulate roots, retain soil moisture, and suppress weeds. We have used them to cover raised beds or rows planted with garlic.

**Shredding the leaves helps them break down faster and is strongly recommended.