There are three sources for drama: Man vs. himself, man vs. man and man vs. nature. In Modoc County folks who want to grow their own veggies, herbs and flowers—immediately have access to a bountiful crop of drama: Facing off with nature in the challenge to grow something—anything in what passes for the soil and climate of the high desert.
Thankfully, there are sources of succor, one being the ladies of the Alturas Garden Club. On a recent Saturday morning, they held the annual seed swap in their clubhouse called The Whistle Stop Depot, a tidy stone building that was formerly the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad station.
The former Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad station is now called The Whistle Stop Depot. It’s located on East Street, between Third and Fourth streets in Alturas.
Being a gardener in the California Outback is to be tenacious. And a good definition of tenacity actually resides in the very building that houses the club, founded in 1952, and the members themselves. More than 50 years ago, club members convinced the Southern Pacific Railroad to donate the vacant station to them so they would have meeting space and could preserve the historic structure. And after they obtained and restored the building, the SP proceeded to put up for sale the very land underneath. The history of the club’s trials and tribulations of acquiring the station—and then the purchase of the land—is told in a framed newspaper article on display inside the clubhouse. The moral of the story is: If you can successfully deal with the SP, you can do anything!
That same optimism was on display at the seed swap—neatly arranged seed packages on white foldup tables. Club members had gathered seeds of all kinds: milkweed for attracting butterflies, marigolds for attracting beneficial insects, plum tree pits, peas, coriander, squash—almost anything a gardener would want.
More importantly, what the seed exchange—and the club members—demonstrated in their good nature and cheerful answering of questions from novice gardeners was hope! Here were people who actually grew things in the local dirt. Here were seeds harvested right from Modoc County gardens. That means the plant grew successfully in the county—an accomplishment hard to understand if you have lived anywhere else in California—for in planting a garden, there’s a lot to weather in Modoc County.
First, there’s the weather itself: a 90-day growing season, punctuated by the likelihood of a killing frost at any time plus documented history of snow on The Fourth of July. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a program of encouraging amateur farmers to build “high tunnel” hot houses. These plastic-covered hoop structures can extend the growing season by two to four weeks.
For gardeners, the big question, though, remains: When is the best time to plant?
Alturas Garden Club members Karen Haines and Carol White offered encouragement to novice gardeners during the annual seed swap.
“The full moon in June,” responds one club member—a bit of folksy wisdom that rather ominously recalls author Shirley Jackson’s shorty story “The Lottery,” wherein an old farmer says, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.” And soon the entire town sets on and stones to death the housewife who “won” the lottery.
Fortunately, that kind of sacrifice is not necessary in the high desert as the sacrifice is usually the plant itself. But planting in June does slightly guarantee the plant won’t be frozen during infancy. Precaution is still necessary and gardeners watch the weather report daily and are advised to cover plants when frost is forecast.
Next, the high desert gardener has to deal with the dirt, which runs from sticky clay to volcanic—and nothing too fertile in between. Then there’s what lives in the dirt—the arch enemy of every high desert resident: Belding’s ground squirrel. These critters look like prairie dogs, but that’s where the cuteness ends. They are more prolific than rabbits and their burrow holes can ruin planter beds, chew up driveways and break your leg. There are so many of them that over the hill in Surprise Valley, a squirrel roundup is held each year—and a big barbecue afterward—to celebrate (no, the squirrels are not eaten). Add to the squirrels, the fleets of deer and rabbits that inhabit the area—and gardening can morph the most passive environmentalist into a gun-toting Elmer Fudd: “Kill the wabbit!”
The climate is also dry—getting only about 15 inches a rain a year and then there’s the wind, which dries out plants and dirt quickly—and sends the clouds a flyin’. So, weather, soil and pests all challenge the gardener—a drama that plays out for 90 days—and is mercifully put to end—by frost.
Beside seeds and friendly advice, the garden club had printed instructions for seed starting, planting milkweed, how to make an Olla—a container that passively waters plants—and plenty of information on the individual seeds starring in the seed exchange.
Club Treasurer Carol White added in another bit of wisdom, “Be careful what you plant.” Herbs such as mint can be invasive—but in a place where sagebrush and rabbit weed are the most prolific, where bunch grass is considered welcome landscaping, having mint take over a garden bed would be a blessing.”
The recent seed swap was the club’s third. A plant sale is set for Saturday, June 3.
And if local gardeners’ seeds don’t sprout or if they succumb to a sudden frost, the Alturas Garden Club offers this emergency rope: A fundraiser plant sale held each year on the first Saturday of June—this year, June 3—where starts for vegetables, herbs and whatnot can be purchased and then taken home and planted.
Then, gardeners are on their own—to face the soap opera of trying to cultivate the California Outback.
Photos by H.A. Silliman
© 2017 H.A. SILLIMAN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
