Planting What You Cook Workshop
Over 40 people came to the City of Ojai Community Demonstration Garden Saturday afternoon for Steve Sprinkel's workshop.
Inspired by the unseasonably cold weather, Steve discussed how important it is to plant at the appropriate time, and the consequences of not doing so. Steve is a fantastic speaker and he kept the group engaged for two hours, sharing many helpful tips for Ojai gardeners along the way.
Little by little, members of the group moved away from the cold shade of the oaks to warm themselves in the sun. Throughout the talk, Steve answered everyone's questions about growing vegetables. 
Steve showed the group a gopher mound, and moments later he was digging a hole to reveal the gopher tunnel and demonstrating how to set a gopher trap. 
Steve also discussed alternatives to setting traps, such as building a raised bed that has wire firmly attached to the bottom to keep gophers out. 
Because there was a chance of frost, Steve advised against planting the warm weather vegetables we had planned to put in. The hands-on portion of the workshop was postponed until next year. Steve went home with a beautiful Demo Garden mug. And oh, by the way, we later discovered that he caught the gopher! Photos by Les Dublin.