I wanted to do a column on gardening in Idyllwild since it seems to be “growing” in popularity, but my husband and I are brand new gardeners, so I had to find an EXPERT…and I did! Bob Greenamyer who helped to found Victory Gardens San Diego before moving to Idyllwild and becoming an integral part of the community and especially the gardening community, was kind enough to answer some questions I thought everyone in Idyllwild who doesn’t garden, but would like to, would want to know.

• Why is organic gardening important or valuable? 
  Gardening is beneficial in a variety of ways: 
  
  A. For your health: organic vegetables that you grow have maximum freshness, you avoid ingesting toxic agricultural chemicals, there are more nutrients in organic produce. There can also be less wage labor needed to purchase food.
  
  B. For ecological reasons: You reduce transportation costs of commercially produced food, there are no pesticides used, vast acreage used for commercial farming is freed up for returning to a balanced ecosystem
  
  C. For spiritual or emotional reasons: physically experiencing our connection with the Earth, our kinship with plants; gardening has been found to be an emotionally restorative, healing activity. Growing your own food or plants is deeply satisfying.

• What unique challenges do we have up here on the “hill”? What advantages do we have? The range of temperatures and seasonal extremes we experience on the “hill” shorten our growing season, getting a late “Mother’s Day snow can be depressing! But by paying attention to your own micro-climate, you can determine where plants will thrive. While not unique to Idyllwild, garden critters like gophers, voles, moles, fungus, and others are a challenge to garden success. Having an integrated pest management plan will help keep the food you grow in your tummy and not others.

• For someone just starting out, what plants do you recommend starting with to feel successful? Observe your neighborhood. What plants seem to grow well there? What are your neighbors growing? What native plants are in your area? These are all clues to what will grow well where you live. If you want to grow vegetables, fruits, or herbs, observe how much sun your yard gets. Six to eight hours of sun is required for sun loving plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes and other flowering fruits and vegetables will be a good choice. Leafy greens like chard, kale and lettuces might like a bit more shade. A great book for anyone starting to garden on the “hill” is “Basic Guide to Mountain Gardening” by Toni Berthelotte, one of Idyllwild’s premier gardeners. It’s available at our monthly garden club meetings and serves as a bible for gardeners on the hill.

• Do you recommend raised beds or can you be just as successful having your garden in the ground? There are benefits and drawbacks to raised beds, in-ground beds, and gardening in containers. In ground beds allow you greater flexibly of the shape of your garden bed. Water retention is better with an in-ground bed. Soil is less protected from erosion with an in-ground bed and can be more susceptible to vertebrate pests. There’s also more bending and stooping working in an in-ground bed. Raised Beds hold soil in place, and you completely control the soil quality. Soil will warm earlier in Spring. It’s easier to protect against vertebrate pests. Raised beds can be more expensive due to the material costs of building the bed and buying soil to fill it. Water retention can be reduced due to more exposure to heat above ground. Container Gardens allow for flexibility in location as these can be on decks, in the ground and can be moved as sun conditions dictate. Very good for small space gardening. There are added costs for pots and soil. Black nursery pots can get hot and increases water usage. Plants can get root bound.

• What are some unexpected benefits that you didn’t realize until you started gardening?  The greatest unexpected benefit I found was the creation of a community feeling. Everyone at our community garden has common interests; a love of the outdoors, growing your own food, and a desire to share knowledge with each other. Other unexpected benefits were the need to slow down, to hear birds sing, to watch the annual cycle of plant growth in more detail. I’m at peace when I’m in the garden.

Anything else you’d love the people in Idyllwild who don’t currently have a garden to know about gardening? Gardening is extremely enjoyable and fulfilling in a slow-paced, natural way. I would encourage everyone to join our Idyllwild Garden Club. We are an active, diverse group dedicated to the beautification and garden education of our community. Check out our website idyllwildgardenclub.com to find out more about our programs, meetings

Click Here to go to the
PCT Information Page

Saturday April 27th
Idyllwild Trail Festival
Town Hall
25925 Cedar Street
10am – 6pm

Saturday April 27th
Memorial for Denise Van Herpen
Idyllwild Pines Camp
26375 Hwy. 243
(Across from Elementary School)
11:00 am

Saturday April 27th
Historical Perspective on Ernie Maxwell
Friends of the San Jacinto Mountain County Parks
Idyllwild Nature Center
1:00 pm

Ernie Maxwell served on the first FSJMCP Board of Directors. His story will be told by Stephen Sutton, a past Treasurer and Board member. Stephen has gathered information and memorabilia to provide an informative and engaging presentation about Ernie’s contributions and impact on our community.

Saturday April 27th
Spring Orchestra Concert
and Concerto Competition
Idyllwild Arts
Lowman Concert Hall
7:30 pm

Please join us for the final Orchestra concert of the year highlighting our prestigious Concerto Competition, where our talented student finalists will have the opportunity to publicly perform with a full orchestra (including visiting professional musicians) before a distinguished panel of judges including Idyllwild Arts Foundation President, Pamela Jordan! This competition is the only one of its kind offered at the high school level in the United States.

Saturday April 27th
Idyllwild Arts
Fashion Show
Rush Hall
5:00 pm

“Unexplored” beckons us to venture beyond the familiar, embracing the unknown and redefining the contours of fashion. It celebrates diversity, inclusivity, and the fusion of tradition with innovation. Our exploration transcends time and space, inviting contemplation and dialogue on the dichotomies that shape our existence. In this journey, garments become conduits of narrative and vessels of emotion, weaving tales from ancient echoes to future horizons. Through design, we harmonize opposing forces, inviting introspection and inspiring transformation. As we navigate the unexplored, we embrace the boundless potential within us, where imagination knows no limits and creativity thrives. Together, let us embark on this transformative voyage, where the unknown becomes a canvas for discovery and the human spirit finds endless expression.

Saturday April 27th
Benefit Concert for Living Free
El Sereno Mercantile
54320 N. Circle
5:00 pm

Sunday April 28
Arbor Day Celebration
Music – Food – Crafts – Vendors
St. Hugh Church
25525 Tahquitz Dr.
10am – 5pm

Sundays
Farmer’s Market
Town Hall
25925 Cedar Street
9am – 2pm

Tuesday April 30th
Photography Talk
Idyllwild Library
5:00 pm

Wednesday May 1st
Kids Story time
Idyllwild Library
11:00 am

Wednesday May 1st
Tales to Tails
Read to a Therapy Dog
Idyllwild Library
11:45 am

Wednesday May 1st
Garden Club Monthly Meeting
Presentation on “James Reserve”
By Jennifer Gee
Idyllwild Nature Center
Meeting 12:30 – 1:30 pm
Talk: 1:30 – 2:30
Open to All

Thursday May 2nd
Idyllwild Arts
Student Writings Celebration
Krone Library
7:30 pm

The Parallax Reading and Release Party is a chance to celebrate some of the best art and writing of the year at Idyllwild Arts, and to celebrate the release of the student-run Idyllwild Arts literary journal, Parallax, in its 27th year. Copies of Parallax will be available for free! Come get your copy and listen to readings. This will be your first chance to see the journal and hear these pieces read aloud by Idyllwild Arts students!

Click here for trailer

May 16 – 20
Spirit Mountain Retreat
In-Person Resiliency Retreat
Women Veterans with PTSD

Thursday May 16th
Self-Hypnosis Workshop
Idyllwild Library
2:00 -3:30 pm
FREE

Sunday May 26th
FREE Concert
Butterfield Amphitheater
3pm – 6pm
Sponsored by ICC

Saturday/Sunday
June 8-9
Weekend Recovery Event
Spirit Mountain

Money is Available…
Call Mountain Communities Firesafe Council to schedule an appointment to see if any of your trees have bark beetle. If they do, there are funds to treat it. Call for more information today.
951-659-6208

Pet Memorial Opportunity
ARF

26890 Hwy. 243
951-659-1122

Moonrise / Moonset
Fri. 10:36 pm / 7:28 am
Sat. 11:37 pm / 8:14 am
Sun. 11:55 pm / 9:08 am
Mon 12:35 am / 10:10 am
Tue. 1:24 am / 11:18 am
Wed. 2:08 am / 12:28 pm
Thur. 2:45 am / 1:38 pm

Order by Monday May 13th, 2024
Next Food Delivery Thursday May 16, 2024

MOUNTAIN AID
Need food or other items?
Want to help those who do?
Twice monthly food boxes for every budget.
By ordering a food box, you help pay for those who can’t pay.

Pick-up will be at the Camp Maranatha
www.MountainAid.net

The New Bathrooms are OPEN!
Next door to the Idyllwild Gardens Nursery – Across the street from the Rustic Theatre.
Open Daily 9am – 5pm

Thank you to Shane & Ashley Stewart for donating the land for these bathrooms and to Stephanie Yost with ICC for her persistence with the County of Riverside to FINALLY get us public bathrooms. Thank you to the County of Riverside and Supervisor Manuel Perez for making this happen. It’s been a LONG time coming! Bathrooms will be locked at night. I’m not sure what time yet.

Hotel Information
Upcoming Weekends
www.IdyLodging.com

Idyllwild Churches

Body & Soul

Click Here for a list of Yoga, Pilates, Aerobics, & Meditation in Idyllwild.

All events, venues & programs run by
Idyllwild Community Center

Fit after 50
Free Exercise Class
Town Hall

Mondays
12-pm – 1pm

Tue/Wed/Thur
10am – 11am

Fridays
12-pm – 1pm

Kids After School Program
Mondays – Fridays
2:00pm – 6:00pm

Wednesdays 12pm – 6pm

Kids Camps at Town Hall:
Memorial Day Holiday

Al-Anon Meetings
Tuesdays
7:00 PM
Town Hall

FEEDING AMERICA
First Tuesday of each month.

Camp Idyllwild Cabaret
July 8 – 9
July 22 – Aug. 2
Town Hall

San Jacinto Trail Report

Snow, weather, & trail conditions for the San Jacinto Mountains

Open Friday 9am – 4pm
Open Saturday 9am – 4pm
Open Sunday 9am – 4pm
Closed Monday
Closed Tuesday
Open Wednesdays 9am – 4pm
Open Thursday 9am – 4pm

Nature Center Banquet/Meeting Room available to Rent for your group activity.
951-659-3850

The Help Center is Open:
Monday 10-4
Tuesday 10-4
Wednesday 10-4
Thursday 10-4 (Donations accepted 10-1)
Friday 10-5  (Donations accepted 10-1)
Saturday 10-5  (Donations accepted 10-1)
Sunday 10-5
Call 951-659-3000 to schedule donations outside normal donation hours.

Idyllwild Community Church
Thrift Store
Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday
10:00am – 3:00pm
Behind the Church at 54400 N. Circle

Donations accepted Thur/Fri/Sat 10:00 – 1:00

Idyllwild Shuttle Service – FREE

Monday – Palm Desert
Tuesday – Around Idyllwild
Wednesday – Hemet
Thursday – Around Idyllwild

Friday – Not in Service
Saturday – Not in Service
Sunday – Not in Service
Call for more details: 951-426-9688

The shuttle is available to rent to outside groups when available.

FEEDING AMERICA
First Tuesday of each month.

Idyllwild Pickleball Court
26375 Hwy. 243
Behind Skate Park
Open Daily 7 am – Dusk
First come-first-serve basis
More info call: 951-659-2638

Idyllwild Community Playground
Open Daily 7 am – Dusk
54195 Ridgeview Dr.

Idyllwild Dog Park
26375 Hwy. 243
Open Daily 7 am – Dusk

Idyllwild Skate Park
26375 Hwy. 243
Open Daily 7 am – Dusk
Skateboard & safety gear required.
Un-supervised – Ride at your own risk.

If you run across someone and they want to find out which restaurants are open but they don’t get Good Morning Idyllwild delivered to their inbox, they can always go directly to the website http://www.GoodMorningIdyllwild.com and find the Restaurant Chart. You don’t HAVE to sign up to see the most recent newsletter or see the restaurant chart. Just go to the website.

If you would like some business cards to hand out with Good Morning Idyllwild, please message me back at the bottom of your email and I will get you some to hand out personally or at your business.