By Kate Halstead, WSU Extension
EVERETT, Wash. – Growing berries profitably and sustainably for more of the year will be discussed in “Small Fruits, Big Harvests,” 7-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, at Washington State University Snohomish County Extension’s Cougar Auditorium, 600 128th St. SE, Everett, Wash., inside McCollum Park.
Part of the Growing Groceries education series, the class costs $25 per person or $20 each for five or more classes. Register online at http://growinggroceries.brownpapertickets.com. For more information about the series or to download a form for mail-in registration, visit http://snohomish.wsu.edu/growing-groceries.
For more information, contact Sharon Collman, WSU Snohomish County Extension educator, at 425-357-6025 or collmans@wsu.edu, or Kate Halstead, WSU Snohomish County Extension, at 425-357-6024 or khalstead@wsu.edu.
Washington leads the nation in the production of raspberries and is fifth in strawberries and sixth in blueberries. Educator, researcher and industry consultant Tom Walters, from the WSU research center in Mount Vernon, Wash., will discuss berry varieties, soil preferences and other requirements for these berries and other small fruits.
Before coming to the research center in 2005, Walters worked for Sakuma Brothers Farms, Inc. in Burlington, Wash. He was responsible for research supporting nursery and fruit production on more than 500 acres in Washington and for 180 million plants annually in California.
His research focuses on improving plant physiology and extending the growing season through new techniques and varieties. He earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University, with an emphasis on field plant breeding, and a B.A. in biology from Reed College in Portland, Ore.
With a focus on limited space and resources, the Growing Groceries series pairs speakers and topics to teach beginners as well as longtime gardeners about growing food using healthy and sustainable practices.
Contact:
Kate Halstead, WSU Snohomish County Extension, 360-794-6081, khalstead@wsu.edu
