Davisville, Oct. 4, 2021: Enterprise Editor Seb Oñate

Mon, 10/04/2021 - 5:30pm | Bill Buchanan

My guest today is Seb Oñate, the editor of the Davis Enterprise. Our subjects include the appeal of hyper-local community journalism, a "rough couple of years," popular types of stories among Enterprise readers (crime and local government), nostalgia for newsprint as paid print circulation fades but online readership grows, engaging the town's college students, and working in “a town as engaged as Davis.”

Davis Garden Show, Sept. 30, 2021 -- Winter flowers and bulbs

Thu, 09/30/2021 - 12:00pm | Don Shor

Things to plant in October, November ...

  • Leafy greens -- lettuce, kale, NOT basil -- continue to plant all winter.
  • Brassicas (where we eat the buds or heads) get planted earlier than  leafy greens (where we trim the leaves but the plant continues to grow).
  • Bulbs -- plant most bulbs now, some later. "Full sun" in winter can be under a deciduous tree, which shades that spot in the summer. PERFECT for many bulbs.
  • Winter flowers -- cheery annual flowers to plant now.
  • Perennials with winter blooms -- plant anytime, they last for years!  -- Camellias, Euryops, Gazania, Hellebore, Hardenbergia, etcetera.

Celtic Songlines, Sept. 28, 2021

Tue, 09/28/2021 - 11:00am | David A. Reynolds

The term "Celtic" is thrown around a bit to describe a mostly traditional form of music. That said, musicians have always experimented and pushed the boundaries of music. This week on Celtic Songlines we explore music under the banner of a more recent label: Neo-traditional Celtic. Featured on the program is music from Goitse, Socks in the Frying Pan, Cúig, Kasír, Caitlín & Ciarán, Athrú, Brian Finnegan, Salt House and Annwn.

Put another candle on the cake -- KDRT turns 17 today

Fri, 09/24/2021 - 10:48am | Diane Crumley

This week marks the start of fall, the return of students to UC Davis, and the 17th birthday of KDRT. Our launch party was held on a warm Friday evening, Sept. 24, 2004, on the Davis Media Access backlot. It featured live music, hay bales for seats, speeches, cake, camaraderie, and excitement about having our own community radio station!

The event drew families, students, public figures, neighbors, artists, local business owners, and the many volunteers who had been working since 2000 to get this station on the air. Davis Enterprise columnist Bob Dunning was the evening's emcee, and Mayor Ruth Asmundson flipped the on switch to officially launch our broadcast.

Seventeen years later, we are proud to offer Davis locally produced radio that draws on the help and huge commitment of our 34 volunteer programmers, many of whom have been with us for a decade or more. We treasure this local resource, and look forward to the day when we can again come together with the community to celebrate in person. Until then, stay tuned to 95.7 FM, "where the grassroots grow," and stream our wide variety of shows at kdrt.org.

Davis Garden Show, Sept. 23, 2021 -- Leucadendrons

Thu, 09/23/2021 - 12:00pm | Don Shor

Do native bees, pollinators, and other beneficials NEED to have only NATIVE plants? No, for most. But yes for a few. The "Pipevine Swallowtail" butterfly needs the California pipevine for its larva to feed on (other pipevine species won't do). Monarch butterfly larva feed only on milkweed plants. But most local insects will be happy with many garden plants. Having a diversity of plant species is a good way to attract and help beneficial insects.

What is "planting with natives?" If "native" means "originally existing in the local plant community," then we are extremely limited in Davis. If "native" means "native somewhere" (that is, it's not a hybrid), then anything goes! If "native" means "naturally occuring in some political region" such as California, then native-ness has no relationship to how well something will grow in my yard -- because California contains so many different climate zones. Perhaps it would be better to look for "locally adapted" plants -- species which originated in climates like ours (such as the Mediterranean, coastal Chile, parts of Australia, southern Africa, etc.), and so will grow well in OUR climate.

Today's questions include: Should we be "pinching" broccoli? (Don doesn't.) That's bacterial Citrus Blast -- exacerbated by a few days of humid weather in August. Why Don's 32-year-old orchard is being taken out (lifespan of the trees vs. changing economics vs. climate expectations).  How farmers decide what to plant where. And what some people expect to happen to our local climate in the next 20-50 years.

Davisville, Sept. 20, 2021: Amid drought and frightening wildfires, Davis is relatively fortunate

Mon, 09/20/2021 - 5:30pm | Bill Buchanan

The prediction a few weeks ago, inspired by this year’s ravaging wildfires, that “every acre [in California] can and will burn” — does that really apply to Davis? And if the drought continues through this coming winter and spring, does Davis have the water it needs? Today we talk with Stan Gryczko, director of Public Works Utilities & Operations for the city, and Joe Tenney, Davis fire chief, about the city’s water supplies, conservation, and the fire risks facing Davis in 2021.

(Credits: Illustration by Mark Deamer; excerpt from “Song of the Sea” written and played by Randy Mahrer)

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