Gardener to Farmer

Growing Cherries

I spent the better part of the weekend harvesting two kinds of cherries (click for gorgeous cherries in springtime pictures), raspberries and the last of the rhubarb. And of the three fruits, the cherries were the most difficult. Sure, it's all fun and games when you can reach them standing flat footed, but if you have a regular sized cherry tree, then you have 15-20 feet to contend with...and I have two of them. So far, my organic pest and disease control methods have been shear avoidance...and I would not have been surprised to see my harvest blighted by a variety of problems. Happily, very few were to be seen.

Now, let me be clear, I did not plant these trees, I inherited them. If I had planted them, I would have chosen the dwarf variety...cute and short, that's how I like them. And though I am nearly 6 feet tall, I am no match for the height and spread of a traditional cherry tree.

 

I am not exactly certain of the varieties represented, though I think one is Rainier. The other is the sweetest, darkest red cherry...much larger than a bing. Together, they were truly a dynamic duo. I'll bet I ate a half a pound of them while I was cherry picking.

I addition to contorting myself and hopping around like a madwoman, I used a ladder. But, that really had limited use as the cherries were spread far and wide, not in nice little clumps. In a flash of insight, I realized my Groundhog rake would be perfect for snagging the cherries down from the branches. I grabbed it up and started waving it about...and though it took a bit of time to hone my skill, it was a fantastic implement. The long handle paired with the spacing of the tines brought down a whole second level of fruit. The top of the trees, I left for the crows.

Once inside, I washed and dried half of the cherries. Half of the batch went onto trays and into the freezer. The other half were pitted and placed on trays, ready for the dehydrator. Over all, both storage methods seem to be successful. The dried cherries will be great for baking, cereals and snacks. The frozen will be awesome in pies.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I saved some of the cherries for fresh use. Thinking about making cherry ice cream today. Check tomorrow's post on Portland Foodie for the recipe!

Ford Escape Hybrid Experience

I had such a fantastic time driving the Ford Hybrid Escape...really an amazing car. And though you may think me biased, it really was one of the best riding experiences I have had in a long time. On Thursday, when I received the car, I drove to a couple of meetings and did a couple of errands. The locations I went to were highly trafficked and parking was at a premium. I found the car to be easy to maneuver and a smooth riding experience.

I had so many adventures and media experiences to share that I decided to dedicate a whole page to it. Check out the Ford Hybrid Escape page for all of the details!

Blackberry Brambles and the GWA

I am so excited to announce that I will be offering a full day social media training at this year's Garden Writer's Association Symposium! Really, it is a thrill to have been asked...and thanks again to my mentor, Debra Prinzing. She really championed my cause and has amazing insight about the benefits of social media and garden writing. If you are going to this year's conference, please leave me a comment here and join the #GWA Twitter Group so we can all be in contact.

The GWA Symposium is a fantastic event. There are tons of amazing sessions on all kinds of garden related topics, fun dinners and tours of the most gorgeous gardens the region has to offer. It is a great time to meet up with friends, make connections and preview new books and garden related products. This year's symposium is in Raleigh, NC, September 23-27. My all day training is Sunday the 27th...so I hope to see you there! You don't have to be a member of the GWA to attend, but I highly recommend joining. It is really affordable and your access to garden writing resources is unparalleled.

Now, on to the blackberries...this weekend, I attacked a huge clump of Himalayan blackberries that were overtaking a part of my front yard. To say that this plant is invasive is like saying a tornado is a gust of wind. I have written about my battles with this blackberry evildoer, lamenting its existence.

Because I am an organic gardener, my best bet is to keep cutting it back and digging it up, eventually starving it to death. If I weren't organic, I would likely use some type of chemical shrub killer. And believe me, after about the 80'th cut on my already bleeding arms, I was sorely tempted to do just that. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I am still reserving that option if all else fails.

Their location was hidden from view, so I didn't realize just how big they had become until I stood face to face with the giant tower that was the bramble. It was a terrible battle, and though I made headway, I certainly can't say that I have won...yet...

About midway through, I was so disgusted with the whole thing that I decided to take a quick video to document my suffering. Here's how it went down...

Want a Copy of Joe Lamp'ls Green Gardener's Guide for $2.95?

We had such a great response from you all about the Garden Bookstore website, that Roger (President of Cool Springs Press) and I wanted to give you all another opportunity to cash in...We are now giving people who complete our 5 minute survey on small space gardening the chance to buy Joe Lamp'ls Green Gardener's Guide for $2.95! Which is essentially an 83% discount...dude, that's a good deal! Here's how it works...head over to our website and take  our survey. This one is about a book called "Small Space Gardening". At the end, you will be directed to a page that will give you the special price.

Alright, this survey will end at 10 pm PT on  Sunday, June 14th...so scoot on over there and get a copy of your book!

*Thanks to those of you who responded early and snapped up your FREE copies of the Green Gardener's Guide! Hope you enjoy your read...

Growing Perennials: The Geum that Ate Manhattan

Portland's climate makes it ideal for growing perennials. Really, they take off like nobody's business...next thing you know, you are throwing them steak and running for cover. In nearby Canby, there are like 500 nurseries that sell to the trade... Terranova, one of the nation's best heuchera hybridizers and growers and Swan Island Dahlias, the absolute best for dahlias of all kinds are both located there.

I think it is the combination of extremely mild weather, lots of moisture and 16 hours a day of sun in the summer that leads to the overachievement of my fine petaled friends. In fact, when buying plants, the growing guidelines for size are almost never accurate for the Pacific Northwest.

Yet somehow, I refuse to accept that. I don't know if I am in denial or simply unobservant, but I continue to read those tags as if they are a good guide for spacing and locating my plants. Which is how I ended up with a geum the size of Manhattan at the front of my flower border.

Mrs. Bradshaw is a very popular Geum. Chances are good that you have seen it before. And, when growing it in other parts of the country, the upper range for this lovely is 24 inches. That would have been perfect, had it been true, for the front of my bed. Because really, it is the long flower stems that reach the tallest heights, making it somewhat transparent in the upper 2/3rds of the plant.

But Mrs. Bradshaw was so happy in her new home here that she shot up an extra half a foot, at least. Not to mention the spread around her circumfrence (and no jokes about the spread of my circumfrence, please). So I have ended up with this monsterous Geum exactly where it shouldn't be...with another one just like it sitting right next to it.

I suppose I should be pleased with the performance and the prospect of dividing these beauties and transplanting for more Geum joy...yet, I remain slightly disgruntled at the thought of having to move them due to my blind acceptance of planting information as solid fact. Maybe I next time, I will think better of my perennials and remember their tendency to overtake all that surrounds them...

Growing Food Book Winner

Thanks to all of you who entered the Growing Food book giveaway! I am pleased to announce that K Youell is our winner! The rest of you gave so much helpful information, though, that the folks at Cool  Springs Press have created a special discount for you.

Until June 7, you can go to the Garden Bookstore website and take 20% off of your order. When you are asked for a coupon code, enter JA09 and the discount will be automatically deducted.

Getting ready to record the next Good Enough Gardening podcast about garden tasks in June. We are a bit behind due to my trip to BookExpo America...but will have it up today.

Thanks again for all of you who participated!

Cool Springs Press and BookExpo America

Well here I am in New York City...my second day and already have had awesome Italian food and eaten the best Reuben ever at the famous Carnegie Deli. Dude, the potato pancakes rocked, too!

Thought I would send a short video post to tell you what we are working on...and, if you get a chance, go to the new book selling website they are creating and give me some feedback about it. It is called GardenBookStore.net . They want it to be more interactive, more engaging...if you leave a comment on my blog in response, you will get a chance to win one of my Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners books! I will put everyone's name in my orange garden hat and draw.

Here's the video:

**Update: we have a winner folks! K Youell, come on down! Thanks for all of your comments...Cool Springs Press has given us a special discount as a thank you. From now until June 7, when you purchase something from http://www.gardenbookstore.net you will get 20% off. Use JA09 as the discount code.

Growing Raspberries: Five Tips for a Better Harvest

Growing raspberries in Portland’s maritime climate may seem like the sort of gardening that shouldn’t require much explanation. In a city where we spend a significant portion of our time fighting off the “Invasion of the Himalayan Blackberry”, it would seem logical that we should only need to plant them once and await our harvest.

It is true that simply planting any cane berry in the Pacific Northwest will result in a harvest (and  a full-fledged gargantu-bramble). But following these five steps will ensure that they remain productive, easy to harvest and without disease.

 

• Plant in a well-drained location: Raspberries don’t like to sit underwater all winter and spring, so make sure they have soil that drains well.
• Consistent watering is important: Most Portland gardens won’t need much supplemental water until July. Once the rains stop, make sure the canes get 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week. Mulch in summer to help with even moisture and reduce weeds.
• Feed twice a year: Feed raspberries twice a season, once in early spring and once about 60 days later. I like to use a multipurpose organic fertilizer for acid loving plants, and then back that up with a shot of mycorrhizal fungi.
• Use a trellising system: Growing raspberries in rows with a trellis helps reduce disease and pest problems, not to mention that it makes the harvest so much easier.
• Prune, prune, prune: This is the step where most of us loose our nerve. In order for raspberries to be at their best, canes need to be pruned in three ways. Start in early spring, by thinning crowns to the four or five canes that have the largest diameter (this can also be done at the end of summer). Then, remove all small plants that have popped up outside of the row and continue to do so throughout the summer. Finally, after harvest, prune to remove all canes that bore fruit, as they will no longer be productive.  

These two pictures were taken a month apart, the first towards the beginning of April. You can see how it looks as if there are very few berries. But take a look to the left...they take over the trellis in a matter of days.

 

I am most definitely the type of gardener that avoids extra work, if at all possible. In this case, these five steps help reduce the likelihood of disease and make the harvest short work. Follow these easy steps and you will be snacking on bushels of berries in no time!

And don't forget to tune in to the Good Enough Gardening Podcast...show topic this week: "All Alliums All the Time".

Dirty Ladies Gardening Group

There are some days when I am completely surprised at the end result of my activities and yesterday was one of those days...I was checking out some of the gardening groups I belong to on Facebook when I discovered one of them had an odd message beside the title. The "Dirty Ladies' Gardening Group" had a small link below the title that said, "This group doesn't have an administrator. Become the administrator of this group!"
 
Now, those of you who know me, know that I could hardly have passed up a direct command like that. "Who, me? You want me to be the admin. of these 2,500 women talking about all things gardening? Um, ok!" And so, I adopted the Dirty Ladies' Gardening Group.

For those of you who have already started sending me comments about spending less time on the computer and more time in the garden (I agree), let me start by saying the Ladies are an established group that function quite well without a lot of admin action. I suspect my primary job will be to keep the spammers and misguided adult content seekers from taking over. As an aside, I have already had 4 new friend requests from guys looking to "connect"...

What I like about this group is that it covers a broad range of gardening topics...everything from ornamentals to edibles, trees and shrubs to flower borders. There's also a lot of great conversation going on among members...and it doesn't hurt my feelings to have a place to go and celebrate my female side. Listen, they don't call her Mother Nature for nothing...

Stop by and check out the group, see what you think...you may find that you are a Dirty Lady in waiting!

Growing Rhubarb: A Plant for Truly Lazy Gardeners

Ultimately, I consider myself a truly lazy gardener. If there is a way to make something I don't enjoy easier, faster, more pleasant, etc, I am all for it. If I can find someone else to do it, so much the better...things like weeding and watering fall squarely in that category. I would much rather be starting seeds, planting, cutting flowers, harvesting fruits and veggies and admiring mother nature. Really, if fun isn't involved, my interest level decreases significantly.

And let me tell you, growing rhubarb is packed with fun! Now, at first glance, this may seem like an odd statement. But, very few plants are as beautiful, produce as well and love neglect as my tart little friend here. Though they are a vegetable, we generally treat them as a fruit...so, I celebrate their spring arrival with visions of baked goods dancing in my heads. In fact, I just posted a recipe for Rhubarb Cake with Citrus Glaze on Portland Foodie and will be posting a recipe for Rhubarb Bread there tomorrow.

My love affair with rhubarb started about a year ago ("Can This Rhubarb Be Saved?") with a bag of starts I had purchased. I am sad to say that none of them survived. In fact, the one that was doing well, despite all odds, was dug out of the ground and carried away this spring by either a determined squirrel or raccoon.

But that won't stop me, I have a huge rhubarb plant that came with the house. I just harvested the first ruby red stems and they were oh-so-tasty (remember:the leaves are poisonous...so don't eat).

Growing rhubarb is easy...it needs very little from you. However, it does not like the heat, so growing it in southern gardens will be a challenge. Though I need to say that when I lived in Oklahoma, my next door neighbor grew some on a protected side of a pergola that only got morning sun. So hey, don't discount the power of micro-climates.

How to Grow:

• Rhubarb tolerates most soils, but since it is a perennial, plant it in a spot with relatively good soil where it can stay for a while
• It generally likes soil that is slightly acidic, so keep that in mind when fertilizing...give it several doses of a good organic fertilizer during the growing season or use an organic slow release fertilizer
• Make sure it doesn't dry out completely while producing and cut back flower heads to save the plant's energy

Really, that's almost more than I do...and certainly, you can be more proactive with your rhubarb, if  you like. The key is planting it in a place where the climate and site are conducive to growth. As with all plants, if you are working against mother nature, it will be a constant struggle. If you decide you want to try and be the best rhubarb grower ever, this is a site all about rhubarb...If you just want to grow some and have yummy baked goods, well, you can do that too!