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Judy Alleruzzo

 Episode 4 - April 29, 2006

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William McClenathan

Spring has sprung.  With all this nice weather everyone is whipping their gardens into shape.  With a little work, pretty soon you will be done and then you can sit back and relax.  We’ll help you get your garden in shape with some of our stories this week.

This week we featured... 

The Oregon Garden

We visited The Oregon Garden (1-877-674-2733) to see all the spring blooming plants that they have.  Our timing could not have been better!  This Saturday is the annual Blooms and Brew Brewfest.  April Purdy told us about the 30 local brewers that will be offering sample of the beers, and for a $10 admission you get a commemorative glass and 2 tickets for samples.  Live music will fill the garden with guests like Paul Delay and Lloyd Jones.  You can also get a great dinner that could include a Red Hook Porter float!   But don’t forget the garden.  The warmer weather has really brought out the blooms.  Come up, jump on the garden tram and spend a day enjoying the garden!

Mole Solutions

One of the most common pests in the NW garden is the mole.  They can really tear up your flower bed and lawn.  There are lots of products out there to deter them.  Don Sprague of Don Sprague Sales (1-800-423-0158) told us about a couple of them.  The products that don’t seem to work… the vibrators, the home remedies, and the gases and bombs.  Plus you need to read the directions carefully.  You may be doing more harm to your garden than the moles.  The problem with getting rid of moles is, if you don’t remove them, they will just leave and will return later.  The best way of getting rid of moles is to trap them.  Don showed us how to use the Cinch Trap.  This product will trap them and remove them forever. 

Dividing and Planting Dahlias

If you have ever seen the spectacular show of the dahlia festival in Canby, you know how beautiful the dahlias can be.  Now is the time to divide your dahlia tubers and get your new ones in the ground, so you can enjoy that same colorful show this late summer and fall.  We visited with Nick Gitts of Swan Island Dahlias (1-800-410-6540) to learn how the experts do it.  If you can’t make it out to the garden to plant this week, or forgot to order your tubers, you have until the middle of May to do both.

Planting Tomatoes

Now is the time to plant your tomatoes and there are a few things you can do to ensure a bountiful fall crop. One thing you can do is to plant your tomato deep! Tomatoes will grow roots along their main stem as long as you leave a portion of the leaves above ground. Also, by adding a small amount of garden lime to the soil you can avoid "blossom end rot," a condition that causes a brown spot at the end of your tomato.  It is still a little early so you may want to protect your new plants with a cover, like a cloche, or use a product like a Wall-o-Water.  Don’t forget to set your tomato cages up as well. 

Overseeding Your Lawn

If you lawn is looking a little thin, now is a good time to overseed.  You can do this by getting a good mulch or topsoil, a seed made for your conditions and a rake.  Start by spreading your mulch over your lawn to the depth of about 1 inch.  Scatter your seed broadly, don’t put it on too thick.  Then rake it into the mulch and then water.  Don’t let it dry out; the seed needs to stay moist until it germinates.  Wait until it gets a couple of inches long before you mow.

Spring Layered Pots

Every fall we hear about layering your bulbs in your garden planters and pots for spring color.  This technique is not just for fall.  Take a late summer blooming bulb or tuber (we used a lily) and plant it in a pot, then plant an annual color spot on top of it.  You can enjoy the color spot now and later this summer you can enjoy the color from the bulb!

"Kindergardening" – Potato Sacks

Our "Kindergardening" segment this week will get your kids excited about gardening by creating a sack full of spuds!  We visited with Amy Bigej at Al’s Garden Center (530-981-1245) and she showed us how to grow potatoes in a garbage sack.  She used a black plastic bag, potting soil and a couple of your favorite garden potatoes.  She started by punching hole in the bottom of the sack for drainage.  Then we fill the sack 1/3 full of soil.  Plant your potatoes in the soil (eyes up), then cover with more soil until the sack is roughly half full.  Keep it watered and keep it in the sun.  As the plants grow, add more soil.  At the end of the season split the bag open and harvest your spuds!
 

 
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