The
weather
outside is
delightful!
But soon
it will be
very
frightful!
Get out
there and
enjoy it.
Be sure to
watch out
for those
wasps and
yellow
jackets!
They are
getting
meaner as
the days
get colder
and
shorter…
The other
thing you
will
notice is
what your
trees are
telling
you. The
changing
color of
the leaves
means fall
is in the
air. This
week’s
show is
full of
fall
related
stories…
This week
we
featured...
Fir Point
Farm Giant
Pumpkin
Weigh-off
We found
our way to
Fir Point
Farms
(503-678-2455)
for their
Giant
Pumpkin
Weigh
Off. Fir
Point is
one of the
locations
where they
weigh
giant
pumpkins
to
determine
who has
the
largest in
the
country!
The last
few years
we have
witnessed
some of
the
biggest
pumpkins
in the
nation.
We talked
with Jim
Sherwood,
a giant
pumpkin
grower,
about how
they grow
these
massive
giants!
Then
‘Farmer’
Frank
Battilega
talked to
us about
all the
events
going on
out
there.
The GIANT
Pumpkin
Festival
kicks off
the
month-long
Fall
Festival
at Fir
Point
Farms,
which is
now in its
24th
season.
Every
weekend in
October,
Fir Point
offers the
full
compliment
of pumpkin
patch
activities,
including
hayrides,
a corn
maze, a
pumpkin
slingshot,
a hay
maze, pony
rides, a
hay-slide,
delicious
food,
pumpkin
carvers,
live
entertainment,
and
pumpkin
arcade
games for
small
children
... plus
various
farm
animals
featuring
the always
entertaining
tree-climbing
goats.
Jack
Richards
Fall
Container
You are
limited
only by
your
imagination.
That is
the motto
of Jack
Richards,
an award
winning
floral
designer,
when he
puts
together
his
decorative
containers.
We caught
up with
Jack at
Fresh to
You
Produce
and Garden
Center
(503-769-9682)
in
Stayton.
Fresh to
You is a
great
garden
center and
they are
getting
ready for
the fall
season.
Jack was
putting
together
some of
their
displays
and he
offered
some tips
for the
homeowner
that wants
to make a
splash
with their
fall
containers.
He
incorporates
almost
everything
in his
garden
when he
does his
designs.
Flowers,
live and
cut, only
create the
base of
his
designs.
He also
uses corn
stalks,
small
gourds and
hard
fruits,
plus
decorative
birds and
other
holiday
knick-knacks.
The main
things he
looks for
in a
container
are
texture,
color, and
design.
Catch Jack
or any of
the other
helpful
staff at
Fresh to
You to
answer any
of your
container
questions.
Solexx
Greenhouses
Having a
‘green’
house in
your
backyard
shouldn’t
send you
to the
‘poor’
house.
We found
one by
Solexx
that is
easy to
assemble
and really
inexpensive,
too. A
greenhouse
will help
to extend
your
gardening
season and
it will
give you a
head start
on next
year.
Michelle
Moore from
Solexx
Greenhouses
(800-825-1925)
and
William
assembled
one in
just a few
hours.
When you
order the
kit it
arrives in
just a
couple of
boxes.
The kit is
so well
organized,
and color
coded,
that it is
really
simple to
assemble
with just
a couple
of tools.
A couple
other
benefits:
It can be
sited
anywhere
and there
is no need
for
expensive
site
preparation
-- you can
place it
directly
on your
lawn.
Plus, it
is
lightweight.
You can
assemble
it in one
area and
move it to
another
area with
just 2
people.
This is
great if
you want
to place
it over an
existing
garden
area.
Check
out their
website to
see all
the
different
types of
greenhouses
available
and all
the tools
to extend
your
growing
season.
Forcing
Bulbs
Looking to
add
some color
to the
upcoming
holidays?
Donna
Wright
from
Black Gold
showed us
how to
force your
favorite
bulbs into
spectacular
beauty for
the winter
months
ahead!
She
demonstrated
how easy
it is to
force
Paper
Whites and
Amaryllis.
You can
use any
pot or
decorative
container
and you
can use a
variety of
different
soils and
stones to
do it.
Now is the
time to do
this as
the
selection
of bulbs
in the
garden
centers is
at its
best right
now.
Grass Seed
Choices
Fall is
the
perfect
time to
renovate
your
lawn.
Growing a
new lawn
or
reseeding
an old
lawn now
can give
you a head
start on a
beautiful
lawn next
year.
Your
choice of
grass can
help
ensure
your
success.
Grass
seed, like
plants,
sometime
prefers a
specific
condition.
Certain
seeds
perform
well in
shade and
others in
sun. Tom
Combs from
DF Marks,
which
distributes
Professional’s
Choice
grass
seed,
joined
William to
explain
what to
look for
in a
quality
seed.
Things
you should
look for?
Check out
the
percent of
‘weed
seed’ and
‘crop
seed’.
Since it
is grown
in fields,
grass seed
can be a
combination
of seed
that blows
into the
field.
The
Professional’s
Choice
seed have
0 percent
of both,
which is
what you
are
looking
for. The
other
thing to
check out
is the
‘test
date’.
Like
freshness
date on
any
product,
this tells
you when
it was
tested.
If it is
more than
a year old
you may
want to
look for
another
bag. The
closer the
test date
the better
the
germination
rate, the
better the
lawn. If
you have
any
questions
you can
always
stop by
your local
independent
garden
center.