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William McClenathan

 

 Episode 66
October 6, 2007

 

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Judy Alleruzzo


Wow, fall came in like a lion!  If these past few days haven’t told you to get ready for winter, nothing will.  In the next few weeks we will be showing you how to get your lawn, plants and garden ready for the cold winter months ahead.

This week we featured...

Fir Point Farms 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 Kathy Jacoby 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 25th season. Every weekend in October, Fir Point offers the full compliment of pumpkin patch activities, including hayrides, a corn cannon, 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 a whole bunch of new animals that were born on the farm this past year. 

Stepables Lawn Makeover

Lawns can be a pain to maintain.  They need lots of water, constant mowing and lots of edging to keep them in their borders.  We found a way you can control your lawn. Remove it!  Fran from Stepables (503-581-8915) replaced her grass and did a total yard make-over featuring ground covers and other perennials.  ‘Elfin thyme’ has now become her ‘grass’ because it is always green, needs little water (once established) and will even reward you with tiny purple blooms.  Other areas of her garden include steps made out of ‘blue star creeper’ and colorful accents made out of ‘Aceana purpurea’.  We also noticed that certain plants change color depending on the amount of sun exposure they get.  If you need more ideas on replacing your lawn, check out the Stepables website.

Cement Leaves

Before the leaves start to fall, harvest them for some quick garden art.  We met with a local artist, Ann Kenkel, to learn the steps for creating cute cement leaves for your landscape.  Ann has worked out the kinks and made all the mistakes so you don’t have to.  Just follow her ‘Cement Leaf’ recipe.  She recommends you start with smaller leaves and ones that are non-fuzzy.  Put your cement mixture on thick and then make sure you let it cure for quite a while.  Ann recommends at least 2 days before you remove the leaf.  You can do this with any leaf and now is the perfect time to do it. 

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.

Grimm’s Compost

Your yard debris of today is becoming the rich garden compost of tomorrow.  Since it is fall and everyone is cleaning up their yard we decided to check out where that yard debris ends up.  Jeff Grimm walked us through the composting facility at Grimm’s Fuel (www.grimmsfuel.com, 503-636-3623).  This facility in Tigard is where a lot of your lawn clippings end up.  At the Grimm’s facility they cut up the garden waste, pile it, turn it (to keep it hot) and let nature take it’s course.  Most of this will become ‘Metro certified’ garden mulch.  What that means is it is clean of residual herbicides and meets ‘Earthwise’ standards. Grimm’s has a complete selection of different types of soils and amendments for your lawn or garden.  It is also a great time to mulch your plants to protect them from the coming cold.  Give them a call for delivery rates and availability.
 

 
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