Happy 4th of July. As you may have noticed we returned to our half hour format this weekend. We will continue to be a half hour show for the rest of our season until the end of November. I usually hear from some fans that they are upset that we are back to the shorter show, but there is really nothing we can do about that. The cost of the hour long program is too much to carry for the summer and fall. We have great advertisers but even they have to watch their pennies for the rest of the year. Be sure to tell them ‘thank you’ for sponsoring the show the next time you are shopping or by phone or e-mail. They are the ones responsible for us having a show in the first place. You can find a list of our sponsors at our sponsor page, http://www.gardentime.tv/sponsors.htm.

This 4th we want everyone to stay safe. This warm and dry spring has made us a little worried about the possible danger from fire. Use caution with your celebrating, and be careful. Check out our tip of the week to make sure your home and garden are ready for the weekend.

Also, time is running out and seats are filling fast for our 1st annual bus tour! Check out the Garden Time Tours page for all the details, www.gardentime.tv/tours.

Watch this week's entire show, available until July 10, 2015!

This week we featured...

Lighthouse Garden

If you have been to the Oregon Coast you have probably seen one of the many lighthouses that dot its shores. Two of the most visible ones are in Newport. The Yaquina Head lighthouse is the most visible, but the Yaquina Bay lighthouse and grounds are more accessible. One of the things you will see at the Bay lighthouse is a demonstration garden that is a joint effort by the OSU Extension Master Gardeners, Oregon State Parks, the Lincoln County school district and the Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses among others. Liz Olsen, with OSU Lincoln County Extension service, and Michael Christy, Master Gardener volunteer met us in the garden to tell us more. This garden is over 20 years old and it proves that you can grow lots of different plants at the coast. We hear from people who have said it is difficult to grow stuff at the coast, but the OSU crew, with help from some local 2nd graders, have planted a bunch of raised beds that were just thriving. The kids got their hands dirty and learned about planting vegetables and also have the knowledge that they are helping people too since all the food produced goes to the local food pantry. Raised beds are not the only way to garden at the coast, Michael showed us how he is using the straw bale method of planting. He prepped the bale and conditioned it then planted various vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. He showed us how the temperature of the bale was almost 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding air. We also learned that this garden was a pesticide free garden so it was friendly for all the local pollinators.

The next time you are in the Newport area, stop by the Yaquina Bay lighthouse, near the Bayfront, and see if you can learn a thing or two about gardening at the coast!

Smith Berry Festival

It is time for the 13th Annual Berry Festival at Smith Berry Barn (503-628-2172) on Scholls Ferry Road. On the 4th of July from 11am to 3pm, you can stop by and enjoy fresh berry desserts, wine tasting, hot off the grill sausages and hot dogs, and live music. This is a family friendly event with face painting and balloons. You can also stop by the gift shop to pick up some gourmet products and sample a fresh berry milkshake. You can also go out and do a little u-picking of your favorite berries. With all the spring heat, the strawberries are gone, but there are tons of berries ripening every day! You can pick various varieties of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and loganberries.

We met with Joelle to learn about how to pick berries. Everyone has picked strawberries, but not too many people know when blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are ripe. Blueberries are probably the easiest to pick. You actually ‘tickle’ them off the plant. When blueberries are ripe, they are completely blue and easily come off in your hand with a gentle touch. When you are picking raspberries you shouldn’t have to pull too hard to get them off the plant. Ripe raspberries will leave the center plug on the plant when you pull them. Blackberries should come off easily too, but they will keep the center core with the berries when you pick it. You can taste one to make sure it is ripe and then look for similar berries in color and shape. Don’t forget to look under the branches. Sometimes the biggest berries are hiding under the branches!
Joelle talked about how well the berries are this year and they taste great! They have lots of new varieties that are ripe for the picking every day and you can check their website for a daily update on what is ripe in the field. Take some home to remember your day in the country!

Iris Book

In the Willamette Valley we are all familiar with the bearded irises that are on display at Schreiner’s Iris Garden in Brooks. They can really put on a show in the spring, but they have a cousin that is equally bright in the garden, the beardless iris. A new book has just come out by Kevin Vaughn, local hybridizer and author, called ‘Beardless Irises: A Plant for Every Garden Situation’. This is soon to be the go-to issue for anyone who is interested in beardless iris. Why would we be interested in a beardless iris? Well, because they can grow in almost any condition we have in our area. Kevin told us this group is one of the most versatile plants in the perennial garden. One of the best iris for our area is the ‘spuria’ group of irises. Some varieties of this iris can get over 5 feet tall. Once established they are pretty much maintenance free, with blooms that last weeks instead of days! If you are not into such a tall plant, there are dwarf varieties as well. The book also covers steps for hybridizing and creating your own varieties! For more information on this book and picking up a copy, check out this website.

Food Roots

Food, it is something we all need and yet sometimes we take it for granted. It has gotten to a point where a lot of people don’t even know where their food comes from. Food education is one of the important roles that a group called Food Roots (503-815-2800) tries to address. They are a group located in the Tillamook area of the coast and they work hard to educate school kids about food with school gardens activities and connecting farms with kids and teachers, but that is not all they do. We met with Joel Caris the Development Director at Food Roots to learn about other programs that they are involved with. They also help small food producers with training, asset building and connections to get their businesses going. They also publish the North Coast Food Guide, a directory of local farms, food producers and other resources. Farmers markets are huge and they are involved in the coordination of four markets in the area, plus they help facilitate the SNAP program at those markets so people have access to fresh local produce. We found out that they are the go-to organization for food education, information and distribution of locally grown produce. If you are in the Tillamook area, they are a group you should get to know!

TOW – July 4th Prep

Our tip of the week is about getting your home and garden ready for the fireworks of the 4th of July. The days leading up to the event you should clean all the dried leaves and debris from your roof and gutters so there is nothing to catch on fire if a stray firework makes it up to your roof. The afternoon of the 4th you should water your yard and garden for the same reason. The additional moisture will help prevent fires from flaring up. If you have acreage or a larger lot, make sure that you create a ‘defensible’ area around your home in case of wildfire. Check out the FEMA website for more helpful information.

DWIP Pan

We found this little pan at Standard TV and Appliance (503-619-0500), but it could save you BIG money if you have a leak in your dishwasher. Edie joined us once again to show us how the Dish Washer Inner protection Pan is installed under your dishwasher and if you have a leak, it catches it and then drains the water towards the front of the dishwasher so you can see the leak right away and do the repairs to fix the leak. This will keep the water from soaking into your floors and wood and ruining your kitchen! It only costs a few dollars but can save your thousands! Stop by your local Standard TV and Appliance location and check it out!