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Welcome to Garden Time -- Season 3!

Garden Time is Portland's #1 garden show, and is owned and produced by the same person who started the In the Garden TV show and the former garden show on Good Day Lifestyles on KPTV-12.  It is our goal to give you the best gardening information in the Northwest.  We are a local show and we will always be a local show.  What does that mean?  It means we will stay topical and seasonal.  You will see what works in the Northwest, what you can plant here and how it will grow.  It is information that will help make you a successful gardener. 

Garden Time airs on KPTV FOX-12 every Saturday at 9:00am and is also seen at 9:30am on KWVT-17 in Salem and 8:30am on KEVU-23 in Eugene.  Garden Time is owned and produced by Gustin Creative Group and is not affiliated with KPTV, KWVT or KEVU.

 


Judy Alleruzzo

 

 Episode 106
October 4, 2008

 

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William McClenathan
October in the Northwest is fall festival month. This week we kick off the month by touring a couple of the festivals and we will be visiting more in the next few weeks. It is a great time to get out and visit these celebrations of fall. You will have a good time and get the chance to sample and buy some of the great fruits and vegetables that the area has to offer. It is also a good time to take a walk and enjoy the fall colors that are starting to pop! The season is changing and with all the different things happening around the area, it is truly a feast for the eyes and the taste buds.

This week we featured...

Bauman’s Autumn Harvest Festival

The fall festivals are in full swing and one of the best in the state is the Autumn Harvest Festival at Bauman’s Farm and Garden (503-792-3524) near Woodburn. Fall is also the time for a bounty of fresh produce and Bauman’s is full of stuff. Brian Bauman joined us to tell us about all the wonderful events they have at the farm including the new pirate ship hay maze, the zip line, the frontier fort, the animal barn and a ton of other stuff. He also had to show us the brand new Chinese Lantern plants they have for sale. These are one of the most unusual perennials you will find in the garden center. If you pair them up with the Belgium Mums, you have quite a fall color combination! We also took a look at the fall pumpkins and squash they have for sale. The delicata is one of his favorites. And they are very easy to prepare. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, poke some holes in it, microwave for 3 more minutes, poke a few more holes, microwave a final 3 minutes and you are done. Cut it open and serve.

Bauman’s have always been a big supporter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Oregon. This year they have added pedal cart racing to their list of events. When you pay to ride the carts a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the MS society. They are also selling a limit edition bandana at the farm. If you buy one of these you will also be entered into a drawing to win a free trip for a family of 4 to Great Wolf Lodge and also a $100 gift certificate to Woodburn Company Stores. Plus, all the proceeds of the bandana sales will be donated. While you are there don’t forget to visit the red barn where they have plants, a gift shop and delicious baked goods!

Bulb Layering

As we enter fall we are reminded to plant our spring blooming bulbs. Donna Wright from Black Gold reminded us that bulbs are great in pots too! You can create waves of color by layering your spring blooming bulbs. She demonstrated that by using different layers of bulbs in a pot you can have color that lasts all spring! She used daffodils, tulips and crocus in 3 different layers. When the warm days of spring arrive she will have these bulbs blooming at different times and will have waves of color for months. But always remember to start with a quality potting soil, like Black Gold!

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 Kathy Jacoby 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 over 25 years old. 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.

Red Pig Tools

A couple of months ago we visited with Bob Denman at Red Pig Tools (503-663-9404) to watch him make a garden trowel. Bob’s tools are well made and built to last and sometimes they are designed from tools that have been used in the past. Bob brought out a few of his unusual long handled tools to show us. The first one was a mangle cutter. This tool was used by pig farmers to cut up corn pieces into smaller chunks so the pigs wouldn’t choke. It is great for local gardeners that want to cut their compost into smaller bits for quicker composting. Bob also makes a weed fork for those tough to get weeds, a ridger that helps in planting seed crops, and a half-moon weeder/cultivator. Our favorite was the blackberry hoe. This tool, which Bob designed himself, has edges that let you easily get the small plants with one side and the large tap roots of the old plants with the other side. If you are interested in unique tools for tough jobs, check them out when you are in the Boring Oregon area.

Wine Harvest

With the cooler nights we noticed that our grapes are getting pretty tasty. It is also a reminder that it is time to harvest the wine grapes for future vintages. We visited the award-winning Willamette Valley Vineyards (800-344-9463) to see the steps for making an excellent Pinot noir. Jim Bernau, the owner and founder, took us out in the vineyards to explain the conditions for growing a good wine grape. We also got to use a refractometer to check the Brix level (sugar level) of the grapes. They have to be just the right level of sugar to age and ferment properly. We then traveled to the bottling area to see where the grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and stored during the fermentation process. This is a busy time at Willamette Valley Vineyards but you can still stop by the tasting room and sample to fruits of their labors!

Le Tour Bike

During Le Tour des Plants we invited people to enter to win one of the decorative display bikes that many retailers had in their garden centers. These bikes are the signature display for Le Tour and they are one-of-a-kind garden art. They are made by Don Sprague and Garden Gallery Iron Works (1-800-423-0158) at the Woodburn Company Stores. Now that the Le Tour event is over it was time to see who won the bike. Don enlisted the help of Dave the head of security at the Woodburn Company Stores to draw the name. Ken Stegen of Woodburn won the bike! And if he calls before 9am Sunday morning (the 5th) he will also receive a $50 gift certificate to the Garden Gallery Iron Works store. Thanks to everyone who entered and we will see you at the 2009 Le Tour des Plants!
 

 
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