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Episode 119 • April 4, 2009

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Welcome to Gardenpalooza weekend! For many gardeners this event has become the kick-off to the garden season.  We are featuring the 7th annual Gardenpalooza because it is a great event for the whole family.  If you get a chance you can stop by on Saturday the 4th from 8-4 at Fir Point Farms.  For information on the event and discount coupons you can check out the Gardenpalooza website.  We will have the entire Garden Time crew there and you can sign up for a ton of free prizes!  We will be giving away containers of tropical plants, garden books and magazines, discount coupons to local garden centers, samples from Gartner’s meats and tickets to the Portland Classical Chinese Garden.  Don’t forget the tons of other freebies that are available at the event.  Stop by and say hi!

This week we featured...

Hanging Veggies

We are going to take your veggie growing to another level with this fun little project.  Donna from Black Gold showed us how you can plant your spring and early summer vegetables in containers including a hanging basket!  Donna picked a couple of varieties of lettuce and some peas.  She also used the Black Gold All Organic soil for healthy veggies!  Planting in containers helps accomplish a couple of things.  First it is easier to control their growth.  They are closer to your door so you remember to water and weed them.  Second, you get the benefit of bringing the harvest to your doorstep.  The hanging basket was only one way of doing this.  You can always use a regular decorative pot or even a basket on your patio railing.  For more ideas, check with your local independent garden center or stop and see Black Gold at Gardenpalooza.

Mini- Hooper

Getting a jump start on your summer vegetables is hard this time of year.  You can get your plants in the ground, but a quick frost could wipe them out pretty quickly.  We found a tool that will help your tender plants make it to the warmer days of spring.  The Mini-hooper is an instant mini hoop house and it is just right to protect your smaller garden plants.  You can use it with the shade cloth and insect screen to get your plants off to a good start.  It is also great in the fall to extend your growing season.  Sue Berg of New Dimension Seeds carries this product on her website, or you can pick one up at either location of Portland Nursery.  Sue will also have some available at Gardenpalooza.  Stop by at Fir Point Farms on April 4th and pick one up.

Mason Bees

We went into the garden to find the ‘loner’ of the bee world.  The Orchard Mason Bee is a wonderful, early spring, pollinator.  It will fly in colder weather than its honey-making counterpart.  It is also a very busy bee.  It can pollinate many more flowers than the honey bee, plus it is much more docile too.  It hardly ever stings!  The one difference between the 2 varieties?  The mason bee is pretty much done pollinating by June 1st and then it heads into hibernation to wait for the next spring to start all over again.  We met with Brenda Lee Calvert who is with the Clark County Beekeepers Association.  She told us about these industrious bees and how they reproduce.  These bees will find holes in the wild to lay their eggs.  We have found them laying eggs everywhere including cracks in our house.  The best part is that they don’t do any damage to the area where they lay their eggs.  Brenda showed us how you can make a Bee Block for them to lay their eggs.  She used an untreated 4x4 and drilled 5/16 holes in the wood for them to use.  If you are interested in building your own block check out these instructions.  You can also ask Brenda questions at Gardenpalooza on April 4th.

Tool Posture

Having the right tool for the job is only half the battle, using that tool correctly is the other half!  Bob Denman from Red Pig Tools (503-663-9404) gave us a quick primer on the correct use of some of the most common long handled tools that you may have in your garden shed.  First we started with the hoes and cultivators.  Bob recommends getting a tool that is at least as tall as you are.  This allows you to avoid bending at the waist to get the job done.  He also weeds across his body, this lets him use his upper body strength and avoid stress on his lower back.  Shovels use a different technique.  Shovels need to be selected according to the type of job you are trying to do and the type of material you are moving.  You should also consider the ‘lift’ of the shovel, which in layman’s terms means the angle of the blade to the handle.  Bob even demonstrated the correct way of digging.  If you have any questions, check out one of Bob’s classes or stop by the ‘Red Pig’ store in Boring.  Bob will also have a selection of tools at Gardenpalooza.

Jan’s Tips

Early spring is a great time to tackle those landscape remodeling projects.  We checked in with Jan McNeilan, retired OSU extension agent, to see her latest project.  Jan and her husband Ray have decided to tackle the front yard which they thought had gotten a little out of hand.  Jan explained that she first wanted to tackle some of the weather beaten plants from this past winter.  She was going to cut back the dead and dying plant material and then wait to see how many of the other plants would bounce back before she decided how to tackle them.  Patience is the key.  Then she was going to remove a euphorbia that had grown out of its space.  She told us that she was going to wear gloves because of the milky sap of the stems.  This sap is an irritant for some people and could cause burns to the skin if they contacted it.  It is a good idea to always wear gloves no matter the job you are tackling.  Next they have to decide what type of plant they are going to replace it with.  It is a good thing they have the perfect book to help them make the decision, The Pacific Northwest Gardener’s Book of Lists.  They just happen to be the authors!  It is a great book that organizes plant material by the conditions that the plant prefers.  You will find shade plants, sun plants, dry plants and those that love a little moisture, all listed in areas the will help you make the correct plant decision.  If you would like to meet the authors and learn more about the correct place for plants you can see them at Gardenpalooza.  You can even get your own signed copy of their book!   

Mini-Greenhouse

Garden spaces are getting smaller and people want to garden year-round.  Those 2 factors are behind the idea of the mini-propagator.  This tiny greenhouse is just right for small space gardening.  Michelle from Solexx Greenhouse (800-825-1925) showed us how compact it is and how easy it is to use.   This greenhouse can handle shelves and lights.  It is so small that you may only need a single light to heat it.  You can get your garden off to an early start in the spring or you can carry your garden into the late fall with this little wonder.  It can also become a playhouse for your kids during the summer months when you are not growing plants.  Stop by Gardenpalooza to see one set up and even take one home!

 
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