SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 231 • March 3, 2012

VIDEO ARCHIVE

Welcome back!  We are excited to have you join us for the 7th season of Garden Time.  We have been researching the trends for the home gardener and there are reoccurring themes that we have found.  Topics like small space gardening, growing your own food, organic gardens and creating entertaining and relaxing spaces in your garden.  These and many other trends will be covered this coming season, plus we will also bring you some really cool plants that grow well in the Northwest and how to take care of them. 

Let’s all get ready to garden!

This week we featured...

Lawn Moss

Lawn Moss

If you live in the Northwest you have moss.  This is one of the biggest problems facing the homeowner and with the warmer weather around the corner you may have the urge to renovate your lawn for the summer months ahead.  But first you have to get rid of the moss.  We talked to Norm McCreight of Lilly Miller about moss and why we seem to have so much of it in the Northwest.  It is a condition that we get from a lack of care.  If you take care of your lawn and help the grass grow, then you can help keep the moss from taking over.  Norm gave us some tips on getting rid of the moss and what you should do to keep it from coming back.  We also featured the Moss Out product.  William started the story by spraying a patch of the lawn and by the time we finished the story the moss was already turning black!  We also learned that if you have a moss control that contains iron you should be careful to not let it get on buildings, patio or clothing.  The iron will cause a stain.  If you want more information about the Moss Out product, check out their website, and BEWARE OF MOSS.

Spring Rose Pruning

Spring Rose Pruning

If you follow the traditional rules, your roses should have been pruned a couple of weeks ago, but with roses you can break a few rules.  We went to the experts at Heirloom Roses (503-538-1576) to see how they tackle the chore of pruning.  Laurie Anderson was out in the fields pruning away some of the old winter canes and prepping the plants for a full season of bloom.  Roses are very forgiving, but we tend to treat them gingerly when it comes time to cut them back.  Laurie showed us how to cut them back and even how to remove some of the older canes to promote that new growth.  Of course now is also a good time to get new plants in the ground.  If you have any rose questions you can call Heirloom, or better yet, sign up for one of the Saturday Academies where you can learn in a ‘hands-on’ setting.

Seed Starting

Seed Starting

Now is the time to start some of your seeds indoors in anticipation of the coming spring and summer.  Judy and William walked us through the steps of seed starting to show you how to plant your seeds and what types you can plant now to get a head start on the season.  The basic rules for success include starting with a quality soil and fresh seeds.  Sterile soil will help you keep your new plants happy and healthy, because they won’t be exposed to different molds and fungus.  We used the Seedling Mix from Black Gold.  Judy also mentioned the need to read the back of your seed pack so you will know how deep to plant your seeds and other care instructions.  We recommend that you move and thin your small plant seedlings to bigger pots to give them the best start before they go in her garden.  This would be a great year to start a vegetable garden to save some money; check out your local garden center for a great selection of seeds.  For some more tips on successful seed starting, check out the ‘Seed Starting’ link on the How-To page.  We tried New Dimension Seeds for this story, but you can find hundreds of different varieties at your local garden center.

Raspberry Planting

Growing your own food has become the latest trend.  You can enjoy the plants and also a nice harvest of fruits and vegetables later in the season.  One of the most popular of the fruits is the Raspberry.  To get some tips on growing them we stopped by Tsugawa’s Nursery (360-225-8750) in Woodland, Washington.  Brian and his staff have set up a fruit and vegetable garden to show people how they can grow lots of fresh vegetables and fruit in a small area.  The raspberries were placed at the back of this garden and, as Brian showed us, they need a structure to grow on too.  Poles and wires allow you to keep the plants upright and allows for better fruit production.  The raspberry fruit grows on old wood.  These are the canes that have been established in the previous season of growth.  In fact when you get a new raspberry plant you can sometimes see the new canes just starting their growth from the base of the plant.  Don’t cut these off, or your will not be able to enjoy tasty berries later in the summer.  Brian also told us about the 2 types of raspberries, June bearing and Ever bearing.  June bearing will give you one large crop usually from mid June to mid July.  This type is great if you are looking for a large harvest to make jams and jellies.  The Ever bearing will produce a smaller crop, but it just keeps coming all season long, up until the first frost of fall. 

Some other secrets of success… plant more than a couple plants.  12-25 plants are perfect.  That many will assure you of enough fruit to make everyone happy!  Also remember to amend the soil so the plants have a good start.  Also you will want to plant the berries on a slightly mounded hill.  Raspberries don’t like to set in water and this ‘hill’ will allow the drainage they need to stay healthy and happy. 

If you are looking to get started Tsugawa’s has a complete kit that you can buy that includes posts, wire, plants, fertilizer, and just about anything else you need to be successful.  Stop by the nursery if you have any questions and then get out there and enjoy a full season of tasty berries!

Easter Grass

There is nothing like ‘REAL’ grass in your Easter basket.  In this segment we saw how easy it is to grow grass for your Easter (or spring) baskets.  All you need is weed fabric, potting soil, any type of grass seed (rye grass works well), and water.  First you line the basket with the fabric.  Remember the fabric will allow the water to drain so make sure it is a basket that can get wet.  Next put in the potting soil and keep it an inch or so below the edge of the basket.  Then sprinkle grass seed in the soil.  Don’t go too light on the seed; you want it to be really full looking!  Mix the seed into the soil and water lightly.  The seed should start growing in a week to 10 days.  Keep the soil moist until the seed germinates and it will be ready by Easter morning!
 

 
main page this week

plant of the week

tip of the week tool shed how to gardens to see sponsors events calendar the happy spot
streaming video read our blog join our twitter e-mail us archive press relations links to other websites
 

Website design and content ©2006-2021 Gustin Creative Group.  Please send website inquiries to gustingroup@comcast.net.  This page last modified July 30, 2021.