Garden Time - How To

HOW TO

Need a little advice before diving into your next outdoor project?
Here's a list of helpful links to get you started... with confidence!

(LINKS UPDATED FEBRUARY 2020)

	Charts - Printable Lists of Plants for Your Garden* The Perfect Perennial Garden ● pdf version (Adobe Reader) *How do I print these charts?	Don't have Adobe Reader? Click here to download a free version!

	Food Canning and Preservation How to Can and Preserve Food

	Garden Activities How to Build a Raised Bed How to Cast Cement Leaves How to Find Your Nearest Farmers Market - Oregon How to Find Your Nearest Farmers Market - Washington How to Find Your Nearest Farmers Market - Tri-County Farms How to Find a U-Pick Farm - Oregon How to Find a U-Pick Farm - Washington How to Photograph Flowers & Gardens How to Plant a Row for the Hungry

	Garden Animal Friends How to Build a Birds Nest Box How to Build a Worm Bin How to Make Hummingbird Nectar

	Lawn care How to Get Rid of Moss in Lawns and Gardens How to Install Drip Irrigation How to Protect Your Trees from Lawn Mower/Trimmer Damage How to Tune-up Your Lawn Mower

	One Weekend Wonders
	4 Simple Trellises If you are looking to add height to your garden you can buy something, or you can build a simple trellis yourself! William and Judy walked us through the steps of building a couple of different ones. The first one was easy. William used a tomato cage to help his climbing peas. Judy then showed us the second trellis, which was a simple teepee of bamboo sticks. She tied them at the top and they made a quick and simple structure. The third structure was a folding trellis made from PVC pipe. We cut the pipe into various lengths to fit our garden size. This one had 3, ¾ inch pipes that were 3 feet long. These are for the two base pieces and the top. Then we cut 4 longer pieces (6 foot) these are for the sides. 6 elbows create the square and then we also had 2 tees. The top of the tee was a bigger size than the rest of the pipe. This will allow the folding of the trellis when the season is done. The finishing touch was the string. Last year we used a hemp string for the plants to climb on. This quickly broke down and that meant it didn’t work as well as we had hoped. This year we are using a cotton fiber string, which will give our trellis the strength to give our beans and other climbing plants a good strong base to grow on. The final one was a simple set-up of eyehooks that were screwed into the post on an arbor that we built a couple of weeks ago. Then we ran fishing wire through the hooks to make a structure for the plants to climb on. The fishing wire was invisible to the naked eye and if you are looking for more support you could use a wire, or if you wanted something more ‘earth-friendly’ a hemp string would be good. Give one (or all of them) a try and see if you can get your gardening ‘off the ground’. * * * * * * * *
	Easy Garden Retaining Wall One of the easiest ways to build a raised bed for your garden is to use Stack Stones from Mutual Materials (888-688-8250). They are easy to find, come in different colors and styles, and they look good when you are finished. We met with Ron to get some tips on building a simple retaining wall. First you measure out the area where you want your wall. Then you dig a trench for the base of the wall, this will make the first row of bricks more stable. Next you pour a layer of crushed rock in the trench and tamp it down so it creates a solid base. Starting at the lowest part of the wall, you set your first row of stones in the trench making sure they are level to the ground and to each other. The first base is the most important because it is the basis for the rest of the wall. Once you have that first row done, you can stack the rest of the stones on top. The tongue and grove of the bricks helps hold them in place. If you are looking for a larger wall or you are in need of holding back a large volume of soil you should check out some of the other types of bricks and stones that Mutual Materials has to offer. For ideas and simple how-to instructions you can give them a call or check out their website. * * * * * * * *
	Garden Trellis People are looking for more structure in their gardens. One way of doing that is to build a trellis or arbor. William and Judy showed us a One Weekend Wonder project on how to build a new trellis with just a few simple materials. All it took was 2 treated posts, 2 twelve foot 2x4s, 2 bags of concrete, 2 ten foot 2x2s and some nails and bolts. The project started with the placement of the posts. Once the concrete was set, we built the top of the trellis. If you are looking for step by step instructions, click here, for all the details. You may need Adobe Reader to open the instruction file. Click here to download a free version! * * * * * * * *
	Hypertufa Pots Hypertufa is the art of making lightweight cement pots. Donna Wright from Black Gold/Sungro gave us the step by step instructions for making these wonderful pots. Hypertufa means ‘light weight cement pots’ and she walked William through the process of making them. The 3 ingredients to remember are ‘Peat, Perlite, and Portland Cement’. You can customize them by adding moss, creating patterns and changing the color when you make them. It is a great project for families and will last for years! Check out the recipe if you missed it on the air. CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE. * * * * * * * *
	Parr Small Planter As we roll into fall we look at creating colorful planters or making more gardening space closer to your doorstep. Chris Erskine and our friends at Parr Lumber (503-644-1178) have come up with a simple plan for a small cedar planter that uses only 2 boards. With a couple of minutes, a hammer, some 5d galvanized nails and a miter saw we were able to construct a planter that will last for years. The best part? It cost less than 10 bucks to build. Chris also recommended that we seal the cedar so it lasts longer and that we drill a couple of drainage holes too. Still, not bad for a simple, quick to assemble planter! * * * * * * * *
	Patio Fountain We bring you another of our One Weekend Wonders, projects that you can tackle in a weekend and are easily done by the time Monday rolls around. This week we went to Tsugawa Nursery (360-225-8750) in Woodland, Wash. to learn how to build a patio fountain. Brian Tsugawa walked Judy through the steps and William put in the labor to build this outstanding feature. The hardest part was waiting for the sealant to dry on the pot. This project requires a container that holds water, a decorative container, piping, a pump and a couple of bricks. Check out the instructions here.

	Planting and Care of All About Rose Gardening (Thanks to Kim for suggesting this link!) How to Care for Tree Peonies How to Grow Potatoes How to Grow Raspberries and Blackberries How to Plant and Care for Peonies How to Plant and Care for Roses - Heirloom Roses How to Plant and Care for Roses - Edmunds' Roses How to Plant and Grow Perennials How to Plant Vegetable Seeds (1) How to Plant Vegetable Seeds (2) Nutrient Deficiencies in Plants

	Pruning How to Prune Blueberries How to Prune Grapes How to Prune Trees 7 Solutions to the "Too Big" Rhododendron PAGE 1 PAGE 2

	Tree Care How to Find the Right Tree How to Look After Your Young Tree How to Plant a Tree