Here’s an update from one of our local heritage orchards — gardening is about hope and the chance to do things better next year 🙂

If you were growing summer squash: you know the season is over and that it’s time to be thinking about pulling those vines and composting them. My own winter squash, however, still have nice looking fruit and some decent looking leaves. When to harvest, and how to ensure long shelf life for the food bank clients? Fortunately, Territorial’s blog just had some good information (and pictures). Happy harvesting.

And, in particular, information about using coffee grounds in compost can be found at the WSU website.

We recently heard about these coming classes: Date: Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 From 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. (Pre Registration Required) Early season vegetable seeds and plant cuttings propagation. Start some cool weather veggies, and start fruit shrubs from cuttings. Bring some home! For more info: http://beaconfoodforest.org/education/classes/start-your-garden-feb-2016/ – and – Fruit Tree Pruning with City Fruit and BFF Date: Sunday, March 20, 2016 From 10 a.m. – noon. (Pre Registration Required.) Learn the reasons for pruning, the theory behind different cuts, as well as what tools are necessary and how to care for them. Pruning practice with the help of food forest stewards. http://beaconfoodforest.org/education/classes/fruit-tree-pruning-march-2016/ Location: the Beacon Food Forest: S.…

I haven’t seen it in my own gardens yet (and hope that I don’t this year, especially since it’s been so hot) but we DID just have some rain! There’s great advice at the garden hotline!

Planning Garden Beds: Oh, Where Oh, Where to Plant: I like talking with neighbors about their plants — I like the sense of community, and it gives me a chance to prevent problems in my own garden. Recently, a neighbor was telling me about club root in her garden. Since I don’t want club root in my garden, her story reminds me to prevent it! Club root infects the brassicas: a long list of the plants we really like to grow here, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, kale, mustards, turnips, and radishes. (And the weedy herb shepherd’s purse harbors the disease—a good reason to closely manage its re-seeding!) Club root…

While doing the last of the fall clean-up (pulling down vines and pulling out old plants for the compost bin) I am finding “mature” heirlooms (they’ve set seed!) What to do? Photo: red chard gone to seed; onion seed head (white star-shape in center.) 1. Pea and bean: harvest dried pods from plants (or pull them off and dry indoors because it’s been so wet.) Once dry & brittle twist ’em open and place in an envelope or jar in a cool dry place.  (I put those water-absorbing packets that seem to come in every package in with them.) Note: peas and beans self-pollinate. 2. Basil: let seed heads dry on…

After this unusually warm summer, my gardening partners at our Giving Garden plot have been wondering how long the warm weather is going to last. While I usually plant a crop of lettuces, chard, kale and collards for the fall, I haven’t had much success growing year round. This year might be different though thanks to El Nino! Cliff Mass, noted local meteorologist gives more information about the weather potentially coming up this fall and winter in a mynorthwest.com article: Experts predicting warmer fall, winter for Western Washington If indeed we experience a warmer fall/winter, what are you planting as your late season crops? Do you have any suggestions for…

Believe me: I’ve had ample opportunity to test advice about pests in the last couple of years. First: be cautious: even if some things are considered “organic” they aren’t necessarily ok for frogs or fish populations.  And some proposed solutions (such as those involving tanglefoot products) kill all insects including beneficial insects that control problem insects. 1. Start out right:  grow in soil that is 6.3-6.9 (note that if you’ve got lead in your soil it’s recommended that you grow in neutral soil — close to 7.0).  Add lime or wood ash (from untreated wood) every 1-2 years — our soil tends to be unbalanced because of the rain. Add compost (1-2 inches/year) and/or…

Evidence based gardening information and downloadable handouts and pamphlets http://gardening.wsu.edu/

South Park’s greenhouse usually hands out garden starts to our food bank clients in September. (These have been chards, kales, winter lettuces and herbs to grow on a windowsill). This year, because of the heat & water challenges I’ve deferred beginning these until August 2. I know that I’ll need to have these as big as possible before the cold weather sets in (because after that time they really don’t grow until the onset of the warmer spring weather.) Your advise would be appreciated: how can I get them to grow quickly?