Weeding between the lines

By Jim McGinty

Here at Rancho McGinty, the Winter snow and ice berms are finally gone – leaving a LOT of mud, and some reminders of my forgotten/abandoned 2022 home and garden projects, sticking out of that mud, LOL.

In the actual garden, the garlic, rhubarb, asparagus, comfrey, strawberries, blackberries, and day lilies are growing like they know Summer is on the way – in fact, all of those plants will survive one of our “hey, wait a minute – it’s June!” last frost episodes.  In our weather-challenging neighborhood, it’s good to grow perennial things that can handle the unexpected (and unexplained) frosts.

I see leaf buds on our choke cherry trees, and on the lilac bushes, but the fruit trees in the orchard are hanging tough, and not spending a lot of precious energy on fragile, easily-damaged growth.  Usually, the lime-green “feathers” on the local tamarack trees signal that it’s time for the apple and pear trees to get busy.

Out in the berry garden, now (!) is the time to fertilize your grapes, raspberries, and blueberries before the leaves bud out, and if you intend to plant new berry varieties, now is the time for that as well.  If you forgot or did not prune out last year’s fruiting raspberry canes, now is the best time to take care of that chore.  Be sure to burn or dispose of the spent/brown canes, as cane borers love to overwinter in them, only to return in the Spring, and eat their way down to your precious plant crowns.

In the garden, is it safe to plant those expensive tomatoe and pepper starts?  No.  Is it safe to plant those expensive cool weather starts (onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.)?  Probably, toward the end of May, or maybe in early June.

In the garden, now is the time to spread and dig in the manure, leaves (you did remember to collect and bag fallen leaves last Autumn, right?), and any soil amendments (compost, wood stove ashes, etc.).

In the orchard, it will be time soon to apply dormant oil to smother all those nasty critters and their eggs that overwintered in/on your trees – apply the spray after the last overnight frost, and before the buds break out into the warm Spring air.

GARDENING CALENDAR:

09 May – our local gardening club will meet in Camden Grange and Community Center (located at 7 Camden Road, Elk, WA) at 7 P.M. for our monthly soiree:  lots of socializing, gardening advice (good and bad!), a short class on growing perennial veggies in our part of the world, and snacks.  We are regionally-known for being a fun and informative group of both experienced and beginning gardeners, so please join us!

10 May – I’ll be teaching a class on growing food (veggies in particular) in our area of the world, from 7-9 P.M., in the aforementioned Camden Grange and Community Center.  If you experienced the shock of an “early” killer frost, and want to know how to keep those plants alive all the way to harvest, you will want to attend this class.  Cost is $5 per person, and there is a cool handout.  You can register for this class at the Grange website (Camdengrange.org).

11 May – the Pend Oreille County Master Gardeners (the folks who actually know what they are doing in the garden, LOL!) will teach a class on No-till Gardening in their demonstration garden in Newport.  If you want to garden without the aid of engine-powered machines, then this class is for you.  Class runs from 6:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., and you can obtain more information, and also register for the class by calling the W.S.U. Extension office at 509-447-2401.

21 May – local gardening expert Dawn Trammell and her friends will conduct an all-day (10 A.M. to 5 P.M.) workshop on an amazing series of topics:  edible wild plant identification, hoophouse construction, preparing and using medicinal plants, and more.  The workshop is free to the public, and will be located at 6561 Spring Valley Road, Newport, WA.  You can call for more information at 509-860-4792.

24 May – local gardener Jane Bolz will present a class on garden raised beds, from 7-9 P.M., in that same Camden Grange and Community Center.  You will learn how to plan, build, use, and improve raised beds for your garden – save some money, save your back, and grow great food.  Cost is $10 per person, and there is an extensive series of informative handouts.  You can register for this class at the Grange website (Camdengrange.org).

You can follow the happenings at our local gardening club here on our blog, or by looking at our Facebook page:  Elk-Camden Garden Keepers.  Great stuff, and lots of information on growing food in our neighborhood.

That’s it for this month – be careful out there – the weeds are lurking, and hungry.

 

Special gardening presentation at Camden Grange

GROWING FOOD IN VERY COLD COUNTRY

 

Camden Grange and Community Center President Marylee Rozelle invites you to a special presentation on Monday evening, 01 May 2023, at 6:00 P.M.  Local farmer James Cummins will share information about a company that he is involved with, that outfits shipping containers for vertical harvest hydroponics production.  The company ships them to Alaska for growing fresh greens all year round in remote areas!  There will also be a Zoom connection with a partner in Anchorage, and time for questions and answers.  Should be a very informative and eye-opening evening, especially for our local gardeners.

You are welcome to arrive early for soup and neighborly conversation, and if you like, please stay for the following grange meeting – no pressure, but the meetings are always fun.

All this occurs at Camden Grange and Community Center, located at 7 Camden Road, Elk, WA  - hope to see you there!

 

 

jim.

Garden Club ads for April 19

couple of things worth noting:

i've attached (probably, LOL) the 2023 tomatoe plant list from our local Tomatoe Queen Barbara Midtbo:  if you desire tomatoe plants that like to grow in our area of the world, please check out her list, and e-mail her with your order.  we WILL be able to safely plant tomatoes, soonish.

i've also attached the floating row cover information handout from jane bolz' part of our club's recent season extension class - we will want all the help we can get to harvest ripe food this year:  tricky weather ahead!  during the panel discussion, jane talked about using recycled dish washer racks, freezer baskets, or appliance shelving racks to protect your precious plants from predators:  good news, jane has some of those (the racks and baskets, NOT the predators) for you!  please contact me if you are interested.

lee and chris bennett have a hay elevator for sale:  20' feet long, electric motor-powered, saves your back when stacking hay bales!  contact me if you are interested.

i'm teaching a gardening class at camden grange and community center on 10 may on "how to grow veggies in our challenging neighborhood", from 7-9 p.m.  i'm looking for someone to teach another gardening class on how to build and use raised beds and simple improvements (hoops, trellises, watering systems, etc.).  the raised bed class would be held on 24 may, from 7-9 p.m., and will be a paid class (meaning the instructor splits any profits with the grange).  i have a class handout/outline for the topic that you can use, if that will help you decide.  please contact me if you want to add a professional line item to your already impressive resume.

finally, please check out the Facebook page for "Faith Farm", operated by Sandy and Greg Coehlo, who presented a lengthy and informative class on greenhouse and hoophouse construction and use, during our recent season extension panel discussion.

whew!

jim.

509-292-0326

Garden Club ads

buncha stuff has recently surfaced, just like all that stuff that emerged from under our snow berms, LOL.

kevin miller has a 1974 troy-bilt roto-tiller for sale.  7 horse model, just like mine, and of the same excellent vintage:  no mtd cheap-o sheet metal and plastic, no sir - cast iron and steel, and will get the job done without killing your back.  if you are interested, please let me know.

joe schofield is looking for local outdoor (garden, orchard, homestead stuff, etc.) work - joe has worked for some of us in the neighborhood, and he is worth the money.  you can contact joe at 509-957-6030.

lisa montegue, of montegue heritage farms, is offering club members a 10% discount on plant starts.  locally (like a mile from our house!) grown, hardy stuff - 509-292-5182, 40415 north madison road, elk.  montegueheritagefarms.com

jaimee stone is looking for a club member who is getting quail for their son's 4-h project, and lives off-grid.  if you are that person, please let me know.

sandy coehlo has free "chitted" (already sprouted) seed potatoes of various varieties.  these guys are ready to be planted into the dirt or at least into a dirt-filled pot for later planting.  get a head start on potatoes - our precarious food supply demands that we take care of our families!  sandy can be reached by text at 208-654-5600 - she lives just southwest of diamond lake.

we'll have a class on season extension at the april 11th meeting - early start, late finish, ripe food.  we need all the help we can get, LOL!

all for now, jim.

509-292-0326

Weeding between the lines

By Jim McGinty

The snow and ice are mostly gone from the garden here at Rancho McGinty, though the frozen soil would require a pickax to create a planting hole or seed trench, LOL. 

“As soon as the soil can be worked” is a common phrase for folks living in our short season gardening area of the world:  just as soon as you can, plant something, but be prepared with backup plants and seeds, ‘cuz you just know there is at least one more killer frost out there.  Sometimes, we “risk-taking” gardeners get it right, and we have 100  frost free days, but more likely we will have (probably) 70 frost free days, so accordingly plan.

Our September 2022-planted garlic patch is not showing (yet) any signs of greenery, though I’ll bet we’ll see some sprouts show up mid-April, and even the strawberries in their raised bed, are still hiding beneath the maple leaf mulch – time soon to pull back the mulch, and let the sun do it’s job.  

Back in 2022, we saw a, let’s call it “lengthy” rather than “way too long” rainy and cold Spring, so this year, let’s try some season-extension techniques, in hopes of starting off the plants early enough to harvest ripe food later in Summer:  place clear plastic film or black weed block over the planting areas and raised beds, to raise soil temperatures; choose short season or early seeds and plants; put plastic gallon milk jugs or “cloches” over the baby plants (though you will want to monitor the daytime temperatures, so as to not cook those plants, LOL); use mini-greenhouses or low-tunnels (rows of short hoops covered with clear plastic or floating row cover), and especially remember to cover those plants with row cover (brand names include “Ree-May”, and “Agribon”) to protect those darling little babes down to +26 degees Fahrenheit.

In the berry patch, now is a great time to plant blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries, though you will have to protect them from 4-legged predators seeking anything edible and green.

Speaking of strawberries, now is a good time to fertilize the plants (before they break dormancy) – early manure or fertilizer will encourage new runners and flowers, but wait until after harvest for the next application. 

Out in the fruit tree orchard, now is the time to finish pruning off all those damaged, dead, crossing, or in-growing branches, and if you have access to woodstove ashes, apply a ring of ashes around the drip line – fruit trees will respond with more and better fruit.  And no, it’s not time to apply dormant oil yet – the oil will smother evil-doers (scale insects, aphids, knats, fruit flies, and more) better if you wait until after frost-free nights.

And above all else, don’t be in a rush to plant “jungle plants” (frost-sensitive plants like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.) until after our last frost – you will just make local nurseries very happy, as you buy expensive replacements.  No, I don’t know anyone who can accurately predict our last frost date, though I’m pretty sure the 4^th of July is a strong possibility!

GARDEN CALENDAR:

On the 11^th of April, our local garden club will meet at 7 P.M. in Camden Grange and Community Center (located at 7 Camden Road, Elk, WA  99009) for an evening of fun, and some useful gardening information:  a short class on extending your gardening season in your garden. You will learn how to start early, and safely, and maybe harvest ripe, red tomatoes, instead of green, tasteless tomatoes.  As usual, there will be time at the meeting for socializing, networking (I always wanted to use that word in this column, LOL), and trading hard won tips and techniques – oh, and we’ll have delicious snacks, too!  

Don’t forget to check out our club happenings here, and on our Facebook page, Elk-Camden Garden Keepers. See you out there.

March garden club meeting warning!

We will be assembling at Camden Grange and Community Center (located at 7 Camden Road in Elk) Tuesday evening, the March 14 

at 7 P.M.

This being our first meeting of 2023, it’s mostly a social affair, with lots of people asking “where’s old what’shisname?”, and “I thought you moved to Arizona?!”.  Speaking of which, I will not be attending due to some surgery scheduled for the previous Monday, so club secretary/treasurer Jane Bolz has graciously accepted the thankless job of attempting to herd the club members in some kind of orderly fashion – please be nice to her!

Jane will also be collecting 2023 club dues (still $5 per person, or $10 per family), and will have club membership cards with that special code on the back offering a substantial (don’t know yet how much) discount for garden supply purchases at Northwest Seed and Pet, with two locations in Spokane.

We will also hold our 2023 seed/plant swap, so if you have extra/unwanted garden seeds or plants, please bring them along so other gardeners can benefit – ditto on CURRENT (2023!) garden seed and equipment catalogs – no catalogs from the 1950’s!

Also also, club members are asked to bring along a favorite snack to share with our famished co-members – the club will supply hot water, cocoa, tea, and coffee.

Please have a lot of fun – our club members make our club great – and occasionally make our club criminally-liable, LOL.

 

Jim McGinty

Potatoe sandbox experiment a success!

Here at Rancho McGinty, our garden soil has been improved over the decades to the point that, though most plants LOVE to grow here, our potatoes had (past tense, now!) a severe case of potatoe scab (a common soil-borne bacteria-like organism that likes rich dirt, and makes for ugly spuds – delicious spuds, mind you, but still ugly).

My on-line research last Winter indicated that a sand and sawdust growing medium could just be the solution, so I (laboriously, I might add!) shoveled up some river bottom sand and some pine wood chips/shavings (a 50/50 mix) into a raised bed.  I added drip irrigation, a “fertigator” (an in-line fertilizer applicator, in my case a “Chapin” model #4701), and timed applications of liquid fertilizer (manure tea, every two weeks).

The results are amazing, and really tasty.  I plan to create another potatoe sandbox next spring, so that I can alternate/rotate crop locations to avoid any evil diseases or insect invasions.

I’ve attached a photo of some of the potatoe harvest:  the varieties are “Strawberry Paw” (some of them 8 inches in diameter!), and “Pinto"; both types of seed potatoes were purchased from “Fedco”.

Something to think about over the approaching Winter.

Jim