Good Gardening

It is cold, wet and gray outside. But if you can get out there for five minutes now, planting a tree or new shrub in the spring will be much easier.

Here's a quote from the March 1895 Eugene weather summary written in early April.    "While the coast range passes are still blocked by snow, they are expected to open in the next two weeks".  Yes the weather is different, and we must adapt to the changes in the way we garden. 

For many vegetables, harvest is a one day affair.  The carrot is either in the ground, or on the table.  And once you've picked the carrot, it won't grow back again.

Raspberries used to be called Raspis Berries. Somebody shortened is to raspberries, and mot of us stopped pronouncing the p.

Today were going to look at that age old question. Which came first- The chicken or the rat?

It's the time of year where you have to decide who will tell you what your lawn should look like. First a little history.   Lawns- front and back started as a safety system during medieval times.

Onions are a prime ingredient in so many recipes.   There are three ways to grow onions- seeds, starts, and sets.  Two won't surprise you, but one involves suspended animation.

I have a mental calendar of when plants should bloom, and I should put seeds in the ground for my vegetable garden. I rarely follow the schedule, and the plants never do.

Hops: A plant that produces no seeds and flavors beer. Just in time for the KLCC Brewfest February 9th and 10th at the Lane Events Center in Eugene, KLCC’s John Fisher takes a close look at hops in this month’s Good Gardening.

I love fresh home grown fruit. Especially fruit that lasts into the winter. We all know that apples store well, but most people are not as familiar with the winter storage pears. They grow well in Oregon, and if the only pear you have is a Bartlett, you need to expand your orchard.

I spent some time on a recent sunny afternoon, looking back on a long and fruitful life wondering what I would change if I could do it all over again.

September is the time of year your plants are doing double duty-- producing a crop, and trying to set seed.

We put a lot of work into our gardens so we can eat- fresh delicious vegetables.

After a long- longest if you count rainy days- winter, we, and our plants are itching to get outside, and soak up some sun.

This is a terrible time to plant tulips or daffodils.  But it is the perfect time to get inspired by a colorful spring spectacle that has it's roots in a fall planting ritual.

40 plus years ago, while living in Northern California, I brought raspberry plants to my parents in Salem.  Years later, I brought offspring of those plants to my garden in Eugene. 

Bare root tree and shrub planting time is almost here.  Bare root plants are packed in wet sawdust or shavings, You can get them pre-packaged, but I like going through the bins at local nurseries. You'll see the roots before you buy the tree.

 If you are looking for a gift for the gardener in your life, I have a few ideas that will make the garden more productive, the gardener more comfortable, and the house quieter.

When you plant a dozen tulip bulbs in Wisconsin, you get 12 blooms the first spring, 8 the next, and one or two by the third year. The cold climate is tough on the showiest flowers of spring.

Good Gardening's John Fischer says because Oregon's summer nights are cool, it's better to ripen garden tomatoes indoors to get the best flavor.

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If you like fresh fruit, the phrase tree ripened makes you drool.  But there are important exceptions to the rule.  You need to pick your Bartlett pears while they are firm, green, and mature, so they can ripen into the soft, yellow, juicy fruit you love.

  I like cats- sometimes.  Burl Ives likes cats.  (Music from "Here Kitty").  But when I'm sifting my fingers through the soft spring soil preparing to put seeds in the ground, and I find the surprises the cats have left for me, I don't like them- at all.

  Everybody has a favorite vegetable. I have a favorite for each month- well two- a favorite to plant, and a favorite to eat. For April they are both leeks. We are finishing off the last few of the wonderful midwinter harvest planted last April, and it is time to put in a new crop for next year.

The weather has warmed, the soil is dry (er), and  the spring planting season has begun- Gentlemen, don't start your engines.

At this point in the winter, fresh fruit may seem like a long forgotten dream.  The frozen blue berries, and dried pears do a valiant job of substituting,  But if you want juicy moist fruit on your cereal, or in your lunch box you might think it has to spend time on a boat first, and come from the southern hemisphere.