Mmmm… it is apple season. The smell of an apple pie, the taste of apple sauce, the warmth of hot apple cider are sure signs of the season. The chill of fall can be easily removed (or at least softened) by this yearly treat. This week we visit one of the biggest apple festivals around at Portland Nursery on Stark. This is a must see for anyone, but especially for families! Before you head out to this festival, or any of the other great fall events, take a stroll around your garden and enjoy the sights and smells of your own garden. Don’t forget to take a cup of that hot apple cider with you!

This week we featured...

Portland Nursery 23rd Annual Apple Tasting

A is for apple and you will find a ton of apples at Portland Nursery’s (503-231-5050) 23rd Annual Apple tasting at the Stark Street location. Over 60 different varieties of apples and pears are available to taste. There is a kid’s area with face painting and balloon creations. Plus you can stop by on Fridays for ‘kid days’ which are loaded with kids activities. Cooking demonstrations, an apple press and live music are also on the list of activities. Another reason for stopping by is to get a chance to vote for the best scarecrow. Fellow shoppers have entered their best scarecrows for the chance to win prizes. You can also shop from a variety of local vendors that will be offering local honey, mustard, jam and a whole lot more. Special events include a special ‘Senior Day’ with 10% off for seniors, and everyday discounts on apple prices. Now is the time to also take advantage of all the wonderful fall perennials available at both locations of Portland Nursery. These plants are at their best right now and it is the perfect time for planting too! Come see these and a bunch more at the tasting!

Winterize your Fountains

Water in the garden is great, but once the weather turns to freezing it is time for you to look at protecting your investment in your fountain so you can enjoy it for many years to come. Wayne Elliott from Little Baja (503-432-8959) showed us how to protect and preserve your fountain. First you need to get out all of the water in your fountain. Wayne uses a shop vac and a small hand pump to make sure every drop is out. Any water left in the feature will freeze and then you will have permanent damage. He even plugged in the pump after he was finished to make sure that all the water was out of it. Next he scrubbed down the fountain to make sure that all the algae was gone. He used a natural, non-toxic cleaner to do the job. Once again he dried the fountain. Finally he covered the whole thing with a clear 4 mil plastic and tied it off at the bottom. The clear plastic allows the sun to warm the fountain and evaporate any remaining water. Wayne also poked a few holes in the plastic to let the evaporated water escape. Now if this seems like a huge task you can call Wayne and have the folks at Little Baja come out and do the job for you. They will even return in the spring and set it up for the summer of 2010.

Fall Blowers

Fall is the time to clean up for the winter months ahead. If your lawn and garden needs a big time clean-up, you need to find a tool that will do the job right, the first time. We paid a visit to Wayne Sutton of STIHL to learn about the different Stihl blowers that will help you to get the job done. This year there is something new to think about if you want to buy a blower in the Portland area. The city of Portland has instituted some new noise regulations for blowers in the city limits. Blowers have become the #1 nuisance machine in the garden. Wayne talked about using them safely and considerately. The first blower is a backpack version that can tackle the big tough jobs and the second model was a super quiet one that is so quiet you can talk on the phone while you use it. If you are wondering which machines meet the new noise regulations, check out this page of approved models. You will notice that STHIL has a large number of the approved models. If you have any other questions you can check with you local STIHL dealer. To find one close to you, check out their website and remember to always use approved safety equipment when you operate machinery.

Compost Bins

With the push for people to be ‘green’ in their homes and gardens, composting has become very popular. We stopped by The Greenhouse Catalog (800-825-1925) to check out the latest and greatest in compost bins. Michelle took us outside to show us the Earthmaker, one that works your scraps from the top down and doesn’t need to be turned. Another simple composter allows you to pick up the unit when it is full so you don’t have to dig in the bin and finally a compost tumbler, which allows you to tumble the compost to get it to break down and ready for your garden. Then we moved inside to look at a couple of different compost helpers. We saw the little compost scrap bucket that helps you get your scraps from the kitchen to the composter without making a mess. We also saw the compost tea maker which can make a great liquid for a foliar spray for your plants. Finally we saw the Worm Factory. This small composter is great because it doesn’t take much to operate it; it doesn’t smell (if used properly) and can make a tea-like brew for your plants as well. If you are looking to start composting, congratulations. Check out the selection of different composters at your independent garden center or at the Greenhouse Catalog.

Fall Clean-up Tips

Fall always brings questions from the home gardener. This fall William and Judy took a couple of minutes to talk about some of the common questions we have heard. Before we get started let’s just tell everyone to not be in too much of a hurry to get chores done in the garden. You spent months getting your garden ready for the summer, now you can spend a few days enjoying it before the cold rains return. In fact it might create more problems for your plants if you do too much too fast! William talked about pruning. You can do some light pruning, but if you get too ambitious you could cut too much and that will promote lots of new growth that can be damaged at the first hard freeze. This is especially true for roses. For some of the seed bearing flowers you can leave the flower heads to feed the birds and other wildlife. As far as your trees go, you can start pruning the dead branches off. It is good to do that now while the leaves are still there because once the leaves fall off you can forget which branches are dead and which ones are alive. Also, don’t forget about watering. Even with the fall rains coming you will need to make sure that your garden plants are well hydrated, especially under the eaves of your house and under trees. Indoor plants that have been outside for the summer can be brought back inside for the winter. Remember to treat them for pests before bringing them indoors. Wash them off with an insecticidal soap and use a systemic to ensure that the critters are gone. Finally, you can plant your spring bulbs now. You will ensure a bright, colorful and happy spring by planting your tulips, daffodils and other spring blooming bulbs now. For more tips on what you can be doing to get your garden ready for fall check out the garden calendar at the OSU extension website.