Garden Time - Episode 270

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Episode 270 • March 2, 2013

Welcome back! Well, it seemed like it took forever but we are back. I know some of you were teased when we had our Yard, Garden and Patio show special a couple of weeks ago. Sorry about that. We are now back on the air for the next 9 months and, with a couple of exceptions, we will be back on at the same time as last year on all 3 stations. You can still see us on KOIN in Portland, KWVT in Salem and Portland and KEVU in Eugene.

We do have some changes to announce; our sister program, Fusion, is going away. We are sad to see it go since it was so much fun to produce. You viewers really grew to love it, but it didn’t get enough financial support. The good news is that in the next few weeks we will start including some ‘home’ stories in the Garden Time show. These segments will be called ‘Home and Garden Time’ segments.

Now time to get on with our 8th season!

This week we featured...

Spring Rose Pruning

If you follow the traditional rules, your roses should have been pruned a couple of weeks ago, but with roses you can break a few rules. We went to the experts at Heirloom Roses (503-538-1576) to see how they tackle the chore of pruning. Laurie Anderson was out in the fields pruning away some of the old winter canes and prepping the plants for a full season of bloom. Roses are very forgiving, but we tend to treat them gingerly when it comes time to cut them back. Laurie showed us how to cut them back and even how to remove some of the older canes to promote that new growth. Of course now is also a good time to get new plants in the ground. If you have any rose questions you can call Heirloom, or better yet, sign up for one of the Saturday Academies where you can learn in a ‘hands-on’ setting.

Seed Starting

Now is the time to start some of your seeds indoors in anticipation of the coming spring and summer. Judy and William walked us through the steps of seed starting to show you how to plant your seeds and what types you can plant now to get a head start on the season. The basic rules for success include starting with a quality soil and fresh seeds. Sterile soil will help you keep your new plants happy and healthy, because they won’t be exposed to different molds and fungus. We used the Seedling Mix from Black Gold. Judy also mentioned the need to read the back of your seed pack so you will know how deep to plant your seeds and other care instructions. We recommend that you move and thin your small plant seedlings to bigger pots to give them the best start before they go in her garden. This would be a great year to start a vegetable garden to save some money; check out your local garden center for a great selection of seeds. For some more tips on successful seed starting, check out the ‘Seed Starting’ link on the How-To page. We tried New Dimension Seeds for this story, but you can find hundreds of different varieties at your local garden center.

Raspberry Planting

Growing your own food has become the latest trend. You can enjoy the plants and also a nice harvest of fruits and vegetables later in the season. One of the most popular of the fruits is the Raspberry. To get some tips on growing them we stopped by Tsugawa Nursery (360-225-8750) in Woodland, Washington. Brian and his staff have set up a fruit and vegetable garden to show people how they can grow lots of fresh vegetables and fruit in a small area. The raspberries were placed at the back of this garden and, as Brian showed us, they need a structure to grow on too. Poles and wires allow you to keep the plants upright and allows for better fruit production. The raspberry fruit grows on old wood. These are the canes that have been established in the previous season of growth. In fact when you get a new raspberry plant you can sometimes see the new canes just starting their growth from the base of the plant. Don’t cut these off, or your will not be able to enjoy tasty berries later in the summer. Brian also told us about the 2 types of raspberries, June bearing and Ever bearing. June bearing will give you one large crop usually from mid June to mid July. This type is great if you are looking for a large harvest to make jams and jellies. The Ever bearing will produce a smaller crop, but it just keeps coming all season long, up until the first frost of fall.

Some other secrets of success… plant more than a couple plants. 12-25 plants are perfect. That many will assure you of enough fruit to make everyone happy! Also remember to amend the soil so the plants have a good start. Also you will want to plant the berries on a slightly mounded hill. Raspberries don’t like to set in water and this ‘hill’ will allow the drainage they need to stay healthy and happy.

If you are looking to get started Tsugawa’s has a complete kit that you can buy that includes posts, wire, plants, fertilizer, and just about anything else you need to be successful. Stop by the nursery if you have any questions and then get out there and enjoy a full season of tasty berries!

Easter Grass

There is nothing like ‘REAL’ grass in your Easter basket. In this segment we saw how easy it is to grow grass for your Easter (or spring) baskets. All you need is weed fabric, potting soil, any type of grass seed (rye grass works well), and water. First you line the basket with the fabric. Remember the fabric will allow the water to drain so make sure it is a basket that can get wet. Next put in the potting soil and keep it an inch or so below the edge of the basket. Then sprinkle grass seed in the soil. Don’t go too light on the seed; you want it to be really full looking! Mix the seed into the soil and water lightly. The seed should start growing in a week to 10 days. Keep the soil moist until the seed germinates and it will be ready by Easter morning!

Small Fruit Plants

Everyone is looking to get more gardening out of their small spaces. This trend is very hot and garden centers can help. We stopped by Portland Nursery on Stark Street (503-231-5050). Sara and Ken joined Judy to talk about small fruit plants for containers. First Sara talked about the conditions that are special for container gardening. First of all, containers will dry out quicker. Because most pots drain well and some will even ‘breathe’ through the clay, they will lose water faster. You will also want to fertilize with an organic fertilizer in the pot. Make sure you don’t use a fertilizer with a high nitrogen number (the first one of the 3 numbers) since this may cause the plant to ‘burn’. Since these plants can get big over time, make sure you pick varieties that will stay short. Always read the tags or ask an expert at your local garden center.

Next we talked to Ken about the different varieties that they had at Portland Nursery. He mentioned that blueberries are one of the most popular fruits they sell. One of his favorites is ‘Sunshine Blue’, it is a great plant that may even reward you with fruit into late summer. He had also pulled out a shorter variety called ‘Top Hat’. Prefect for a small container! Another new popular variety is the ‘Raspberry Shortcake’. This is a raspberry that was hybridized for small containers. It is a ‘one time crop’ berry and once it is done you can cut back the old growth and make room for new fruiting branches. This brings up the idea of larger fruit plants in containers. If you want a larger variety in a container, make sure the container is larger as well. Large varieties of raspberry may require a whiskey barrel to hold them. Finally, we checked out strawberries. These are old standby garden favorites. Still there are new varieties out there to try. Ken pointed out the new ‘Fort Laramie’ variety. He also pointed out that you can get up to 10 small plants when you buy the larger containers. It’s a great deal and a way to get lots of plants.

If you are thinking of growing fruit in a small space or in a container, stop by Portland Nursery or any local garden center for varieties that will work the best for your space.

Dividing Perennials in the Ground

Dividing your perennials is not hard. In fact you can do it with just a shovel. William and Judy found a lobelia that had just spread too far in the yard. It was covering part of the lawn and was hanging out into the street. The first thing Judy did was to cut back the plant. The early spring is the perfect time for dividing your plants. The foliage is dead, and by cutting it back you can see the entire crown of the plant. Then William took a shovel and just drove it down into the middle of the plant. By cutting a line across the middle of the plant he was able to cut out that part of the plant and keep it from spreading into the yard again this year. The best part? We now have parts of our favorite plant that we can share with our friends and family.

If you want to get more precise in your dividing, you can dig the entire plant up, cut it apart and then replant a smaller portion. Either way, it is easy to divide most of your garden perennials like this! For more tips check with your local independent garden center.