SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 377 • October 10, 2015

VIDEO ARCHIVE

Cool and wet. The rains have returned and with them the cooler weather. It is feeling like fall. Just like last week when we visited the fall festival at Bauman’s (which continues until the end of the month), this week is another signature event that defines the fall, the Annual Apple Tasting at Portland Nursery. This is a great event for families with tons to do. This year we also found another event that you may want to visit, the Cranberrian Fair. Check out the story below. With this cooler weather it is time to think about adding some new plants to the garden and Carol from Out in the Garden Nursery has a few suggestions in the show too.

The colder weather will soon be here so get out and enjoy these fun activities, or just enjoy some time in your garden!

 

This week we featured...

 

Cranberry Harvest and Festival

 

Cranberry Harvest and Festival

Did you know that we can grow cranberries in the Northwest? In fact, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia are major growers of this native American plant. The harvest season for this great little berry starts in mid-September and runs until the middle of November. To learn more about the cranberry and how it is harvested we drove up to Long Beach and Ilwaco in Washington State. Our first stop was the Washington State University Research and Extension unit, and the Cranberry Museum in Long Beach. The Research unit has over 10 acres of research plots and production fields where they test new varieties of berries and, during the fall, demonstrate harvesting for visitors. We met with WSU Extension Agent, Kim Patton, to learn about the cranberry plants they grow there. He told us that the cranberry is a low growing vine and they are looking for better yield, higher fruit quality, disease resistance and pest management. They are long lived and look the same whether they are 3 years old or 100 years old. The cranberry is considered a ‘super fruit’ by most nutritionists because of their high content of proanthocyanidins, an antioxidant which helps overall cell health. They grow in their beds during the growing season and are pollinated by bees. When they are mature the growing beds can be flooded for harvesting, and that is where we went next.


Our second stop was at the CranMac Farm where they had flooded the bog and had a crew pulling floating booms gathering all the cranberries. Ardell McPhail joined Judy to explain the process. First they flood the bog for 2 days to get the water level up and over the top of the plants. Then they take a mechanized beater into the bog and it beats the plant until the berries rise to the surface. Then they are corralled by the crew with floating booms to one area of the bog. Then a conveyor is set up and it scoops the berries up and out of the bog and into bins located on a truck. These are taken to the Ocean Spray processing plant. This process is called wet harvesting. Almost all of the berries processed this way will be turned into juices and sauces. The whole berries that you buy in store are usually ‘dry harvested’, which is more labor intensive and gentler on the fruit.


All this work will be celebrated this weekend as the Long Beach peninsula hosts the Cranberrian Fair on October 10th and 11th from 10am to 4pm. Betsy Millard from the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum told Judy how the Cranberrian Fair is celebrated in 2 different locations. In Ilwaco at the CPHM they will have a lot of vendors and activities featuring local artisans and demonstrations. People can see pottery, jewelry, paintings, homemade pies and even a blacksmith. They will even have the Nahcotta train car open for tours. This only happens twice a year! There is a $5 fee to get into the CPHM, but the other museum open this weekend is free.


Judy then talked to Melinda Crowley from the Cranberry Museum in Long Beach. This museum is back at the WSU Research Station where we started the day. It has some great displays of the history of cranberries on the Washington coast. You can see some of the machinery that they used and learn about the differences between dry and wet harvesting. That is also the location of the bogs where they will be demonstrating a wet harvest. The museum also has a great gift shop. It is loaded with everything cranberry. You can find clothing, cards and lots of tasty cranberry flavored treats (try the ice cream!)


There is a trolley that will shuttle people between both locations so you can enjoy both museums for a fun and educational time.

 

Favorite Fall Perennials

 

Favorite Fall Perennials

Fall is a great time for some late season perennials. Some plants just take a little longer to be better and to see some of the best for this time of year we traveled to Molalla to Out in the Garden Nursery (503-829-4141) to talk to Carol. Before we started to talk about the fall favorites Carol pulled out a few summer surprises from this past summer. The first one that really surprised her was a fuchsia, ‘Regia, regia’. This is not a climbing fuchsia but it survived in the garden on little or no water! Another summer surprise was a molinia, a medium sized grass, followed by a taller grass, Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’. Carol also put together some combinations in her garden. One of her favorites was Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and Molinia ‘Variegata’. The foliage of the molinia and the color of the sedum blooms are outstanding together! Colors and textures that play well together. The shorter molinia just showcased how grasses can do well in the garden. Carol had brought out some carex varieties to showcase that point. These will do well in the garden and are a nice accent to almost any planting. This was especially true for the luzula. It will fit well between plants in the garden and is like a little sea urchin for your beds.


The foliage of the grasses was great but nothing beats a cool looking bloom. We pulled a Tricyrtis or toad lily out of the bunch. This looks like an orchid but it isn’t. It is hardy for our area and was still loaded with blooms. We also saw a taller shrub with variegated foliage that looked really cool. It was Caryopterus ‘Snow Fairy’. The foliage is the big selling point on this one. It has a cream colored edge to the leaves that gets brighter with more sun. We finished off with 2 more grasses. The first one was a shorter variety called Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’ with red colored foliage that shows up in the fall. It gets about 3-4 feet and was looking stunning. The final grass was a Calamagrostis that was tall and slender and breathtaking when the sun hit it. Carol has about 3 or 4 different varieties of this one in her garden that create a wall by her parking lot. They are huge but beautiful, especially when they are waving in the breeze.

You really have to come out and see Carol’s place. The display garden is looking really great with all this cooler weather we have been having, plus she is wrapping up her season. She will be closing her nursery at the end of the month, so don’t miss out on these great plants.

 

Portland Nursery Apple Tasting

 

Portland Nursery Apple Tasting

Be prepared for a celebration!!! A is for apple and you will find a ton of apples at Portland Nursery’s (503-231-5050) 28th Annual Apple tasting at the Stark Street location. This landmark celebration features over 50 different varieties of apples and pears available to taste. There is a kid’s area with face painting and balloon creations. Plus you can stop by on Friday the 16th for ‘Elementary School Field Trip Day’ which is loaded with kid’s 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 ‘Elder Day’ on the 14th from 1-3pm with discounts 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. Come see these and a bunch more at the tasting!

 

Solar Gem Greenhouses


 

Solar Gem Greenhouses

Extending your growing season is not that hard especially if you have a greenhouse. We met with the representative of Solar Gem Greenhouses, Pat Hurley, who filled us in on the unique traits of the Solar Gem greenhouse (800-370-3459). For starters this is an ‘easy’ greenhouse. There are no special tools, foundations or prep for this greenhouse. You just find a spot in your garden and they deliver it. It is also a one-piece unit. There are no pieces to assemble or maintain. That means there are no seams that will leak out warm air or let in cold air. Your greenhouse will hold and maintain the heat so your plants will thrive. It is a very functional greenhouse. Pat told us about an owner in Montana who grows and uses most of her fresh vegetables in the greenhouse during the winter months. Sounds delicious! If you are interested in the Solar Gem greenhouse they are available at Little Baja in Portland. If you are in the Woodland area, they can also be found at Tsugawa’s Nursery. Of course you can always find them at the Solar Gem website as well! For more information, just stop by one of these retailers or click on the link above.
 

 
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