It’s time to start planting your fall crops. I know, I know… it seems crazy to think about winter when it’s a bazillion degrees outside, but it’s true. Before you start sowing seeds though, be strategic about where things get planted by practicing crop rotation. Put simply, crop rotation means you plant each type of vegetable in a new spot in your garden each season.ย You
Spraying Fruit Trees
Last year, I was disappointed to learn that my gorgeous Puget Sound Apricot tree had a terrible case of blight. Early spring leaves looked like they had been pricked all over with tiny pin holes. Then the fruit began to develop with a thick scab. Still, the tree managed to put on some nice growth later in the season. I ate the fruit despite it’s
Battling Aphids
Aphids suck – literally. These pesky garden pests will poke their mouths into your beloved plants and suck out their liquid. It weakens the plant and reduces your harvest – not to mention the unsightly appearance a massive, black mound of aphids can be on your plants. What can be done on the organic homestead to remedy the problem? The answer: lots! To prevent aphids
Apricot Tart
Apricots are little fruit jewels of the home orchard. They only last a day or two once picked, which is why you rarely see either apricots (or figs) fresh in the store. Their sweet, delicate flavor earned them a spot in our garden in the hopes that we could enjoy these treasures at their height of ripeness. Unfortunately, in the Pacific NW it is really
Apricot Blight
Our Puget Gold apricot was planted three or four years ago and has quickly grown into a lovely tree. About a month ago, it appeared like an insect was bothering the tree. The leaves had little pin holes on them. But then I noticed the fruit was looking funny as it ripen on the tree. It turns out our lovely little tree has Coryneum Blight
Beet Leaves
You can enjoy your beets before they are even big enough to pull from the ground. Their leaves are really high in vitamin A nutrients, along with vitamin C, iron and calcium with a taste similar to swiss chard. Although you can eat them raw, I prefer to saute them in a little olive oil. I also tend to drop them into most dishes I
Garden Pests
The last few days I have begun to notice some pest damage to my plants outside. This morning I took a nice long stroll with a cup of coffee and inspected the situation. Slugs have been munching on the collard greens and the raspberry bushes. I have also noticed holes in some melon and squash starts, which is another sure sign of slugs. There were
May Sprouts
April flew by this year and everything seems to be growing along quite well. I took a turn through the garden and my currant shrubs are just covered with berries. This is their second year in my garden and last year I didnโt get a single berry. I remember one bush in particular started getting overrun with ants in the early summer. I am hoping
Seed Packet Infestation
The weather in Portland has been very Spring-like over the last several weeks, but sure enough the winter weather has swept back through with one final blow. Snow, hail, and near-freezing temperatures decided to take another run through town and looks like they will hang around for a few more days. What I call “Portland’s false Spring” has come to an end. Eventually the temperature