August Tip of the Month
Sunday, August 01, 2010
August Tip of the Month

Ouch! Help! Stop! Ow, ow, ow! Don't worry. I'm just kidding. Your blooming annuals will not scream in pain if you give them a little haircut right now. In fact, it will hurt you more to cut off the blooming tips than it will the plants. They will love it and continue to bloom much longer with a little pinching and shearing. The cutting will stimulate more bushy growth and blooms so don't be afraid of losing all the flowers. Further on down the stems you should be deadheading the dried flowers and just generally cleaning up the plant.

Watering is essential in the dry August month so give your non potted plants a long slow 1 inch drink of water every week. Potted plants are a different story though and some may need a drink of water twice a day to keep them at their best. Consider giving your blooming plants a good shot of liquid fertilizer as the plants will use it up quickly in the heat of the day.

I know this may go against everything you have ever learned about pruning, but summer is really a better time to prune fruit trees. Since the tree is actively growing, by pruning now instead of winter, you actually have less risk of getting a lot of suckers growing straight up in the tree. Go ahead and thin out rubbing branches and any dead or diseased wood to keep your trees looking their best. Please, however, DO NOT make cuts in the middle of a branch. I am disgusted at how many trees in Gig Harbor parking lots have been mutilated by terrible pruning practices. When a branch or trunk is cut off in the middle instead of at a joint, it opens the tree up to disease and pests and this can eventually kill the tree. Plus a mutilated tree is not a pretty thing to look at in it's contorted state!

All my research in deer control has hit a snag. My friend Abby tells me that she has a buck, doe and three fawns living in her neighborhood on Queets. The buck and fawns don't even come close to her yard or bother to eat any thing at all. The doe however, is a different story and nibbles down her roses. I wonder if it's because she was already in the habit of dining there or if she just doesn't have any taste buds. Any comment on this?

June Garden Tip of the Month
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
I could be filthy rich.....if only I had a dollar for each person who asked me why their vegetable gardens were doing so poorly so far this year. After asking a few questions, I came up with the same answer to each inquiry. They put the wrong vegetables in too early! Just because the stores sell large pots of tomatoes and tender basil in early May, it does not mean that they can go into your garden as soon as you get the plant home.

Since we live in the Northwest instead of California or Arizona where it is much warmer, there are certain plants that do not do well in cooler wetter weather. Tomatoes, zucchini. basil, corn and cucumbers relish the warm balmy days and nights that usually show up in June. And many plants that you purchased may not have been hardened off properly. Hardening off plants is done by gradually exposing them to the outdoors by keeping them inside at night and gradually exposing them to longer times in the sunshine or the outdoor elements during the day. They gradually get acclimated to the harsher weather then they had been used to in their greenhouse nursery. Think of them as little babies, who are exposed to the sun for the first time. A little sunshine each day and then slowly increased each day keeps them from getting burned.

I started about 1000 tomato plants but only kept about 250 in my greenhouse to share with friends, family and clients. There is no way, that I was going to drag all those plants out every day and put them in the greenhouse every evening so my plants are not hardened off. Those who receive my free plants need to spend several day hardening them off before making their permanent home the vegetable garden. When you buy any tomato plant, look to be sure that it has a good stem. If it has to be staked, it probably needs to be planted quite deep so you might as well buy as smaller one that has a sturdy stem. Think of it as purchasing one with a strong backbone!

What do you do with all your vegetable scraps? If you put them in the trash or down the garbage disposal, you are losing out on some free compost and fertilizer for your garden beds. A compost pile is an amazing thing to behold. You can fill it up with vegetable and fruit leftovers, dried leaves, non seed bearing weeds and even newspaper shreds from your shredder, keep it damp and toss the pile occasionally. You will be amazed how many worms...and read this as free worm do-do fertilizer...will accumulate in that pile. Side dress your vegetable plants with that great humus added soil amending free fertilizer and you will be delighted at how rich and full of organic compounds your soil becomes while also cutting down your garbage bill. You can't lose so be a winner and get started on building your own backyard compost pile today. A pile can be enclosed by wire or a wooden frame and should measure 4 ft by 4 ft. Or it can be just a loose pile without an enclosure. The ratio of dried leaves or paper to green vegetable scraps and plants should be 1-1. Just be sure to turn it over occasionally and keep it moist.

April Garden Tip of the Month
Thursday, April 01, 2010
I'm late, I'm late for a very important April Tip of the Month!

My apologies, but between potting plants for the Fox Island Plant Sale, getting my own garden in shape after being in a walking cast for 6 weeks, doing my real estate work and caring for a husband who has just had hip surgery, I will have to combine April and May's Tip, and send it on the second half of the month of April. And since the most important tip of the year is to remind you of is the annual Fox Island Plant Sale, well...the timing works out great.

This years' plant sale will be a very special event that should not be missed as it is not only a great opportunity to purchase shrubs, trees, perennials, bulbs, herbs and a good variety of vegetable plants, but also the opportunity to be a part of a special ceremony honoring plant sale founder Jeff Feagin. For those of you who may not be aware, Jeff Feagin, who passed away last month, started the plant sale in 1975. I don't have the first years' proceeds but the second year brought in a whopping $42 each for FICRA and the two island Garden Clubs.

A dedication ceremony will be held at 11:50 am on the steps of the Community Center with a plaque presented to Nan Feagin renaming the plant sale the 'Jeff Feagin Annual Plant Sale'. Nan will have the plaque hung in the hallway of the building. There it can be seen by all who enter the building as one of Jeff's many contributions to the island. The new Pea Patch neighborhood gardening group will be selling raffle tickets for one of Jeff's famous rhododendrons with the proceeds going to help start the community garden get on it's feet. This may be your last opportunity to own one of Jeff's rhodys so bring extra cash to purchase tickets for $1 per ticket, $3 for 5 tickets.

Since there has been so much emphasis on growing your own vegetables this year, there should be great deals on a variety of starts at the plant sale. However there are several veggies that you will not be able to purchase on May 1 and take right home and plant. Tomatoes should not go into the ground until the end of May or i the weather turns nasty and cooler, the first week of June. The same goes for corn, beans, squash and tender basil plants. And when you purchases those kinds of plants at the plant sale, ask if the plants have been hardened off. If not, take them home and place in a sunny window and put outside for the first day, 2 hours the second day...etc. That way, when you do plant them outside, they won't be shocked to feel the elements. And if you plant them too early, they will just sit and shiver and sulk. A sulking plant does not take off growing and thriving and that is exactly what you want it do.

March Garden Tip of the Month
Monday, March 01, 2010
Taking a clock hour education course from WSU master Gardener Program gave me some thought for my March column. The subject of the class was something that we all regretfully have - WEEDS aka as an undesirable plant. There are two major classification of weeds: native plants such as horsetail, poison ivy and stinging nettle and non native plants like Himalayan blackberry, scotch broom, English ivy and Canada thistle. The non native ones are considered noxious weeds since they are a threat to our native species. They are highly competitive and difficult to control as they have no known predators or adversaries.

Now for the scary news. The non native plants have cost us $137 billion dollars in damage to the eco system or in the control of them. That's a staggering amount! The noxious weeds are further broken into three classifications by the weed control board.

Class A weeds are not too common yet and are easier to control. These include Spanish broom, giant hogweed, garlic mustard, knapweed, milk thistle and salvia sage.
Class B weeds are very common but can still be controlled with vigilance. These include Spotted knapweed, policeman's helmet, purple loosestrife, tansy ragwort, yellow nut sedge, parrot feathers and water primrose.
Class C weeds are so common that we sometimes think they are native to our area. A partial list of these weeds include scotch broom, Japanese knotweed, reed canary grass, water milfoil, common St John's wort and queen Ann lace.

All these plants ended up here because of people. Some are accidentally transported in nursery plants and soil picked up off car wheels. Others may have been caused by someone dumping the contents of an aquarium into a lake (milfoil) or transported into the are with illegal quarantined plants. Please be aware of the tremendous cost to all of us by such unseemly simple actions. A full copy of noxious weeds and their identification can be obtained from the Noxious Weed Control Board at 1420 112th St E in Tacoma. Phone 253-798-7263

One important reminder for March. The hummingbirds will be arriving soon. Plan to have a feeder filled for them by March 21.

February Garden Tip of the Month
Monday, February 01, 2010
February! Valentines Day! Love apples - aka tomatoes! Tomato seed starting time! I knew I could find a link to introduce this months tip of the month.

Mid February is when I traditionally start my tomato seeds. Ciscoe Morris suggests starting them in March, but since I want to have sizable plants to donate to The Fox Island Plant sale in early May, I start mine a little early. Last fall, I saved seeds from 15 varieties of tomatoes from the 4th annual tomato taste off and labeled each bag of seeds so I know what I will be planting this year. And I am especially happy that I saved about 1000 seeds of the Black Krim variety although I won't have room in my greenhouse to grow them all and the rest of the plants also.

Here is the seed starting process that I find works for me every time. Fill a garden tray that has a domed covered lid with seed starting soil. A Popsicle stick with the variety of the sowed seed written on it works great and can be placed in the tray. Moisten soil well but don't flood the tray. Scatter seeds over the soil, carefully trying to not have the seeds bunch together. Barely cover the seeds with more soil, tap down the soil firmly and moisten the tray again. Cover the tray and place it in a warm dark room. I find the closet under the stairway where the furnace is located is a great incubator for the seeds.

After about 5 days, uncover the trays and check to be sure the seeds are still moist. If the soil has started to dry out, use a spray bottle filled with water to moisten the soil again. At this point, you should check the tray daily and look to see if any seeds have started sprouting. As soon as the seeds start to sprout, the trays need to be moved into the bright light and uncovered. Even though I don't use grow lights they grow strong stems just by being in an unheated greenhouse. I consider the greenhouse to be my tomato nursery as they grow and nurture there for the next few months. It's a good idea to either have a fan blowing over the starts or to run your hand over them and tickle their tops. This exercises and strengthens the stems so they grow straight and strong.

Once the plants have 4 leaves showing, they are gently removed from the trays and re-potted into 4 inch pots. But that's another story to be continued in the next few months...

If it's not too late to mention it, the North West Flower and Garden Show in the Seattle Convention Center is a great way to start your spring garden planning and purchasing. The show runs Feb 3-7 and promises to be another hit again this year.



Puyallup Spring Fair 2010 Thursday, April 15th - Sunday, April 18th

Objective: Educate people on vegetable gardening
The display area will be similar to the Fall Fair. The emphasis will be on getting your garden started. The raised beds will be reused from the fall fair and the popular potato and tomato towers will also be there. There will be new containers and demonstrations on how to extend the season or help the season get started with a cold frame, cloches, row covers and irrigation. Also, an elevated raised bed for people with limited range of motion.

Of course, there will be lots of plants -- just starting!

January Garden Tip Of The Month
Friday, January 01, 2010
Burr! This is no way to start 2010! The below freezing temperatures of December have caused havoc to a lot of outdoor plants. The potted banana plant on my deck is probably going to have to be replaced this year but the ones planted in the garden will certainly survive. The lemon tree that spends it's winters in my unheated greenhouse should survive also, but the almost ripened fruit is ruined. All the fuchsias and other plants that overwinter in the greenhouse needed a good drink of water as soon as the freeze was over. The poor plants were dehydrated from the cold.

Take advantage of the sunny days to walk through your garden and remove any broken limbs from trees and shrubs. And now is a good time to look for any crossed branches or ones that rub together. Remove these at a joint so there will not be a place for disease and pests to enter the plant. And while you are walking through the garden, stop to pull up weeds that are starting to grow. You will be very thankful when spring arrives as there will be fewer weeds to pull and less seeds sprouting.

Even though January isn't really conducive to a lot of outside gardening, there are other things to be done. Take a moment to jot down the names of plants that really did well last year and those that did not. The ones that were outstanding are probably ones that will do well again this year. And the failures...well, just cross them off the list and replace them with an old favorite. Draw out a sketch of your yard and decide what new plants would complement the existing ones. Decide on which plants you will start from seed, when they can be planted and when you will need to start those seeds. I always start tomato seeds in February so that they will be ready to plant in the garden by the end of May. And since February is the month to plant pea, spinach and Swiss chard seeds, I'll be preparing the soil for those beds in January by tilling in some fresh compost and manure.

I thought I would share a recipe that I make from my Swiss chard leaves as it's one of my favorite salads.

1 large bunch of swiss chard
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tlbs lemon juice
balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

If using fresh cut chard from your garden you will need to wash the leaves at least 3 times to remove all the grit. Store bought chard only usually needs one good soaking. Cut out the tough stems and chop most of them finely. Cut the leaves in strips. Bring a large kettle of salted water to a boil and add the stems and cook for 5 minutes and thenadd the leaves. Simmer the leaves for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out all the water and add the garlic and onions. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, vinegar and salt and pepper. Toss over the vegetables and refrigerated over night. Taste for seasoning.

December Garden Tip Of The Month
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
December, gardening and Christmas..what do they all have in common? Although this is not the most fun month to pull weeds and work in the garden, there are still worthwhile garden inspired things to do. And the most enjoyable one is reading, especially garden books. Every gardener should have at least a small library of garden books to turn to for help. And whether you are searching for a great gift for a gardener or one to put on your Christmas wish list, here are a few suggestions.

First and foremost, the book all gardeners should have is Sunset's Western Garden Book. It can help you determine which plant will thrive in your area and which will be a disaster. It catalogs plants not only into temperature regions, but also into where on your property they should be located. Plants flourish best in their native areas, so non-natives need to be grown in similar situations that copy those environments as closely as possible. By referencing the Sunset magazine first, you will be able to determine if you have a similar soil, or sun or shade situation that would reflect the plants need. If you are looking for plants that have fall color, showy flowers, have great fragrance, or are drought tolerant, it will be in the book. A very important item to check out is the size the shrub or tree will grow to when mature. It would be a huge mistake to plant a tree close to your home and then have it grow so large that branches and leaves would cover your roof and gutters. An important saying to remember is 'right plant for the right place'.

Another book, and it is one I have on my Christmas wish list, is: What is wrong with my plant? ( And how do I fix it?) I heard an interview with Ciscoe Morris on his Saturday morning radio show with the authors of the book. David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth have a great knowledge of plants and have great organic suggestions on how to solve plant problems. They use common sense and sometime use common household products to help your plants stay healthy and flourish.

If you have a gardener on your gift list who mostly grows flowers, there are perennial and annual books on flowers and bulbs that they would enjoy. You can find books on fruit trees and berries or books on house plants. There are encyclopedias on horticulture, books on pruning, on bonsai...etc.

In another couple of months the seed catalogs will be mailed out the WISH LIST starts all over gain. But for now, think Christmas, gardening and which garden books you would like to purchase or receive.

The first real frost of the season finally arrived this morning so now it really feels like Christmas!

November Garden Tip of the Month
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Last month I wrote about the great 4th annual tomato tasting and gave out the names of the winning tomatoes. Then I proceeded to tell how to save the seeds to plant for next year. However, I did not mention that the best rated tomato, Momotaro, is a hybrid so the seeds cannot be saved and expected to produce the same fruit next year. Sorry, but if you want to grow Momotaro tomatoes next year, you will have to purchase your seeds from a vendor.

Fall finally arrives in November with winds and rain knocking off the beautiful red and golden leaves. What a gorgeous site we have had with all the fall foliage on the many sunny October days. I have been stopping my car whenever I see some especially bright and interesting leaves and taking them home to preserve them. It's an easy project to accomplish by ironing the leaves between two pieces of wax paper. Once the wax starts to melt, remove the leaves from the wax paper and press them between the pages of a phone book. I put a small television on top of the phone book and will soon remove the leaves to use as decorations on my Thanksgiving table. According to Juanita Bjork, the leaves should stay supple and colorful for several years.

Since I decided to let the deer finish off my bean plants, I quit spraying liquid fence some time ago. I have now reconsidered letting them get in the habit of feasting in my garden and am back to spraying...but only monthly during the winter. They just didn't stop at eating beans and weeds but went on to swiss chard and tender lettuce. You just can't give the deer an inch or they will take a mile.

There is still time to plant bulbs before winter really gets started. A little fertilizer placed in the hole before placing in the bulb really makes a big difference in the size of the bloom next spring.

If you didn't fertilize your lawn with an organic fertilizer in Oct. then fertilize with a fall fertilizer the end of November. It is no longer warm enough for an organic fertilizer to work with these chilly November days. Actually the day after Thanksgiving until about December 7 are the perfect times to do that job, Just be sure you get a winter fertilizer to help develop a strong root system to get your lawn through the summer droughts.

If you notice any weeds popping up through the fallen leaves, stoop to pull a few as you walk by. They are pretty easy to pull out in the rain soaked ground and the extra bending over may just burn a few calories from that Thanksgiving feast.

October Gardening Tip of The Month
Thursday, October 01, 2009
October is the big harvest month or better yet 'pretty much the last month for harvesting'.

Your cucumbers and summer squash should have died back by the first of this month or at least have powdery mildew which spreads to and ruins the fruit also. What did I just say... fruit! Of course they are fruit, not vegetables although we treat them as if they were. If it has a seed, it's a fruit. Just like tomatoes are a a fruit that we eat as vegetables.

And now that the subject of tomatoes has come up, I had the pleasure of being invited to the 4th annual tomato taste off. A group of 4 women originally started this to decide which was the juiciest and most flavor full tomato of the bunch. Most of the tomatoes were grown by Jackie Havre on her sunny site overlooking Herron Island, and the taste off has held there also. This year there were 9 of us, all bringing an appetizer of beverage to share.

There were 20 varieties to taste and we were all handed paper and pens to mark our favorites. The top 5 winners were:

1. Momotaro
2. 4th of July
3 Black Krim
4. Vintage Wine
5. Champion

I hate to admit it, but near the end, I had my fill of tomatoes for the year.

I have saved the seeds of about 16 heirloom tomatoes to sow for next year. To save seeds, first be sure they are heirloom plants. The seeds from non-heirloom fruit will not come back true so there is no guarantee what you will end up with the next year. Cut the tomato in half and squeeze the seeds and some pulp into a jar and add water. Let it stand for a couple of days, giving the jar a shake ever now and then. The pulp will turn to a scum and start to get moldy. Pour off the scum and add fresh water and repeat with the shaking of the jar and pouring off the scum until the water comes out clear. In the the scum will be a few seeds but don't worry about losing them as they will not sprout.

Just remember this phrase 'The good seeds sink to the bottom of the glass and the bad seeds rise to the top'. Drain the clean seeds by placing them in a small tea sieve and let dry on small plate or paper towel. When the seeds are dry, mark an envelope with the year and name of the plant and store the seeds in it in a dry place.

I'll let you know next spring when it's time to start seeds and give you instructions on the best way to do it.

As you finish harvesting the end of your garden crops, clean up the beds and get the soil ready for a winter sleep. If you have any diseased plants, do not compost them and instead dispose of them away from your garden. As the leaves fall add them to the beds and you will have fewer weeds to deal with the next year. Compost is a great mulch to put in also as it not only protects the soil from weeds but adds nutrients for next year.

Tulip, daffodils, hyacinths and other spring flowering bulbs should be planted now along with the lovely garlic bulbs. Read the directions on the bulbs planting depth, add some bulb fertilizer and you will enjoy the fruits of your labor in the spring and summer of 2010.

September Gardening Tip of The Month
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Welcome to the new readers who may not know me. Since I live on Fox Island, I have been writing a 'Tip of the Month' for the Fox Island web site for over 8 years. I held the Master Gardener designation until this past January, when I decided that I was just overcome by the paperwork to keep the designation. So now, I write my monthly column under the title of The Island Gardener.

Just to bring you up to speed...the past several years have been centered around my looking for the perfect remedy to keep the deer from destroying my garden completely. I have 14 10x4ft. raised vegetable beds which I have had numerous times, mowed to the ground by the infamous Fox Island deer. I tried bending pvc hoops into the ground in each bed and covering them with netting. It worked fairly well but presented a problem for pulling weeds and harvesting. Besides, the hoops and nettings were quite unsightly. A reader wrote to inform me that chicken wire laid down around beds worked like a cattle guard and kept the deer out. However after investing hundreds of dollars in chicken wire, stakes to keep it down, hours spent trying to pull weeds through the wire and finally loosing my crops to starving deer, I thought I would have to do the unthinkable and put up 8 ft fencing. Then....a drum roll please.....my neighbor told me about LIQUID FENCE. Miracle of miracles, it really works and I have been writing about this great product for over two years. When one of my neighbors complained that it didn't work for her, I questioned on how she was applying it. Yes, she did spray it every three weeks or even more often as I suggested. But she did not spray it on the foliage itself, only around the perimeter of the plants. Even though the spray smells like rotten eggs and garlic, it won't taste or smell like that when you harvest and wash the produce. But for some reason, the nibbling deer can still taste it and after some nibbling here and there, decide your garden is not a delicious bu ants, you are on the way to having a successful garden. Spray it on hostas, roses, zucchini, tomatoes, beans and everything they else they find tasty and you will be amazed. Even though I have very little in my garden that the deer would enjoy during the winter, I continue to spray at least once a month and then it is a snap to train the little munchers to keep away once the gardening season begins as they have already been trained to keep away.

A problem that I have not had before this year is raccoons getting into my bird feeders. I was amazed at how strong they are, even bending metal poles in order to tear down the feeders. I have found that Shake Away keeps them out of the feeders as well as Liquid Fence does the deer. The ingredients include coyote urine and garlic, so perhaps the idea of wearing garlic around ones neck to keep vampires away was well founded.

Several people have complained to me that their tomato plants are full of green tomatoes, but few ripe ones. The plants probably need to be a little stressed so cut down on the watering, and do a little tomato plant pruning. Cut off all new blossoms and small tomatoes as they will never ripen before the plant dies back. Cut off all branches that have no tomatoes growing on them and you should see a marked difference in the ripening process.

August Tip of the Month
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Well, I really screwed up- Big Time! I told the webmaster that The Fox Island Garden Club would begin accepting entries for the judged Flower Show between 9 and 11:30am at the Ficra Fair on August 8. Since this time has come out in print, then we need to change the show opening time. No entries will be accepted after 11:30 and the doors will be closed. Our judges will arrive at 11:45 so there will be no entry into the room until the judges have finished which should be about 1 pm which is one hour later than normal. I am very sorry for my mistake apologize for any inconvenience this may cause anyone. Hopefully this will give all contestants a few more minutes to find the most beautiful and unique entry from their garden.

The unusually and record breaking heat wave has really made our Northwest plants burst into a growing frenzy. My hearty hibiscus are blooming at least two weeks early and my Bistec tomatoes are huge. Of course, the weeds also thrive in this weather, so keep pulling new sprouts. The zucchini, beans, peas and cucumbers are amazing as one day they are little starts and the next day...giants.

If you are growing herbs and especially basil, keep the tops sniped off before they start to bloom or the taste of the leaves will deteriorate quickly and quit growing new tender leaves.

I have been so pleased with spraying Liquid Fence on my plants to keep the deer away. However with everything so dry I found a few missing leaves on the new growth so I have been spraying every two weeks instead of three. I think the deer were just searching out something green and succulent. One of my neighbors didn't understand that I not only spray around the plants but also right on the leaves. The taste is terrible to deer but once you wash the vegetables, they are quite edible for human consumption with no rotten egg/garlic taste or smell.

Water deeply, but not too often and check to be sure sprinkler systems are covering all areas. As plants grow, they sometime riginally did. Some minor tweaking or pruning may need to be done to keep things working their best.

And don't forget our feathered and flying friends by keeping bird baths clean and full. A neighbor has a bee hive and the bees have been coating our water features as they too are thirsty.

The best part of summer gardening is NOW!

July Garden Tip Of The Month
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
July has easy chores to remember: water and groom, water and groom! Plants need to be watered deeply this month to keep them performing their best. Water less frequently, but water deeply when you do. Lawns need about one inch of water a week to look their best so water them about 1/2 inch each time, twice a week.

Place cleaned out tuna cans around the lawn and figure out how long it takes to fill each can with at least 1/2 inch of water. This is also a good way to figure out how well your sprinkler system covers by checking out to see if the cans are all equally filled. Some adjustments may need to be made so you get full coverage. Since our community is on the odd/even watering schedule, it is easy to remember which days to water the yard. Of course potted plants and especially hanging plants need to be watered well every other day..again following the odd/even days for watering.

Potted plants and hanging baskets need to be groomed weekly. Snip or pull off spent blossoms regularly to keep plants blooming their best. Leggy stems can be clipped off to help plants bush out and grow fuller. Even fruit trees need grooming this time of year. Suckers (branches that grow straight up) can be clipped or rubbed off to keep trees in proportion. In fact this time of grooming is much more productive then major winter pruning and does not lead to more suckers starting up. And don't forget to fertilize blooming annuals often to keep them happy and blooming longer.

In the veggie garden, this is the last month to plant seeds of more beans, swiss chard, radishes, beets and turnips. Starts of broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower can be planted for your winter garden this year.

Tomato plants should be frequently checked to be sure they are well staked and not growing out of their cages or laying on the ground. Keep weeds out as much as possible so they don't steal the sunlight and nutrition from your plants.

Gardens take a lot of planning and work to stay beautiful, but don't forget to take time to 'stop and smell the roses' and enjoy nature at it's best.

Happy gardening!

June Garden Tip Of The Month
Monday, June 01, 2009
June really made quite a warm entrance this year with temperatures in the 80's.

I could see the daily growth in the vegetables planted in my garden. One day there were just tiny sprouts showing up and the next day the plants were up an inch or so. All the early heat reminded me that plants that have not been hardened off could really suffer a setback. If you took bedding plants directly from a greenhouse and transferred them into the garden, you probably have put them in a state or shock and with scorched leaves. They will probably survive, but it will take them some time to catch up to where they were before being transplanted. And any houseplants that have been moved outside for the summer, need to be shaded until the plant slowly adjusts to the brightness of full sun. Just take away the shading for a few more hours each day, until they can tolerate full sun.

It amazes me that weeds don't seem to suffer from the heat or sun. They thrive in almost any climate and spread into every crook and cranny of the garden even without any water.

And the subject of water reminds me to mention that gardens need to be watered deeply but not every day. Usually 1 inch a week is enough water to keep most plants healthy and happy. Soaker hoses, drip irrigation and timers are a must in every garden for proper water conservation. Before the summer gets much drier, check out your watering systems so that you won't have a problem in the scorching heat and dry summer weather. Water early in the morning so roots have a chance to soak up water before the heat of the day. Another water saving tip is to remove weeds that fight with your plantings for their water needs.

Enjoy the summer...it's starting out to be a great tomato growing year!

May Garden Tip of the Month
Friday, May 01, 2009
The biggest sales event on the island happens this Saturday May 2 at the Nichols Community Center from 12-2 pm. Of course I'm talking about the annual Fox Island Plant Sale. Local Garden club and FICRA members are planning an abundance of plants for sale this year. Since the economy seems to have sparked an interest in veggie gardening, there should be a great variety of vegetable starts for sale as well as strawberries and herbs. Not only is this a great place to purchase perennials, shrubs, annuals and houseplants, but this year you will find ceramic planters, several gardening books and raised garden beds built by the Fox Island Scouts. It's also a great time to see friends and neighbors, so mark your calendar and be sure to arrive on time as the best items go fast!

Even though you will find some great plants and are anxious to put them out in your garden, ask a worker at the plant sale if the plants have been hardened off or are hardy enough to go into the soil. And I'm sure you have noticed lots of tomato plants and tender annuals for sale in front of grocery stores and nurseries. I really wish they wouldn't put them out so early as many people feel that if the store is selling them, then it must be time to plant them. It's way to early to plant tomatoes, beans, peppers, eggplant, squash and basil. Those plants need a lot of heat so they will just sit in the garden and shiver. And if they haven't been hardened off (which means gradually exposing them to the outdoors) they could just wilt away and die! The same rules for tender blooming annuals apply but they usually can go in a little earlier, such as around Mother's Day.

Sunday May 3 is another gardening event to attend. The Fox Island vegetable gardening group meets to discuss gardening hints and problems from 4-5pm, also at the Community Center. This weeks topics include tomato plants 101 and how to control garden pests---read this as weeds, uninvited plants and critters.

Look forward to seeing all of you at the Plant Sale!

April Garden Tip of the Month
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
April Tip of the Month

Well Mother Nature certainly tricked us on April Fools Day by including a few snow flakes in with the rain. Even the cold weather and occasional snow flakes won't hurt your blooming daffodils and hyacinths but I'm very happy that the more tender tulip bulbs have not started blooming yet. Certain varieties of rhody and azaleas are in bloom as well as camellias so now I feel that spring is finally here.

Don't be fooled into purchasing tomato plants and other tender perennials that are now gracing the entrances to some of the grocery stores unless you plan to keep them in a greenhouse or under grow lights. Just because the stores have them on display doesn't mean they are ready to go into your gardens. The only plants that you can plant this early are starts or seeds of lettuce, beets, peas, broccoli and cauliflower, radishes, carrots, onions, spinach and other cold hardy greens. Beans, potatos, tomatos, zucchini, peppers and corn need to wait until the end of May or first of June depending on the weather.

The only plants that seems to thrive no matter the weather are...weeds. Go figure! They just keep popping up so be diligent about pulling them up BEFORE they flower and send their seeds to the wind. The more you pull now...the less you will have to pull later on.

Don't forget to attend the vegetable gardening discussion group on Sunday April
5 at the Community Center 4-5 pm. It's a great place to learn about growing vegetables in the various growing zones on the island. Many experienced gardeners share their gardening stories as well as opportunities to ask questions.

Keep spraying Liquid Fence or another similar product on your emerging plants to discourage deer from nibbling on tender plants. I always start the year spraying every other week and then move on to every third week. Don't be tempted to stretch the time out a few weeks longer as the deer will immediately sense your mistake and that will be the demise of your plant.

The event you have all been waiting for is almost here. Mark you calendars for May 2 for the annual Fox Island Plant Sale! Show times are 12:00 noon to 2 pm.

Because of the interest in vegetable gardening this year, I anticipate you will be able to purchase a good variety of vegetable starts. I have over 200 tomato plants growing in my greenhouse for the big day. They may not be huge, but they will have strong stems and a great root system. And they will be perfect size by the end of the month when they can be planted out into the garden.

Happy Spring gardening!

March Gardening Tip of The Month
Sunday, March 01, 2009
What a difference a week makes! The weather during the last week of February made me think that winter would never end. But here it is now the first week of March and my camellia is blossoming, the daffodils are just about ready to pop open and the spring blooming crocus are in full glory. That tells me that the gardening season has arived!

I just removed my tomato plants from the warm furnace room to out to the greenhouse. I had placed them in the toasty closet to germinate for about 10 days as they do not require light to sprout, but they do need lots of heat.

Since putting them in the greenhouse nursery , I give them a little tickle each day so their stems will grow straight and strong. I have a portable heater with a fan that will periodically blow at them if it gets too cold. And again, the motion of the fan will help strengthen the stems.

As the weather warms, the slugs start eating and reproducing so be diligent about protecting your newly sprouted plantings. And if you use slug killer, check to see that it will not harm pets or birds.

In case you haven't noticed, weeds are reproducing also so pull them out before they bloom and scatter more seeds. On annual weeds, you just need to scuttle off the tops and they will not send out new seeds.

Hydrangas can be pruned this month along with roses if you have not already done so. I always give my roses a good sprinkling of alfafa meal after pruning and work it into the soil a little.

In case you missed the signs at the bridge, there are a group of islanders who are interested in vegetable gardening and have banded together to meet once a month to share experiences. The group meets the first Sunday of each month at the Community Center from 4 to 5 pm. The group consists of not only experienced gardeners but also complete novices so everyone is welcome to come share and learn.

This last meeting was chaired by experienced gardener Nan Feagin who explained how to start plants from seed and which plants are best to purchase as 6 packs and transplant into your garden. I have handouts on which seeds can be planted directly into the garden and when to sow them, and which should be started inside for transplanting.

I would be happy to email that info on to anyone who requests it. I also have some handouts from WSU on composting to share.

Linda Dodds

February Garden Tip Of The Month
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Oh...the fragrance of hyacinth, lilly and plumeria! Not from my garden yet as it is much too early for them, however that is what you will be thinking at the Northwest Flower and Garden show in Seattle this month. The show runs February 18 through the 22nd and is housed in the Seattle Convention building.

And this year is very special as it most likely will be the last year that the show will be held. The show is for sale and with the economy, it doesn't look too promising for a buyer to step up. So if you have never gone before, you may really want to make an effort to attend this year. The fragrances alone are enough to make your gardening juices start flowing while tricking you into thinking spring is already here. There are educational lectures, garden displays and lots of vendors just hoping you will spend your money.

It's a great place to pick up new gardening ideas and get started on your plant and seed purchases as well as finding that perfect piece of garden art. Be sure to not miss the orchid displays as the variety of orchids just blows your mind.

I spent most of today working in my tropical garden just pruning, raking and cleaning up. I always try to work on that garden first as it is loaded with bulbs, hellebore's, ligularia and hostas. I had to walk very carefully there as there are so many plants just starting to emerge. I did have to control myself and not prune the hydrangeas or hardy fuchsia's as it is much too early for that. Hydrangeas can be pruned near the end of the month and you can prune roses around Presidents Day.

I'll be checking to see when the ground is dry enough to till the beds where I plant peas in my veggie garden. I'll also be planting radishes, onions, swiss chard, spinach lettuce as earl;y as I can. And my big project will be to start tomato seeds around Valentines Day. I sow the sees in flats that can be covered with a plastic lid, moisten the seeds and place them in the dark closet where the furnace resides. I start checking the seeds after a week to be sure they remain moist and to to see if any have sprouted. When they do, I move them to my unlighted greenhouse where they receive enough light to help them develop strong healthy stalks. Don't buy plants with wimpy stalks as they never develop into great plants.

Even if the sun shines for only a few hours, you can take advantage of the warmth and pull weeds. I doubt if you will ever run out of weeds to pull so get started today!

Linda Dodds

January Garden Tip Of The Month
Thursday, January 01, 2009
I think I was a little hasty by commenting on the great fall weather we were having! December taught me to not make snap judgments about the weather.

If you have not gone out and walked through your yard since the snow finally melted, it time to do so now. You may find broken branches that were snapped by the heavy snow. Especially big leaf evergreens are susceptible to branch breakage.
Don't just prune where the break occurred, but instead make your cut where the branch attached to the shrub or tree. If the branch is left too long in a broken state, there is a chance that disease and rot will take over your once healthy plant.

Don't prune or dispose of any plant that you think may have been killed in the freeze. Plants may take until May to show signs of life. And even though the top of the plant may die off, the root system could start sprouting later in the year. Roses can be pruned in late February but I think I wouldn't do any pruning on outdoor fuscias until the end of March or first of April.

I am giving up my Master Gardener status, as the paper work was just an overload on my already busy schedule. From now on, I'll write my garden column as the 'Island Gardener'. I still know the places to find the answers to your questions, and the content of the monthly newsletter will remain the same.

Linda Dodds