Vegetable Gardening Classes in February

Portland Friends,

Spring gardening season is right around the corner! I am teaching a free vegetable gardening for beginners class on Sunday February 17th 1pm at Portland Nursery 9000 SE Division Street: 

If you are excited to grow your own food but have little to no experience, this is the class for you! Edible gardening expert & enthusiast Jolie Grindstaff will discuss the basics of site preparation, crop selection based on site elements, planting and care techniques. With her years of experience, Jolie will demystify growing your own food and share her tips and techniques for beginner success. 

Registration is required and space is limited to 35. Please follow the Portland Nursery website link to register. I hope to see you soon!

Warmly,
Miss Jolie 

Come to My Workshops

I am giving a workshop on Urban Edible Gardening as a part of an event put on by Public Social University. It's tonight (Thursday March 19) at 6-9pm, I think I'm speaking at 7:30pm at PIP Gallery 625 NW Everett in Portland. Free event!

The next class I am teaching is "Your Summer Harvest and Preservation" Your garden is growing, so now what? Timing, Tips, Techiques for your backyard harvest plus lots of recipes will be shared. On Sunday July 26 at Portland Nursery 5050 SE Stark Street Portland. Later in the Spring please call the nursery to register 503-231-5050. Free class!

What I'm Harvesting from My Garden--Mid August

After a very slow start to Spring & Summer, including lots of sketchy Portland weather--here's what I'm harvesting in my garden this week:

Cherry Tomatoes
Scarlett Runner Beans
Yellow Wax Beans
Romaine Lettuce
Carrots
Cucumbers
Yellow Patty Pan Squash
Zucchini
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Herbs--Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, Dill, Tarragon, Sage, Fennel, Thyme, Mints, Oregano, Marjoram, Lemon Balm, Chevril

Early July Garden Update

Greetings from the July 1st Kitchen-Garden!

Yes, my kitchen-garden has been full of activity the past few weeks. I've spent a lot of time outside working and have been very slow in getting my blog entries published.

Around mid June another succession crop of radishes, carrots and lettuce seeds went in and are all doing well. At this time I also planted 1 slicing and 1 pickling cucumber plant. I companion planted my cucumbers with chamomile and also a "black-eyed susan vine" on the same trellis to add some color. I continue to harvest lots of lettuce, sorrel, peas, parsley, cilantro, basil, oregano. The scarlet runner bean plants are snaking their way up the trellis. The strawberries underneath are pumping out tiny juicy berries. One of my parsley plants from last year has totally gone to seed, and I've let it be because the ladybugs seem to really like. And, I do not want to disturb valuable ladybug habitat.

The last week of June I planted a perennial butterfly garden for Tanya for her birthday. (More about that in another posting) I harvested a bunch of lettuce and mustard greens to make room for the zucchini and yellow patty pan squash plants. At this time I also planted an eggplant and bell pepper in large black plastic containers. I'm hoping this will really heat it up for these heat-lovers that I had no room for in the raised beds.

This was all just in time for the insane 100 day we had on the last Saturday in June. That was a brutal day. I gave the garden a really good soaking that morning at 6am before going to work. The only thing that appeared to freak out in the heat was the cilantro that went 5 feet tall seemingly overnight and bolted.

Today I harvested so many peas. I ended up pulling out all the snow pea plants to make room for the up and coming cucumbers. I'll leave the sugar snap peas in another week or two. We'll see how long they tolerate the heat. And, they need to be removed to make room for the up and coming yellow wax bush beans. I also did a second planting of basil and cilantro.

I've noticed a lot of holes in leaves and upon further investigation found a sack of tiny white eggs under a kale leaf. I think it's cabbage moths AGAIN. So, it's time for another round of BT solution spray. Those little buggers can wipe out everything if kept unchecked.

In happier news I continue to see ladybugs all over my garden. And, the birds still love my yard-bathing in the birdbaths and eating out of the feeders. There are a lot more blue jays this year which is awesome. I was delighted the other morning to open my bedroom shades upon waking to witness a hummingbird devouring the inside of a reddish brown nicotiana flower in the middle of my vegetable bed! The first hummingbird that I've seen this season--I'm so happy!

Due to the suddenly hot weather I've spent more early morning time in the garden watering around 5:30-6am before going to work. One morning I took my tea and sat in the middle of the garden for an hour until 7am. It was a totally quiet time, no neighbors making noise. Just me and the birds. (And, my cat Sashi running around like she was on crack climbing up and down the giant plum tree!) What a beautiful morning that was. It made me realize I need to spend more relaxing times in my garden just BEING not DOING. I got to bird and bug watch. I got more in tune with the slow natural rhythm of my garden and not my hurried waterings, weedings, or plantings. I really got to enjoy the fruit of my gardening labors and appreciate all mother nature has to offer when we slow down enough to breath in deeply and enjoy it all. And, I've decided that 5:30-8am is my favorite time in my garden...

In Peace & Happiness,
Miss Jolie

Spring Garden Update-2nd Week of May-90 degrees!?!

Greetings from my Kitchen-Garden in the 2nd week of May!

Well, the continuing trend of wacky Spring weather moves on in Portland...This week we went from rain and upper 50s & low 60s to 90s with no 70s or 80s in between. In hurried desperation I busted out my window a/c from it's winter hibernation in the garage and used it every evening for 4 nights. Then after 5 days of 90 degree weather we went right back to 58 and rainy today. Once again, I'll just say this is WEIRD weather even for the unpredicatable-ness of Spring in Portland. And, this kind of up and down extreme weather can just wreak total havoc on your garden.



Last week 2 days prior to the "heat-wave" I got planted the tomato bed. Usually I wait until the end of May around Memorial Day to plant my tomatoes. But, since we are expecting such high temperatures I'm giving it a try now. Unfortunately to plant the tomatoes I had to pull out the tiny spinach, chard and cilantro seedlings I planted from seed in March. This was supposed to be a good use of succession planting, but these guys all took too long and never developed in time. Oh well, honestly, I'd rather have the tomatoes. To prepare my bed for planting I used an organic soil amendment called Bumper Crop by Nurseryman's. It's awesome and loaded with all kinds of good stuff for veggies. I also tried red plastic mulch sheets under the tomato plants this year. I planted 5 tomatoes varieties I'm very excited about: Yellow Pear (cherry), Sweet Million (cherry), Stupice (early slicer), Persimmon (heirloom slicer), and Brandywine (heirloom slicer). I companion planted my tomatoes with alyssum, cosmos, zinnia, marigolds, nasturtium, borage, dill, basil & cilantro. The herbs & cosmos did well but the marigolds and nasturtium totally wilted and died. I don't know if it was the HEAT WAVE or maybe the bumper crop that killed the flowers. I am glad that I got my tomatoes in because they literally doubled in size in the 4 day heat wave.



The Scarlet Runner Bean seeds planted 2 weeks ago have germinated and sprouted up little seedlings. My sugar snap and snow peas are finally growing bigger and bigger. They are really developing late, but I'm glad better late than never, eh?



Just prior to the heat wave I planted another raised bed with more veggie starts: dinosaur kale, rainbow swiss chard, and romaine lettuce. I companion planted with nasturtium, marigolds, snapdragons, cosmos, calendula and alyssum. And, again the marigolds and nasturtium totally died, so I think it was the heat, because I didn't use any bumper crop in this bed. The chard and lettuce totally wilted in the heat but have bounced back fine now that the temps are returning to normal. In this bed the arugula I planted last month totally bolted in the heat. Sadly now I have lots of little white flowers and no much anticipated fresh arugula leaves. Darn that sudden heat wave! It knocked out my entire arugula crop.

In another raised bed buttercrunch lettuce, red romaine lettuce and giant red mustard greens are doing well. I harvested the first head of red romaine lettuce, on hot day, and it was a little bitter. Luckily none of it has bolted in this hot heat. In this bed my dahlia bulbs have sprouted and the companion planted dill, cosmos, and calendula doing well-blooming. This is the raised bed I used "weed whomping mulch" in a a few months ago. It's pretty mixed results as weeds have continued to sprout. Last winter's parsnip tops are growing huge and I wonder what's going on with the tasty roots under the soil.



I tried a new product in my flower bed: Cocoa Mulch and a granular "Shake Away" cat repellent. They both are natural products aimed at keeping cats out of the garden. My flower bed is the neighborhood cat's favorite litter box. Well, the products did keep them out of the targeted flower bed, but apparently it forced them to retaliate in another flower bed where I'd started sunflowers from seeds. Their litter-box-style-scratching destroyed my sunflower seedlings. Now I'll have to buy some sunflower transplants from the nursery. Bummer. I really love sunflowers.



Another sprinkling of sluggo-I've been consistent about every 2 weeks. Sluggo seems to be working well. No signs of slugs yet. I've seen a few aphids here and there, but I also have seen ladybugs here and there, so I'm not worried, yet. Last year we had the aphid summer from hell. The aphids were literally raining from the sky (out of the completely infested plum tree) and they knocked out my entire brassiaca crop. There are definitely masses of cabbage moths everywhere, damn them! Or it could be one really active moth. So I sprayed some BT solution on the veggies, which is a natural product that only targets cabbage moth larvae. It is safe for beneficial bugs, pets, wildlife, and ok to use on my food crops. Hopefully that will do it before they can do too much damage.

For now that's it from my kitchen-garden. Hope you are enjoying your garden!

In Sunshine,
Miss Jolie Ann

Spring Garden Update-April

Spring Garden Update...We continue to have crazy weather with snow just 3 days ago, hail, thunder, wind, lots of rain, and really really cold spring temperatures. This is exceeding the Portland average for Spring weather craziness. I am beginning to lose my tolerance and patience.

We are now past Portland's average last frost date of April 15. I know it's an "average" date of last frost, but come on, it's actually still snowing here and there. A week ago we had a 60 degree day followed by a sunny 85 degree day. It was incredible. Since my germinated seeds have been so slow to progress in my garden, I indulged in some instant gratification buying 2 tray packs of lettuce starts. Lettuce is relatively cool tolerant. I planted it in the empty bed that's set aside for summer squash planting in late May. I figure they will be fully grown and harvested by the time the weather has warmed up enough for planting summer squash. But, I actually ended up covering them with cardboard boxes overnight when it suddenly dipped into the low 30s again. All right then, the weather needs to take it's bipolar medication. That's my official opinion as a professional gardener and a former mental health professional.

Ok, now that I'm done complaining about the weather...So, when we had that lovely 85 degree day a week ago I went ahead and purchased and planted nursery starts of flowers & herbs to attract beneficial insects: dill, calendula, alyssum, bronze fennel, cosmos. Looks like they have survived the cold-snap that immediately followed their planting.

Most of the seeds I started in the end of February and through March germinated fine but have really ceased to grow due to the cold temperatures. I have only harvested a meager sampling of radishes, the perennial parsley & sorrel, also overwintered onions, and green garlic. My pea seeds were the first to go in the ground in late February and the seedlings have not grown above 1 inch. Peas like cool temperatures, and even they seem stunted by the cold weather.

I was surprised to find some small parsnips where I started parsnip seeds last summer in anticipation of a winter harvest. I did not harvest any parsnips this winter, in fact I thought all the seed failed. But here they are poking up their tall green tops and getting bigger every day. I'll have parsnips this spring which is a delightful unexpected surprise!

Here's to Spring Garden Surprises,
Miss Jolie Ann

Spring Goes On...Frost, Rain, Hail & Snow

In the first few weeks of "SPRING" we've had it all in Portland: rain, hail, sleet, even snow...crazy weather! And some cold cold days back in the 30s. Dang. Our freezing night temps and hard frosts are then sometimes followed by sunny days. My bird bath continues to freeze solid and plants that survived the winter are now flopping over seemingly dead from the hard frosts, dry days and cold winds.

This is really what spring is all about in Portland. Massive fluctuations in weather. As gardeners we get really excited and the unpredictable weather can severely undermine our gardening efforts if we make incorrect planting choices. After a winter of gardening dreaming and planting we get so excited when it's finally a sunny day or when the rain at last stops. Our enthusiasm can lead us into unwise choices regarding purchasing and planting. This is not the month for tomatoes, basil, sunflowers, or those beautiful hanging baskets with tender annuals like fuchsia and geraniums.

Hold off on those summer favorites and instead focus on your small fruit and perennial plantings. There are also several cool-hardy spring veggies that you can get planted from seed now like snow/snap/shelling peas, radishes, arugula, spinach, chard. It's also time to plant from seed Slow Bolt Cilantro. Check out "The Maritime Northwest Gardening Guide" by the Seattle Tilth for very practical advice on the timing of planting specific to our climate.

When we get a sunny day focus on spring clean-up in the yard and prepare your garden beds by amending with a good compost. Remember not to work your soil if it's still soaking wet from the rain. Wait until it has dried out. This month I've tried three different compost products and here are my reviews...

EB Stone Planting Compost: I amended my raised beds with it, particularly around my strawberries and I was not too impressed. I felt like it had way too many woody pieces in it. I would use it again for planting trees or shrubs, but not in beds for vegetables, strawberries, herbs, and annuals.

Black Forest Organic Compost: I amended my flower and herb bed with this product and I really liked it. It has a great consistency and it's color is dark and rich looking. It did not have the woody pieces of the EB Stone brand. I will definitely use this compost again for perennials, annuals, herbs, veggies, amending the ground and in raised beds. It's worth the money.

Bumper Crop: This product is made by Nurseryman's the same company that makes Black Forest products. It's a great amendment formula including mushroom compost, earthworm castings, lime, composted manures, and healthy bacteria. I'm using it to top dress in a raised bed that currently has overwintering onions and new spinach and chard seedlings. I am preparing the bed for my tomatoes plants that will go here in late May. I would absolutely recommend this product and will be using it again.

Happy Gardening,
Miss Jolie Ann

Happy First Day of Spring!

In honor of the Spring Equinox I potted up several early spring flowering containers. It's a great time for cool hardy bedding annuals like pansies and violets. (You can also get primroses this time of year-but yuck! Personally, I am not a fan of primroses-I think they are ugly wrinkled up little flowers) At this time of year you can also get a wide variety of potted spring flower bulbs like daffodils, tulips and hyacinth. I even added some white allysum to my containers which has done just fine on my covered front porch. Suddenly my front porch and entry stairs are filled with color which is so refreshing after winter! I also keep a small potted hyacinth on my kitchen windowsill to enjoy it's very fragrant blossoms.


My favorite container creation: This week I planted a container for my front porch that I am really enjoying. I used a dark green 18 inch bowl container and filled it with...
1 Black Delight Viola
1 Black Monda Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' )
2 Dark Dancer (Trifolium repensoxalis )
4 Purple Tulips (I bought them potted and separated the bulbs for transplanting into my container)

My favorite garden color combo...I tucked in some blue violas in with my existing flat leaf and curly parsley in my raised beds. It provided a great splash of color in my flowerless late winter garden.

Pea Planting-Update

A few weeks ago I posted that I got started with my late winter garden seed planting-snow peas, snap peas, and 2 varities of radishes. Following my planting, this last week we had beautiful weather in Portland-sunny & high's around 55-60 degrees. It was incredible. This morning I noticed that my radish seeds had finally shot up little seedlings. Portland weather is unpredictable and to my dismay this afternoon's rain turned into a 20 minute heavy hail storm. Yikes! My raised garden beds were completely covered in a layer of white icy hail. I thought for sure my tiny new radish seedlings were goners. But, now it's 3 hours later and all the hail is melted. Radish seedlings are still standing. Fingers crossed they will continue to grow and thrive because I can't wait for home grown radishes and peas in another month!

Wishes for Beautiful Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Pea Planting!

Hooray for the sunny weather, even if it is still cold. We have a brief respite from the rain and I am loving getting some work done in my garden. It's President's Day Weekend and the old saying is "Peas in by President's Day." I feel super blessed by the sunshine visiting in abundance the very weekend I wanted to get planting. Thanks again Mother Nature for your cooperation.


Tanya turned the compost bins and we harvested the first compost since we began 9 months ago. It was gorgeous rich black-brown. I've been composting for several years and it still amazes me every time I see the finished product. I spread lots of this fresh compost in my raised beds, particularly the bed that was plagued with pests and disease which completely destroyed my Autumn brassica crops.


I prepared two of my raised beds with a generous helping of Whitney Farm's Life Link Tomato & Vegetable Food. While preparing my beds for planting seeds I was careful not to disturb my overwintering red onions, yellow onions and garlic. Quite by surprise I discovered some overwintering carrots whose leafy tops were gone. I pulled 4 beautiful big carrots and ate them raw in a salad that same night. They were so sweet and quite an unexpected surprise!


This year I planted 2 varieties of Peas from Territorial Seed Company: Cascadia (snap) and Oregon Giant (snow). Check out Territorial Seed Company at: http://www.territorialseed.com/ This is the 2nd year I'm planting Cascadia, and Oregon Giant is something new for me. I coated my pea seeds well with an inoculant. Inoculant is supposed to enhance the nitrogen-fixing bacterial nodes on the plant roots (all in-line with the soil food workshop I recently attended!) I gave both pea plantings support by constructing bamboo & tree branch structures to climb. Along with my peas I planted radish seeds: Cherry Belle and Easter Egg.


Since planting 5 days ago we've had ample sunshine and a little bit of rain here and there. I'll expect to see radish seedlings poking up in another week, and peas the week after that. But for now I am ecstatic to gaze upon my minimal garden soaked in sunshine practically every day.

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann