Garden Project - Postponed

                                                

                      "A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill                                                   except for learning how to grow in rows. "

Next Gardening Get-together:  11 am at Nila Madsen's yard; lunch meeting at the backyard table to discuss possibility of field trip to Poulsbo Nursery and other upcoming events.

Looking forward to our next get together to put to use all the fun things we have been learning about Rhododendrons and managing our gardens/yards.  We are helping Nila with her back yard and side yard with pruning a number of rhododendron  shrubs and planting some annuals in her flower boxes and a few other easy tasks that can be done sitting down at the outdoor table. 

Bring your gardening gloves and shears or pruning tools you might have to use.   

Nila has been playing on the boat alot and so the yard has overgrown and much need of your help. nothing like a gardening helping hand ...hope to see you all there for pruning, salad, sandwich, chatting and laughter.

VEGETABLE GARDENING 

in a compact space with our very own 

Master Gardener, Ed Bourassa

It started sprinkling on my way to Ed & Jenny's house so I circled around and headed back home to pick up my rain jacket.  If I am to join the others in standing around in Ed's backyard admiring his vegetable garden, I am going to be dry!  Of course, typical for Sequim weather, and why we love living here so much, the sprinkling stopped and we were all dry during the presentation.  MY coat nearby just in case.

We started out around the Bourassa dining table, with Jenny showing us some of her fabulous new sewing creations and jewellry - everything from earrings and pins to bags etc representing the 12th man (Go SeaHawks) to much more while waiting for everyone to find a spot to park and come inside.  Jenny is a very talented person!  We also changed our start time to 11 am as she offered to make us some "dogs" for lunch...sorry I had to leave early and miss out on all of Ed's class ( I really don't like to miss one interesting thing! and the dogs.  Fill me in on what I may have missed out on girls!

Ed started out with showing us the very new and unusual KETCHUP & FRIES Tomato Plant - it is not just any ordinary tomato plant! It certainly got our attention and peaked our interest!  It grows - you may have guessed it by it's name - potatoes & tomatoes!!   I need to get one of these I am thinking!   Then he says I can purchase one here locally for approximately $25...yikes..did I hear that correctly fellow gardeners? It is a deeper green color plant than the normal tomato plants growing in Ed's back yard. Yes, he is growing a Ketchup & Fries one too!  I so want to see this when it is producing!

And being the great host that he was he offered one up.  The very happy recipient today was Christina!  Congrats! Now keep that plant alive and share its progress with us on here - take pics and post as it grows those potatoes and tomatoes.

Seriously!! this is awesome!
TOE-MAY-TOE - POE-TAT-TOE

http://togetherfarm.com/how-to-grow-tomatoes-and-potatoes-on-one-plant/

Above is a link I came across that explains the plant itself very welland also explains how to graft and grow one if you are so inclined.  Interesting reading!

Ed relayed a very interesting story today about tomato seeds.  It seemed to be proof that tomatoes are very very hardy indeed.  As a matter of fact, it appears they are impossible to destroy! The seeds - not the plants  - I have killed many a tomato plant!  I won't post the story here, but ask Ed to share it with you if you were not there today!

Also, many book resources were shown today with a couple titled " Lasagna Gardening" - that sounded interesting as I noted it lying there on the table.  Glad he decided to share what it meant - gardening in layers - like a lasagna!  Interesting concept I think we need to learn more about!

Ok - just a moment while I go find my notes for today. He shared quite a few tips before we ever went out into the garden!  All are very interesting but a couple really stuck in my mind.  Quite amazing when I don't seem to retain a lot these days - therefore my notes!  Please add more tips in the comment section that you retained!  These are the ones I recall - prior to going out to the garden:

Tip #1 - Pinch the top off the tomato plant so that it will grow and produce more abundantly.  Also pinch off the bottom leaves and plant deeply when transplanting. Using Christina's plant as an example - once she has planted hers she will only have three little leaf stalks on it but Ed promises if she follows his direction, she will have a healthy happy well grown plant. (Google it - there are so many tips and even videos on this)

Tip #2  Sunset magazine has a page dedicated to "What to do each month in your garden"  I think I still have a lot of older issues stored around my house somewhere - wouldn't it be the same things for each specific month...for example:  What the magazine says I am to do in my yard/garden this month of May would be very similar to what the magazine says to do in the 2014 edition for May and the 2000 edition for May, etc....I think I will check it out and compare!  At least I will learn what to do with my plants this month!

Tip #3  Blossom Set - its a product...there are several brands of it out there  Ed says to spray your blossoms when the blossoms are fully open (on any blossoming species, I think he said,,,,vegetables and tomatoes for sure) with Blossom Set and it will help your blossom to stay attached and to produce much more plentiful bounty. Please correct me if I understood that wrongly Barbara, Joyce, Christina or Ed!  He said this product is a Plant Hormone and organic friendly - not a chemical.  It apparently pollinizes 3-4 times the amount as without it.  It also seems to cut down on the amount of seeds in your tomatoes.  I am going to try this product.

Tip # 4 - I forget it.  It was right there on the tip of my brain/tongue....so girls - if you recall more tips or took better notes - please share!

That is the end of my notes so it must be when we went outside (in the sunshine) to view his gardening practices.  Much helpful advice was given.  I felt embarrassed however to come home to my weak spindly near dead Rhubarb when Ed's second round of rhubarb is already way ahead of my first round.  I think I need to move it to a different spot to get more sunlight, better soil and fertilizer and water.  That should make a difference!  Now if I can just accomplish some fast results with it before I invite you all over to help me deadhead and prune my Rhodies and put practical use to the knowledge you gained at our last presentation!

To best show you what we saw and learned - I will simply post the photos and let you see the interest the gardeners had while listening to Ed.  

Attentive and eager to learn.

Joyce delighted at something she sees or hears!  Christina and Barbara are trying to see too!
Look at the onions growing in the bed behind Ed!

Ed explains what all he has growing in this bed.

Our Master Gardener, Ed, in full teaching mode with attentive listeners!

Barbara, Christina and Ed admiring the Rhubarb!

Can anyone remember what this fruit is to be - I recall he said it was a cross of two things?
Help me out here!

The Rhubarb I was talking about - I saw the first round and it was huge and this - this is the second round growing - I may have to post a picture of mine to show you what happens if it doesn't have enough sunlight, very poor soil, no fertilizer and very little water.

Container gardening and gardening in raised beds.  This is a 10' by 1 " frame - Ed recommends a 10' by 2" frame.  You can change your length to suit but a minimum 2" width should be used.
Growing beets in the bed and if you can look very  very close you will also see carrots popping up on the left side of the watering hose.

Be sure to share on here any advice that you found helpful today!

"A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables."

Gertrude Stein

"Go vegetable heavy. Reverse the psychology of your plate by making meat the side dish and vegetables the main course."

Bobby Flay

Remember to eat your vegetables,

Green Thumbs in training

Tips & Tricks Growing Rhodies -

It isn't that difficult to accomplish here in the Northwest but with some shared expertise from our very own Ed Bourassa, we can grow them larger and more abundant!

Word Origin and History for rhododendron

c.1600, from French rhododendron and directly from Latin rhododendron, from Greek   rhododendron, literally "rosetree," from rhodon "rose" (seerose (n.1)) + dendron "tree"   (see dendro- ).

Hi Everyone!  The rain held off and the Rhododendron demonstration was a success according to Linda.  I was unable to attend - and I have a lot to learn about Rhododendrons as there are 26 in my front, back and side yards - as we had a new addition to our family - we welcomed a new little grandson as all our gardeners were encircled around Ed Bourassa and Linda's Rhodies.

Since I was not there to take photos (remind me to designate someone the next time I miss out on a great presentation) or hear Ed's advice, I am counting on those of you that attended (and I heard it was a great turn out) to comment on this blog with the tips, tricks and advice that you recall that Ed taught you.

I also heard today that our fun easy going Barbara was the recipient of a tomato plant she is to try to keep alive and grow tomatoes on - perhaps she will share them in a salad at one of our meetings once the plant has produced!  Another "gift" was given to one of our gardeners - fill me in on who the fortunate person was - thanks to the generosity of our Ed!  Do you know how much we appreciate you Ed and the time you spend with us imparting your years of experience and knowledge?

I also learned today that Ed spoke of a special Rhodendron species while teaching this class. (I took a photo of it while visiting Ed & Jenny's home -delightful yard they have! and will share it with you).

 

I think this is just gorgeous with the variegated leaves - I guess I could google it but to save time  - help me out here

Now I need one of you to name the species....please comment below with your response..and thanks for helping out!

Next class - at Ed's house!  He has raised vegetable beds and fruit trees in his compact back yard.  He will share with us simple and easy ways to plant a garden in a small space - a watering system  and timer setup, a water cistern, and yes, tips and tricks of gardening.  Hope to see you there.  This one is at 11 am as Jenny has graciously offered hotdogs for lunch!

See you there, Green Thumbs (in the making)

It's All About the Roses! 

the selection, planting, care and maintenance  - presented by Master Gardener Ed Bourassa (April 2015)

Ed Bourassa, a Master Gardener in our midst, with years and years of experience and nursery management, presented a class on the selection, planting, care and maintenance of Roses.  Each of us found it very informative and even those in the know learned something new and/or another perspective. He covered everything from selecting your rose bush and resources of nurseries etc, to selecting the location to plant your new bush, to lots of tips on how to prune it BEFORE planting, how to prepare the soil and what size hole to dig and why, to watering, fertilizing, and enjoying your roses.  He then suffered through a long Q & A but showed great patience and perseverance with us.  Thank you Ed!

We followed up with a light lunch of salad and sandwiches and a surprise birthday cake for our presenter, Ed, baked and frosted  by Dee Swenson. Thanks Dee!

Who knew we were to prune our bushes back so much so that they would grow bigger and better!  Can we take our roses from this,...to the photo below!??

Ed also had a good number of handouts and mentioned some good and reliable resources for us to check out.  We hope to be posting those here as well.  Checkback.  If not, ask and we will find them to share with you.

At this first meeting we had twelve attending with others who responded they would have liked to have come but were otherwise detained.  While eating our light lunch we discussed when and how often we would like to meet and the types of things we wanted to do and learn.  We discussed topics for classes.  

Lots of "little" gifts were also given out - everything from seed packets, to gardening gloves, small plants and planting bulbs.  Ed kindly offered up the rose bush he used as an example in his presentation - we drew names to see who received it. After a number of draws, it was awarded to Nila - let's hope she can keep it alive and apply what she learned in the class.

BTW:  the camera captured this behind the scenes view!  Christina chasing ? around the kitchen with a broom?  Explain Christina!

               

Graciously, Ed Bourassa accepted our invitation to do another presentation - this time on ..what else when living in the North West. ...the care and maintenance of ...you guessed it...Rhododendrons!  Linda Rees graciously offered her Rhododendrons to be used as an example while Ed teaches us.  Hope to see you in her yard - Rain or Shine - umbrellas work people!  Afterall, it is the northwest!

Be sure to "stop and smell the roses" this week - let's all take time to slow down and enjoy life and the beauty in nature that surrounds us all and the good in the humans who give of their time and effort that we might learn more.

Can any of you recall the name of the roses that Ed discussed at this class? Comment here if you do.


Happy Gardening, 

        yours truly, Green Thumbs

Welcome to "Our Garden Society".  Let me tell you more about us, what we do and what we plan to do.  Right now we are a group of about 12 women with the common interest of wanting to learn more about gardening, putting in the physical work while socializing with each other and serving others. And oh yes, most importantly, having fun doing it!

Some of us have been wanting to do this for quite awhile - one day, in April of this year, we just said "Let's grow it".  We set up a time to meet and it has progressed from there.  We are still in the beginning stages and growing - hopefully our plants, flowers and vegetables are too!  We have had a few classes, we will post a new blog for each with photos and information, and next we will be putting to practical use what we have learned.  We hope to work in each others' yards in keeping with the old adage "many hands make light work" and in our friends' and neighbors' yards as well - serving others always makes you happiest.  It's true!

Come join us! or invite us to come work in your yard! We are a fun bunch and have plans for a fun, social and productive summer of growing - our vegetables, our flowers, our fruit, our shrubs, and most importantly - our minds!
Learning new things is always fun!

Our mission - serving each other, socializing and being productive, having fun, and learning - and yes, weeding,growing, gardening.

Question:  can you name this shrub?

Happy gardening,