Get out there and prune!

It IS time to get out there and prune though. Apples, pears, blueberries, and the like are all ready for their seasonal trim. If you are lucky enough to have a resistant peach give it awhile more, they don’t rebound well when pruned and then hit by a hard frost. Take a look at your tree and make a plan before you make any cuts. Tying different colored ribbon to limbs helps mark those that stay and those that go. Remember, the rule of thumb is no more than a third of the tree can be pruned at a time, but don’t be afraid to make the necessary choices especially in shaping new trees. The choices you make now will effect future growth, disease resistance, production, and yield. Make sure you have sharpened your loppers and pruners before starting as a sharp, clean cut is one of the keys to a good pruning job. Carry a bottle of rubbing alcohol in your back pocket and clean the blades between trees. One of the quickest ways to spread disease is through cross-contamination. Check for breakage and split limbs, they’ve gotta go as they are a doorway for pest and disease.

Need a “how to” on pruning? Check out Urban Abundances Fruit Tree Stewards Program, you give them a few hours in the community and they teach you the proper techniques to pruning! A fair trade if there ever was one. http://www.myurbanabundance.org/

Check out the Fruit Tree info and publications from the WSU Master Gardeners at: http://gardening.wsu.edu/text/treef.htm 

No matter your garden decision, to plant, not to plant, prune now in the sunshine or wait until next week and do it in the rain, GET OUT THERE and enjoy this window of wonderful weather we have been granted once again this February.

This is a critical time of year in any garden when it is easy to let things fall by the wayside. It is critical to nip disease and pest issues in the bud NOW instead of letting them overwinter and appear in force once again in the spring. Taking the time to prepare your soil now will save you many headaches next year. Although early autumn is a busy time of year for us all ~ school, autumn sports, last vacations, remember your garden in your priority list as well.

A few pointers to get you started:
* if it is diseased or infested with pests, out it goes, and not into the compost pile but OUT it goes
* pick up and dispose of fallen/rotting fruit and veg as it keeps the big and tiny pests away
* as you harvest your crops either plant a new crop or cover crop such as fava beans, winter wheat, or austrian peas, or mulch heavily to keep the weeds at bay, the rains from compacting the soil, and the micro and macro-organisms happy through the winter
* if you haven’t done so already, make a list and/or map of what was planted where; you will need it when planning for next year, rotating your crops at least every four years
* as the leaves fall rake and save them in a bin of their own so you have a ready stash of fairly dry browns at hand during the wet winter months.

As always, take advantage of the UFS private garden consultations. We’re here to help you find the potential in your space no matter the size or location.

raspberrytasticness

Classes are limited to 10 people, $25/person includes materials. E-mail to reserve your spot or host your own canning or pickling party! urbanfarmschool@gmail.com

Waterbath canning: Fruits (peaches, pears, etc.), jams, jellies, pie fillings, tomatoes, salsa
Pressure canning: Meats, fish, soup, broth and stock, green beans, and other vegetables
Pickling and Fermentation: Quick and traditional crock pickles, sauerkraut, asparagus, dilly beans, asian pears, peaches, etc.

It may have been a slow start but the berries have come in droves the last few weeks. Strawberries are about two weeks late this year and are overlapping raspberries and early blueberries so now is the time to get those canning supplies ready! Jams, jellies, pie fillings, and sauces are waiting to be made.

I am an organizer, can’t help it, so canning season is yet another reason to get my organization on. Being prepared for canning is a crucial component of creating a safe, delicious, quality product; it’s not just for the type A personality!

I have a rolling cart that all my canning supplies go on so I can roll it into my (small) kitchen when I need them and into the pantry when I don’t. It makes things easier to keep track of and restock when supplies are low. Getting into the middle of a canning project and not having enough pectin, lids, or vinegar is incredibly frustrating.

* Keep your kitchen clean
* Dedicate a set of towels, dishrags, and cutting boards for canning only
* Get your wooden spoons, bubble freers, kettles, measuring cups, and the like out and ready.
* Check your jars for cracks or chips, recycle or use battered ones for freezing
* Check rings. If they’re rusty, out they go.
* Replace your pectin; it stays good for about a year. I love Pamona’s pectin (when not using the apple pectin I made the year before) which uses calcium instead of sugar as the gelling agent allowing the use of honey, agave, stevia, fruit juice and the like as sweetener in ANY amount desired. It can be found in small boxes at Fred Meyer or in small AND bulk quantities to share with friends at the Vancouver Food Cooperative online store (www.vancouverfood.coop).
* Stock up on vinegar for quick pickling: white, balsamic, wine as long as it has a minimum of 5% acidity!
* Invest in that new pickling crock or canner; you know you want to.
* Have your pressure canner dial, rings, and condition checked with the WSU Master Food Preservers BEFORE canning this year. It literally could save your life.

This is just the beginning of canning season with pints and quarts of pickled jalepenos, green beans, blueberry pie filling, spaghetti sauce, salsa, peaches, mushrooms, applesauce, raspberry jam, and crabapple jelly to come! I hope to see you at a waterbath, pressure canning, or pickling class this summer!

glorious rhubarb

Rhubarb is something near and dear to my heart. A start given to me by my grandparents in-law, planted originally more than 40 years ago, is one of my favourite early season canning opportunities. It is a beautiful, strong, thick, non-fiberous rhubarb with deep red color, huge leaves, and produces from March through September.

Rhubarb is a vegetable but once again, thanks to the courts of the the 1940s, is considered a fruit in the US. The leaves are toxic but make a great mulch in garden beds. When ready to harvest, stalks will be firm ranging in size from thumb-width to writst-width, deep red in color. Do not cut rhubarb, instead tug firmly at the stalk near the ground; it will crack slightly and cleanly seperate from the main plant. If a flower has started to form or is starting to bud the stalk is spent and should not be used for cooking or canning.

With the summer solstice upon us celebrate with rhubarb and the opening of all the local farmer’s markets. Traditionally, we’re planting all the warm season vegetables but keep in mind evenings are still cool and variable daily temperatures mean that peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and other warm veg needs protection.

roots, greens, and sunshine in Berkeley

There are few things more enjoyable than a great farmer’s market and friends, we are now officially in farmer’s market season.  For the annual baseball journey the Pearce family found themselves in eclectic Berkeley, CA home of UC Berkeley, the gourmet ghetto (including Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse), and a fantastic little farmer’s market.  Fresh meats, glorious fresh ground coffee, the best oranges I have EVER eaten, sugar snap peas, and endless rows of root veg, spring lettuces, mixed greens, and happy people. 

Back in Clark County we were greeted by a large banner across Pioneer announcing the opening of the Ridgefield Market starting in May.  As the rest of the nation, Clark County has seen a bevy of great farmer’s markets pop up over the last few years.  My favourite from last year is the Salmon Creek Market, if you get a chance check it out – great locally-sourced produce, friendly organizers, and some delicious area snacks.  For a list of area markets and more details on each check out WSU Extension at: http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/farms/farmers_markets.asp#clark for more information. 

Take some time in the coming weeks to enjoy the early produce season and taste REAL food again after a long wet winter.  It’s the greatest gift you can give yourself.

mesclun in the greenhouse

Have you been paying attention?  Slender shoots of green are poking up everywhere – crocus, chives, daffodils, even tulips have decided to chime in early this year.  After last year’s miserable  string of spring, summer, and autumn seasons gardener’s in the Clark County area are all holding their breaths for a good growing season. 

March is the magic month when the pruning has been finished and those seeds that came in the mail can finally go in the ground.  Sweet, snow, and sugar snap peas, brassicas, cold lettuces, and root crops can all be put in the is month.  Keep the mulch on the garden to suppress weeds and protect from those surprise frosts.  Watch the weather and look for windows of temperatures over 40 degrees and those magical stretches of overcast without serious rain. 

This is not the time of year to be tilling or prepping the entire garden.  Place single transplants and early seeds without disturbing the majority of the garden.  Use cloches or row covers when frost threatens and to protect from long periods of rain.   Remember, cool weather + rain + early season = slugs.  Waking up to transplants eaten to the ground is a disheartening way to start the year.

Be patient, just because March is that first possiblity for planting outdoors doesn’t necessarily mean planting will happen.  As always, mother nature and the weather will rule when and what can be planted.

If you didn’t take the time last fall to clean and sharpen your tools now is the time to get your loppers and hand shears ready to work.  Sharpening pruning tools is critical in maintaining the health of your trees and shrubs.  A sharp edge allows for a clean cut, lessening an avenue for pests and disease to enter through jagged cuts.

 Using a 10 in. mill file, found at any hardware store, you can sharpen all your garden tools.  Make sure to tighten the nut holding the arms together before sharpening.  Using a steady hand and secured tool run the file WITH the manufacturer’s bevel from the tip toward the handle.  Oil wooden handles with linseed oil and blades and moving joints with a suitable lubricant. 

When pruning be sure to wipe the blades with rubbing alcohol between shrubs, trees, and other plants.  One of the easiest ways to transmit diseases throughout a a garden or orchard is to use the same uncleaned, cutting blade.  It’s worth the 20 seconds to wipe down the blades saving yourself years of disease problems.

While sharpening and cleaning your pruning tools throw your shovels and hoes in there as well.  The same techniques used for shears can be used on your other tools and prepping them for the new season will make digging, weeding, and maintenance easier.  Using a 5 gallon bucket filled half way with coarse sand mixed with a little oil makes for a quick and easy tool cleaning station.  Before putting shovels, hoes, and other tools away quickly plunge them into the bucket until clean and then hang them up to find them quickly when you need them.

frozen blueberry

Do not disparage the freezing temperatures; embrace them wholeheartedly.  After the dismall 2010 growing season with months of cool, wet weather well into June and the mild autumn on top of everything else we desperately need those frigid temperatures to help regulate some of those nasty bugs and diseases that will plague the garden without a good killing freeze.  While flipping through seed catalogs, drawing out the planting plan for the spring, or starting your onion seeds in flats this month, please add that little plea to your list, for freezing temperatures through February and then a glorious spring full of bees and blossoms to kick things off right.  We deserve a great year after 2010 don’t you think?

winter upon us

Gardening Gifts
It’s that time of year; the gift giving and actually taking the time to say “thank you/I love you/ I appreciate you” to all those people in your life. So what is it that you can give that gardener in your life that they’re really going to use.
Seeds: Give the gift of seeds. Think heirloom, think open-pollinated. Look at sources such as Seeds of Change, Territorial Seed, and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
Books: Encyclopedia of Country Living, Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, Farmer Jane, For the Health of the Land, In Defense of Food, and the list goes on. Look at thrift stores (always an amazing source for gardening books), Amazon.com, and Powell’s books.
Tools: Build your own tool maintenance kit. A small bucket or old milking pail full of sand with a little oil mixed in to dunk dirty tools in to clean and oil the metal, a file for sharpening edges, mineral oil for handles, and rags to clean.
Gift Certificate: Give the gift of a consult with Urban Farm School. A one-hour consultation for the garden or a two-hour consultation for canning is the gift that gives forever. E-mail urbanfarmschool@gmail.com to discuss pricing and availability.

Winter Events
December is a funny month for gardeners in the Pacific Northwest so we have to get creative. Join Urban Farm School Friday, December 3, 5:30-7:00pm at Neighbor’s Market, 1707 Main Street, Vancouver for Uptown’s First Friday. We will be partnering with A Dinner Together providing 30 minute lectures and tastings 0f seasonal foods throughout the evening. Call 360-448-1620 or info@neighborsmarket.com for more information.

Join UFS Friday, December 10, 6-8pm at Vancouver Food Cooperative, 215 W. 4th Street, Vancouver for a Wreath-making class and community social with local, seasonal foods and beverages. Pre-registration and fee required, $20/members, $30/non-members. All materials provided. Contact 360-694-8094 or questions@vancouverfood.coop with questions and registration.

Happy Holidays
From Urban Farm School we wish you the happiest and safest of holidays. We look forward to seeing you in class or at a consultation in 2011. Please, note that Urban Farm School will be closed December 11 through January 18. If you have questions during this time please, contact urbanfarmschool@gmail.com with any questions and someone will respond as quickly as possible.