Urban Farm School

Autumn is just around the corner friends and now is the time to get your October and November vegetables into the ground. Start looking for broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower starts. Get your lettuce, greens, and spinach seeds ready to go. Plan space in the garden for kale, garlic, and a cold-frame if you are looking to extend the season into the winter hours.
As you begin to remove spent and finished items out of the garden keep in mind that the soil benefits from a mulch of some kind. If you will not replant the space be sure to mulch the soil with three inches of leaves, compost, or another mulch of your choice.
If replanting the area remember to dedicate space that is easy to get to and convenient for maintaining and harvesting. As the autumn season begins our gardening urge tends to wane and the crops that are left for the late autumn days tend to suffer. Plan ahead for ease of maintenance, usefulness, and liklihood that you will use the crop promptly so that it will not rot in the garden and create pest and disease issues the following season.

Vancouver Food Cooperative
There is a long and tumultuous history with the VFC and after many years, a change of board members, and the implementation of several business men as a “store implementation” committee, the VFC has announced September 1 as the opening date of the storefront located at 215 W. 4th Street, Vancouver. The beginnings will be an on-line catalog as well as produce provided by several local vendors available on-line as well as in the storefront on pick up days. Open to Members as well as the general public it is a breath of fresh air to see the VFC taking steps forward as well as providing a storefront in the downtown Vancouver area where groceries are had at convenience stores or are a bus ride away. The website is in flux through August but check out the goings on at www.vancouverfood.org.

Portland has had a chicken coop tour for several years now and thanks to Hough Neighborhood, Vancouver finally has one of their own.

The Coop Du Jour will take place Saturday, July 17, Noon to 4pm in the Carter Park, Arnada, Hough, and Shumway Neighborhoods.

This is your chance to talk to chicken owners about their coop preferences, the realities of urban chickens, see different coop designs and best of all hang out with like-minded people. These are everyday people that have volunteered to open their yards and coops to the public. This is a great event and all proceeds benefit the Hough Foundation. $10 a ticket for a family or group of four is a steal! Tickets are available at:

Mint Tea, 2014 Main Street, Vancouver
Arnada Naturals, 1705 Broadway

For more information check out the Coop Du Jour website at: www.coopdujour.com

We’ll see you out there!

We have admittedly had a dismal spring and early summer with above average precipitation and below average temperatures. It has definitely been difficult to get those summer seeds and starts into the garden and once in, to thrive. If you haven’t already done so now is the time to get any starts and seeds in the ground for tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, winter and summer squashes, and the like if you hope to see a yield before the frosts set in this fall.

Yes, it has been a difficult year, and yes, our planting window has been shortened to the extreme but get out there and get planting! We are lucky in the Pacific Northwest to revel in relatively moderate and growable autumn weather so take advantage of it.

It is also time to transition into your summer lettuces, Bibb and Romaines as well as lettuces marked as “bolt-resistant” and “heat tolerant” do nicely during the summer months. Be sure to plant them behind natural shade such as behind tomatoes, corn, or vegetables that are growing on a trellis.

As much as we’d like to think we can control all the aspects of our gardens – heirloom varieties, organic seeds, natural pest control, cold frames, etc, we can not control the weather. It has been a long, cold spring and the garden is reflecting its struggle in the lack of output. Although frustration is high on many garden fronts this year, don’t fret. The garden always seems to rebound when we least expect it.

Keep at it!

Take the time now while the harvest is lean to prepare for the busy season. Erradicate weeds and pests by spending 5 minutes a day in the garden. Get your canning kitchen together by sorting chipped jars, bent/rusted rings out of the mix. Dedicate a shelf or a rolling cart to all the supplies you will need for preservation – undate your pectin supply, vinegars, dried herbs and chile peppers, lemon juice, and recipes. Purchase new canning lids, marking pens, and check your freezer container supply. Clean out the freezer and resort your canning pantry to evaluate what you will need to can more of this year. Check for any jars that have spoiled and dispose of them properly. Thoroughly clean all shelving, your canners, jars, rings, and canning utensils.

The garden will catch up and being prepared for it when it does will enable you to better preserve your bounty. Share your time and harvest with friends by planning a jam, pie filling, or pickling party! One of the greatest things about gardens is their ability to bring gardeners together around a table of delicious food.

The latest Dirty Dozen List has been released and there are some new surprises on it this time ’round, in that there are two items that haven’t been on the list before. The Dirty List are those foods sold commercially that after processing, washing and preparing at home still have large amounts of trace pesticides within the skin and flesh. These are the fruits and vegetables that you want to purchase organic or substiture for something else. As we enter the seasons of bounty in our region keep in mind the dirty list. Below are the the top 12 from most pesticide residue to least of the worst:

#1 Celery
#2 Peaches
#3 Strawberries (especially foreign)
#4 Apples
#5 Blueberries (NEW to the list)
#6 Nectarines
#7 Bell Peppers
#8 Spinach (NEW on the list)
#9 Kale
#10 Cherries
#11 Potatoes
#12 Grapes (especially foreign)

Notice that most of the items listed are things that can be grown in your own backyard or those that are available regionally. When planning your annual trip to the berry patch or your weekly jaunt to the farmstand or farmer’s market keep the dirty list in mind and ask questions. One of the most valuable pieces of local farmers is the ability to have a converstation with them and letting them know what you want.

The 15 rated lowest in pesticide residue (although not petroleum-based fertilizers) in order of least pesticide residue are:
onions, avacado, sweet corn, pineapple, mango, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papaya, watermelon, broccoli, tomato, and sweet potato.

This is the time of year that all the local plant sales appear. Listed below are a few of the area plant sales in the coming weeks. Keep your eyes out for plant sales in your area, neighbors, garden clubs, elementary schools, and churches often hold plant sales through May.

Columbia River High School Plant Sale
Herbs, Veg, Annuals, Perennials, and more
May 7, 9am to 4pm and May 8, 10am to 3pm

Ridgefield Highschool Plant Sale
Annuals, Perennials, Baskets, and more
May 7, 9am to 5pm and May 8, 9am to 3pm

Camas Mother’s Day Sale
Plant, Garden, and Informational Vendors
May 8, 9am to 4pm, Downtown Camas

Master Gardener’s Plant Sale
Perennials, Trees, Shrubs, Annuals, Veg
KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR BEFORE YOU GO
May 8, 9am to 4pm and May 9, 10am to 3pm
1919 NE 78th Street, Vancouver (the old poor farm)

It’s been 40 years since the first earth day and there are events aplenty to celebrate the hallmark. Marshall Community Center is hosting their annual Earth Day Celebration Saturday, April 17, 10am to 2pm and the theme this year is Urban Farming! This is a family-friendly event and will feature four themed areas for the public – planting, tending, harvesting, and preserving with activities, informational and vendor booths in each area. Plants, local food, community garden organizations, small animal husbandry, free lunch, and an afternoon of information at your fingertips.

We are in transition in the garden right now. it’s the annual battle of patience between last years crops finishing, the variable weather, and the planting itch. those glorious 60 degree days lull us into a sense of hope and planting bravado and then the reality that it is still WINTER sets in with low snow levels and wind.

If you have already planted seed and/or transplants make sure you’re protecting them from wind and cold evening temperatures. a simple cloche made from a milk jug or even a nursery pot turned over on cold nights will work. cover your seedlings with floating row covers, a burlap sack, or a sheet – something to protect it from those frigid nights. don’t be disheartened by slow germination, give those seeds some time to adjust and keep an eye out for slugs and snails who are ready for the delicate leaves of lettuce, spinach, and mustard greens.

looking for a little more guidance in the garden? try our FarmHand Checklist E-mail subscription. It is a weekly “checklist” of things that can be done that week in the Pacific Northwest garden. the annual subscription rate of $35 gets you a checklist the beginning of each week, through October 31 that includes what can be done in the garden, a weekly tip, and a weekly event or place to visit. Subscription is activated upon receipt of payment mailed to: Urban Farm School, PO Box 393, Ridgefield, WA 98642. Please, include “farmhand checklist” in the note section and include your E-mail address.

Need some hands on help along with your checklist? Try our Your FarmHand service. We work in the garden with you once a month on any vegetable gardening project for an hour. We can help you plan, plant, maximize your space, create and construct pest deterrants and all sorts of other fun things. Learn in your own space, at your own pace, on your own projects with Your FarmHand! E-mail urbanfarmschool@gmail.com for scheduling and pricing.

The forsythia is blooming, bulbs have poked their heads through the soil, and the chives are reaching for the sky.  Although it looks as though spring has sprung remember one simple thing:  it is FEBRUARY in the Pacific Northwest, anything can happen and usually does in regards to the weather.
 
If seeds are burning a hole in your pocket there are a few things you can do to curb that all out planting desire while still protecting your soil and saving yourself time and money when it decides to freeze, sleet, or snow again this winter.

• Is your soil ready?  Test your soil for plantability, when you put your shovel into the ground does it stick like glue?  when you take a handful of soil is it like gooey playdoh?  if so, your soil is NOT READY!  If you choose to till or plant large amounts of space at this time you will be damaging the health of your soil, creating greater compaction, disrupting the intricate web of micro- and macro-organisms, as well as the beneficial mycorrhiza you’ve allowed to build through the winter.
• Bareroot trees and shrubs are in stores and nurseries and this is a great time to plant apples, pears, plums, blueberries, raspberry canes, and the like.  Bareroot trees and shrubs planted during this time of year benefit from the cool weather inhibiting bud growth while the wet soil encourages root development.  When planting add compost to the soil as well as bone meal which aids root development and kelp meal which decreases plant stress during transplanting.
• Prepare for native bees.  The Pacific Northwest region boasts more than 450 species of native bees.  The most common for the backyard gardener is the Mason Bee.  Plan for these bees now as they will be emerging during February and March.  Mason bees are 100x more efficient at pollinating than honeybees, are less susceptible to diseases, and work even during cold and wet weather.  Washougal resident Sherian Wright has recently published a book on these fascintating bees that will be available at the Backyard Birdshop.
• Planting early greens. If you just can’t wait to plant try winter greens, lettuces, and scallions in a protected area of your garden, under row covers, or in a cold-frame.  They key is to disrupt your soil as little as possible, provide as much sunlight as available, protect from cold evenings, and be prepared for slugs.