Pacific Northwest Gardening

Today’s episode is for the week of May 28th, 2023. Want to beta test the watering calculator? Shoot me an email ([email protected])!
Each week we cover timely gardening topics for gardening in BC, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. My zone is 8b; know your zone to compare your climate! Our flow goes: official gardening recommendations for the week, the soil temperature and weather for the week, the Bloom Report, what happened in my garden, and The Dirt, a deep dive into one gardening item. This week we are talking roses - types, summer maintenance, and tying up climbers.🌹
Official gardening recommendations from Tilth Alliance’s Maritime Garden Guide: consistent watering. Looking for undesirable insect eggs, and protect beneficial eggs. Sow some later-harvesting brassicas like rutabagas, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, turnips, and cauliflower. Sow carrots, bulb ing fennel, beets, and Swiss chard. Results of my water measurements...
Soil temperatures: Soil temperatures dropped to mid 60’s and rose to mid-70’s. https://www.greencastonline.com/tools/soil-temperature
Next week’s weather: mid 60’s through high 70’s with overnight lows in the mid 50’s. Highs mid 60’s to mid 70’s. Lows are in the high 40’s - consider floating row cover or other insulation. Still no rain in sight. Average temperature is 62, but raises into next weekend so water for 70 degrees Sat and Sun. https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Seattle+WA
Bloom Report: Tons of alpine strawberries, Little Snowpea White. Lettuce continues. Herbs galore: oregano, sage, chive, and mint. Chive vinegar is a hit, making oregano salad today. More roses, foxglove, California lilac.
In the garden this week: Trellised a climbing rose, tidied my edges with a vertical brick edging, does tidiness lead to herbicides, garbage bucket trick, foxglove color variations (advice from Queen Valley). Do you know false dandelion? Pests are coming! White butterfly, slugs. Also seen: wolf spiders. Need produce? Try Helsing Junction CSA. Don’t get fooled by seeds for sale!
The Dirt: Roses are finicky, but worth it. Hard pruning in Jan or Feb, but ok to prune a lot and clear tight canes and dense or diseased foliage. Look for aphids. Fertilize monthly. Remove spent blooms. Dr. Huey is the most “popular” variety. Climbers - tie up leads at less than 45 degree angle, so blooms emerge from side branches.
Results of the watering test are...

Hi folks! Recording PNW Gardening was a fun experiment, but as a hobby it was a lot of work... and cut into my gardening time. Thanks for tuning in from April 2023 - July 2023.

Welcome to Pacific Northwest Gardening! Today’s episode is for the week of July 2nd, 2023 but I’m recording on Tuesday! Sorry. Happy Independence Day!
Each week we cover timely gardening topics for gardening in BC, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. My zone is 8b; know your zone to compare your climate! Our flow goes: official gardening recommendations for the week, the soil temperature and weather for the week, the Bloom Report, what happened in my garden, and The Dirt, a deep dive into one gardening item. This week we are talking squashes - winter and summer; how to get them bearing great squash and how to maintain the plants.
Subscribe! Leave a review and send an email to [email protected] and I will send you a free packet of seeds.
Official gardening recommendations from the Maritime Northwest Garden Guide: summer veggies that are actually fruits will produce more if picked 2-3x a week. First tomatoes should stay on the vine to help others ripen. Lay burlap over the soil to retain moisture for fall and winter seed germination. Biennial and perennial flowers should be started 8-12 weeks before first frost. My 50% frost date is Nov 16 - will talk about that later.
Soil temperatures: Soil temperatures are in low 80’s. Next week’s weather: In the 80’s all week with lows mid 50’s. Was surprised to see that average temperature is 68 - Watering for 70 degrees with no rain adjustment. Use https://water.pnw.garden to calculate your water needs.
Bloom Report:
Dahlias

• OMF Blueberries, Raspberries, Alpine Strawberries
• Sunflowers
• Scarlet runner beans
• Fuchsia
• Russian sage
• Lavender
• Basil!!! (Vegan pesto)

In the garden this week: Marigolds - organic versus non-organic fertilizer... Whoops on the beet and carrot seeds. Scarlet runners attracting Anna’s hummingbirds. Pruned squash and tied up, mindful of shade leaves cast. Best flowers for pollinators... Weird to have space in the garden... pulled rest of pea plants and turnips, some sad salad. Going to decide which dahlias I’m going to remove to plan for next year.
The Dirt:
SNOPES on squash. Eating as celery?!?! NO! Making a whistle? Maybe? Pollinating your squash. What do male and female squash flowers look like, how do you ensure you get good pumpkins? Squash genetic mysteries! Mystery squash... not a pumpkin... not a summer squash?? Separate by 1/2 mile for seed saving - not practical for me.

Hi folks! Recording PNW Gardening was a fun experiment, but as a hobby it was a lot of work... and cut into my gardening time. Thanks for tuning in from April 2023 - July 2023.

Welcome to Gardening in the PNW! Today’s episode is for the week of June 25th, 2023. Happy beginning of summer!
Each week we cover timely gardening topics for gardening in BC, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. My zone is 8b; know your zone to compare your climate! Our flow goes: official gardening recommendations for the week, the soil temperature and weather for the week, the Bloom Report, what happened in my garden, and The Dirt, a deep dive into one gardening item. This week we are talking marigolds. Their history, their types, their uses.
Subscribe! Leave a review and send an email to [email protected] and I will send you a free packet of seeds.

Official gardening recommendations from Ed Hume’s 2023 Garden Almanac:

• 23rd, 24th - light of the moon, 1st quarter Virgo: divide spring irises
• 26th, 27th light of the moon, 2nd quarter libra: plant perennials (thru 2nd), set out mums (through 29th), sow lettuce and chard seeds (through 29th), seed or set out annuals (thru 2nd), pinch annuals, plant vines, plant color spots (thru 29th)
• 28th, 29th light of the moon, 2nd quarter Scorpio: fertilize lawn, tree, shrubs, repot and groom houseplants (thru 2nd), plant lilies, flowering kale, take cuttings and graft
• 2nd light of the moon, 2nd quarter Aquarius: see recommendations above

Soil temperatures: Soil temperatures are in mid to high 70’s. Seeing that in plant growth.
Next week’s weather: High 70’s to mid 80’s early next week. Lows mid 50’s. Average temperature is 67.5 - I’m going to be watering for 70 degrees with no rain adjustment. Use https://water.pnw.garden to calculate your water needs.
Bloom Report:

• Ice flower
• Echinacea
• Anemone
• Sweet pea
• Dahlias
• Day lilies
• Sunflower just starting
• Hydrangea just starting
• Helsing Junction CSA

In the garden this week: Transplanted marigolds. Pulled out peas and did my 2nd sowing of beets and carrots, keeping them wet is a lot of work. Sweet pea bouquets, April in Paris from Adaptive [whoops, Uprising!] a favorite! Made kombucha, berry crisp, and kim chi. Removed so many false dandelion with step on weed remover. Garden fails: turnip mash fail.

The Dirt:

Marigolds will be at their best later in the summer, and feature prominently in Diwali and Day of the Dead (flor de muerto). Native to America, they were transported to India by Spanish and Portuguese traders 350 years ago. Although native to South America, they were first introduced into Europe through northern Africa: hence, the common name.

National Geographic Marigold Photos

Hi folks! Recording PNW Gardening was a fun experiment, but as a hobby it was a lot of work... and cut into my gardening time. Thanks for tuning in from April 2023 - July 2023.

Welcome to PNW Gardening! Today’s episode is for the week of June 4th, 2023. I’m posting a day late!
Each week we cover timely gardening topics for gardening in BC, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. My zone is 8b; know your zone to compare your climate! You can find your zone here.
Our flow goes: official gardening recommendations for the week, the soil temperature and weather for the week, the Bloom Report, what happened in my garden, and The Dirt, a deep dive into one gardening item. This week we are talking sunlight - knowing your plants are getting enough sun after the solstice and in the morning and evening! 🌞
Official gardening recommendations from Ed Hume’s 2023 Garden Almanac:
If you’re planting: radishes, green onions, root vegetables (beets!)

• June 5th and 6th, Dark of the moon 3rd Quarter Capricorn: Repot and Groom Houseplants, plant perennials and biennials, seed radishes
• June 7th and 8th Dark of moon, 3rd Quarter Aquarius: Seed green onions, cultivate to control weeds, harvest early crops, eliminate slugs.
• June 9th and 10th: Dark of moon, 3rd Quarter Pisces: plant perennials and biennials, fertilize, good day to water, prune shrubs, sow root crops, can fruits and veg, make sauerkraut
• June 11th, Dark of the Moon 4th Quarter Aries: eliminate blackberries, cultivate to control weeds, deal with pests and disease, harvest

Send me a DM on instagram @thepnwgarden and I’ll send you a link to get free seeds from Ed Hume!
Soil temperatures: Soil temperatures in the mid-70’s, tracking bang on with 10 year average for this week.
Next week’s weather: Getting hot again with a high of 86 on Wednesday. Lows are comfortably in the mid 50’s. Average temperature is 66; I’m going to use my 70 degree watering plan this week.
Bloom Report: Poppies and Peonies!

In the garden this week:

• Visit to the San Juans, tent caterpillar invasion - but good for salmon?
• The best place for produce and ice cream - Snow Goose Produce on Best Road.
  • Strawberries, Rhubarb, Cherries and finally found a harvesting basket!
• Fertilized with some kitchen scraps
  • Coffee grounds will not immediately add nitrogen to your soil but will add organic material for water retention. Thin your leftover black coffee and use it too. Mulch - slug repellant (maybe), cat repellant, worm food. Fresh coffee grounds for acid loving plants like azaleas, hydrangeas, blueberries, lillies.
  • Organic Gardening and Farming Magazine from June 1966: Banana under rose bushes.

The Dirt:
We are approaching summer solstice, where the sun is as high in the sky as it will get. But, it will be moving south after the solstice. Are you taking shade into consideration? I always make this mistake!
Please, subscribe and rate! If you send me a message on insta @thepnwgarden, I’ll mail you some seeds in thanks. And, the Ed Hume info as a bonus!
The watering calculation app is live! Find it at https://water.pnw.garden

Hi folks! Recording PNW Gardening was a fun experiment, but as a hobby it was a lot of work... and cut into my gardening time. Thanks for tuning in from April 2023 - July 2023.

Welcome to Gardening in the PNW! Today’s episode is for the week of June 18th, 2023. Happy Father’s Day! Happy Juneteenth!
Each week we cover timely gardening topics for gardening in BC, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. My zone is 8b; know your zone to compare your climate! Our flow goes: official gardening recommendations for the week, the soil temperature and weather for the week, the Bloom Report, what happened in my garden, and The Dirt, a deep dive into one gardening item. This week we are talking pruning vegetables! Wha!?! Especially tomatoes for better yields.
Official gardening recommendations from Tilth Alliance’s Maritime Garden Guide: You can still sow late summer blooming flowers. Try Borage, Love-in-a-Mist, Nasturtium, Butterfly Flower (ok for part shade), Calendula, Sunflowers, and Zinnia. Brassicas, Roots (Beets and Carrots), Raddicio, Endive, Escarole. I am going to try butterfly flower - Scizanthus - and more zinnias where I have room.
Soil temperatures: Soil temperatures are in mid 60’s to low 70’s. https://www.greencastonline.com/tools/soil-temperature
Next week’s weather: Time to have your rain gauge installed. This week starts in the low 60s but rises to the the high 70’s with overnight lows in the 50’s. Average temperature is 62. Use https://water.pnw.garden to calculate your water needs.
Bloom Report: St. John’s Wort, Calla Lilly, Daisies. Roses continue! Turnip greens. Helsing Junction CSA started with radishes, snap and snow peas, arugula, lettuces. Raspberries and blueberries are just getting there.
In the garden this week: Pinched my dahlias with help from Floret Flowers and assembled a respectable bouquet. Ordered rubber bands and flower preservative. Deadheaded calendula and roses. Started pruning my vegetables. Removed some calendula to make room for nasturtiums. Transplanted ground cherry and tomatoes. Pulled grass. Ate a lot of snap peas. Next week I will be trellising my summer squashes with twist ties.
Garden fails: sifted soil lead to buttercups! Dried mint shrunk and fell.
The Dirt: Remove all leaves with ground contact. Indeterminate tomatoes. Early girl, big beef, sun gold, amish paste, krim all are indeterminate. Remove suckers - 45 degree angled branches - will get huge. Want airflow! Sometimes the suckers have become branches themselves - still OK to remove to focus energy to main stem tomatoes.
More tomato pruning resources:

• https://www.bobvila.com/articles/pruning-tomato-plants/
• https://plantcaretoday.com/how-to-prune-tomato-plants.html

Hi folks! Recording PNW Gardening was a fun experiment, but as a hobby it was a lot of work... and cut into my gardening time. Thanks for tuning in from April 2023 - July 2023.