Brighten your spring up that much more!

Post a photo of your best container garden planted with any Black Gold soil to our Facebook page! Winner receives $100 to their local Black Gold retailer. A Black Gold expert will be judging the photos and choosing the winner.

Deadline is July 4th, 2012! Be sure to include your bag of Black Gold in the photo to be considered.

Happy Planting!

On April 20th, the Sun Gro team in Sacramento started a vegetable growing contest to better understand the properties of our mixes and fertilizers. We gathered for a class to discuss the basic characteristics of potting soils, the differences between various Black Gold and Sunshine Advanced products, and the types of fertilizers that can be used in container gardening. Then teams of two set up planting beds provided by Smart Pots and made their own choices of mix and fertilizer. Seeds and transplants were available to get everyone started. See the attached photos for some highlights.

The contest will be for best looking vegetable garden, biggest tomato, best tasting tomato, biggest vegetable, best salsa, and best recipe using at least two ingredients from the garden.

Stay tuned for updates throughout this spring and summer on who’s garden is the biggest and best!

We’ll be posting photos of the 3 different teams’ gardens on the Black Gold Facebook Page where you can vote for your favorite!

HERE ARE THE TEAMS…

For those not in the broadcast area, CLICK HERE to find podcasts of Gardening in the Northwest with Scott Connor.

Moss baskets make it next to impossible to overwater plants, and that’s why they’re different from any other hanging pot. Each basket is composed of a suspended wire framework lined with fibrous material and filled with potting soil. The reason for fiber lining is to allow optimal drainage throughout the whole container, not just where there are drain holes. It also allows you to water daily without guilt, so the soil remains evenly moist without the risk of saturation.

Hanging baskets have changed in the last few years. Few are available with Sphagnum moss. Planting through the sides is now standard, making every basket a potential living ball of flowers. But in general, these baskets remain standard fare for specialty growers of fuchsias, ferns and begonias.

Now you can buy baskets pre-lined with coco fiber, which eliminates the time consuming process of lining one with dripping wet sphagnum moss. This coco fiber is more porous, and therefore even better drained, but there’s a down side. Potting soil inside will dry out more quickly. This dehydration rate increases exponentially in arid climates, particularly during windy or hot weather.

To create baskets that are more weather resilient, select containers at least 14 inches in diameter. This creates a soil mass that is large enough to support a more expansive root zone of long-lived plants, and it reduces moisture loss through the coco fiber. The next step is to select the right potting soil for your local climate.

Black Gold Waterhold Cocoblend Potting Soil is ideal for hanging baskets in dry climates. It is formulated for increased water holding ability without compromising drainage. To do so it contains coir, a byproduct of the cocoanut processing industry that is highly absorptive and able to retain moisture better than ordinary potting soils. It’s OMRI-listed too, so you can use it for organically grown edible flowers, vegetables and herbs.

What really makes coir desirable is the speed at which it absorbs water. While dry peat can be a little slow on the uptake, coir literally sucks up every drop you apply. In a hanging basket this means less immediate drainage and more water holding capacity over time. When the dry winds of summer kick in, baskets with this coir blend soil will fare far better.

For those who live in humid, rainy summer climates, over-saturation can be a problem after daily rain or heavy downpours. Potting soil can become super saturated, which limits oxygen availability to the roots until conditions dry out. Black Gold Hy-Porosity Potting Soil was designed for solving this very problem by maximizing oxygenation of the root zone. When you use this blend in your hanging baskets, you are less likely to see fungal diseases and rotting that can occur despite the porosity of the basket liner.

Make this year’s new baskets with Black Gold potting soils formulated for your climatic challenges. Then replace the potting soil in your older baskets to eliminate over-compaction. Once you discover how a climatically formulated potting soil improves your hanging baskets, you’ll never settle for anything else.

You can find podcasts of In the Garden with Andre Viette by CLICKING HERE.

The best way to loosen a potted plant is to first make certain that its potting medium is moist, then slowly tip the container over while holding one hand around the base of the plant, supporting the shifting weight of the soil as the intact plant slides free.

The donation will be used, in part, in research into the Araceae family of plants that includes, calla lilies and philodendron. They will also be using the product in other areas of research around the Gardens and in their research greenhouses.

Since 1938, Fairchild Botanical Gardens in Miami, FL has served as repository of rare and endangered tropical plant species from around the world. The collection has grown to be a resource for education and research, recognized worldwide as one of the best. Their team of horticulturists travel the world to bring rare/endangered species into the collection so that they might be studied and better understood.

The Gardens also offer a beautiful addition to the cultural and educational environment of Miami. School groups and clubs routinely visit the Gardens to discover and learn more about the world of plants around us and their importance in our lives.

Clackamas County Master Gardener’s Spring Garden Fair
May 5 and 6, 2012
Saturday 9 to 5
Sunday 9 to 4
map

Visit the Clackamas County Master Gardener’s website for full details.

Also, check out the Spring Garden Fair on Facebook for all the details on the 2012 fair. Hope to see you all again next year!

Thank you to all the staff who were on hand to help, along with volunteers from the Omaha Council of Garden Clubs!

Kids received a free mini-pot and sunflower seeds, and had the chance to plant their very own kid-sized containers!

The event was lots of fun for the entire family! Be sure to come again next year!

Check out the photos from this year’s planting day below…

Westlake Ace Planting Day
Saturday, May 5th, 2012
10am to 2pm

CLICK HERE to find participating Omaha-area Ace Hardware stores.

For the Council Bluffs, Iowa Ace Hardware location CLICK HERE.

Also, we’d like to send a big thank you to Dazey’s Supply for being #1 for Black Gold Natural & Organic and Sunshine Advanced Mix #4!

Watch Dazey Days 2011 Video

See photos from Dazey Days 2012 below…

Saturday, May 5th, Call for Hours
Dazey’s Supply
3082 Redwood Drive
Redway, CA
(707) 923-3002
map

The Oregon Farm Bureau hosted a booth at the 2012 Oregon Ag Fest, April 28 – 29, 2012, at the State Fairgrounds in Salem.

Those who stopped by OFB’s booth were able to make a famous “Dirt Baby” (aka a farmer’s version of a Chia Pet) with the help of Farm Bureau volunteers.

Black Gold made a generous donation this year of 31 cases of Black Gold Natural and Organic Potting Soil to the Oregon Farm Bureau for the “Dirt Baby” event at their booth. Be sure to stop by their booth and join in the fun!

Kids played with ag toys, jumped in a “corn pool,” read, watched videos, and learned more about why agriculture is important.

April 28 – 29, 2012
Sat., 8:30 am – 5 pm
Sun., 10 am – 5 pm

Oregon State Fairgrounds
Salem, OR
Get Directions

More details at OrAgFest.com

Ages 12 and Under FREE
Adults $9

FREE Parking

We had a blast! See you there next year!

Check out the photos of the KXGO crew below having fun with fellow parade-goers as they deals on Black Gold products.

If you’re in the Cincinnati area, tune in to B-105.1 FM at 8:00AM EDT on Saturday mornings.

Listen to Blair Busenbark’s Appearance on In And Around The House >>

Not in Cincinnati? No problem. Find podcasts of the show online here.

In and Around The House with Tony Works airs Saturdays 6am – 9am EDT on B-105.1 FM in the Cincinnati area.

CLICK HERE to listen to the interview.

Not in Omaha? No problem. Listen online here.

Thanks to all of you who joined Black Gold at the Pacific Northwest Haggen & Top Foods locations on April 14th and 21st for Planting Days! Participants enjoyed lots of fun planting tips and great info on our highly regarded products.

Get more details and location info at Top-Foods.com

Listen to Blair Busenbark’s interview on GardenLine from April 21st, 2012.

Find out more at C.L.’s website gardenlady.com, or see program listings at 95wxtk.com.

Scott Conner has been gardening in the Northwest for the past 30 years and is the host of Gardening in the NW on Seattle’s AM 1090 radio station. There isn’t much he doesn’t know about gardening and his mission is to make you a better gardener in the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re in the Seattle area, listen to Gardening in the NW on CBS AM 1090, or listen to Gardening in the NW online.

Check back often to see the latest and greatest gardening tips from our helpful experts that will get your garden in gear!

Return to the Follow Our Experts Page

Visit Paul Parent’s Website ]]> http://www.blackgold.bz/blair-busenbark-to-be-guest-on-the-paul-parent-garden-club-radio-show/feed 0 http://www.blackgold.bz/fred-meyer-fuchsia-day?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fred-meyer-fuchsia-day http://www.blackgold.bz/fred-meyer-fuchsia-day#comments Sun, 15 Apr 2012 02:00:21 +0000 Black Gold http://www.blackgold.bz/?p=3330
Thanks to everybody who joined us on Saturday, April 14th, 2012 for the 22nd annual Fred Meyer Fuchsia Day at Fred Meyer stores throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho for amazing deals on plants, garden accessories and, of course, Black Gold products.

Visit the Fred Meyer website for location information.

This free event took place at
FIR POINT FARMS located 20 miles South of Portland at…
14601 Arndt Road
Aurora, Oregon 97002
event website

Seedlings: All these seedlings are ready to be transplanted into individual pots.

When your seedlings begin to ramp up growth, they might not find much nutrition in the sprouting media. That’s why it’s important to transplant seedlings into containers with quality potting soil. The nutrients in potting soil brings the seedling to the age where it will survive outdoors. It needs a large root system encouraged by rewards of nitrogen which stimulates rapid stem and leaf growth.

A three or four inch plastic or peat pot is the ideal size for this transitional period. You can also use recycled tin cans, yogurt cups or similar sized containers with one to three holes punched in the bottom for drainage. Use hammer and nail for tin, and a screw driver heated in the stove flame to melt neat holes in plastics. Recycle flats from the garden center, or line your pots up in a tin baking pan, TV tray or a plastic box to allow you to move them around as a group.

Because seedlings are going into an organic garden, use OMRI listed Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil for these new pots. This rich blend is finely textured for young seedlings. Fill each pot with soil to an inch below the rim so there’s room to fill it up with enough water without overflow or repeated shallow fills.

Transplanting your seedlings should be done with a gentle hand. Use a blunt knife to ease seedlings out of the media without tearing roots or disturbing the next seedling in line. Use your finger or a dibble to open a hole in the potting soil large enough to accommodate the entire root system comfortably.

Plant: Don't pick up seedlings by the stem; support the roots with your hand.

When transplanting tomatoes, they can be planted much deeper into this soil so new roots will form on the underground part of the stem. With other kinds of seedlings, transplant at the same depth they were in the sprouting media. Do not squeeze the stems. Always support the roots with the palm of your hand so the weight of damp media doesn’t tear them from the stem.
Once seedlings are in their new pots, water them in to collapse any air pockets in the root zone. With the nutrient rich soil, growth will speed up so your seedlings will benefit from lots more direct sunlight. Just be careful over the first few days to ensure they adapt well to the exposure without wilt or burning.

On mild days take the whole box of seedlings out onto the porch to help them become adapted to the breezes and air quality outdoors. If nights warm before you are ready to plant, leave the seedlings outdoors overnight to better adapt. Just keep them out of reach of curious pets and hungry wildlife. This transitional period is called “hardening off” which is essential in northern climates where nights of late spring tend to be colder. When grown in a cold frame, hardening off can simply be leaving the glass cover off the frame for a few nights before you move your plants into the garden.

Step 1: Fill pots with soil to an inch below the rim to make it easier to water. Step 2: When planting tomatoes, plant deep to encourage new roots from the stem. Step 3: Press soil into the root ball but don't compact it or you'll damage root hairs.

Mist: Adjustable nozzles offer a mist setting for seedlings, then as they grow older the convenient soaker setting quickly fills pots.

Every gardener has done it at least once. Watering newly sown pots too aggressively makes the covering float off seeds. Do it hard enough and the seed becomes dislodged too. That’s why careful watering of indoor seedlings is essential in the first weeks after sowing.

How you water depends on the number of seeds you’ve sown and the space available in the kitchen to water them. It’s easy to move the containers into the shower stall and turn it on for a gentle, natural rain. If you can take them outside to water, buy a nozzle for your hose that has a mist setting. This super fine spray is the best for indoor seeds because it applies moisture in such a natural way that soil, seed and sprout are bathed without pressure. With a misting nozzle you can water your seeds often without concern for over-saturation. However, there is a drawback Misting nozzles don’t put out much water, so they tend to moisten the top layer where the seed is while leaving soil dry deeper down.

Fine Spray: This short handled water wand features a narrow fine spray nozzle which requires care with very young seedlings.

There is a good way to keep the entire soil mass evenly moist after seedlings sprout by watering from the bottom up too. This is a method by which moisture wicks up through the drain holes of a pot set in a pan of water. Wicking brings moisture all the way to the top of the soil to wet the entire soil mass without dry pockets. While you water the seed on top every day with a mister, you’ll want to bottom-up water only after the seeds sprout to encourage them to root deeply. This bottom up method may be repeated every week or two depending on how hot and dry the local climate.

Finally, keep your eye on the weather as the spring weeks go by. Just one oversight can lead to permanent wilt or a dead seedling. When conditions are humid, water less. When it’s hot or dry, water more often. Be very careful in windy weather as it tends to rapidly draw moisture out of both the foliage and the soil. Check your crop twice a day to be sure, and let Mother Nature take care of the rest.

Sometimes it is easier and safer (less of a pest problem) to start seeds indoors and then plant them outdoors. When a local gardening friend read an article with glowing reports about a winter squash called “Musquee de Provence”, he decided to try some and planted seeds indoors in 4” pots using Black Gold Seedling Mix. Within a week, the seedlings began emerging from the soil and within two weeks, they will be ready to be planted outdoors. This particular squash was introduced to American gardeners in 1899 and has a deep orange flesh that keeps well. While it is not usually available on local seed racks, it is available from Seed Savers Exchange at SeedSavers.org or 563-382-5990. I think it is always fun to try something new in the vegetable garden.

Lettuce is very easy to start from seed and there are many choices from either seed or transplants at local garden centers. If planting from seed, try extending the harvest by staggering the planting. Plant new seeds at 2-3 week intervals and you will be amazed at how easy it is to continually cut fresh lettuce leaves. Lettuce will survive a light frost and so the growing season does not necessarily end as compared to a tomato. With some protection, such as a cold frame, if the winter is not too severe, I have seen gardeners harvest lettuce throughout the winter. 

Radish is a very easy and quick crop. Not only do the seeds germinate quickly, many varieties will provide a mature crop in 30 days. This is an excellent plant to get children involved with because of the short maturity date and the quick germination. It also teaches them about plants we eat that grow underground.

A favorite of mine to get children involved in gardening is the potato. This is another good lesson in things we eat that grow underground. Even if space is limited, potatoes can be easily grown in a container and will thrive as long as they get adequate sunlight. The example in the photo is a large nursery pot that provides a way to grow them with limited space. Using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil, this gardener (see photo below) built a wire cage around the inside diameter of the container and used two metal plant stakes to prevent the cage from collapsing. Potatoes were purchased from a farm store and were cut into pieces with at least one ‘eye’ per piece. Once cut, let them air dry for a day or so and this will help seal the cut portion and lessen the chance of diseases. Potatoes were planted about 6 inches deep from the top of the container. Be leery of buying potatoes from the produce section of a grocery store as they might have been treated to prevent sprouting. 

The potato that was planted will produce a stem from the ‘eye’. The tubers we eat are produced along the stem and the longer the stem, the more tubers. Potato tubers must be kept in the dark and so as the stem grows, straw or some other organic material is continually added, hence the reason for the cage.    

Beans are among the easiest summer vegetables to grow from seed and since it is a large seed, it is easy for children to plant.  Once the soil is warm, sow bean seeds and they should germinate in 7-10 days. Beans need full sun and continual picking. The more you pick, the more the plant will produce. For limited space there are bush types although for maximum yield, I have found the tall vine types produce the best.

For some color in the vegetable garden, consider Rainbow Swiss Chard. This has such colorful stems, I have seen in planted in pots on decks just for the stems. “Rainbow” is an appropriate name as the stem colors are shades of red, orange, purple, yellow, and even white. Rainbow Swiss Chard is not just for color; it is excellent for eating and is easy to grow from seed.

I would be remiss without mentioning a summer edible plant we always have in a pot on our deck and that is basil.  Basil absolutely needs heat and should never be planted outdoors until the weather is warm. It makes a wonderful container plant and having a container on our deck makes it easily accessible to the kitchen. There are many types of basil available and varieties not only have different color and texture of foliage, but there are different flavors.

A warning for gardeners with newly germinated seedlings or seedlings is to be aware of the slug. It is one of the most prevalent pests we have in the Pacific Northwest that can cause extensive damage on newly planted seedlings.  Slugs can almost ruin a home garden crop of new seedlings overnight. It is best to use some type of slug bait or barrier for newly germinated seedlings and/or transplants. If using a chemical type of bait, be sure to check and read the label carefully as not all baits are approved for use in a vegetable garden.

This season, take a chance on some vegetable seeds or seedlings. It is quite satisfying to grow your own fresh fruit or vegetables and gives you a connection to the earth.

Photos Courtesy of Rich Baer

Many soils in our area, without preparation, will look like the soil you see in the photo on the left. This is the kind of soil that quickly dries out in the summer and can often make a crust over the existing soil and will prevent water from penetrating and causing plants to stress. Sometimes in my garden, I have seen plants wilting in the summer sun and yet I had recently watered them. Upon further observation and some digging around the plant with a trowel, I discover that below the crusty surface the soil is dry.

With the addition of Black Gold Soil Conditioner, it is amazing how quickly the soil can change for the better. I like to spread soil conditioner over the top of the soil and then mix it in with the existing garden soil. If there are large clumps of soil, I try to break them into smaller pieces and work them into the mix, always watching for rocks which I remove. This is a very simple process and as long as the soil is not too wet, it is easy to mix soil and compost or mulch. With our cold and wet spring, many soils are too wet early to adequately dig early in the season, but I have found that after just a few days of sunny weather the soil will become dry enough to cultivate.

I like to have a box of fertilizer close at hand and work this into the soil along with the soil conditioner. Black Gold All Purpose Fertilizer is an ideal general purpose fertilizer and can be used for most plants. It is a natural fertilizer with ingredients like bone meal, blood meal, alfalfa meal, and kelp meal and tends to give a slow release of these nutrients to plants over a long period of time. Once you have mixed the Black Gold Soil Conditioner and Black Gold All Purpose Fertilizer, your soil should look like the soil in the photo on the right.

To get a head start on planting, many gardeners will make or buy a miniature hoop house. This is simply a structure to get the soil warm sooner and provide some protection from the elements. Often gardeners will build a hoop house over a raised bed as the following photos show. The hoop house shown below in this Portland, Oregon garden, has allowed this gardener to start his season earlier in the spring and extend it longer into the fall. The soil preparation is the same as was mentioned earlier. If you are going to sow seeds directly into the ground, the protection a simple hoop house will provide, in many cases, will give you greater success. Even if you are going to use the hoop house to start seeds in flats or small pots, you will have quicker germination and the plants will continue to grow faster than if they were outside with no protection.

With just this plastic protection, it is surprising how much warmer the soil will be and how quickly seeds germinate. In fact, quite often on sunny days, the cover will need to be removed as the temperatures inside will become too hot. An easy way to do this is make a handle to lift the structure. Being able to either open or remove the top is necessary not only to keep the inside from getting too hot but also to provide some air circulation.

To prevent the top from sliding off the sides of the raised beds, this gardener came up with a clever idea. He made two elongated corner braces so the top could be easily lifted and yet would not slide off.

If you are going to sow seeds directly in the ground, it is sometimes beneficial to place something over the top of the soil to discourage birds and squirrels from eating young tender plants. This gardener used this heavy plastic mesh (see photo below), chicken wire also works well.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, slugs can be a huge problem and it is advisable to use some kind of bait or barrier to protect new germinating plants or transplants.

Once your soil is prepped, you are ready. For a novice or first time gardener, if you are going to sow seeds directly into the soil, I would suggest starting your first year with some of those seeds that are relatively easy to germinate. Early spring try seeds like peas, lettuce, kale, radish, and chard. Once summer is here and temperatures are warm, beans, squash, pumpkins, lettuce, and corn are often directly sown in the garden.

It is not difficult to prepare your soil and, with a little bit of work early in the season, your plants will thank you throughout the growing season for your extra effort.

All photos courtesy of Rich Baer.

Photo by Rich Baer

With the cool weather we often have here in the Pacific Northwest, there are many summer vegetable plants that need to be started indoors from seed and then set out into the garden once warm weather arrives. Starting seeds indoors is quite easy and with a little preparation and planning, many gardeners look forward to this aspect of gardening. If you do not have a sunny window, there are many types of grow lights that can be used in areas that do not get enough natural light. Check out your local garden center or seed catalog for seed trays and peat moss or plastic pots to get started. Often times a special heating pad for plants will help warm up the soil and encourage germination. Starting with good soil is critical and Black Gold Seedling Mix is especially made for starting seeds.

When planning what is to be planted, think about what vegetables you most enjoy eating fresh and consider the space and location available for planting. Pumpkins and many squash take lots of ground space as they send their stems out over the ground. Cucumbers are also crawlers but can be trained to grow on a trellis and thus free up ground space. It is interesting what some gardeners think of and how they can be very creative in small space situations. I have seen cucumbers growing in a container on a deck with a trellis for support and lettuce growing at the base. Lettuce is very easy to grow from seed and with its’ different colored leaves, it can make an attractive foliage plant on a deck. Also having a plant close to the kitchen makes it convenient to cut leaves for salad. Sow lettuce seeds directly in a pot and then thin seedling as necessary and set pot outside.

Photo courtesy of Territorial Seed Company.

As part of the planning stage for where vegetables might be grown, think outside the box and it might be surprising what spaces you might have available. Several years ago, a local garden center got very creative and made a vegetable garden over what was a gravel parking area. They built a raised bed garden in what was a gravel area and planted it with a wide assortment of vegetables. Last year I saw this same idea used by a homeowner over what had been an unused driveway. This was very creative and produced an abundance of fresh produce. If this idea is feasible for your space, do a rough layout of the produce you want to plant and start seeds from tender summer plants now.

The seeds you select to start indoors should primarily be those that, for a homeowner, are best not directly sown outdoors. Seeds such as beans and corn which are usually sown directly outdoors, can be started indoors and by doing so you will have a head start on their growth when you transplant them outdoors.    

Photo by Rich Baer

When seeds germinate and the new leaves appear, they are at one of their most vulnerable stages.  Make sure they have adequate light so they do not become ‘leggy’ and be sure to give them sufficient moisture. In Pacific Northwest gardens, slugs can be a major pest and are attracted to the tender new leaves of many plants. Seedlings will likely be damaged by slugs if some kind of bait is not applied when plants are set outdoors. 

The most popular of all home grown produce is the tomato. There are so many different varieties to choose from, it can be overwhelming. I always suggest looking at the name tag of the plant and there should be an indication of the length of days to maturity. Select an assortment, early, mid-season, and late to extend your harvest. The early and mid-season types are more reliable if we have a cool fall season, many of the later maturing tomatoes will not ripen. Check with neighbors and see which varieties perform best for them and then, of course, try some new ones. 

Tomatoes should be started indoors and a good indication of when to start the seeds is about six weeks before it is time to set plants outdoors. Use Black Gold Seedling Mix and just barely cover the seed. Keep the soil moist and the use of a heating pad is advisable. 

Indigo Rose Tomato. Photo courtesy of Territorial Seed Company.

As gardeners are always on the lookout for something new, a tomato that has recently be introduced called Indigo Rose would be one to try. It was developed by Oregon State University and so has been bred for our area. It is very high in anthocyanin (a naturally occurring pigment that has been shown to help fight certain diseases in humans) and this anthocyanin creates what is almost a blue skin tomato. The inside flesh is the same rouge tone we expect and the flavor is excellent. The fruits are about 2-inch round, are very prolific and remind me of clusters of purple plums.

Do not be intimidated by starting seeds. You will have a much wider of a selection of varieties to chose from and have the enjoyment of knowing you started your own plants. I always like to mention that getting children in a seed starting project is an excellent way to introduce them to gardening. A seed that I find works especially well is nasturtium. It is a large seed, germinates quickly, grows fast and all parts of the plant are edible.

Heuchera: Hot-colored foliage of Heuchera 'Amber Waves' brings sunset oranges to the shade garden all season long.

The leaf litter accumulation is known as a duff layer, which is the natural mulch for shade plants. Recreate this protective layer using Black Gold Natural & Organic Soil Builder, which is an ideal blend of aged forest products and nutrient rich compost. It’s equally useful for amending poor soil and clays with organic matter that improves drainage.

Of all the understory perennials, three top choices offer color, romance and elegance to shaded beds and borders…

Today’s Heucheras and are by far the most exciting group of new cultivars. Breeders have crossed western native Heuchera species with the traditional coral bells. The result are new varieties that not only bloom extravagantly, but their foliage color is nothing short of outstanding. Here you’ll find mounds of vivid foliage in reds to purple, black, gold and many shades of green for color long after flowers fade.

Bleeding Heart: Charming heart-shaped blossoms hang from wand-like stems of Dicentra spectabilis, the woodland bleeding heart.

From Asian forests come Dicentra spectabilis, the bleeding heart, often the first flower of spring. This frilly perennial is the most romantic shade bloomer with wands of dangling heart-shaped pink flowers. These nod and sway in the slightest breeze adding gentle animation to shaded nooks in the garden. This species was also bred to our western native Dicentra to expand flower colors into dark red and white.

No flower can compete with the elegance of columbine, which is found in northern forest around the globe. Those we grow in gardens are hybrids of European species crossed with our many natives to produce a wide range of flower size and color.

Perhaps the hottest shade garden plant is Hydrangea macrophylla, the big leaf or mop head type. It brings early summer color to shade gardens with a bonus of blue or pink flowers to cut and dry. This is a great problem solver for beds and borders lacking much sun. Beware that mature hydrangea flowers are so fabulous they are routinely stolen from front yard plantings.

Hydrangea: Huge flower heads of big leaf hydrangeas offer cut flowers in pink or blue depending on the variety and soil conditions.

When you set out to bring color to your shaded garden, there is less light to make the foliage and flowers stand out. To increase visibility, plant groups of the same variety in small drifts or masses. Before planting, recreate the forest floor conditions by mixing lots of Soil Builder into your soil, or amend it on a plant by plant basis in each, individual hole. Once all are in the ground, spread a thick layer of mulch around each plant to create your own duff. Above all, remember that trees are greedy and applying water in the heat must be enough to please them and these colorful denizens of the understory too.

www.mckinleyvilleace.com

Store Hours:
Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Mike Darcy (Portland, OR) of In the Garden (and a regular Black Gold contributor)

Ciscoe Morris (Seattle, WA) of Gardening with Ciscoe

Andre Viette (Virginia) of In the Garden with Andre Viette

Tony Works (Cincinnati, OH) of In and Around the House

Between them, these four master gardeners have decades of experience in educating others about the joys of gardening.

To stay up to date on all the latest Black Gold expert gardening advice, offers and events you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

~P. ALLEN SMITH

Paul’s expert gardening advice is now heard on stations all over the country with a half-million loyal listeners.

Tune into The Paul Parent Garden Club™ talk radio show and find out what you have been missing.

The mission of Tualatin Valley Gleaners is…

“To provide food, aid and other assistance to the low-income, disabled, children and elderly in the Tualatin Valley, Oregon area. By participating in field and urban gleaning.”

Black Gold is proud to help Tualatin Valley Gleaners make a positive difference in peoples’ lives by donating 1 pallet Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil, 1 pallet of Black Gold Seedling Mix, and 2 pallets of Black Gold Soil Conditioner to help further their mission.

RALEIGH, NC—Sun Gro Horticulture is donating one pallet (240 bags) of 8qt. Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil to support Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Plant a Row for the Hungry program.

Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) makes it easy for gardeners to donate fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs from their gardens to people in need. Gardeners grow an extra row earmarked for hunger relief, and deliver their produce to one of several drop-off sites.

IFFS is kicking off its fourth year of the PAR program with twelve promotional events in three cities in the NC Triangle. Each gardener that signs up to plant a row will receive a bag of Sun Gro’s Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix, seeds, and other goodies, and be entered in a drawing to win a permaculture landscaping consultation.

Did you know that in Central North Carolina low-income communities have some of the highest rates of obesity/chronic disease AND hunger in the country—largely due to low access to healthy, fresh foods? Produce from your farm or garden helps provide access to fresh, nutritious food. Last year gardeners donated 20,085 pounds of fresh produce to IFFS through PAR!

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle pioneers innovative, transformative solutions to end hunger in our community. For more information on Inter-Faith Food Shuttle or Plant a Row for the Hungry, please visit www.Foodshuttle.org.

Article by Lindsay Perry @ FoodShuttle.org

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If you’re growing in a tray or box, use a stick or repurposed knitting needle to score rows in the media to the depth indicated on each seed packet. If you’re growing in individual pots, poke 3 seed holes at the same depth. Now it’s ready to receive seed.

There’s no challenge with large seeds because these are easy to sow with your fingers. The tiny ones can be a real challenge though. Some gardeners take a piece of scrap paper and fold it in half. Into the V at the bottom a small quantity of seeds may be placed, then the paper held folded. Tap the bottom and from the lower end of the fold will come the tiny seeds. They’ll drop precisely into your rows or pots, one at a time. Beware of planting too densely because this makes it tough to untangle the seedlings when time comes to transplant them.

Once sown, use the reserved dry media to cover the seeds. For deeper planted seed cover them with excavated material from the planting hole or row.

Once all seed is in ground and covered, gently press down the media so that there are few air gaps left around the seed.

When sowing is completed, be sure to seal all remaining seed inside its packet and store in a cool, dry place. If you have an unexpected problem, this back up seed is vital for replanting. Being able to refer back to the instructions in the packet can also come in handy later on.

Seed Sowing Depths for Popular Crops Started Indoors

Plant — Planting Depth

Basil — 1/4″
Beat — 1/2″
Broccoli — 1/4″
Chard — 1/2″
Eggplant — 1/4″
Lettuce — 1/8″
Pepper — 1/4″
Tomato — 1/4″

Instead, repot your transplants into containers only one or two inches larger than their original pot size, allow enough time for the expanding roots to fill in, then you can bump your healthy plants up again.

Sticks On Fire – Photo by Craig Quirk

Farmer Browns Garden Supply – Sunday, April 1st, 2012
76 Country Club Drive
Willow Creek, CA 95573
map

www.farmerbrownsgardensupply.com

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Six Pack: Keep newly sown seed moist under clear plastic wrap until seeds germinate, then the plastic comes off.

You can spend a lot of money buying kits and containers specially made for starting seed indoors. If you want to grow more for less, try germinating seed in recycled containers and save your money to buy quality Black Gold potting soils.

The biggest challenge when germinating seed is keeping the soil evenly moist, but not wet. Let it go dry for just a day or two, and those tender young sprouts may wither. If you’re busy with the kids or gone at work all day, you won’t be able to rescue temporarily wilted sprouts. This means they suffer long enough to go into permanent wilt, which is irreversible. In dry climates the evaporation rates can double, making these regions the hardest places to grow anything from seed.

One of the most common failures is due to sowing seed directly into deeper pots of soil. It’s because the surface of a larger soil mass quickly dries out while deeper down it may be very wet, even saturated. When you rewet the surface soil where seeds lie, you risk further saturation deeper down, which stimulates fungal diseases.

Cheese Tray: This tray and cover saved after an office party makes the perfect enclosure for germinating seeds in small containers.

For this reason, accomplished gardeners germinate their seed in shallow containers with a clear or translucent plastic top. Recycled clear plastic take-out food containers are ideal. Either way, the ability to close the top greatly reduces the rate of surface evaporation thereby maintaining moist conditions without applying more water. Just make sure there are holes in the top and bottom for oxygen and free drainage.

For larger projects, consider using shallow under-bed storage boxes or try covering the top of any open nursery flat with food wrap to trap moisture. The goal of all these choices is to turn the container into a miniature greenhouse environment where seeds keep warm, stay evenly moist, and will be quick to germinate.

Within this environment, control temperature and moisture levels by opening and closing the lid all or part way. This allows more or less air exchange during periods of wet or dry weather.

Salad Box: Clear-lidded take out boxes make ideal germination chambers.

Fill the bottom with a few inches of damp Black Gold Seedling Mix, which is actually a sterile soil-less media. Into this sow your seed. Once up and growing, each seedling will soon be transplanted into its own growing container. For this second stage use six packs or four inch pots and Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil.

The most important part of starting the garden indoors is your choice of containers. The right one makes this easy to do, but the wrong choice can leave you perpetually struggling to keep moisture and warmth at optimal levels. Yes, it may be easier to get started with an expensive growing kit, but you’ll pay for it. Why not reuse free plastic containers from salad boxes to yogurt cups to help the environment. Or use all those containers you saved from previous season’s nursery grown bedding plants. There’s no need to spend your money on anything except quality seed, starting media and organic potting soil to get your garden off to a screaming start indoors this year.

2012 SAN FRANCISCO FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW
March 21 – 25, 2012
San Mateo Event Center
10am – 7pm / Wed – Sat
10am – 6pm / Sun

Get more the details at the show’s official website.

Use Clean Bedding to Sow Seeds Indoors.

You wouldn’t put your new born child into dirty blankets for fear of dangerous germs in the bedding, so don’t germinate your garden seed in anything but sterile, soil-less media. Natural soil is riddled with fungus microbes that aren’t dangerous to adult plants, but they can be fatal to seedlings. When soil is exposed to warm wet conditions ideal for seed germination, these fungi flourish. They’ll seek out a seed and attack the tender new sprout even before it breaks ground. Collectively, the many fungal varieties are known as “damping off”, and are the reason why it’s not a good idea to start seed in natural soil.

What prevents damping off from getting a foot hold on seedlings is light and oxygen. We can’t expose most seed to light because they are underground and require darkness to sprout. So the best way to avoid problems with opportunistic damping off fungi is planting in a sterile, soilless media created to enhance seed germination.

Black Gold Seedling Mix

Black Gold Seedling Mix is light in texture to allow plenty of air to move through, even when it’s warm and wet. The addition of perlite ensures it does not pack down, so seed that takes more time to germinate will be assured an airy root zone too. The mix also makes a perfect light weight, yet absorbent material to cover seed, so even the most dainty sprout will rise to sunshine without difficulty.

Black Gold Seedling Mix is sterilized so your seeds need not fight the fungal spores present in ordinary potting soil. Money spent on sterile media for seed starting is well spent because you are assured much greater success than using other media that is not sterile. Seedling mix also resists packing down and rarely retains too much moisture.

Before sowing into Black Gold Seedling Mix, moisten the entire mass with warm water. Mix it as you would a salad by turning the material lightly with your hands, over and over to even out the moisture content. Like salad, keep it light and do not apply pressure after sowing seed to retain oxygen, enhance drainage and remain ever-ready to support new life.

Read the back of your seed packet to find details essential to successful germination.

The first step in this process is to read all the information on the packet, which is your guide to growing that particular plant from seed. Each packet will contain:

DATE
All seed packets are stamped with a “packed for” date, which should be this year. Like food, dates ensure fresh seed is 100% viable. Out of date seed is no bargain at any price because every year that passes reduces the overall viability. With lettuce for example, seed dies after just one year in storage.

DEPTH
Each seed type is planted at a specific depth designated on the back of the packet. Plant deeper than specified or two shallow and seed main fail to germinate altogether.

EMERGENCE
This tells you long it takes for that seed to germinate. If you sow properly and soil is warm enough, you can expect to see a tiny bean plant in 7 to 14 days. If there’s no sign of life after two weeks, you’ll know there’s a problem.

SPACING
This tells you how much space is required to grow a single plant. The distance between plants ensures they won’t be over-crowded. While it is not essential to starting plants indoors, it does tell you how many seedlings you’ll need to start indoors so there’s enough to transplant into the designated area.

HARVEST
This is the duration of your crop. Corn takes 75 days till harvest, beans just fifty days. Long duration crops are among the best for starting indoors if you live in the north where the growing season is short. When started indoors, you can artificially extend the life span of many crops.

Finally, save the empty seed packets after you use the seed. They’ll help you next year when reordering to make sure you get the proper variety and avoid any that failed.

All of the five senses are fully engaged when growing edible herbs. There is a serene beauty of a garden composed mostly of evergreen and silver-grey herbs. Herb gardeners are treated to a daily miniature cantata as visiting bees contentedly work their pollination magic among the flowers. The tantalizing fragrance exudes from sun-warmed culinary herbs and is absolutely intoxicating. This is also the perfect lure to prompt a passerby to brush their fingertips across the soft foliage, tear a nearby leaf to greedily sniff, then gratifyingly sample.

Surprisingly, edible herbs are really easy to grow. Provide them with a few simple essentials, and they will reward you with both their vigor and flavor.

First, be sure to site your potential herb garden where it will receive 6 hours or more of full, direct sunlight. When you remember that the majority of our culinary herbs were native to the Mediterranean region of the Old World, you appreciate how they would thrive in so much heat and light.

The second most important element to successful herb gardening is excellent drainage. Herbs hate wet feet, so there are a couple of ways to approach this challenge.

One is to prepare an herb bed by incorporating the site with a porous soil amendment to increase good tilth. Black Gold Natural & Organic Soil Builder is the perfect balanced addition when your soil has been overworked and needs a special pick-me-up. If your future herb bed is in pretty good shape, try Black Gold Garden Compost Blend, which can be used in-ground to improve your soil’s natural structure or top dress your plants with it as a beneficial mulch. For sites comprised mostly of sandy soil, Black Gold Peat Moss Plus will help hold moisture and slow down drainage.

Since good drainage can make or break an herb garden, many gardeners choose to create raised herb beds with stonework, concrete block, or other non-toxic boarders. Lifting up the soil level makes gardening around raised herb beds a bit easier, too.

After building the borders for your herb garden, infill the new space with Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. This specially-blended organic mix is safe for all edibles, uses worm castings as fertilizer, and won’t pack down with time, so excellent drainage is assured. In an extremely low spot, or over challenging soil, Black Gold Hy-porosity Natural & Organic Potting Soil is super lightweight, but includes coarse Canadian Sphagnum peat moss for moisture retention. Both of these soilless mediums are perfect for potting herbs in smaller decorative containers, too.

After preparing your herb bed or container, the choice of what herbs to grow is completely up to you and your cooking preferences. Here are a few of the easiest.

The most familiar herbs, and the ones that were also popularized by Simon and Garfunkel, are parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. These work well together in a garden due to their complimentary leaf shapes, colors, and textures. Of the four, only parsley would have to be replanted as the others are perennial herbs which you should enjoy for years.

Basil is a favorite for pesto and Italian cooking, but is a warm season annual herb, so wait to sow it into your garden until after all chance of frost has passed.

Mints spread rapidly and can be extremely cantankerous to remove, so consider growing them in isolated containers, understanding that they will sneak out of the bottom of pots or leap over the sides in an attempt to take over your garden.

The flavor and fragrance of herbs connect us deeply to memories of traditional family gatherings from holidays past and inspire future recipes. Since the variety of herbs you can grow is endless, your greatest challenge will be to decide where to place even more herb beds and containers.

Seedling: You can protect tiny seedlings much easier indoors, then transplant into the garden after the last frost.

Where summers are short, starting early means you harvest early, and it continues on until frost. By the time May 1st comes around, your indoor tomatoes and pepper starts may be six inches tall or more. These are easy to keep track of once transplanted into the garden due to a larger root zone. Warm outdoor soil will make them vigorous growers after transplanting, with maturity just weeks away.

The alternative to head starting your seed is expensive because you must buy organic nursery grown seedlings, which can be pricey. A one gallon tomato sells for as much as $7. You’ll be limited to the varieties the nursery decided to grow, and these may not be the most ideal if you love oddballs and heirlooms that are fun to cook with. Only by purchasing your own seed and starting it at home can you grow specialty veggies so admired in swanky gourmet eateries.

Growing indoors requires a sunny window sill, sun porch, greenhouse or cold frame. A south facing window is ideal to provide light for as many hours of the day as possible. If that’s not available, consider investing in full spectrum lights that allow you to start in your basement or anywhere else you have space.

Head Start: It's easy to start a garden in new or recycled containers.

Before you begin sowing seed, it’s important to gather all the materials you’ll need ahead of time. All soil materials should be OMRI listed if you plan to grow an organic garden. To ensure there will be no disease to attack your emerging seedlings, sow into Black Gold Seedling Mix because it is a sterile blend of peat and perlite. This combination ensures this media remains light and airy, with a perfect environment for germination and emerging roots.

Other items you’ll need include:

• Seed for all plants you want to start indoors
• Plastic dome-cover flat that retains moisture while seeds germinate.
• Misting nozzle for your watering hose.
• Individual containers to transplant seedlings into potting soil.
• Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil
• Black Gold Starter & Transplant Fertilizer

Refer back to the Black Gold website for upcoming articles that show you the step-by-step process for starting your organic garden indoors with Black Gold organic soil products. After all, you can’t grow clean food if you don’t start on the right foot with organic potting soils.

Since the beginning, 11 years ago, Black Gold has been a sponsor. This event heralds spring and brought out over 600 avid gardeners, some arriving nearly three hours before the doors opened. Those early birds brought their own chairs and coffee and had a good time visiting with others as they waited in line.

Six specialty nurseries presented some of their new plants as well as old favorites in twelve-minute PowerPoint presentations. The six presenters this year were Xera Plants, Skagit Gardens, Joy Creek Nursery, Petal Heads, Gossler Farms Nursery, and Wild Ginger Farm. Entertainment was provided by the Chorus of the Goddess Flora which takes popular songs and changes the words (written by Linda Beutler) into something garden related. It creates lots of laughs!

The event was hosted my KXL’s Mike Darcy and not only provides gardeners with new information about plants, but also allows them to buy plants from the presenters. There were door prizes galore and an overall fun evening was had by all!

Check out the KXL Community Calendar page for more info.

KXL 11th ANNUAL PLANT NERD NIGHT
When: Friday, March 9th, 2012, 7pm
Where: Lake Bible Church
4565 Carman Drive
Lake Oswego, OR 97035

This year’s presenters included:
Xera Plants
Gossler Farms Nursery
Joy Creek Nursery
Skagit Gardens
Wild Ginger Farm
Petal Heads

Thanks to all those who attended!

Saturday, March 3rd, Call for Hours
Advanced Soil & Garden Supply
350 Oro Dam Blvd.
Oroville, CA 95965
(530) 533-2747
map

A friend of mine, Mike Snyder, who lives and gardens in Beaverton, recently sent me this and I found it quite humorous…

INSTALLING SPRING/SUMMER…
███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░​ ░░44% DONE.
Install delayed….please wait. Installation failed. Please try again.
404 error: Season not found. Season ” Summer ” cannot be located.
The season you are looking for might have been removed, had its name
changed, or is temporarily unavailable in Washington/Oregon/N Idaho.

Snow Peas: ‘Golden Sweet Edible Pod’.

Plant in earliest spring; light frost won’t harm them. Provide full sun and friable soil fortified with Black Gold® Compost Blend. Pre-soak seeds overnight and plant two-inches deep, eight-inches apart. Trellis vining types. Harvest wafer thin snow and juicy snap peas when young and tender and shelling when plump and bursting. 

Easy peasy!

Photo courtesy of Territorial Seed Company

One source of Cow Pots is TerritorialSeed.com

• Black Gold® Alfalfa Meal Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® Bone Meal Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® Blood Meal Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® All Purpose Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® Citrus, Avocado & Vine Fertilizer | OMRI Certification
• Black Gold® Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer | OMRI Certification

What is OMRI and does it mean to be OMRI-listed? According to the OMRI website:

More information on The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) can be found on their website at www.OMRI.org

For all the details, be sure to visit the show’s official website.

It felt like spring this year as we are preparing for the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle this week and for Portland’s Yard, Garden & Patio Show that was held in that city the following week.

Theme this year was “A Floral Symphony”. Shannon’s booth idea turned out great (see pictures) and we had a lot of fun (and work of course) constructing and planting up. Thanks to everyone that helped out getting this to the show on time, to Jason Padden for all the work he did wrapping and readying the pots for shipping, the teams at Hubbard and Blair, and to all of you that will be attending! See you there!

Thanks again to all those who helped out and stopped by our booth! The gardens were spectacular this year!

Show Hours
Friday & Saturday: 10am – 7:30pm
Sunday: 10am – 5pm

For more details, be sure to visit the show’s official website.

It felt like spring as we were preparing for the big upcoming gardening shows in Portland and Seattle!

Theme this year was “A Floral Symphony”. Shannon’s booth idea turned out great (see pictures) and we had a lot of fun (and work of course) constructing and planting up. Thanks to everyone that helped out as we prepare for the show and to all of you that will be attending! See you in Portland!

Thanks, we hope everyone enjoyed the show! The gardens were spectacular this year!

The nurseryman was right.

This succulent collection features inspiring examples of plant and pot compositions

Today about half my collection of succulent plants are grown in small pots that come into an unheated south facing greenhouse for the winter. They are planted in Black Gold Cactus Mix Potting Soil, which drains within the fifteen second rule.

What many new succulent gardeners fail to understand is that, because cacti root differently, soil is everything. Standard plants go deep to catch ground moisture after the surface soil dries out. In the desert, cacti adapt to short periods of rainfall by spreading out shallow roots over a large area. These roots are capable of rapidly taking up water before it water drains through porous ground. This water is immediately stored in a succulent’s specialized tissues that hold it between widely spaced rain events. Shallow rooting is the reason why most cacti do best in low, wide pots, pans and bowls with large, open drain holes.

This low, wide pot allows for plenty of surface root development beneath the surface gravel.

Cactus potting soil contains perlite, which looks like little white pieces of popcorn. While it is excellent for a root zone, it floats to the surface when I water. This and little bits of organic matter become entangled in the spines or settle in nooks and crannies of smooth surface skin. This is not only unsightly, it brings soil born bacteria in direct contact with the plant skin which may begin the rotting process.

To control these floaters, succulent aficionados apply a layer of fine gravel on top of the potting soil to keep it all in place when water is applied. Black Gold White Rock is popular for modern style containers with a more graphic look. I prefer Black Gold Washed Gravel because it’s more naturalistic and blends with the rocks I find on walks to use as an accent stone. You can also use aquarium gravel for more unusual or brightly colored composition of succulent, pot and surface material.

Even the smallest damage to the skin of a plant can allow pathogens to enter and begin the process of internal cell damage which leads to softening rot. When transplanting cacti, I handle each plant carefully to avoid the slightest damage. Once removed from the original pot, I do not replant immediately but allow it to sit bare root in the open air for a few days. This lets any damaged roots or skin heal over or callus before repotting in new soil. Failing to do so brings soil pathogens into direct contact with a wound, which inevitably infects internal tissues.

When your soil is sufficiently well drained for cacti and gorgeous succulents, it becomes downright difficult to overwater them. The warmer months of summer are their rapid growing season. During this growing season, water often, feed modestly, and above all, make sure you use Black Gold Cactus Mix to be sure it drains in about fifteen seconds.

There are many factors involved with growing plants indoors and proper light is probably the most important. As I looked at plants in my garden this past summer, I discovered there were many that could be brought indoors during the winter months and then placed back outside in the spring.

One of my favorite outdoor plants that can be grown inside is Cordyline ‘Festival Grass’. ‘Festival Grass’ can easily be grown as a house plant during the winter in a sunny window. This New Zealand native forms a fountain-like clump and has brilliant narrow burgundy colored leaves. The plant in the photo was taken in my garden in August and this pot was planted with three plants the previous spring as I wanted to make certain it was a very full pot since it would be at the entryway to our house. So, imagine if you had one of these in a sunny window during the winter and the bright color it could bring to what might be a drab space. In the spring, take the plant outdoors and place in a sunny location.

When I lifted the three individual plants of Cordyline from this large pot, I separated and planted them in individual pots using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. At the time of re-planting I also added some Black Gold All Purpose Fertilizer which was sufficient to provide enough nourishment to keep the plants healthy during the winter. Once the weather warms, I will take these individual plants outside and plant them all together in another large container.

Succulents are a huge group of plants and many will thrive indoors in a sunny window. This photo was taken at a local garden center last summer and it shows some of the leaves and colors there are to choose from. You will find foliage colors of green, gray, yellow, shades of red, and some that are almost blue. The way succulents grow is as variable as their colors and there are upright varieties and other varieties that will trail over the side of a container. Succulents want as much light as possible so a sunny window is usually ideal. Succulents also need excellent drainage and I have found that Black Gold Cactus Mix is ideal. Be sure to select a container with a hole in the bottom so water can drain out. Succulents usually do better with less water than many other house plants and I have found that letting the soil get dry to the touch and then giving them a thorough watering works well.

For a splash of bright yellow, try Sedum ‘Ogon’. Like many plants with yellow foliage, this one does best if not in full sun, and while it needs light, keep it away from a bright sunny window. If plants tend to get a bit leggy stretching for light, it is easy to pinch the tops and you will create new growth and a more dense plant. Sedum ‘Ogon’ is ideal to plant around the base of other house plants and the bright yellow makes a nice contrast to the dark green of many common house plants. Be sure to use Black Gold Cactus Mix as your potting soil of choice.

Another excellent indoor/outdoor plant is Crassula ovata, commonly called Jade Plant. It is easy to grow outdoors in our Pacific Northwest summers but in a container can sometimes not survive a winter if temperatures drop too much. I think it is better to be safe and bring it indoors in the winter. It is well adapted to growing indoors and can look stunning in a container such as the red one shown in the photograph. Jade plants will often bloom and have clusters of pink star-shaped flowers.

Sometimes one of the most difficult rooms to grow house plants in is the bathroom. For an unusual house plant that will often thrive in a bathroom, try Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish Moss). Other names for this plant are graybeard or old man’s beard and once you see this growing, you will understand how it got the name. Spanish moss is in a group of plants called epiphytes and it absorbs nutrients and water from the air and rainfall. It is common to see it growing on trees in parts of the southern United States such as Louisiana where there is high humidity. Spanish moss needs this high humidity and thus in many homes, the bathroom is ideal because of the humidity created by showers. Mist it with a fine water spray on a regular basis to help keep the humidity high and the plant moist. Find an attractive piece of wood and let Spanish moss cascade down.  It will be a conversation piece.

Check out your local garden center as many of them carry a bigger assortment of house plants during the winter months than in the spring or summer. Try something new and mix your plants to make interesting color combinations and leaf textures.

Get ready for spring and enjoy the new seed catalogs whether on paper or on the internet. They make ideal reading on a winter evening and can get your mind thinking about what new plants you can add to your garden.

Edible artichokes make outstanding perennials accented with petunias.

Call it botanical profiling. It’s gone on since the beginnings of agriculture. Tomatoes, corn and lettuce belong in the organic food garden. Flowers grow in the ornamental garden. The primary reason for such a division is that food growers are all about a clean, edible harvest. Flower growers put the emphasis on an abundance of perfect blooms throughout the season. They often use powerful synthetic fertilizers to achieve that end.

With Black Gold OMRI-listed, all-organic fertilizers and potting soils, it’s now easier than ever to grow your garden without chemicals. Go organic and grow organic throughout your landscape so you can plant peppers in the flower garden, and zinnias in the kitchen patch. But for those who don’t have space to separate the two, this blending becomes a problem solver that yields beauty and flavor.

One of the best reasons to grow all organic is that you can pick and eat edible flowers such as violas, pot marigolds and nasturtiums. In the middle ages, spring salads were made of the entire viola plant blended with onion. But if the flowers aren’t grow organically, there’s a risk of taking up synthetic agricultural chemicals in stem, leaf and flower. When your flower garden is organic, you can pick them out of beds and borders to shower your beautiful culinary creations with colorful petals.

Edible violas surround leafy chard for a beautiful and edible composition.

It’s easier to begin this transition to organic by designating a certain bed to start. Then over time, you can transition the rest of the garden bit by bit. Above all, organic gardening depends on building soil fertility with quality organic matter so that microbes can proliferate naturally. Once designated organic, do not use any chemical pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizer since these kill the microbes you are trying to cultivate.

For container gardening, start off on the right foot with OMRI-approved Black Gold Natural and Organic Potting Soil. It’s fortified naturally and ready to go right out of the bag for filling pots and troughs that will soon yield crops, flowers or both.

For in-ground gardens, build average earth into superior organic soil with Black Gold Soil Conditioner or Black Gold Natural & Organic Soil Builder. Cultivate generous amounts into your soil to enhance fertility that leads to more bio activity. In fact, you really can’t overdo it with these amendments, but you can fail to use enough. Always be generous.

Chives among the anemones are safe to eat if all are grown organically.

Because flowers and food plants are both heavy feeders, plan for a more powerful start, then add nutrients again later on in the season. When transplanting seedlings, incorporate Black Gold Starter & Transplant Fertilizer into your planting area. Then feed again during peak season to stimulate continuous production. For this second feeding use stronger Black Gold Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer every thirty days by cultivating it carefully into the soil between plants.

For anyone with a landscape who lacks a designated space for a kitchen garden, go organic to blend food plants into your flower beds. Another option is to grow organic in mixed containers that are decorative and productive. The only thing you must remember is to garden organically, no matter what plants you have in mind.

If allowed to grow outdoors in summer, the Rex Begonia Vine can reach 12-feet in height.

For the best results, give Rex Begonia Vine adequate support, allow it to dry slightly between waterings, and place it near your brightest windows.

Miranda Kelly spoke about using Black Gold to plant blueberries, strawberries and bare root fruit trees.

If you attended this seminar, let us know what you learned by leaving a comment below.

For more info on upcoming events at Gold Leaf Nursery and Landscaping visit their website’s seminar schedule at GoldLeafNursery.com.

Gold Leaf Nursery and Landscaping
6186 Churn Creek Road
Redding, CA 96002
(530) 365-5383
View Map & Info

Our own Donna Wright was their at the Division Street location potting up with Black Gold!

Some of the other great perks at this event included:

• 30% off all houseplants, citrus, indoor bonsai, orchids, cactus
• 30% off all plant containers (pots)
• Free pot ups included with the purchase of a pot and a plant

Friday – Sunday, January 20th – 22nd, 2012, 9:00am – 6:00pm
Portland Nursery on Stark
5050 SE Stark Street
Portland, OR 97215
(503) 231-5050
map

Portland Nursery on Division
9000 SE Division Street
Portland, OR 97215
(503) 788-9000
map

Visit Paul Parent’s Website

For those not in the broadcast area, podcasts of The Paul Parent Gardening Club are now available as well!

McKinleyville Ace Home & Garden Center
2197 Central Ave
McKinleyville, CA 95519
map

Call for times & details: (707) 839-1587

I think many of us overlook the value of having house plants and this is a good time of year to think about them. I must admit there are very few in my house but I do enjoy seeing them in other homes. There is a wide range of choices of many tropical and semi-tropical plants that would not survive outside, but do quite well indoors. Just like outdoor plants, some can be temperamental but many are easy to grow and enjoy indoors. I often remind myself that all house plants are living outside in some locale and it is our task to consider where the plant is from and adjust our environment as much as possible. The following are some house plants that I have selected as being relatively easy to grow.

It would be difficult to find a group of plants that provide more splash of leaf color than the Crotons. These fantastic foliage plants are easy to grow and are available in a wide assortment of leaf colors ranging from yellow, purple, red, pink, green or almost any combination of these colors. Crotons can grow tall but if trimmed, they will branch out and remain quite bushy. In order to keep the leaf colors vibrant, place plants in a location with plenty of light. Often times I have seen several different plants all planted in the same container and this creates an extremely colorful effect. Purchase several different plants, with different leaf patterns and colors, and plant them all in the same container using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil. With the addition of perlite and pumice into this potting soil, this greatly helps with drainage which is essential for most house plants to survive.

If the colored leaves of Crotons are not quite your style, consider Bromeliads. With their sword-like leaves, the new growth can offer some very intensely bold colors. The lower leaves act as a reservoirs and it is best to keep clean water in these spaces. If you live in an area with heavy chlorination in your tap water, it would be wise to use distilled water. Bromeliads provide long lasting color in the upper leaves and while this main stalk will eventually die, the plant will usually produce a new shoot or shoots near the base and this can be cut and planted. Keep plants away from direct sunlight. Some leaves can be quite sharp so beware of this especially if there are young children around.

For a house plant that I would consider ‘fun’ and one that children would enjoy, consider Dracaena sanderana, often referred to as ‘Lucky Bamboo’ or ‘Curly Bamboo’. This Dracaena is usually sold as stems that are to be placed in water to root and then planted. It is an ideal learning tool for children because often the stem is purchased with no roots and within several weeks, roots will appear and children can watch as the roots develop. There will be buds along the stem and these will begin to swell and grow into new leaves. For a novelty, try ‘Curly Bamboo’, once you see it, you will know how it got this name. ‘Curly Bamboo’ is especially popular with children. Be sure to change the water in the vase on a regular basis and keep it clean. Once a mass of roots has developed, the stem can be placed in a pot with Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil and the plant will continue to grow.

Another group of plants that make ideal house plants and are easy to grow are the Rex Begonias. One of my favorites is called ‘Escargot’ and when you see the leaf, you will understand why! Rex Begonias will grow fairly well in the low light conditions that many houses have and they tend to prefer to be a little on the dry side. They will bloom with small white or light pink flowers and are long lived. Many Rex Begonias will do well outdoors in a shady location during the summer and makes a nice patio plant.

Just because we are in the middle of winter does not mean there is not gardening to be done; it just changes from outdoors to indoors. Check out your local garden center and you will probably be surprised at the offerings of indoor plants that are now available.

Special thanks to photographer Rich Baer, who took all the images that accompany this article.