Class 1: Principles of Gardening in the PNW and the Allium Family

Jim Olson and Gia Parsons Objectives of this Presentation

• We will present basic veggie gardening concepts on how to successfully grow your groceries in the Pacific Northwest. • Share personal growing experiences and techniques based on WSU guidelines. • Learn from our triumphs and our failures So You Want to Start a Veggie Garden Why? • You have the space • You have the time • You love fresh produce • You love variety • You practice sustainability/organic gardening • You love delicious things Presentation Outline

The 6 • Site Gardening • Soil S’s-We • Species emphasize• Starts prevention• Sustain • Savor ------• Alliums-Gia/Jim Understand Your PNW Climate • We are in Zone 8 approximately (10-20º F). • We have 2 short growing season for cool crops. (greens, brassicas, radishes, carrots.) Be aware of microclimates. • We have a short growing seasons for hot crops. (cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, melons, and tomatoes.) • Generally a wide variety of soils with a low pH. • We have a dry season that can last from June to September. Site-Choosing a Garden Site

• Your site needs: • Sunlight • Access to water • Level soil • Good drainage Site-Garden Layout

• Build your raised beds or rows north to south to allow for the best sun. • Place your boxes or pots in the sunniest location possible. 6+ hours of sun per day. • Beds should be 3-4 feet wide, make sure you can reach the middle of the bed. • Paths should be wide enough to walk through comfortably. • Boxes and pots need to be close to water. Soil-For New Beds-Preparing the Soil

• Choose your site. Remove all grass, weeds, rocks, etc. • Soil test-King Conservation District for soil nutrients • Mason Jar Test, for soil composition • Thumb and Ribbon Test, for soil structure Soil-For Existing Beds

• Have a professional soil test completed, and/or do a Mason Jar Test or, and/or Thumb/Ribbon Test. • Follow amendment directions in the soil test report to address nutrient issues. • If you don’t get a soil test, apply 6-7 pounds of a complete organic fertilizer, 5-5-5 per 1000 sq. foot of garden. Soil-For Boxes and Pots

• The bigger the box/pot the better. • Less watering, more growing. • Add good garden soil from your garden or make the best soil you can. Soil-To Till or Not to Till

• For new gardens and existing ones, add air and loosen soil or not. • Add the necessary amendments based on your soil test(s), dig into the soil or not. • Soil amendments are compost, biosolids, green manure, manure, perlite, vermiculite. • Other examples: coffee grounds, lime, sand, egg shells, AZOMITE, rock dust, biochar, and more. Species-Sample Planting Calendar -Source Territorial Seed Species-Actual Planting “Calendar”

• Spinach-Soil Temp. for germination 45- 75ºF • Tomato-Soil Temp. for germination 70- 90ºF • Soil Temp. for Tomato Transplant >55ºF Start-Types of Plant Starts

-Onion sets -Bulbs (garlic, shallots) -Canes (brambles/berries) -Crowns (asparagus) -Tubers (potatoes/yacon) -Transplants, don’t forget to harden off Start-Your Site is Ready

• You can use seed or transplants Sustain-From Survive to Thrive

• Raise the heat • Feeding your • Mulches Plants • Raised Beds • Watering-an Art • Cloches and • Limit Competition Beyond • Pollination Sustain-Raise the Heat-Colored Mulches

• Basic Black -Shown to warm soil up to 5ºF at a 2-inch depth and up to 3ºF warmer at a 4-inch depth -Reduces weeds and reduces watering need • Red -Certain crops perform better : tomatoes - 20% more fruit; basil - bigger and more succulent leaves and strawberries – bigger, better, more Raise the Heat-Colored Mulches

• Green -Shown to encourage earlier ripening and greater yields of cantaloupes • Clear -Brings the heat, but also the weeds Sustain-Raise the Heat: Cloches and Floating Row Covers

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC Sustain-Raise the Heat: Cold Frames and Raised Beds

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Sustain-Feed Your Plants Know Your Plants Needs • Low: 3 lb/1000 • Med: 4 lb/1000 • High: 5 lb/1000 ft² ft² ft ² • Brassicas • Baby greens • Carrot • Celery • Cucumber • Corn • Potato • Radish • Garlic • Blueberries • Spinach • Lettuce • Squash • Melon • Onion • Pepper/Tomato Sustain-Watering-An Art • Which holds more water • Dry sponge? • Wet sponge? • Drench versus drip • Too Dry? • Too Wet? • Know the specific needs of your crops. Sustain-Pollination

• Optimize Pollination by growing flowering plants alongside your crops. Pollination

• Limit the exposure of pollinators to pesticides • Especially insecticides and fungicides • If using pesticides, time correctly • Time of day • Flowering cycle Sustain-Poor Pollination Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something!

Solving Problems in the Veggie Garden Sustain-How to be a Good Problem Solver

• Define the problem • Identify potential solutions • Implement solutions • Check results

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA Sustain-Define Problem

• Start with the symptoms -wilting, leaf discoloration, critter bites?

• Establish context -time of year, amount of sun, is the problem getting worse?

Sustain-Questions to Ask Yourself

• What plant(s) are affected? What plant parts are being affected? • When did the damage first occur? • How long has the damage been occurring? • Ask yourself about your gardener practices such as watering, pruning, etc. Sustain-Identify Potential Causes

• Pest or Disease • Time of Year Issues • Gardener Practices • -watering, competition, etc. • Site Issues • -sun exposure, drainage Sustain-Pest, Disease, or Neither Sustain-Pest, Disease, or Neither Sustain-Identify Potential Solutions

• Ignore • Change gardener practices • -thin carefully, change your watering practices, plant density, prune or not. • Treat pest or disease Sustain-Some Solutions to Pest Problems

1. Hand Pick-slug, snails, caterpillars, leaf miners 2. Broad Spectrum Organic/Conventional Pesticides-can kill good bugs and frogs/fish too, check labels. (DE, Pyrethrin) 3. Beneficial Insects-can help control pest populations (buy or attract them). Sustain-Some Solutions to Pest Problems

4. Trap Them-use cardboard, over turned cantaloupe, plant trap crops. 5. Barriers-block them with row covers, kaolin clay 6. Rotate Crops -prevent pest buildup 7. Practice good garden hygiene. Sustain Trap Them Cover Them Up Sustain-Check Results after Interventions

1. Did things get better? If not, repeat steps 1-4 2. Resources to get help with your veggie problems: • Master Gardener clinics • WSU publications • Your public library Sustain-Summary

• Take preventative steps to avoid problems. • Use good gardening practices. • Be a good problem solver. • Enjoy the garden. Savor • Easiest and most fun part of gardening. -timing is important (beans, melons) • You will have countless places to donate your zucchini boats. • Friends and family will invite you over for meals more often. • You will be told you have a green thumb. • You will be successful in growing your groceries. When to Harvest Cantaloupes Fair Use • -https://hopefarmblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/04/how-to-use-a-mason-jar-to-test-your-soil/

• -https://www.gardenersedge.com/images/500/5976T_1.jpg

• -https://www.amazon.com/Red-Mulch-Plastic-Embossed-Solution/dp/B00BD70XB0

• -https://trashbackwards.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/p1090956.jpg

• http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0j0KOj7vQQc/UISbBwNYJkI/AAAAAAAAFvo/K3GFfMF1R1w/s1600/row+cover.JPG

• http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HsfFtnEo2zI/S944pgqTP7I/AAAAAAAAAk4/sJ0rpbPnWRo/s1600/IMG_3527.jpg, http://1.bp.blogspot.com/- fxS8MFkCgFM/T0Lw3q8yIDI/AAAAAAAAEPE/S377QkJcvro/s1600/IMG_4310.JPG

• -https://www.flickr.com/photos/bizzyb0t/5833947740

• -https://i1.wp.com/www.leereich.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Corn-poor-pollination.jpg, http://gardenmentors.com/wp- content/uploads/2015/07/2015_07_zucchini_pollination.jpg

• -http://thecollaboratory.wdfiles.com/local--files/2013-philosophy-of-thought-logic/steps-to-problem-solve.jpg

• -https://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=2200092

• - https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/fieldcropsipm/images/insects/wireworms03.jpg

• -https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Lonicera_leaf_miner_kz.jpg, https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3042/2934465697_b5603f4e83_b.jpg

• -http://highlyuncivilized.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/slug-trap-1a.png. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/- 0j0KOj7vQQc/UISbBwNYJkI/AAAAAAAAFvo/K3GFfMF1R1w/s1600/row+cover.JPG

• http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/files/244416.jpg Break Allium Family

Leeks-Allium ampeloprasum, Onions/Shallots-Allium cepa Garlic-Allium sativum Chives-Allium schoenoprasum Garlic Chives-Allium tuberosum Leek Facts

• More delicate in flavor than its cousins, onion and shallot. • Cultivation began 3000+ years ago in the Mediterranean. • When you eat leeks, you are eating leaf sheaths. What Leeks Like

-Sun: Sunny -Site: Fertile, Well- Drained Soil -Sustain: Lots of Nitrogen -Sustain: Consistent Watering What Leeks Like -Start: Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost. -Start: Plant seedlings in trenches or dibbled holes at least 6 inches apart. -Sustain: They like cool growing conditions. -Sustain: Mound soil around plants, allow to grow and pinch off any flower stalks. What Leeks Like

-Sustain: Look out for rots, rust and onion thrips. -Sustain: Practice good garden hygiene and rotate crops. What Leeks Like

-Savor: Harvest when market size. -Savor: I plant in May and harvest in September before they bolt. -Savor: Pull leeks from the ground and wash well. Onion Facts

• Onions have been cultivated for over 5000 years. Origin is uncertain • Cultivated by everyone-ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, Romans, and were brought to America by pilgrims on the Mayflower. • When you eat onions you are eating modified leaves. What Onions Like

-Sun -Site: Fertile, Well- Drained Soil -Sustain: Lots of Nitrogen -Sustain: Consistent

Watering https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4085/4843754 524_9be469179e_z.jpg What Onions Like

Species:-Best types of onions for PNW are long day onions. Start:-If you can poke a hole you can grow an onion. What Onions Like

-Start: Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost. -Start: Plant starts out in May. What Onions Like -Sustain: Allow your onions to grow all summer or until they flower. -Sustain: Look out for rots, rust and onion thrips. -Sustain: Practice good garden hygiene and rotate crops. What Onions Like

-Savor: When ready to harvest, stop watering. Pull onions and let them “cure” for a week. -Savor: They are ready for storage or the kitchen. Garlic Basics

• Site – most will do, can do with slightly less sun, avoid soggy soil • Soil - thrives in rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0-7.0 Amend per results of soil test. • May want to amend with 1 inch layer of compost, 1/2 cup of bone meal, 1/2 cup complete organic fertilizer per 5 row feet. Species of Garlic -source Territorial Seeds Garlic Basics • Start -Must direct sow in fall, best by Halloween. -Separate cloves just prior to planting, keeping as much skin on as possible -Planted so the tops are 2 inches below the soil line, pointed-side up. Space cloves 4–6 inches, space rows 12–24 inches. -Elephant garlic is planted 6-8 inches apart and covered with 4-6 inches of soil -Mulch with clean straw or leaves to 4 inches Garlic Basics • Sustain

-Water, if needed, when spring growth begins may -Late April to Early May amend with compost or organic fertilizer -Cut off any flowering stems (scapes) at the top leaf to redirect energy to the bulb -As harvest approaches: water less to avoid molding or staining -Adapted to many climates, is bothered by few pests - more susceptible to disease than pests Garlic Basics • Savor • Harvest when the top 4-5 leaves are slightly green and lower leaves are dry

• Dig carefully – avoid bruising

• For eating later – let dry in a cool, shaded, well- ventilated location for several weeks

• After curing is done, you may cut foliage and roots from bulbs and store in mesh bags Chive Basics

• Site – -Most will do, can do with slightly less sun, avoid soggy soil Soil - Fertile, well-drained soil. -Amend as indicated by soil test. May apply 1 cup of organic fertilizer per 5 row feet, and 1 inch of compost Species – -Regular and garlic Chive Basics

Start - Start seeds 6-8 weeks before anticipated transplant date. Germinates at temperatures between 60-75ºF. • Small seedlings may be successfully transplanted in small clumps • can be transplanted spring and fall Sustain – Keep watered, look for usual pest suspects. • Fertilize periodically. Savor - Fresh use: Harvest only as needed Drying: Harvest as flowers start growing, put in warm(80-90ºF), dark location with good ventilation for 1-2 weeks http://www.mgfkc.org/resources/growinggroceries

Gardener Education Supported by

Thank You to the Issaquah Grange for donating classroom space!