My apples have bitter pit!

Ack! I have been so excited about our new apple trees - their second year and quite heavy with fruit - but in the last week or so when I've been harvesting I see they are full of bitter pit.

There is a great image here and info on how to treat it in the Pacific Northwest Disease Handbook from Oregon State University.

Clearly for us the issue has been inconsistent watering and perhaps the early winter freeze that happened in November last year.

I'm considering planting raised beds in my orchard for lettuce and other greens crops who prefer shade in the summer - that way the overhead watering for the trees will also help irrigate the lettuce and other greens.

I am a stingy gardener! Or ... Does Growing Your Own Vegetables Save Money?

As a Master Gardener, I've been getting asked a lot recently whether it makes economic sense to grow your own vegetables.

There are a couple of things to consider: In 99% of cases, its better for the environment to grow your own. These costs are not always internalized (ie you don't pay for them out of pocket) but they are still important to take into consideration in the greater ecological picture.

But back to the cost that you, as a vegetable gardener incur: There is always a spectrum of expense. If one rushes off to the garden center and buys small bottles of bat guano based fertilizer, $35 tomato cages, and $4 plant starts, the economics can get a little out of whack.

If you make your own compost, start from seed, save your own seeds at the end of the season, and trade with others (particularly in a community garden), you can garden for next to nothing. I am proud to be a particularly stingy gardener and am lucky to have a neighbor who gives me berry starts and other friends to swap and share with. I also organized a seed and plant swap last year at the College I work for. Last year I spent about $20 and am still eating tomatoes from my freezer, green tomato chutney, and frozen berries. I love my pot maker that makes seed pots out of newspaper. (Coming soon to www.apothecary-shoppe.com) I got mine as a free demo but they are only $12 and well worth the investment.

I also am surprised how often people grow things that they don't like to eat. If you don't eat it, its a waste of money/time/effort/space to grow it. I also advocate growing things that are expensive to buy (berries for example), particularly those that are best eaten organic (the so called "dirty dozen"), and that are easy to grow (particularly to start with). I actually think growing potatoes can be a good choice - I like to eat potatoes, I only eat organic potatoes, they can be grown in an upright wire cage so they don't take much space, they are easy to grow, and it is extremely satisfying to unearth them so it keeps my daughter inspired! I also love eating zucchini, so I grow them, even though they are cheap to buy. Plus I like to plant a potager style garden, which allows you to grow things close together is messy harmony, and results in more vegetables and fewer weeds (in my experience).

Here is a great resource that may inspire you to keep accurate records for your garden this year: http://www.modernvictorygarden.com/gardeneconomics.htm


Hope that helps! Have fun!
Best wishes
Erika

Read All About Common Horticultural Myths

Want accurate info about all those common horticultural myths from Master Gardeners? Click here for a great resource.

Rubber Mulch not recommended by Master Gardeners

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Here is the latest info on rubber mulch - not environmentally friendly, nor safe, nor long lasting. In fact, it can catch fire, leach toxins into groundwater, and is broken down by various microbes.

Read the full story here

Favorite Beekeeping Resources

I tend to do a lot of research on my current topics of interest. Here are some useful resources that you may wish to review:

Beekeeping
http://basicbeekeeping.blogspot.com/
http://www.extension.umn.edu/Honeybees/components/pubs.htm
http://honeybhealthy.com/

Essential Oils and Bee Health

Lavender and Thyme essential oil for mite control: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19795133 Access to full text (fee) here http://www.springerlink.com/content/7287n5777t454026/

Hope these are useful!

Winter Blahs

Oh this season is so hard for gardeners! I hate it when the cold weather hits when there are still green tomatoes on the vine that you were hoping would get a blush of color before you resorted to the brown paper bag method and the last of the dahlia's are water logged and sad. The one saving grace are the holidays and using holly, fir, and boxwood from the garden to decorate the house. Talk about a great way to save money - prune the boxwoods and use the clippings to make holiday wreaths and garlands!

I also like to use aromatherapy to keep my spirits high in this transitional season. It reminds me of those lovely summer days! I of course get my organic therapeutic grade essential oils from the Apothecary Shoppe and here are a couple of my favorite blends:

Energizing Blend
Sweet orange Citrus sinensis oil: 4-drops
Basil Ocimum basilicum oil (Shown in picture): 3-drops

Blend the oils and add 3-drops to a full bath or use a foot or hand bath at least once daily. For those people who shower, adding this formula to liquid soap is an effective alternative.

Uplifting Blend

Clary sage Salvia sclarea oil: 2-drops
Grapefruit Citrus paradisi oil: 2-drops
Sweet orange Citrus sinensis oil: 2-drops
Optional: Gorse flower essence: 3-drops
Optional: Mustard flower essence: 3-drops

Blend all ingredients in a 1-oz bottle. You can add this blend to 1-oz of base oil, such as sweet almond, for a 1% dilution, which is suitable for most users to use in the bath or as a massage oil (check contraindications for preexisting conditions). You can also use this blend to prepare a room spray (see the ACHS YouTube channel for more instructions), add to a candle or use in a diffuser.

Standard precautions: Keep essential oils out of the reach of children. If you are pregnant, nursing, or have a preexisting medical condition, be sure to check for contraindications before using any essential oil. Use common sense and keep essential oils away from eye, nose, and mouth.

Rainwater Collection Presentation and Discussion at St Helens

Rainwater collection is common where I grew up in New Zealand but is just catching on here in the Pacific North West. Yes, you can drink rain water! Its nature's water purifying system. Ok, except for the whole acid rain thing. But if you live in a reasonably clean environment (gosh is there any such thing anymore) you can drink it. At the very least, your garden can drink it!

If you're interested:

See below about an interesting learning opportunity coming up.

Rain Water Collection & Utilization
Date: 11/18/09
Time 6 - 9 PM
Columbia Learning Center Auditorium
375 South 18th St.
St Helens, OR 97051


The Board Members and Staff of the Columbia Soil & Water Conservation District would like to extend an invitation to a presentation and discussion on Rain Water Collection and Utilization. Featuring Guest Speaker Clair Klock, Senior Resource Conservationist, from Clackamas Soil & Water Conservation District.


If you have any questions please contact:
Malyssa Page
Phone: 503-397-4555 X 100
Malyssa.page@or.nacdnet.net