Archive for the ‘Seasonal’ Category

     As November fades from the yearly calendar many of you will begin thinking about the traditional centerpiece of the Christmas season, The tree. As in past years Redmond Greenhouse will be presenting to you a host of “living” trees for your selection. From small tabletops to larger specimans we hope you will find the perfect tree for your home. There has been an increase in interest in living trees  as folks look for ways to make better spending choices. I know of folks who use the same tree year after year. They simply use the tree for the season and then return it to the patio for the remainder of the season.

     The choices you will have will include the most popular Colorado Spruce along with a few assorted Pines. As more kids get involved with gardening we have made sure to increase our inventory of smaller one gallon trees plus a special selection of “garden-start” trees all dressed up in a traditional Terra Cotta pot complete with bows and  keepsake ornaments….. Happy Holidays!!!!

     We also like to suggest using living evergreens such as Holly, Mugho Pines, and Pieris for indoor greens and decor. Simply wrap the nursery pot with decorative florist cello or rustic burlap to conceal the pop….. zippo………. you are looking great and going with “growing green”. For your table you might just plant up a low decorative planter bowl with succulents, ivy, and Christmas cactus, add a couple of long taper candles and again you are “going green” with your table centerpiece.            As you can see the possibilities are endless…. This is what I call “Getting out of the rut”…… Happy end of November….. Doug

     Just in case you are all wrapped up in other important things…. Don’t forget to get your garlic planted. We thought we were out, but then we were able to get another shipment in. Fall is the time to plant these wonderful little garden gems and our selection is pretty darn good. Many of you have found out how easy it is to grow and how GREAT the results can be not to mention the money that you can save. I was in a local market the other day and the shallots were at just under six bucks a pound…. ye ha dang!!!!! Someone just might want to start a small cottage business in raising and selling quality organic shallots.

     In other related garden news don’t forget to top-dress your empty garden beds with a generous application of “Cold Climate” organic fertilizer as well as at least three inches of compost. You still have time to plant a few “spring flowering” bulbs if you have not already done so. For those of you that have fruit trees DON”T forget to spray your fruit trees with dormant spray. In my opinion this is BEST preventative you can do to guard against overwintering insects and disease.

     Meanwhile back at the ranch I have been able to get away a few times to enjoy life up at our cabin on the north slope of the Steens Mt. Talk about ye haw dang…………… it has been SPECTACULAR!  On other unrelated items my back continues to mend and I am very optimistic about the surgery they did. I just hope I will respect my body just a little bit better and not tear things up.

     Well that is about all for now……….. I will try to be a little bit more attentive to posting info as we head into the late fall early winter season. Hope you had a good season…. Enjoy the weather each and every day……   Try making a homemade soup and a loaf of fresh bread….. Now we are realy living the good life….. Happy November… Doug

     Ahhhhhhhhhh the season of summer is here andI hope all is well in your garden. Not a bad spring in terms of past history….. A few frosts, a  couple of heavy downpours, along with a scattered pounding of harsh hail. Welcome to the “High Desert”. As I have always said if you can ride out the unexpected climatic conditions of thus unpredictable gardening are you “just might” have a pretty good garden of flowers, herbs, and veggies.     As we move into the month of July there are a few things you will wanat to keep an eye on. Spider mites are the number one invader of so many our flowers and shrubs. Do keep a watchful eye (with a hand held lens) for distressed looking foliage. Leaves will often become dusty looking as well as a little sprackled yellowing on the inner leaves. The product called “3 in 1 Insect, Disease, Mite Killer” is a top end and very effective. On the organic side a product called “Spinosad” seems to be doing a pretty good job. As always make sure you “WATER DEEPLY IN THE MORNING AND DON’T SPRAY UNTIL THE COOL OF THE EVENING”. I might also add that it is imperative to repeat the spray every seven days for three times to get the most out of your efforts!!!! Down in the Vegetable garden it will pay you to apply preventative sprays of “Serenade” (organic disease control) on such plants as your squash (Zuccini) and cucumbers. These plants inparticular are very vulnurable to powdery mildew. The particular disease goes by so many time undetected and will realy take a toll on your plants vitality…… Don’t forget to continue to sow seeds of crunchy salad greens as well as cilantro, radishes, and peas. The HOT weather will sometimes derail your efforts, but if you are successful the mid to late summer crunch will be all yours.

     Out in the orchard (for those of you that are lucky enought to have fruit trees) should make sure to thin your crop if you have not already done so…………….. Less fruit means a bigger and tastier late season harvest. In worse case senerios I have seen frut trees complety dump their fruit because of too much fruit combined with inadequate waterings……. Side dress with some of our organic fertilizer “Cold Climate” and maybe even a thin layer of good organic compost to help hold in moisture as well as reduce weed populations.

     For tomatoe growers who may have not properly addressed the need for calcium you may want to apply a liquid or granular side dressing of “Liquid Calcium” of granular “Azomite”. This practice might also be good for your cucumbers and squash…… Mulch with compost as well!!!

     If you have any Alberta Spruce trees, if you have not already done so it would be advisable to give them a liquid drench of Ferti-Lomes “Systemic Insect Drench” to help ward off any hot summertime Mite damage. Almost Guaranteed they will arrive and do their damage. Potted Alberta’s will usually show signs of browning, rusty dusty on the side facing the building. Sometime webbing will be seen but not always….

     Contrary to many this is a good time to sow seeds of wildflowers, lawns, and other desired crops. With the warm temperature, warm soil, warm nights, germination will simply astound you. I did my lawn in July several years ago in mid July. I had germination in 5 days and was mowing in 15 days!!!!! THE ONLY THING……..  If you do not water with diligence (at least three times a day) the seeding project may not go so well……….. Other tips I might offer to you would be to make sure you work a lot of good compost into the seeding area. Lightly cover the seed with a fine compost and use ONLY ORGANIC FERTILIZERS. You might also consider covering the freshly seeded area with our special “Seedling Cloth”. This scanty spun-bound white fabric is a true miracle in regards to helping new seedbeds. It will shade the seed, hold in moisture, and keep birds out. Just make sure to anchor it down or the High Desert breeze will move it down the block or possibly farther…….

     Well……………….. That about wraps it up. Sorry I have been a little slow with subject, but my back has been giving me fits of late and I find it very unpleasant to sit at the computer…………. I did have surgery and I am in the recovery mode…. My wonderful wife bought me a new computer desk, chair, and keyboard…………… ye ha………….. I will try to do better………… happy gardening…………. Doug

     As the growth of spring begins to reveal soft new and tender growth gardeners will want to be on the look-out for an outburst of aphids. This little critters can cause a lot of damage in a very short period of time. So many times folks will bring in plant samples with leaves all curled up by damage caused by these common pesky bugs. If you don’t keep a tight moniter on your plants you may well fall into a lot of damage.

     At Redmond Greenhouse we like to offer a variety of products to help with your battle. Organic remedies are at the top of the list. Cedar Spray is offering some very positive results as a repelent. Mite-X is also a great product we sell. On the synthetic side we have a product called 3 in 1 that will stop just about every bud DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS.

     We are in good shape if you are looking for lady bugs, praying mantis eggs, or benficial nemetodes. We are also in great stock with our composting worms if you are in need.

     Hope all is well in your garden………….. I have assembled my organic “Straw Garden” at the Redmond Greenhouse.  You may want to swing by and take a peek. Constructed of straw bales for the border, then filled with “Dougs Blend” which is a mixture of organic potting soil, compost, and vermiculite. Then I topped it off with a 25# bag of our “Cold Climate” organic fertilizer, 25# crab meal, 15# soil microbes/mychorizea, 30# Azomite, and last but not least a bag of Wonder Worms pure earthworm castings. Ye Ha and away the garden goes. I have now planted several of our heirloom tomatoes, sunflowers, cucs, and winter and summer squash.

     Let the season begin and may the plants begin to grow……….. Summer is on its way………………… Celebrate….  Happy Gardening     Doug

     Ahhhhhh you just have to love the wonderful sunny days we are having of late. Just about everyone is out sowing seed and setting out transplants of all tough ones. Cabbbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce and all the other leafy green goodies. Onion sets are lining out in rows as well as garlic, shallots, and leeks. My oh my the gardeners of the area are smiling and the tillers are tilling away!!!!

     If you are looking to plant some berries you will want to check out your local garder centers as soon as you can. Starts of raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries should be in good supply. Redmond greenhouse also has starts of blackberries, rhubarb, and asparagus if you are in the planting mood. Make sure to dig a lot of compost into the area that you are going to plant in. Our “Cold Climate” organic fertilizer is also a GREAT bet in regards to nutrition. We will be getting in two more bunches of Walla Walla onions if you are interested… Plant now or forever be so sad!!!!! We also have some of the greatest onion and garlic sets I have ever seen.

      If you are looking for fruit trees our selection just got a bit better. Some great cherries, peaches and apricots if your orchard is a bit shy…. If you want to plant a flowering tree on your property you may want to shift into high gear. Our selection is the best ever and NOW IS THE TIME TO PLANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      If you plan to treat your trees with a systemic insecticide the time is N O W !!!! Our liquid drench will do the trick and last for up to a year.

      For pond people our Microbe-Lift product “Spring/Summer” start-up kit is in stock and ready to help you out

Enjoy the season and the warm weather it is giving us…………………… just remember that we are living in Central Oregon and the snow is still on Black Butte……………….. happy spring………………. Doug

     As I gazed out the kitchen window on this chilly frosty morning, I realized my daughter’s early planting of garden basil was nothing but a memory………. Off and on as I watched the mercury dip throughout the night I had also forgotten about her “very” early planting of this very frost sensative herb. Low and behold when the temp drops to upper teens basil hits the compost pile in a hurry. As of this writing I am not sure if her tomato plant survived or not. It is planted very close to the foundation of our house so it may survive.  We both shed a frosty tear and vowed to be more cautious in the future, but alas we are both devoted gardeners and when spring comes our trowels just seem to head for the door ….. with or without us. We do however keep ample tissues in our gardening tool box for such sad events…….  Hope your garden is doing okay………

     One of the best early springtime performers for our cold climate area has got to be the super hardy, rough, and tough flowering crabapples. Offered up in several named varieties I don’t think this tree will ever let you down when it comes to early season excitement. From dramatic whites to pink and red the colors are not only long lasting but usually fragrant as well. Easy to prune and maintain this species of trees are perfect for larger containers as well as planting directly into the landscape.

      Offering year around specter the gardener will get color in the spring, draping green leaved branches in the summer, possible small berries and good leaf color in the fall, as well as dramatic branch structure and possible intriguing fruit still clinging to the branches.

     The trees once established are very drought tolerant and should give many many years of carefree maintenance. If you have deer in your area you will probably have to do a little protection such as “Deer Off” or other repellents. As the tree matures many a gardener will slip out and remove a few branches for super early indoor forcing.

     The planting hole should be at least three feet across and two feet deep. Amend the removed soil with ample organic compost and a good organic fertilizer such as our “Cold Climate” blend with microbes and mychorizae. Water in well and all should be good to go. Redmond Greenhouse has several varieties in stock that have overwintered and are just looking for the perfect backyard to call home! Plant them early and they will bloom in your backyard not in our nursery display bed.

      Well that about wraps it up for now….. It has been a pretty mild winter so far. We could use a little more moisture if wishes could be granted. Happy February and we shall chat again in the early month of March……………. Doug

I do believe that I have talked to more folks this year that intend to grow a garden for the first time. Sales of garden seed are skyrocketing along with an increase of questions…….. How do I get started. Lets take a look at the simple steps involved.

List of possible ingredients: Fresh garden seed. Special seed starting soil. Sterile shallow seed starting containers. Humidity dome. Heat mat. Plastic labels and water proof pen. A garden diary for tracking your work. Trigger or pump-up sprayer. Grow light. Small transplanting pots. Good organic soilless potting soil. A smile and a “can-do” attitude.

Lets get started………….. Find a location in the house that you can claim as your seed starting and indoor gardening area. The temperature should be fifty to sixty degrees. Plug in your heat mat and place your selected seed flat filled with seedling soil on top. Redmond Greenhouse has plastic flats (we call them 10 20’s) as well as plastic inserts that fit neatly inside. The inserts are made up of traditional six packs which intern will provide you with individual compartments to start most early seed varieties. Having individual compartments helps eliminate the possibility of spreading disease. Fill to the top with the special seed starting soil and moisten WELL with warm water. The reason for using this special soil is because of its sterile nature (no bad things or contamination), its small particulate size (covers the seed well), plus it is very low in ph thus eliminating the possibility of “damping off” a common disease that can take out your new crop of seedlings. Sow multiple seeds in each individual cell of your container and MAKE SURE TO MARK THE VARIETY with the water-proof pen along with the date. The rule of thumb when it comes time to cover the seed is to cover the seed depth with in relationship to the diameter of the seed. A garden pea would be covered with an eight of an inch of seedling soil, and a carrot seed would be just barely “dusted” with soil. Since the subsurface soil is already moist all you have to do now is moisten the top surface. Use the spray bottle with warm water and gently mist until well saturated. Cover the 1020 flat holding the insert filled with your freshly seeded project with the clear plastic dome. This dome will help hold humidity and hasten the germination. YOU MUST CHECK YOU PROJECT EVERY DAY to watch for adequate moisture and seed germination. As soon as you see good germination you need to “prop” the plastic dome up to allow for air circulation across the top of the soil. The only problem with this is that if you have sown multiple varieties of seed they will not all germinate at the same time. However having individual flats of each variety of seed you sow would require you to open a small garden center with a BIG greenhouse. Remove from the heat mat and place under a grow light in a cooler area (around fourty to fifty degrees will ensure VERY TOUGH SEEDLINGS. The grow light will ensure the seedling don’t “stretch” looking for light. Redmond greenhouse carries an assortment of good seed starting and growing lights. We even offer a “special order” program that will save you at least 20% off our cataloge price. Once you see the second set of leaves ( the first set of leaves you see are called seedling or false leaves) it is time to transplant into individual containers that have been filled with the organic potting mix. Moisten well with warm water and make a hole in the center large enough to acomadate the new seedlings roots. Carefuly remove the seedlings one at a time from the seedling cell pack holding it by the seedling leaves NOT THE STEM.  Lower the roots into the plants new home and then carefully cover the roots. Water them with the spray bottle and return them to their grow site under the light. In about a weeks time you may fertilize the plants with a half strenth liquid fertilizer. I like the product called Earth Juice “Grow” or “Bloom”.

Growing them in a cool area with the grow light is very criticle as it will help make sure your seedlings are short and hardy not leggy and weak. An inexpensive cold frame will help with the transition to the great outdoors. Watch the frost and protect from direct sun for a few days and you should be off and running. I realize this is a compressed ‘how to”, but I hope it helps. Email me with specific questions or stop by the Redmond Greenhouse for a little one on one consulting. Happy Sowing and Good Luck.       See ya in the garden…. Doug

Ahhhhhhhhhhh what a wonderful December this has been. Warmer than usual days and lots of sunshine. A little short on rainfall but hopefully we will get some form of moisture in the near future. Make sure you pay attention to your newly planted bulbs as well as this seasons newly planted shrubs and trees. As  many of you have purged your water systems a while back, a garden hose may need to be brought into action. You may also want to pay attention to plants that are under eves as well as under dense evergreen trees. If you have not yet fertilized your landscape and lawn the time is still perfect. Using our “Cold Climate” as well as our “Cascade Natural” will ensure a spectacular take-off in the spring of 2009. We (Redmond Greenhouse) still have plenty of bags of this great organic fertilizer as well as stock of “dormant” spray, “copper” spray and lots of the deer repellent “Deer Off”. We still have a few flower bulbs such as tulips and daffodils, and maybe even a few crocus and “Crown Imperial”……  On the holiday side we have increased our inventory of living Christmas trees if that is a “green” direction that you are thinking about. In articles I read within our industry, the sale and interest in living trees is way up. Members of the spruce family offer the best choice in terms of hardiness, drought and deer resistance, and livability. An application of “Wilt-Proof” will offer additional protection from dehydration as well as reduce allergies. Works great on cut trees and wreaths as well. Don’t mulch in your roses to much until the ground is ‘well” frozen (probably January some time) as this practice could trap in heat thus increasing the probability of winter loss. Over in the water garden make sure you have a pond heater in use as it will allow toxic gasses to escape. You might also want to put in some of Microbe Lifts “Winterizer”. Many folks have used this with great success in reducing algae and “pond bottom” debris. Keep your bird bath heater working as winter is one of toughest times for wild birds to find water. Just remember…………. a bird in the winter garden is a bug you won’t see in the spring…………….. Happy Winter……….. Doug

It may seem like all is slowing down in the garden, but I would like to take this time to let you know it is a GREAT time of the year to apply a weed pre-emergent to all your landscape beds and borders. Two products that I think will offer you some great releif for the 2009 season would be “Weed and Grass Preventer” (Treflan) and an organic granular version “Corn Weed Blocker”. Both should be applied to areas once they have been cleaned up and free of existing weeds and grasses. Both may also be applied right up the the edge of your lawn after you have created a clean edge. This practice will help eliminate “lawn creep” into beds and borders. Neither of these products will harm perennials, annuals, or trees and shrubs. The Corn Weed Blocker will even add a touch of organic fertilizer…… now that is a true deal. I have found it best to cover the granular product with a little layer of bark mulch of weed free compost. Then water the area and celebrate. Timely chores done in the fall of the season will yeild a better garden in the spring.

I might also add that an applicatiion (25# per 500 sq. ft.) of our (Redmond Greenhouse) “Cold Climate” blended fertilizer covered by at least 3″ of organic compost over ALL annual and vegetable beds will set the tone for fantastic success in you 2009 garden. The weather is still fine and these are projects worth doing. If you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at info@coldzonegardening.com

Happy Late Autumn…………. Doug