Winter Project for the Home Gardener and Small Farmer, Part 2
We’re expected to get fog, rain, frost, maybe even snow, and everything in between, in the coming weeks, but we don’t get tornadoes here in the PNW, so stop blaming them for […]
Winter Projects for the Home Gardener and Small Farmer, Part 1
The temperatures are dropping, cover crops have been seeded, and the garden beds have been tucked in for their long winter nap. Spring seems so far away, but don’t fret, there’s still lots you can do to keep your thumbs green. In fact, the winter can be just as busy as the rest of the […]
Apple Maggot Timing
People have starting asking us about when to spray for apple maggot. This is a complex pest to control in orchards and home gardens, so it is a good idea to understand its life cycle. Apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella, is a small sawfly that lays its eggs on developing fruit, most commonly apples, but also […]
Thinning Fruit
We cannot overemphasize the importance of thinning the young fruit on your trees. Now is a good time to start thinning. Early thinning can help break the tendency of biennial (every other year) bearing that is common in some apple and pear varieties, and ensuring you have more even crops each year. Some people are […]
Winter Damaged Plants
With the wild weather of late December and early January behind us, and the return to more normal winter weather, we’re starting to see winter damage on many plants, especially broadleafed evergreens. Even ‘hardy’ evergreens and some conifers that experienced the sustained cold winds are showing some damage. Where is the winter damage the worst? […]
Welcome our 2019 Interns!
Every winter we welcome a new group of interns for a season of working and learning on the farm. The first week of March we welcomed eight new people to the team, each person bringing a unique set of skills and experiences. Over the course of the next eight months we will work together to […]