Gardening is all about localism; to grow plants successfully we need to garden where we live. Sounds obvious, but the banana/canna tropical rage - mostly killed off (quite literally) in the tough freezes of the last three winters - was nothing if not climate denial. Or perhaps the triumph of imagination over reality, until winter bared its fangs, anyway.
Which brings us to fruit, and why you should buy local to ensure you end up with fruit-bearing trees and plants that will actually ripen in our climate. We're lucky enough to have two fabulous fruit nurseries nearby - Raintree in Morton, and Cloud Mountain Farm, which is opening for the season on February 1st.
The folks at Cloud Mountain tell us they'll have bareroot fruit trees available next week, strawberries by February 10th or so, raspberry canes in mid-February. They suggest calling to make sure what you seek is ready before driving to the Farm to pick it up - 360-966-5859. Cloud Mountain features fruit and nut trees and native plants, Japanese maples, and a gorgeous setting - be sure and check out the new Mott's Pink Apple, with watermelon pink spring blossoms, and two new varieties of high bush blueberries...
And here's a good reason to make the trek north to Everson (near Bellingham) - Cloud Mountain offers free Saturday workshops, beginning Febrary 5th, where you can learn to prune fruit trees, grow grapes and berries, and incorporate Northwest native plants into your garden. The February 5th workshop is on growing apples and pears, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Dress warmly, as you'll be outdoors; this workshop, with information on how to renovate older fruit trees as well as how to prune newly planted dwarfs, will be repeated February 12 and March 12.
Through June, Cloud Mountain retail hours are Monday-Saturday 10-5, Sunday 11-4. To learn more: info@cloudmountainfarm.com; 6906 Goodwin Road in Everson.
Hello Valerie,
I have been reading your blog and have really enjoyed it so far. As an avid gardener, I always appreciate entertaining, accurate information. I have been doing extra research lately, to prepare for spring in my garden. Sorry to post this inquiry here but I didn't see any other way to contact you.
Since your blog is well-informed and well-followed, I wanted to ask if you would test a product. It’s called John and Bob’s GrowGreen Smart Soil Solutions. It’s a four-part soil amendment system that completely revitalizes all types of soil, eliminating the need for other supplements. It’s an organic system, containing concentrated humus, minerals and live microbes. The live microbes really play a huge role in conditioning and fertilizing the soil. They break apart clay particles, build up sandy soil and provide extra nutrients to plants.
The system is really easy to apply. Three products, Maximize, Optimize and Nourish, are dry, granulated ingredients that are simply sprinkled on top of the soil. The fourth, Penetrate, is a liquid fertilizer that is sprayed on. Because they are highly concentrated, they come at a fantastic value to customers. A little goes a long way! John and Bob’s Grow Green Smart Soil Solutions is a unique, integrated system of fertilizer and live microbes that work together to both change the texture of the soil and add vitality, growing stronger, healthier, more productive plants! It’s starting to make a huge difference in my clay-heavy garden.
We would like to send you a free sample of the John and Bob’s four-part system to try in your garden. All we ask in return is that you review it on your blog and, if you liked the products, recommend it as well. We would appreciate your feedback! You can visit our website to learn more about the system, how it works and why it dramatically improves the health of soil and plants. www.johnandbobs.com
I look forward to hearing back from you. Let me know if you have any questions and if you would like a free sample (enough to treat 1,000 square feet).
Thanks for your time!
Andy McGee
amcgee@everbearingservices.com
Posted by: Andy McGee | January 28, 2011 at 04:13 PM