Incredible Edibles Plant Sale -- May 5

This weekend, on May 5, the Multnomah County Master Gardeners are putting on an Incredible Edibles Plant Sale,10am to 3pm, on the grounds of All Saints School, 601 NE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd (formerly NE 39th Avenue).

Tree Climbing

Today in my Fall Tree Care class we did our tree climbing test. 

First thing Spencer had to get a line up into the tree to get things started. 

 I got harnessed up and and tied my knots: two half hitches, a blake's hitch on the climbing line, and some figure eight stopper knots.

Climbing the tree using a double rope system.

 Made it up the tree.

 The instructor sent up a little extreme ironing for me to do while I was up there.

It was a lot easier to repel down than it was to climb up.

 Back on the ground it was time to undo all the knots.

Good day.

Stuff I want to know ...

• How to efficiently process hazelnuts in the shell
• A good system for cleaning my garden tools. What kind of oil should I use? 

Rain Garden Construction

Time to mark out a rain garden to capture the water from the gutters that are about to be installed. This looks like a good place for a garden. Needs to be 48 square feet (which is one tenth of the roof area this downspout covers). Time to start marking the outline with a shovel to begin to remove the turf.

Shasta helpfully supervises.

Keep marking.

There. I now have the boundary delineated. Now we pull the turf out of the interior.

The dirt I remove I use to build up a berm around the outer edge, and a bigger berm between the garden and the sidewalk that I'll use to plant a hedgerow.

Adding some compost to the base of the berm to improve organic matter and water holding.

Dig in the compost a little.

Lay some branches to decay in place, add some soil, then sprinkle with glacial rock dust for good measure.

Now for some serious earth moving.

Shasta keeping a close eye on things.

Hey look, it works!

Pruning with Friends of Laurelhurst Park

Once a month, the Friends of Laurelhurst Park gather at, you guessed it, Laurelhurst Park to work: weeding, mulching, pruning.
This week I spent most of my time pruning a Pieris japonica.

Before:
After:

Pittock Mansion Pruning

I went to volunteer at the gardens at Pittock Mansion this morning with the intention of doing battle with the re-emerging Vinca, but it turned out to be pruning day.

We had a nice array of weaponry at our disposal to address the DDDDD's of pruning: Dead, Dying, Diseased, Damaged, Disoriented.

The tools were pretty new to me, but it didn't take long to get the hang of them. Pole mounted tools sure beat having to use ladders to get close to everything. Though they also had some nice 3-point orchard ladders for getting up high enough to clean up the crowns. A chain saw on a stick is a beautiful thing.

After working on three of the cherry trees, I spend a little bit of time starting to clean up a pretty scraggly little fellow....

Plant Propagation -- Followup -- Labor of Division

In week 6 of the PCC Plant Propagation class we did some work dividing plants. Recently I took a couple followup pictures.

Then:


Now:


Then:


Now: