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This class is for people who may be brand-new to food gardening, returning to it from an extended absence, or starting over in a new climate. It introduces the garden calendar for this region and offers guidelines for what you will need to do and when in order to be an effective grower in the Portland area.
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Edible Gardening 101Independence Gardens
Portland, OR
January 2012© Independence Gardens LLC
Download the handout that goes
along with this slideshow!
h!p://bit.ly/y0lYQv
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What We’ll Cover TodayIntro
we are Independence Gardens• We build raised beds, chicken coops,
& other garden infrastructure• Help with garden planning, prep, and
installation• Teach edible gardening classes
• & make Doo Tees!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Topics We’ll Cover• Edible gardening vs. other gardening• Edible for whom? (your garden
friends & theirs)
• PNW opportunities• KISS (modi!ed)
• Planning & participant-observation• Quick & long-term soil prep• Planting & plant care
• Harvesting & reinvesting
What We’ll Cover TodayPreview
Got Questions? Please ask as we go along.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Gardening vs. edible gardening
Gardening = a verb, either way!Planting an edible garden usually means a focus on the end product (edible-for-you)But broadening the de!nition helps...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• For the birds– Domestic and wild
• For the bees– & other pollinators
• For the “bugs”– Bene!cial insects
• For the soil– Actually, for microorganisms in the soil
• For you!– And other people
Edible…for whom?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Some of your friendsGround beetle
“Ladybug”
Lacewing
Hover!ies
Praying mantis
Wasp
Rove beetlePirate bug
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Some of their friends
Sun!ower
Amaranth
Lemon balm
Yarrow
Dill (& fennel, too)
Parsley"inkApiaceae & Asteraceae
Alyssum
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Some of their friends are also your friends• Because gardening can be stressful—especially when
you’re trying to grow your own food– Unpredictable weather– (In)appropriate timing– Pests and disease– Uncertainty/lack of con!dence
• And we gardeners can use all the friends we can get!• Also, ensuring that your garden is edible for other-than-you
is a backup plan for a garden gone wild...it helps us relax
"ank goodness…
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Here in the PNW
• Everything grows here...almost all the time
– You have lots of options– You can garden according to your
personal needs & preferences– But always remember to take care of
your garden space so it will continue to take care of you
– And keep it managed! USDA Zone 8• De!ned by minimum temps
Sunset Zone 6• De!ned by range of temps and
moisture
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Our advice: KISS
• Keep
• It• Small &
• Simple
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Planning your garden
• Timing– Always! (as in, you’re always
planning)– Focus on the “off-season” so
you can focus on doing during the “on-season”
• Techniques– Observation– Documentation– Mapping– Calendaring– Goal-se$ing
• Tools– Camera– Paper and pen(cil)– Whiteboard– Graph paper– Excel spreadsheets– Computer so%ware– Talking to other people
Main gardening season: April 15-Oct. 24
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Participant-observation
• Start with this... and keep it up!
– Winter is a good time to slow down and start watching
• Include info-gathering– First & last frost dates– General gardening calendar– Characteristics of your garden
space– Picking other gardeners’ brains
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Preparing the soil
• Year-round– Cover cropping– Lasagna gardening
• TODAY– Double-digging
• Remove sod• Dig trench along one end & move
soil to other end of garden bed• Fill !rst trench with compost &
incorporate soil from next one over• At the end of the bed, incorporate
soil from !rst trench with compost• Smooth surface into planting bed
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Planting
• Gather information about the plants you’re planting– Plant tags are a good resource– Local nurseries– Extension Service publications
• Plant plants that you will interact with frequently near where you spend most of your time
• Plant plants that need similar things near each other• Plant tall plants on the north side of your garden
(‘cause the sun comes from the south)• Utilize existing infrastructure, or build new
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Plant care
• Spend time in your garden• Keep observing• Use the right tools &
techniques (including weeding, thinning, and irrigation)
• Use weed-suppression techniques like mulching– Weed non-obsessively (or
get someone else to help you out )
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Plant care
• Spend time in your garden• Keep observing• Use the right tools &
techniques (including weeding, thinning, and irrigation)
• Use weed-suppression techniques like mulching– Weed non-obsessively (or
get someone else to help you out )
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Harvesting
• Some plants you will harvest all at once– Determinate tomatoes– Bush beans
• Some, you can continue to use– Annuals– Perennials– Succession planting
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Always reinvesting
• &e garden should give you a great harvest and much satisfaction
– It may also disappoint...• Celebrate successes• Compost your scraps and your
“failures” (turn them into learning experiences!)
• And continue to learn and support yourself and your loved ones
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Next steps for you!
• Take a deep breath...go home (whew!)...and tell someone about what you just learned
• Write down what you want to grow, then !nd the seeds in a local seed catalogue
• Get the seeds and start them indoors (if possible)
• Prep the soil where you will plant• Find/make a garden calendar• As soon as it’s time, start
planting...then keep it up!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Questions?Before A#er
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
