A Grower Perspective

  When is a good time to plant? This is a common question that I am asked by customers and random people at cookouts and dinner parties. Many people think that you only plant in fall or spring. In my experience this isn't the case. I have planted in July and August and the plants have grown and done well. If you plant in summer the key is to water the root ball once every three days to the point of saturation. I usually turn the hose on very low and lay it at the base of the plant and let it run for about an hour. This allows for a deep watering that will sustain the plant through the warm summer days. With a little fastidiousness you can plant when you are inspired and not by the seasons.

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Last night my daughters' and I planted a Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Duke' next to their sandbox. They are 2 years old and make the job take twice as long but they really enjoy it and it is fun to watch them learn where Blueberries (or in their terminology "Beedies") come from. The fruit isn't quite ripe yet so they were having a hard time not picking them. Planting edibles around children's play areas can supply them with healthy snacks that are just steps away and a knowledge that food doesn't just appear on grocery shelves, but is grown and cultivated by people just like them.

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While for many in the American workforce a forecast of freezing temperatures and snowy weather equates to a day or two at home the nursery industry is quite different. When temperatures dip below 20 degrees there is a lot of work to be done to insure that your inventory is protected. It is best to shove as much in cold frames covered in plastic as possible but they seem to fill up fast so the next best option is to cover the plants. That is how our crews at Pleasant Hill Nursery spent Monday December 15th. We covered and winterized as much as we could preparing for the arctic blast that the meteorologists were promising. Our Brabham Road location registered 15 degrees on Monday night so we are happy that we took the time and labor to button up the nursery. There are still very cold temperatures forecasted for the remainder of the week so we can only watch the weather and wait.

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