PNW - Winter 2015-2016

How are all of you in WA and OR doing with all your rain? Beds floating away? I know the coastal and inland climates are different but just wanted to check in.

??

Hi sanderson,

I haven't checked in for a couple of months but thought I'd pop by and saw your post. Maybe everyone did float away...

My house is fine but the rain has certainly caused more trouble then you'd expect for an area typically quite used to the rain. There was even a tornado in the next town north of me, Battle Ground. My garden beds are fine - my outdoor Christmas light display however, keeps shorting out. Usually happens once or twice and I can find the offending socket, shake it out and re-orient it and get the lights on again. This week it's been hopeless. 

Stay dry everyone - hope all is well.

Good to hear from you, Gwennifer!

Hi Gwennifer!  Good to see you!

We use extension cords with our RV.  We've found that if you use velcro to bind the ends of 2 cords together then wrap a grocery bag and tape it around the two sockets, we don't get the shorting out.

Here's an inexpensive way to avoid those shorts:

http://solutions.blair.com/p/extension-cord-safety-seal/95326.uts?is=Y&store=14&count=500&intl=n&q=extension+cords&keyword=extension+cords

Hi all. Thanks for posting the monthly, sanderson.

It's been raining like crazy around here, the temps going from snow-level to rain-level back and forth throughout the days. We had some big windstorms that broke a lot of tree branches off. The local hardware store I took our chainsaw to for maintenance said there was a 10 to 13 day wait! Everyone was sawing off their broken tree branches at once.

My lettuce pots and containers got covered with ice. The planters hanging from my railings fell down into the dirt with their crops. Actually the soil is more valuable than the crops!

No more snow till around Xmas supposedly. But I put my snow tires on anyway. My golf cart already started skidding down the long steep driveway from my house, as did I ... I fell twice. Not good, with an injured right knee and ankle already ... leaves me thinking, "Uh oh, this can't go on." I don't want to be using at cane at 55 or a walker at 60."

I love the snow, though, the rare times we get it. More magical than sunshine, which is everywhere always whether you want it or not and to whatever degree it chooses without your consultation. For all its trouble, winter is starting to become my favorite season of the year.

Marc Iverson wrote:My lettuce pots and containers got covered with ice.  The planters hanging from my railings fell down into the dirt with their crops. Actually the soil is more valuable than the crops!

Oh, no! Not the MM! Take care on the golf cart. Maybe some golf shoes for that trek??

Thanks everyone! We finally had a dry afternoon that I could devote to troubleshooting out there and I got everything back up and running. Plenty of rain since with no problems. 

Donna that link shows those at $12 each right now, but actually Home Depot sells them locally for $5. Even that's too much for me - I would need at least a dozen and I'd rather spend that much money on more lights! I LOVE Christmas lights!

Meanwhile, we in Central Oregon are experiencing snow, wind, and rain.

It hasn't been terribly cold recently, though, so the snow is generally pretty wet and melts rapidly.  However, I think we have a good chance of having a White Christmas!

 

Hello PNWners!

I haven't been around much, still recovering from surgeries.  I finally had my cervical spine surgery 3 weeks ago.  Its been a very hard & painful recovery, and hope its all worth it in the end! .....looking forward to this years gardening!


we have kale, swiss chard, celery, bok choi, parsley and green onions that have made it thru the winter.


I believe we are going to have a very early spring in our area, as all my spring flowers are coming up!....how about you all? early spring this year?

looking forward to getting our seed potatoes, as we are trying a few new ones!....going to add some more asparagus to the garden as well

since Im still recovering from surgery its hard for me to decide on starting our own cold weather crops inside or biting the bullet and purchasing starts.... this year.....ugg

I Hope I can be online more.....I just started back doing more on the computer this week....its been hard....I only been able to keep up on FB and that's been a challenge!

hugs
rose....who is off to take a nap LOL

Rose, it's really good to see you here again! Glad the surgeries went well and hope you're off to a terrific start!

Welcome home...!

Hello Rose , wishing you well with your recovery. Sounds rough. Sorry for your troubles.

I know people on here have talked about moss before, but I can't remember if anyone here does anything about it or just lives with it. Unlike weeds I can't just pull it out, and I lose so much MM if I dig it out.

Gwennifer!!! Hi!!

I don't have any advice for you, but I'm glad to see you!!

How'd the raspberries do this year?

Gwennifer,  You made me run outside to check on the winter moss situation.  We have always had moss on the front flowerbed which is on the north side of the house.  None in the areas where I topped with compost and wood chips a year ago!  Only on the bare dirt in one area and the lawn in bare patches.  I have 2 SFG beds in the back yard that are in the shade for at least 6 months and no moss there.  Just on a few exposed dirt areas on the ground.  The beds get a topping of compost for their winter slumber so the worms have something to eat.  Some of us are reading "Teaming With Microbes."  Under Ch. 20, Lawns, compost and brewed compost tea seem to be helpful in converting environments favorable to mosses into less favorable.  This may help you in the future, but for now . .

PS  I don't know what I'm talking about, just trying to pull together some info and events.

AtlantaMarie wrote:Gwennifer!!!  Hi!!

I don't have any advice for you, but I'm glad to see you!!

How'd the raspberries do this year?

 My Raspberry Shortcake bushes didn't do so well last year (their second year for me) - suffered from sun burn from what I could figure out. Lots of white on the berries. Low production. I moved them over to the east side of the house, where they will get morning sun, and we'll see if they do better this year. Our ultra dwarf cherry tree (planted in the ground) did really bad last year also - only three flowers and therefore only three cherries. It looks to be done blooming this year and it's much better, but still only about half covered in blossoms. Food production is tricky business!

Here's one of my moss filled beds. I should have dug them out by now. 

Oh, my, that is a bit of moss!

Sunburn... Ouch! That's the variety I was thinking about getting. But now I may have to rethink where I'll put them. My berry area is wide open to afternoon sun.

gwen..... some people like to use moss as a living mulch we haven't but I have read about it.....maybe even a video....but cant remember where.....

hugs
rose.....who is still healing from neck surgery, but each day doing a bit better!

Can you just flip chunks of moss over so it's roots are in the air?  That way it is mulch, you won't lose any MM and the worms can eat it later.

CC

AtlantaMarie wrote:Sunburn...  Ouch!  That's the variety I was thinking about getting.  But now I may have to rethink where I'll put them.  My berry area is wide open to afternoon sun.

I wouldn't worry about it. First of all, mine are in containers, and I have always found container growing more difficult than in-ground gardening. And secondly the containers were up against the south side of my house, where they were getting all day sun plus reflected sun and heat.

Yoo hooooo... Marc...where aaarrrrrrre youuuuuuu?  It's springtime now....
Miss you... come out come out wherever you are! We need puppies!

CC

FamilyGardening wrote:gwen..... some people like to use moss as a living mulch we haven't but I have read about it.....maybe even a video....but cant remember where.....

hugs
rose.....who is still healing from neck surgery, but each day doing a bit better!

Good to see you Rose {{{HUGS}}} for your recovery!

Moss for living mulch... an interesting thought in the semi-arid desert of the California mountains, lol!