Happy Spring!

 The garden volunteers have been doing amazing work on clearing weeds, THANK YOU!

We have just two small plots open, perfect for new gardeners or small families. Sign up on the rent a garden tab.

Dreaming of summer days!

When can we plant tomatoes?

Will it ever warm up? It is still too cool to plant tomatoes and other warm weather crops outdoors, tomatoes need night time temperatures that are consistently over 50° and soil temperatures over 60° Peppers would like it even warmer!

Until it warms up I recommend moving tomatoes from  4" pots into a gallon sized pots, then to a 2 gallon pot. Setting them in the sun each day (or sheltering them from rain and hail) and moving them inside at night. Once the weather has warmed, dig a deep hole, remove the lower branches and leaves and plant the tomato deeply, allowing the stem/trunk to sprout roots. The video below was taken 4 years ago, since then I've perfected my tomato growing method, now I train them onto a trellis instead of staking them; however you choose to grow them. be sure to use a very sturdy support.

Trellised Tomatoes.
Each plant is pruned to 2 to 3 main stems that are tied to the cattle panel trellis.

Spring Plans

Counting down the days to spring! It is too wet and muddy to do much gardening now, but the weather is great for planning.

We plan to grow 2,000 pounds of herbs, veggies, and greens to give to Esther's Food Pantry this year, so far we have given them 19 pounds of winter squash and cabbage so only 1,981 pounds to go! How do we plan to grow that much? By planning what and when we grow it. Our goal is to have another crop ready to plant as soon as an earlier crop declines. As our overwintering kale and cabbage is harvested we are planting snap peas and after snap peas we will plant pole beans and cucumbers, then we will cover that plot with plastic covered hoops and grow lettuce, chard, and carrots over the fall and winter.

This is the first year that the garden doesn't have a big project in the year's plan. We just finished hooking up our rainwater harvesting tank and our perennial herb garden was completed last fall. This years plans include building a trellis to shade our classroom/bench area, and acquire a pop-up canopy to shelter volunteers from sun and rain during volunteer and educational events.

This tank will hold 275 gallons of rainwater. It will take about 8 inches of heavy rain to fill it. It isn't big enough to use for summer watering, however we have several garden plots covered with plastic or cloth in the winter and this water will really come in handy. 

Thanks to all of our supporters who help to make the Campbell Community Garden Great!

Clackamas County Master Gardener's Garden Discovery Day

Garden Discovery Day

March 7, 9 am – noon

Milwaukie Center, 5440 SE Kellogg Creek Dr., Milwaukie

10-Minute University Classes (25 minutes each)

	Room A	Room B
9	Lawn Care	Starting a Vegetable Garden
9:30	Mason Bees	Slugs & Snails
10	Attracting Pollinators	Containers
10:30	Bugs	Raised Bed
11	Early-Season Vegetables	Weeds
11:30	Blueberries	Pruning

Displays (9 am - noon)

• Managing Moles
• Managing Gophers
• Gardening with Compost and Mulch
• Vegetable Gardening
• Sheet Mulching
• Bugs

Soil Testing (9 – 11:30 am)

We will test soil pH and give advice on amendments.

Up to 4 samples per client.

For step-by-step instructions, obtain a “Testing Soil pH” handout 

Clinic (9 am - noon)

Master Gardeners are available to answer gardening questions during this event.

Master Gardeners are trained volunteers, educated through OSU Extension Service to offer the local community Reliable, Relevant and Reachable gardening information.

For more information, visit the Clackamas County Master Gardeners website.

Campbell Community Garden

Spring is here!

Our last post was about snow, this post celebrates the 35 pounds of greens, herbs, an rhubarb we harvested and donated today!

Chard and other greens in one of our hoop covered plots, before harvesting

Chard after harvesting. Look at those bright stems! Would kids eat pink stemmed chard?

The wheel barrow loaded with the days harvest, 35 pounds!

Planting Leeks

The Campbell Community Garden is producing enough produce right now to warrant once a week donations to our Harvest Sharing Garden recipients; soon we will be harvesting twice a week. Last week I chatted with Mary, who is enjoying the veggies I drop off each week; I told her we harvested our first snap peas and there would be more to come for the next several weeks, and that our tomatoes were planted, but quite a ways off from harvesting. She asked me about leeks, telling me that they were a big hit with a lot of people receiving our donations. Our leeks are still many weeks away from harvest time, but they are planted!
Here is a video, filmed a few weeks ago, showing how to plant Bandit and Tadorna Leeks, thanks to Straw Bale Films!



The leeks are growing fast, June 9, 2013



Gardening Classes

I noticed daffodils beginning to peek out from the ground this morning, spring is on the way!

Here is a short list of upcoming gardening education opportunities:

Oregon Tilth's Comprehensive Organic Gardener Program

This program runs from March 14 - April 4 and takes place Wednesday evenings 6:00-8:00pm and Saturdays 10-3pm. Cost: $250

This multi-session program in organic vegetable gardening is designed as a hands-on course, introducing beginning gardeners to the dynamic world of organic gardening while getting your hands dirty in the process!  This series is a must for people new to gardening in general and people who have recently moved to the Pacific Northwest. It is an ideal blend of practical instruction and scientific fundamentals  -  paralleled with hands-on time working in the organic demonstration gardens. By the end, you will feel more confident and secure in your organic gardening ventures. Click HERE for more details.

Urban Growth Bounty 2012

Urban Growth Bounty's new season of classes expands your knowledge about growing abundant fruit and vegetables, raising chickens and bees, improving your soil and yard, and making delicious cheese. The classes are taught by Portland experts and will make 2012 a more sustainable, healthier year for the earth, your family and your budget. Click HERE for a list of classes.


Clackamas County Master Gardeners Events

February 25, 2012 9am to Noon, Free
Garden Discovery Day:  Have Fun with Know, Sow, Grow
Milwaukie Center, 5540 SE Kellogg Creek Drive, Milwaukie, 503-653-8100
This event is for the entire family. Adults will enjoy lectures, workshops, and a gardening clinic. Children will love the hands-on activities. During the event, you may have soil samples tested for pH and, if needed, get advice on how to balance it. Learn more by clicking HERE!



April 9, 2012 7pm, free

Getting the Respect from your Vegetable Garden! Marc Boucher-Colbert, Urban Agriculture Solutions LLC, Garden Specialist at Franciscan Montessori Earth School in Portland, OR

You can have a great year-round veggie garden even with a minimum time investment as long as you garden smart. Cut down on back-breaking labor. Win the battle over difficult soil. Squeeze out as much produce as possible from small spaces. Enjoy fresh food year-round. Come take back ownership of your vegetable garden and tell it what YOU want it to do.

Milwaukie Center, 5540 SE Kellogg Creek Drive, Milwaukie, 503-653-8100

Home Orchard Society Events
Click Here to check out their events page. Be sure to save the date for the Fruit Propagation Fair
Saturday, March 17, 2012, 10am to 4pm, Clackamas County Fairgrounds, Canby, Oregon.

---