by Stephanie Ashton
COUNTY – Small Potatoes Gleaning Project, which has operated in Whatcom County for 10 seasons, became a project of the Bellingham Food Bank in 2009. Small Potatoes provides a service to 27 hunger relief agencies around Whatcom County by delivering a much needed resource: fresh produce. Max Morange, Small Potatoes’ Program Coordinator, shares more about the vital organization:

SA: How was Small Potatoes initially formed?
MM: The idea and leadership of the project originated with founding coordinator, Rio Thomas. Rio lives in the heart of farming country in Whatcom County. During the growing season, she saw tons of food from local farms and home orchards being composted or discarded [knowing] that there were volunteers and hungry families throughout the county who would be interested in helping to harvest it for area food banks.
In 2009, Rio decided that it was time to step back from the coordination of the project, and she asked if the Bellingham Food Bank would be interested in taking over its administration. In all those years, the mission and implementation of the project really hadn’t changed, and it runs today much as it did in the first season: over the growing season, [the Bellingham Food Bank] gets calls from farmers and home gardeners who have excess fruit or vegetables they’d like to donate. Gleans are scheduled for almost every day during the growing season, and in 2010, we hope that the project will beat it’s 2009 record of 135,000 pounds of food harvested.

SA:  Can you tell us a little about the places you glean?
MM: Small Potatoes gleans at farms, homes (usually those with fruit trees), and the Bellingham Farmers Market. We work with the farmer, homeowner, and market staff to ensure that hosting gleaners is a positive experience. At the end of the season, we send a receipt stating the number of pounds of food gleaned.

SA:  How have patrons of the food bank responded to the gleaned items?
MM: The response has been terrific. Food bank supplies of fresh produce are often low at the beginning of the harvest season and at its end. Even during peak summer season, when victory garden donations are at their peak, there are still few limits on the amount of fresh produce that can go to good use.  The difference between a canned vegetable item and one that’s been harvested hours before distribution is like that of night and day.  The Food Bank has had very positive feedback about the project. A number of food bank clients have also expressed interest in helping to glean produce, which is a great way for them to get connected to the hunger relief effort in a very productive way.

SA: Does the gleaned food seem to fulfill the demand for fresh produce, or do you find you have shortages?
MM: Client visits to the Bellingham Food Bank have risen by about 40 percent in the last two years alone, and the need for healthy food for distribution is greater than it’s ever been.  Gleaned produce is often some of the freshest and most nutritious that food banks offer clients—in many ways it’s no different from harvesting from one’s own garden. Most appreciated are opportunities to access food in the early and late season, although this if often more feasible from farms which focus on growing things over a longer period of time. The project can always use more opportunities.

SA: Are there gleaned items you find you get the most of? Ones you aren’t able to gather as easily?

MM: 2009 marked a fantastic year for gleaning fruit (plums, apples, pears) as well as corn and potatoes. Zucchini measures pretty high on the list as well. Other, more delicate items, such as blueberries and raspberries are a real treat for food bank clients, although they do have a slightly shorter shelf-life.
For volunteer opportunities, or to donate produce, e-mail glean@bellinghamfoodbank.org.

Summer is finally here. So, here are a few helpful reminders for keeping your plants watered through our dry, sunny summer days.
In Whatcom County, it is typically best to water in the morning as opposed to the evening. In hotter, drier areas like Eastern Washington you are told the opposite, because much of the “morning water” evaporates and is unusable to the plants. Therefore they water in the evening.
Here it’s not near as hot, and watering in the evening leaves water on the foliage which may encourage many of our Pacific Northwest diseases. That being said, watering in the evening after work is better that no water at all.
Slow and thorough waterings are always best. A thorough watering gets water way down in the ground, so the roots grow way down in the ground. A little sprinkling of water for two minutes keeps all the water at the surface. All the roots will then grow at the surface, and you get that dries out a lot faster.
Be sure to keep all your vegetable crops well watered right now.  Under-watered salad greens quickly go to seed (bolt) and yield poorly. It’s especially important to water your tomatoes in the morning; avoid getting water on the tomato leaves to help avoid diseases like late blight.
Under-watered squash, cukes, and pumpkins (especially zucchini) get powdery mildew on their largest leaves first. We generally think that water on the foliage spreads disease; it can. Here, however, lack of water creates a stressed zucchini plant that can’t as easily “fight off” powdery mildew naturally.  (The same is true for columbines, delphiniums, roses, bee balm, honeysuckles, to name a few.)
Now that it’s warmer and your hanging baskets have been growing, they’ve made a lot of roots and will require a lot more water. Combination or mixed hanging baskets dry out very quickly with all those plants in one basket.
Fuchsias and begonias, however, being in the shade, typically require less frequent watering.Begonias especially will suffer if over-watered. If in doubt, stick your finger an inch or two into the soil; if it’s wet, don’t water it.
If you go out of town for the weekend and return to find your hanging baskets wilting (a common phenomenon), don’t panic.  Take them down and soak them in a tub or bucket in the shade for an hour or two; you may have a few yellow leaves to remove.  Also, avoid fertilizing a dry hanging basket; water it well first, and then fertilize the next day.
Definitely continue to water your new plantings whether they are fruit trees, perennials, annuals, lawn, etc.  Even new plantings of drought tolerant plants like lavender, juniper, and barberry need regular waterings to establish a good root system. Again avoid getting water on foliage as much as possible.
Soaker hoses are a great way to water flower beds. Wind the soaker hose through your beds, tomatoes or whatever, and use those weed barrier staples to keep the soaker hose lying flat on the ground.  Just hook up your garden hose to the soaker hose and let it run for an hour or two or however long you might need.  Soaker hoses soak the ground, and no water gets on the foliage.  And you can leave them set up on the ground all year long.
Some plants need way more/less water than others.  As always, know your plant! Remember, try to water in the morning, but watering in the evening is better than no water at all.  And less frequent, slow, thorough waterings are better than frequent quick waterings.  Here’s to keepin’ it watered.
Chuck McClung has a Master’s Degree in Botany and helps others solve their indoor and outdoor gardening dilemmas. He can be reached at orchidfruit@hotmail.com

Chuck McClung is a local botanist and gardening enthusiast who helps others solve their indoor and outdoor gardening dilemmas and may be reached at orchidfruit@hotmail.com.

While spring weather brings with it the inspiration to garden, many of us also feel the concomitant nudge to pursue “other outdoor activities.” It is quite common for this year’s veggie garden to get pushed to the bottom of this year’s list.  Right about now, some start to feel a bit of overwhelm when there seems so much to do in the garden. Don’t fret.  It’s not too late to start a backyard vegetable garden from scratch.
To start, get your soil ready.  If you have never planted in that area before, you’ll have to remove whatever is there (e.g. lawn, weeds, perennials, etc.). Add compost or organic matter and roto-till or hoe it in to amend your existing soil.
Some prefer what is called the “sheet mulch method” where one gardens on top of existing soil, lawn, grass, weeds, etc. Sheet mulching can save you a lot of work, but do a little research first! I’ve seen many sheet mulched gardens go back to weeds within a few weeks when done improperly.
Any of the cole crops like broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, and collards must be planted right away. The warmer it gets and the longer you wait to plant these, your yield goes down and they’ll more likely get covered in aphids.
Root crops like carrots, rutabaga, radish, turnip, and beets can and should be directly sown into the ground now.  Beets are an exception that can be transplanted from started plants and still grow a “beet” despite the root disturbance during transplanting.
Also plant as soon as possible lettuce, spinach, chard, and other “greens” like bok choy, napa, and arugula. Be sure to water after planting. “Greens” typically “bolt” or go to seed when temperatures increase during summer or when you don’t water.  When buying starts of salad greens, smaller is better. The longer the starts are in the packs or pots, the more likely they’ll try to go to seed if they’re not kept cool or have missed a watering or two.
Potatoes and asparagus should have been planted by now, but it’s still not too late. Plant only certified seed potatoes, not those sold in a grocery store.
Onions, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives, and garlic chives can all be planted now too.  Any of the cold hardy herbs like parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, lavender, fennel, oregano, and winter savory can also be planted now. Again, remember to water.
We say the guaranteed last frost date for Whatcom County is May 15, but some in the foothills may receive frosts for a while. Despite frost, all of the above crops can and should be planted now.Depending on where you live, you may choose to wait a bit longer for the following crops.
The last crops to plant in your veggie garden each year would be tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, melons, beans, corn, and especially basil. You can easily wait to plant any of these until the beginning of June. However, if you choose to plant now to get a jump start on the season (a good idea! – especially for tomatoes!), be sure to protect these “tender” plants on cold nights with frost blanket, cloches, or 5 gallon buckets. Anything that will insulate the plants from the night time drop in temperature will work.

Chuck McClung is a local botanist, and gardening instructor.  He helps others solve their indoor and outdoor gardening dilemmas and can be contacted at orchidfruit@hotmail.com.

Every year many new varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, and annuals are revealed to the gardening world. To me, some of the most amazing annuals are those grown for hanging baskets. They have to withstand wind, occasional missed waterings, and of course, bloom all season. So here are my favorite new varieties of hanging basket annuals.
Probably the coolest new annual I’ve seen this year is the Petunia ‘Pretty Much Picasso’. A robust trailer, this petunia had large bright magenta colored flowers with amazing lime green edges. This is a very striking flower because of its unusual color combination.
Another new trailer is Scaevola ‘Diamond.’  The fan flower, so named because the petal lie flat in a fan, typically has purplish flowers. But this new variety ‘Diamond’ has white flowers edged in purple – another striking color combination.
Lobularia ‘Snow Princess’ might look like just your usual alyssum. Lobularia is the genus for alyssum, but this particular fragrant, white alyssum is grown from a cutting, which means it costs more, but does it perform. You’ll see trailing white stems to two feet long (!) covered in larger than usual honey-scented white flowers. Great in combination white dark, large flowers like purple trailing petunias or the above variety.
For shade, two new(er) varieties of Fuchsia have really caught my eye this year. Fuchsia ‘Autumnale’ (which has been around for a couple of years, but is just now really taking off in popularity) trails with full well branched stems, colorful bronzy-apricot tinted lime green leaves, with purple and red flowers.
During a recent visit to a wholesale nursery, I immediately was struck by the intense lime green foliage of Fuchsia ‘Golden Gypsy’. Another vigorous, branching trailer, the foliage seemed to glow from across the greenhouse. This one again has purple and red flowers.
Also for shade, have you heard of trailing Impatiens? Perhaps semi-trailing would be more appropriate. The ‘Spellbound Series’ spill over the edge of planters and produce masses of flowers all season long with a characteristic white star in the center. ‘Butterfly’ Impatiens might also best be called spillers or semi-trailing. These vigorous growers have unique, delicate flowers resembling little butterflies. Very cute.
Torenia, or the wishbone flower is so named because the stamens join at their tips in the center of the flowers to create a ”wishbone”. When the wishbone breaks the flower fades and should be pinched for continued blooming and a more branched, full growth habit. Cutting grown varieties are great trailers for shade containers. A new Torenia, ‘Catalina Gilded Grape’, has unusually colored, bright purple and yellow bicolor flowers. Another, Torenia ‘Golden Moon’ has vivid yellow and burgundy flowers. For both the yellow playing of the darker tone really brightens a shade planting.
I like to use climbing annuals in hanging baskets to climb the hanging basket support.  Remember the Black Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia), the annual climber with orange or white flowers and a dark brown center?  Well there’s a new one called Thunbergia ‘Blushing Susie’ that has apricot colored flowers! Another climbing annual I think you’ll see more of is Asarina or chickabiddy, and its relative Lophospermum. Both are quickly twining climbers with large red, pink or purple tubular snapdragon-like flowers.
If you decide to give one these a try in your containers or hanging baskets, start looking in nurseries now. New varieties are often limited in supply for the first couple of years after their introduction until the growers are confident that the public will like it. As a result, nurseries often run out of these new varieties of annuals early in the season. Have fun!
Chuck McClung, is a local botanist, and gardening instructor.  He helps others solve their indoor and outdoor gardening dilemmas, through his business, Fantastic Gardens.  He may be contacted at orchidfruit@hotmail.com.