255. Growing Berries and Fruit Trees in the Pacific Northwest: How to Grow Abundant, Organic Fruit in Your Backyard | Tara Austen Weaver | Seattle, WA Part I
Today, I’m excited to introduce my guest from Tara Austen Weaver who’s written a book about growing https://amzn.to/2TPs9uL () https://amzn.to/2TPs9uL (Growing Berries and Fruit Trees in the Pacific Northwest: How to Grow Abundant, Organic Fruit in Your Backyard) I know that you are going to love this because it’s got lots of great tips for anyone living anywhere not just in the Northwest and I’m super excited because last summer I was visiting Nola’s yard last summer because her blueberries were amazing and I am bound and determined to grow some this year! And there’s just so much to learn so welcome to the show! https://mikesgreengarden.com/organic-gardener-podcast/255-growing-berries-and-fruit-trees-in-the-pacific-northwest-how-to-grow-abundant-organic-fruit-in-your-backyard-tara-austen-weaver-seattle-wa/ (To read the full shownotes click here.) Tell us a little about yourself. My mom had a giant organic garden! It wasn’t till I moved to Seattle about 10 years ago that everything fell into place, Seattle has such a giant gardening community! Everyone here it seems even if they just grow beautiful yards edible ones and everyone is out working and tending vegetables I got bitten by the gardening bug quickly used up all of the area didn’t have much of a yard I got a community garden plot started studying permaculture Eventually my mother moved up to Seattle and bought a house on half an acre! Tell us about something that grew well this year. I’m coming off not a fantastic garden year, because I moved this spring! I wasn’t thinking it through thinking I could move and garden and that didn’t really happen! Perennial gardening is growing obsession I have a busy life and in the summer I also like to go hiking. I am really really interested in those things that don’t need as much help and tending as lettuce and peas do those twelve blueberry bushes were fine and asked nothing of me! master recipes I have developed over the years this jam crisp you can make with any fruit the other thing people don’t realize commercial growers grow certain varieties because they stand up to transport that will stand up on the shelf. There are a lot of amazing varieties that don’t get grown commercially because they are just too fragile. My favorite strawberry variety is called Shushkan not grown commercially They really need to be processed within 24 hours They have the most amazing flavor Is there something you would do different next year or want to try/new? well I feel like I actually had a slower gardening season next year so I have a jump on this year and I have my fava beans in already! I had a really good tomato season about 2 years ago growing tomatoes from seed I want to really be on my tomato game next year Once you start doing things from seeds and have access to all these interesting varieties you want more and more sort of like collecting baseball cards and you want all of them! I am interested in doing more of that I have really also gotten into chicories and radiccio and bitter lettuces! I have some that are actually growing on 2-3 year now, like the same plants, I just cut the seed stalk do it sort of as a cut and come crop cut all their leaves as they are growing in the summer and it just resprouts from the root stem! 3 year old chicory I let some develop seed stems and the seeds drop reseeding themselves very attracted by perennial gardening! I love being in the garden but summer’s short in the US and in NW and I have lots of things to do half an acre a lot to look after shortcuts easier permaculture approach if you can have a cycle that replenishes itself is fantastic chicories http://amzn.to/1WHyebf () http://amzn.to/1WHyebf (Year-Round Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live) https://www.instagram.com/nikijabbour/ (I follow her on Instagram )... Support this podcast
