Master Gardener Bob Cain kicks off the 2019 Green Thumb Garden Tips education series at noon on Thursday, Jan. 24, in the county commissioner’s meeting room of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E Fourth St., Port Angeles.
Cain will discuss the application, timing, dosages and limitations of dormant and summer oils to control fungi, bacteria and insect pests and eggs in home orchards.
He will also talk about recent research from Washington State University relating to the use of botanically-derived oils, including recommendations on specific brands and application to pest and disease control. This will include the use of natural insecticides and organic fungicidal oils.
A Master Gardener since 2009, Cain has 40 years of experience growing vegetables in Scotland, Ireland, Colorado and Washington state. He writes a monthly article on plant disease for the Clallam County Master Gardener Newsletter and is a frequent contributor to local newspaper gardening columns. He is the 2009 Master Gardener Intern of the Year and 2011 Master Gardener of the Year.
Cain served as the Garden Manager of the Woodcock Demonstration Garden for five years and is a past president and board member of the Master Gardener Foundation of Clallam County.
The “Green Thumb Garden Tips” education series, sponsored by the WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners on the second and fourth Thursday of every month in Port Angeles, consists of educational programs designed to help home gardeners establish or improve their gardening practices. Speakers are local and regional individuals with expertise and experience in sustainable horticultural practices.
Attendees may bring a lunch. The presentations are free and open to the public.
The other presentations that will be offered this year include:
• Feb. 14, “Seed Starting”
• Feb. 28, “Gardening for Newcomers to the Area”
• March 14, “Growing Culinary Herbs”
• March 28, “Things You Never Knew About Slugs”
• April 11, “Bamboo and Other Ornamental Grasses”
• April 25, “Integrated Pest Management”
• May 9 “Rain Gardens”
• May 23, “Composting”
• June 13, “Weed Show and Tell”
• June 27, “Growing Rhubarb”
• July 11, “Hardy Succulents”
• July 25, “Water Features for the Garden”
• Aug. 8, “Permaculture”
• Aug. 22, “Storing the Harvest”
• Sept. 12, “Cover Crops”
• Sept. 26, “Seed Saving and Exchange”
• Oct. 10, “Table Grapes”
• Oct. 24: “Greens: Tame and Wild”
• Nov. 14, “Beat the Winter Blues with Houseplants”
• Dec. 12, “Art in the Garden”
For more information, call 360-565-2679.
