Tomiko and Jim invited Kazumi Heshiki to visit thegarden and discuss ways to introduce some Kanjicarvings to the posts or other structures of theAzumaya. The decision was made to add Kanjiengraved into the stones in the front of thestructure. They decided on a stone to the right sideof the entrance to the Azumaya. Kazumi provided
a poem to be engraved in that stone. Jim took
the stone to an engraver to add the poem. It will
be available the first of June. This poem iscelebrating the REBIRTH of the Garden. Theplacement may be a bit of a surprise for visitors as
it is unusual and a great find.

Passing time–
all its light and shadowson this isle of Tsuru

歳月や光も影もつるの島

ISSUE 16:APRIL / MAY|2017Oh! those Kaz Kids; never a dull moment when
they are around. On Friday the 19th of May, we
had the pleasure of the GHS work force at thepark. Photos taken by Bill Peterson captured someof the day’s highlights.
5 of these students will graduate this year. Thereis an obvious level of excitement for thesestudents. Another 5 students will join the Kaz Kidsas freshman in the fall.
The garden sponsored the Kaz Kids for 4 workdays in the park this past year. Also a craft day tomake bird houses in the Resource Center. Thestudents will continue this project with a goodpaint fest to take place in June before school ends
this year.
Congratulations to the seniors.

Azumaya Upgrade
We are in the process of replacing the back lattice thatwas vandalized last fall. The moon window will stay as itis. This undertaking is being done by Kent Thompsonand John Fosheim who have taken the pre-cut Douglas fir
from the old bridge wood. They are lap jointing all of theintersections to complete the two sides.

ISSUE 16:APRIL / MAY|2017

Getting a Better Lawn...
Are you wondering why your lawn is not in better
condition. It has to do with consistency. Doingthe right thing at the right time and every time isthe key.
Starting with types of seed. Just like computer
technology, seed changes with new advancements
and industry needs. Seed in the immediate area ishighly influenced by Oregon State University andthe growers in the Willamette Valley. In thenorthwest, the primary type of seed is perennialrye and some fescue with most of the premium
products are a blend of seeds of the same variety.
This is because certain seeds may be effected in anegative way and if one grass does not survive therest will.
BEFORE planting grass seed let the weeds grow.
After a week to ten days spray the weeds with anon-selective herbicide that will kill off the weed
(before they produce new seeds). Do this at least
two times. Now that most of the weed seed has
germinated and are gone, the new grass seed cango down without the invasion of all of those weeds.
The soil preparation is important. Tilling, raking,rolling, amendments, fertilizer and dressing are thecomponents. Compost, lime, gypsum, sand and soon are the first elements. If the type of soil in thearea has a top soil blend then the compost may not
be necessary. If the area is clay, less compost may
be in order because it will retain moisture.
Seed approach is pretty basic; good seed, goodprep, rake some grooves, apply the seed, and add

ISSUE 16:APRIL / MAY|2017

a cover product to hold the surface/seed. Rollingand raking several times before applying theseed will level the areas.
The seed needs
moisture and proper temperature to germinate.
Water 2-4 times a day to keep the surface moist.
As the grass plants mature and roots get set
deeper and deeper into the soil, the less water
the plants will need.
Hydro-seed is less labor intensive and forgiving.
The tank contains the seed, water, lime, fertilizer
and cover product with a green/blue tint. The
solution is pumped through a hose to apply themix. The same water application applies here
Sod is the easiest of all lawn preparations. Oncethe sod is down the weed seed will notgerminate.
Sod may have a netting in it that helps with theharvesting and handling of the cut product. Anadded benefit is that the netting may block thepath of moles that wish to surface in your lawn.
A netting may be added under the seed bed or
the sod as an ounce of prevention, no moles, noworries. Sod already has the root system andthe soil for the grass plants to survive, however
you will still need to add water because the sodcut acts like a sponge soaking up the water.
When do I do all of this...
Seed and Hydro-seed need to be planted after
the last frost, late April/May to the middle ofOctober in the Pacific Northwest. Sod can be laidanytime the sod grower will cut it.
This article is a repeat from Issue 4 Marchprocess. If a pile is tended to properly, all weed
seeds and noxious weed material will becomesterile as the result of the heat, 131 degrees
Fahrenheit for 3 days or 72 hours minimum, withturning the material during this time.

Composting has been around for a hundreds ofyears.
My grandparents used to bury thehousehold debris somewhere on the property
and the compostable debris was tossed into thegarden. My grandmother said that the coffee
grounds fed the snakes so I sat on the porch
waiting to see the snakes come around for thosegrounds. I’m glad I didn’t hold my breath.
Lots of things have changed since then. Life isbusy and instead of using disposal such as Metroand the City suggests, many people do notseparate disposable items so they can becomposted, recycled or reused reducing theamount that goes into the landfill.
One thing that I have noticed over the years isthat our home compost and recycling habits haveaffected the amount of debris that is picked up
by our garbage services. If you look at
information for a home composting program,
you will see several items that cannot becomposted.
A few years ago I was very interested in thecomposting of yard debris material and studied
those processes at Washington State University.
Many types of waste items can go through thecomposting process, such as the fish parts,
coffee grounds, yard debris. I have been on thetop of an 8 foot pile of fish parts that have been
going through the composting process for atleast a day and never smelled a thing. The key
to the process is heat and air flow. One of themain tools needed is a thermometer that will test
over 100 degrees. The air flow is produced byturning the material at certain points in theISSUE 16:

APRIL / MAY|2017

Not all bulk compost that one can buy at a lawn
and garden supply is the same. There may bechemicals that come from fertilizers, pesticides,
or sprays for diseases, pest control and road oils.
Buying a compost product in a bag will givesome evidence that the product has been cured
and is certified, allowing the consumer to knowthat the process was correct.
One of the worst chemicals, Clopyralid, hasbeen banned for a couple of decades now. It
was used on lawns in the 1990's. Thischemical would not go away. It was in thecommercial compost and brought to customers
for lawns and gardens. It was put on crops andvegetable gardens and plants started dying.
One can test the compost produced at home ortest the commercial product you wish topurchase. Place the compost in a plastic bag for
24 hours. Open the bag. If the compost smells,
it is probably not finished. You can even go
further if you are curious to find out what thecarbon/nitrogen balance is and the pH of theproduct as well as the soil you are amending.
You can purchase a test kit or have a sample
evaluated at a laboratory.
This article is the opinion of the writer. The
reader may do the research for themselves
about the products they wish to use.

By now most readers know about the "Main City
Saturday" program that brings larger groups to the parkon any given Saturday during the year. Each month since
the program started there have been groups coming to thepark to help with the maintenance.

Replacing the Giboshi

A 240lb piece of Purple
Heart lumber 12x 8x 20ft.
beam, stored at Moxon
Hardwood for over 10yrs

Until recently the concentration has been along the "spurtrail" between the Springwater Trail and Powell Blvd.
Because of the success of the program and the continued
support of the KAZ KIDS, detailed work on that area isbeing completed and expanding to other sections of thepark.
Recently one of the longtime volunteer groups, Portland
Adventist School, wanted to volunteer on a Wednesday
rather than Saturday. 30 students and staff concentrated
on an overall cleanup; including the Garden, the storageyard, the trail area, the Resource Center and the parking
lot area north of the baseball field. A truck load of debris
later we have quite the improvements.

5 sections that weighed
about 48lbs. were cut

The MCS program is booked up through September of
2017. if you have a group in mind that might like toparticipate in the program contact:
greshamjapanesegarden@gmail.com
Mike Ash turnedthe pieces on his
sizeable lathe

Jim Buck finishedthe wood by handsanding with 100
grit sandpaper up to1000 grit.

The finishedproduct wastreated withseveral coats of aclear coating of"Man of War"
varnish.

ISSUE 16:APRIL / MAY|2017