Saturday, August 26, 2017

Easy to grow shrub

Reliable, hardy, and tough, Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) is a great deciduous shrub for your garden. It grows slowly and requires very little pruning, only removal of dead wood. Best grown in well-drained soil of acid pH it requires average irrigation.  In late March, it produces beautiful white bottle brush type flowers signaling the transition from spring to summer.


After flowering, the gray green leaves develop and produce a very pleasant shrub. Fall color is outstanding, as the leaves slowly turn from yellow to orange and ultimately scarlet. Color lasts fairly late into fall.


The branch structure is graceful in winter.  In Corvallis, it will handle full sun as long as it is watered periodically.  In partial shade, it requires less water to thrive. Ultimate height is often only 2 to 3 feet tall and wide; great for smaller gardens.  Click this link for more information from OSU's Landscape Plants Webpage.  Once on that site, click 'Final Picture' and then follow the 'Previous Picture' links to see more photos.  This is a fantastic source of information about plants to grow in the Corvallis area.

Reminder:
Keep watering newly planted trees: 
Tree diameter (inches) × 10 = number of gallons per week. 



CBUF bulb sale at the Fall festival Sept 23 and 24. We have Deer Proof bulbs, Daffodils, Tulips, Alliums, and many others. Money from bulb sales helps fund CBUF beautification projects in the downtown core area of Corvallis.  This is truly a win-win.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

What to do in the Garden in August

Tiger Swallowtail on blue Veronica

Planning
    Optimal time for establishing a new lawn is late August through mid-September.  Consider ecolawn and keeping the lawn to a minimum to reduce maintenance and water use.  Click here to read an article by OSU's Tom Cook for ample information on ecolawns.

 
    Dampwood termites begin flying late this month. Make sure your home is free of wet wood or places where wood and soil are in contact.
Termite

Maintenance and Clean Up
    Make compost of kitchen waste and yard debris. See this article about composting.  Don't use lawn clippings if lawn has been treated with herbicide, including "weed-and-feed" products. Those clippings are best left on the lawn.  Don't compost diseased plants unless you are using the "hot compost" method (120 degrees to 150 degrees Farenheit).


    Fertilize cucumbers, summer squash, and broccoli to maintain production while you continue harvesting.


    Clean and fertilize strawberry beds.


    Use mulch to protect ornamentals and garden plants from hot weather damage. If needed, provide temporary shade, especially for recent plantings.


    Camellias need deep watering to develop flower buds for next spring.


    Prune raspberries, boysenberries, and other caneberries after harvest. Check raspberries for holes made by crown borers, near the soil line, at base of plant. Remove infested wood before adults emerge (approximately mid-August).


    Monitor garden irrigation closely so water is not wasted and crops don't dry out too much.


    Prune out dead fruiting canes in trailing blackberry and train new primocanes prior to end of month


    Prune cherry trees before fall rains begin to allow callusing in dry weather. This will minimize the spread of bacterial canker.





Planting/Propagation
    Plant winter cover crops in vacant space in the vegetable garden


    Plant winter kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnips, parsnips, parsley, spinach, peas (enation-virus-resistan varieties) and Chinese cabbage.



Pest Monitoring and Management
    Remove cankered limbs from fruit and nut trees for control of diseases such as apple anthracnose and bacterial canker of stone fruit. Sterilize tools before each new cut.


    Check apple maggot traps.


    Control yellowjackets and wasps with traps and lures only as necessary. Keep in mind they are beneficial insects and help control pest insects in the home garden.




Weevil

Scale insects

    Check for root weevils in ornamental shrubs and flowers; codling moth and spider mite in apple trees; scale insects in camellias, holly and maples.  Many can be removed by hand or with a blast from a hose. 


    Watch for corn earworm on early corn. 
    For mite control on ornamentals and most vegetables, hose off foliage.  It's best to do this when foliage will dry before nightfall.

  
    Check leafy vegetables for caterpillars. Pick off caterpillars as they appear. Use Bt-k, if necessary.


    Continue monitoring peaches, plums, prunes, figs, fall-bearing raspberries and strawberries, and other plants that produce soft fruits and berries for Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD).  If SWD are present, use an integrated and least toxic approach to manage the pests.  Learn how to monitor for SWD flies and larval infestations in fruit.



Sustainable gardening
The Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices.
Preventive pest management is emphasized over reactive pest control. Identify and monitor problems before acting and opt for the least toxic approach that will remedy the problem. The conservation of biological control agents (predators, parasitoids) should be favored over chemical controls.
Use chemical controls only when necessary and only after thoroughly reading the pesticide label. First consider cultural, then physical and biological controls. Choose the least-toxic options (insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and botanical insecticides).



Friday, August 4, 2017

Edible Garden Tours and Keeping Your Vegetables Cool



Free tours are offered annually by the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition’s Food Action Team in collaboration with Bountiful Backyard.

The tours feature stops at residential and community gardens where the gardeners exhibit their work.  Questions are encouraged. 





Walking Tour #1
Tuesday, August 8, 6-8 pm,
starting at the corner of SE Stone St.
and Alexander Ave. in Corvallis.

Walking Tour #2
Tuesday, August 15 6-8 pm
starting at 1420 SW Jefferson Way in Corvallis
(behind Oregon State University’s
Callahan Hall).

Cycling Tour*
Saturday, August 12, 9 am-12 noon
starting at the corner of Vincent St. and Robb Place in Philomath
*Helmets are required for children under 16 years of age (and advised for everyone else).

See you there!

I have planted vines and orchard trees;
And in the heat of the day,
Climbed up into the healing shadow of the woods.
                                                            -- Wendell Berry    

How to Keep your
Vegetables Cool on Very Hot Days
 
The temperatures this week are very high, even for your sun-loving vegetables like
tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, corn, melons and squash that like weather in the 80s and 90s – not the 100s.  For your cooler weather vegetables the weather will be brutal.  How do you sustain your garden?
 

·      Water as often as your plants need it (put your finger down in the soil until you feel dampness to determine need).
·      Water early in the morning unless young plants need an extra watering at night.
·      Mulch, mulch, mulch with straw, pine needles, leaves and grass clippings. Lay it on thick; your plants will love you for it.