Provide for Pollinators

-    In May, it’s easy to have a garden that is fluttering, crawling, and buzzing with pollinators. So many plants are in bloom, there’s something for everyone. 

Tiger swallowtail on Verbena bonariensis, a non-native plant that can attract native pollinators.

-    Pollinators, especially native insects, also need flowers early and late in the year. Think ahead and plant Asters (Symphyotrichum subspicatum – Douglas aster – is a lovely native) and Goldenrod (Solidago) for a long-blooming autumn pollinator magnet. 

Native bumblebee on Solidago canadensis.

-    For early spring bloom, tuck in lots of Crocuses, and plant early-blooming native shrubs such as Oregon grape (Mahonia–
now Berberis) and Kinnikinnick.

See our blog for more – npkpost.blogspot.com

What else besides flowers?

Pollinators also need water, food for their larvae, and nesting and over-wintering sites. With a little knowledge and forethought, your garden can provide these necessities too.

-     Water:bird bath, pond with shallow areas, dripping faucet.

Lorquin’s Admiral on birdbath.

-     Larval host plants:Native plants that provide food for native butterfly and moth caterpillars. Be prepared for some chewed leaves!

-     Nesting and Over-wintering Sites:Bare undisturbed soil for ground-nesting bees. Un-cut tall grasses. Plants with hollow stems. Nest blocks for mason bees.

See these links for more information:

PolliNation. Podcast on all things pollinator, by Andony Melathopoulos, OSU’s Pollinator Health Extension specialist, and an array of guests.

https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/rmvht-53aa3/PolliNation+%7C+A+Pollinator+Health+Podcast

Join the Pollinator Partnership at https://www.pollinator.org/

Here’s a short list of great pollinator plants for western Oregon gardens:https://expo.oregonlive.com/erry-2018/05/427bc00a688157/25_plants_guaranteed_to_attrac.html

How to make your ideal Summer Vegetable Garden happen

What food do you want to grow in your garden this year?

Tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, eggplant, corn, and melons?  These crops are more difficult to grow here in the Pacific Northwest.  They are native to parts of North and Central America with very warm day and night temperatures and regular summer rainfall.  They are difficult, but not impossible.  Here are some techniques that can help.

Cloches can help speed germination of directly-seeded plants like squash, cucumbers, and melons in May.  Our nighttime temperatures are usually rather cool for these warm-loving plants to get a good start.  Tomato starts can be planted out in May under a cloche also.  Using empty soda bottles, milk jugs, or even cake server tops help keep the garden budget modest for these garden assistants that can be used reused.  Cold frames or even greenhouses act like cloches, but can protect many more plants.

How do you introduce summer transplants into your garden?

Make the transition gradually from the greenhouse where transplants were grown to the garden with  direct sun in the day and cool temperatures at night.  Put the plants out for a couple of hours in the shade on the first day; two hours in a sunnier location on the second; perhaps four hours on the third day, etc., gradually working up to an overnight on the day before you transplant them into the garden.  Avoid the temptation to plant your tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and tomatillos in the garden until the last week of May or the first week of June. And remember to keep them well watered until they have adjusted to their new home. 

Food Action Team – Edible Garden Group

Two New Kiosks!

Many thanks to our latest NPK hosts!  We're so glad you've joined in our garden education adventure!     We're very happy to be a little part of you beautiful, bountiful gardens too!  We really could not imagine more ideal locations or more pleasant hostesses.  Thank you both for your time and help!

This kiosk has landed on Cascade Avenue.

This one is on Crystal Lake Drive in front of CoHo EcoVillage.

Many many thanks to Rich for doing the hard part of the installation!

What to do in the Garden in May

Managing weeds, the easy way   

-Frequent attention to weeds cuts down on the overall time required to control them. 

-Use light cultivation while they are small and actively growing.

-Strong larger plants tend to outcompete weeds, so plant more shrubs and trees.

-3-5” of organic mulch prevents many weeds.

-Wood chips, leaf mulch, grass clippings (with no pesticides), and bark all prevent weeds, but rarely kill established weeds.

-Put down cardboard or several layers of overlapping newspaper where there is a large area of established weeds or grass.  Cover with attractive mulch. 

This patch of grass will be planted in drought tolerant, low maintenance shrubs in the fall when the grass has died.

Did you know?

Strawberries were named thus because they are often mulched with straw.

Maintenance and Clean Up

-Allow foliage of spring-flowering bulbs to brown and die down before removing.





-Apply compost to vegetable and flower beds.  

- Flush drip irrigation systems


 

-When selecting new plants, look for drought and disease resistance.

-If an unfamiliar plant problem occurs, contact the Master Gardener hotlinefor help.

bentonmg@oregonstate.edu541-766-6750

Master Gardener Plant Sale & Clinic

Annual Master Gardener

Plant Sale & Clinic

Saturday May 4^th

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Benton County Fairgrounds,

Southwest corner in the solar barn

110 SW 53^rdStreet, Corvallis

Over 10,000 plants! An extensive selection of herbaceous perennials, native plants, tomatoes and other vegetables, herbs, shrubs, trees, and more!

Master Gardeners will be available to answer your garden questions.