Flowering Trees for Your Yard

-As we come into the Winter planting season now is a great time to think about the benefits of planting a flowering tree to your yard to add color and wildlife.

-While planting any tree in your yard has numerous benefits Including: Carbon Capture, Storm Water Management, Increased Shade/ Reduced Energy Cost and Increased Property Values; Planting a flowering tree also provides food and shelter to pollinators, mostly bees and other beneficial insects but also occasionally birds and even bats. Consider the early flowering native Pacific Dogwood.

-Planting different flowering trees in your yard can provide these benefits and beauty from early spring with trees like Big Leaf Maples, Witch Hazel, Pacific Dogwood, and Oregon Cherries, into late Summer and Fall with American Linden, Southern Magnolia and Crepe Myrtles to highlight a few. The Crepe Myrtle below is late flowering.

Many more resources on protecting pollinators are available including a recent OSU Extension article https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/em9289/html Posting provided by: Corvallis Civic Beautification and Urban Forestry (CBUF)

DIY Compost

What can you compost? ▪ Brown material (carbon): fallen leaves, wood chips, shredded cardboard or paper, straw, or any other plant material that has turned brown and dried ▪ Green material (nitrogen): grass clippings, tea and coffee grounds, vegetable and fruit waste, aged manures The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is important for keeping your compost active and stink-free. If your compost starts smelling or getting sludgy, add more “browns”. In general, you want to add brown material at a greater rate than green material.

How to contain your compost: ▪ Make a DIY bin using old pallets or scrap lumber. ▪ Create a cylindrical pile with chicken wire. ▪ Use old storage bins for composting on a smaller scale, don’t have yard space. ▪ Compost tumblers (check local facebook groups or craigslist before buying new!) ▪ If you have the space, keep a freestanding pile

Managing your compost: ▪ Turn your pile about once a week if it’s in an enclosed bin (or roll your tumbler) ▪ You want to keep your pile moist, but not wet. During the dryer months, you may need to mist your pile occasionally. During the fall, consider covering your pile with a layer of dead leaves.

What NOT to compost Animal products (egg shells are ok) Pet or human waste Invasive or diseased plants Pressure treated wood Glossy cardboard

More composting resources: OSU Extension pages: “Compost in the backyard” “Choosing a composting system” “Composting with worms” Reddit: r/composting, r/vermiculture Do you have a vegetable garden you want to show off? If you want your garden featured in the Food Action Team’s Edible Garden tours, You can find the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.c om/r/7FTPKW9 Food Action Team -- , (https://groups.google.com/g/food-action-team/) food-action-team@googlegroups.com

Your Harvest is in! Now What?

You have enjoyed vegetables and fruits from your garden all summer long. Perhaps you have canned, frozen and/or dehydrated some of your harvest as well. Is it time to sit back and enjoy? Yes, but not entirely! Here’s some garden tasks to take care of in November.

 Mulch around berries for winter protection  Cover rhubarb & asparagus beds with composted manure and straw  Cover garden beds with a 3-4 inch layer of disease-free leaves, or plant a cover crop  Rake and destroy diseased fruit tree leaves and mummified fruit  Plant garlic for harvest next summer  Place a portable cold frame over rows of late or winter vegetables  Drain irrigation systems

Source: Monthly Garden Calendars | OSU Extension Service (oregonstate.edu) Benton County Master Gardeners Membership Meetings: 3rd Monday October to May, 7:00 pm – currently on Zoom