Look forward to Edible Garden Tours beginning in June

Edible Garden Tours – 2018

from Food Action Team - Edible Garden Group

This year’s theme is Watch the Garden Grow: Learn from the Changes. 

Instead of visiting three separate gardens on three different tours, we will be visiting garden plots in the Dunawi Creek Community Garden adjacent to the SAGE garden at Starker Arts Park.  We will see the same set of plots three times throughout the growing season, getting a chance to learn from the gardeners how they enrich the soil, create structures for plant support, select plants, rotate them, and harvest during late spring, summer, and fall. 

Each tour will also feature a “unique” bonus stop.

All tours will take place on Thursdays from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and will begin at the Starker Arts Garden for Education (SAGE) on the following dates:

·               June 28

·               August 9

·               September 20

  

Beauty Grows Here Award Nominations Needed!

Civic Beautification Awards Program

Do you know of a personal yard or business landscape that is deserving of recognition within Corvallis City limits?

 Please help the Civic Beautification and Urban Forestry Advisory Committee (CBUF) with nominations for the annual Beauty Grows Here award.

This program is designed to recognize landscapes and plantings that enhance the livability of the neighborhood and reflect Aesthetics, Function, and Environmental Responsibility.

All you need to do to participate or view the complete criteria is download a nomination form from the https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/bc-cbufdac website or pick one up at the Parks and Recreation Administration Building, 1310 SW Avery Park Dr and fill out the addressyou would like to nominate.  

Please drop off completed nomination forms at the administration building or email them to jude.geist@corvallisoregon.gov

Nominations are due by May 30^thand awards will be given the following month so don’t delay, nominate today!

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.

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

-Wood chips, leaf mulch, grass clippings (with no pesticides), and bark all prevent weeds. Less attractive mulches can be covered with wood chips or bark.

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

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 hotline for help.

bentonmg@oregonstate.edu 541-766-6750

May is for Memorials

Plants naturally stir memories. Scents unlock them—think of your California grandmother’s jasmine… 

Let your garden remind you of  people, events and places:

⫷  Note who gave you a seedling or cutting in your garden record.  Plant your Dad’s favorite flowers.  As you walk around your garden, people will spring to mind among the ferns.

My sister’s morning glories…

⫷  When you move, take some of your favorite plants to recall your old garden.  Ask the former owner of your new place for plants’ stories.  Knowing that this lilac was grown from a cutting from a lilac that came over the Oregon Trail, or that these white flowered Lunaria sprang up after a young daughter’s tragic death surrounds you with memories. 

⫷  Bury your dog’s collar under a plant that reminds you of him.

⫷  On vacation, collect a plant, buy seeds, pick up some driftwood or stones and make a vacation memory vignette back home.  Or buy a plant which you’d first seen on vacation and attach your memories.

⫷  Enjoy plants as private jokes, like the Chaste tree-Vitex- you gave your

daughter on her 13^thbirthday…

⫷  Honor a long married couple with a collection of plants with names of their children & places lived.  Daylilies, Iris, Roses, Hostas etc. have many named cultivars.  A little research will put it together.

⫷  If your mother loves a certain plant, or you share a special memory associated with one, plant it in her honor.   After the 4^thtime Mom had to tell me what that stunning plant was on our plant tour, she said “Why can’t you remember Weigela?” Now I remember her with this one:

from the Evening Garden Club

www.corvalliseveninggardenclub.org

What your trees need now!

Water!

First and foremost any newly planted or struggling trees probably need water. That water should be delivered weekly and in a large volume, rather than daily in a light sprinkle. Deep watering helps trees develop deep drought resistant roots and keeps them out of your lawn. Water trees with at least 10 gallons per inch of tree diameter. The easiest way is to purchase a watering bag from a local nursery. These hold between 15 and 20 gallons.

Mulch!

This is a great time of year to spread mulch, don’t wait until it’s hot and dusty. Get out there now and add a few inches in a circle that extends out to the drip-line of your tree. Mulch should not touch the trunk or surface roots as this can lead to decay. Keep mulch 3-4” deep starting 6” from the tree. Mulch helps reduce weeds, moderates soil temperature, helps keep soil moist and reduces compaction.

Keep an eye out for pests

Early detection can make control of insects and disease much easier. Often people wait until a tree is in crisis mode before calling an arborist. If you see something odd or unusual, such as scorching of leaves, yellowing or drooping of foliage, insect damage, or excessive dead limbs call a professional, early detection can save a tree's life and save you money and frustration.

Homemade watering bucket

If you don’t want to shell out for a watering bag or have a lot of trees to water try making your own watering bucket. Just take a 5-gallon or larger bucket and drill a bunch of 1/8” holes in the bottom. Then just fill the bucket as many times as it takes to provide the amount of water in the formula below.

Watering formula

Tree diameter (inches) × 10 = number of gallons per week. 

Garden Activities for May

~ What to do in the Garden in May ~

Planning

•   Prepare and prime irrigation system for summer. Flush drip irrigation and test sprinkler systems.



•   Use a soil thermometer or planting chart to help you know when to plant vegetables. Wait until the soil is consistently above 70 degrees Farenheit to plant tomatoes, squash, melons, peppers and eggplant. 

•   Place pheromone traps in apple trees to detect presence of codling moth. Plan a control program of sprays, baits, or predators when moths are found.



Maintenance and Clean Up

•   If needed, fertilize rhododendrons and azaleas with acid-type fertilizer. If established and healthy, their nutrient needs should be minimal. Remove spent blossoms.



•   When selecting new roses, choose plants labeled for resistance to diseases. Now is a good time to fertilize.

Planting/Propagation

•   Plant dahlias, gladioli, and tuberous begonias in mid-May.



•   Plant chrysanthemums for fall color.



•   Plant these vegetables:  snap and lima beans, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupes, slicing and pickling cucumbers, dill, eggplant, kale, peppers, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and watermelon.

Pest Monitoring and Management

•   If an unknown plant problem occurs, contact the Master Gardener hotline for identification and future management options.



•   Manage weeds while they are small and actively growing with light cultivation.  Mulch to prevent weeds.  Put down cardboard under mulch where there is a large patch of weeds.


•   Leafrolling worms may affect apples and blueberries. Prune off and destroy affected leaves.



•   Monitor aphids on strawberries and ornamentals. If present, control options include washing off with water, hand removal, or use insecticidal soap. Follow all label directions prior to using insecticides. Promoting natural enemies (predators and parasitoids that eat or kill insects) is a longer-term solution for insect control in gardens.

 See this article for more information.

•   Spittle bugs may appear on ornamental plants as foam on stems. In most cases, they don't require management. If desired, wash off with water or use insecticidal soap as a contact spray. Read and follow label directions when using insecticides, including insecticidal soap.



•   Control cabbage worms in cabbage and cauliflower, 12-spotted cucumber beetles in beans and lettuce, and maggots in radishes. Control can involve hand removal, placing barrier screen over newly planted rows, or spraying or dusting with registered pesticides, labeled for use on the problem plant. Read and follow label directions when using insecticides.

 See this article for more information.

•   Tiny holes in foliage and shiny, black beetles on tomato, beets, radishes, and potato indicate flea beetle attack. Treat with Neem, Bt-s, or use nematodes for larvae. Read and follow label directions when using insecticides.

  See this article for more information.

•   Prevent root maggots when planting cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, collards and kale) by covering with row covers or screens, or by applying appropriate insecticides.

  

•   Monitor rhododendrons, azaleas, primroses and other broadleaf ornamentals for adult root weevils. Look for fresh evidence of feeding (notching at leaf edges). Try sticky trap products on plant trunks to trap adult weevils. Protect against damaging the bark by applying the sticky material on a 4-inch wide band of poly sheeting or burlap wrapped around the trunk. Mark plants now and manage with beneficial nematodes when soil temperatures are above 55 degrees Farenheit. If root weevils are a consistent problem, consider removing plants and choosing resistant varieties (PDF).

  

•   Control slugs with bait or traps and by removing or mowing vegetation near garden plots.


•   Monitor blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and other plants that produce soft fruits and berries for Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD).  Learn how to monitor for SWD flies and larval infestations in fruit.