Corvallis Evening Garden Club Presents their April Speakers

Evening Garden Club will be at the Corvallis Spring Garden Festival

The 32nd Annual Corvallis Spring Garden Festival is coming up – and this year the Evening Garden Club will have a fundraising booth, selling live plants and bulbs as well as a “Garden Boutique” of gently used garden-related items such as tools, containers, garden art and garden books.
And it's in time for  –  Mother’s Day!
Sunday, May 5, 2019 • 10 am – 4 pmArts Center Plaza / Central Park
7th Street & Madison Avenue

Please come shop to support the Evening Garden Club
Better yet-- take this opportunity to do some spring cleaning and donate your garden rummage to the sale -- clean, attractive items only – no junk!  All “Garden Boutique” items can be dropped off at Ruby Moon’s house, 608 SW 7th St., Corvallis, on April 27th and 28th from 1 to 3 pm. Please enter through the alleyway between 7th and 8th streets, south, off Western-- look for the EGC sign.  Questions? Svetlana Dascaliuc, Garden Boutique Coordinator 541-250-6207

Spring Tips from the Evening Garden Club

IT’S PLANT SALE SEASON! Local Nurseries and the Benton County Master Gardeners will have hundreds of tempting plants – but DON’T buy BIG, thinking you’ll have a better plant faster. Perennials plant best at 3-5 INCHES tall and small trees soon catch up to bigger ones.


It’s planting time for natives and most other perennials– before summer temperatures arrive and while it’s easy to work the soil. Try not to tread on wet beds – avoid compacting the soil.

Get close to your plants – plop right down on the lawn or pathway and enjoy the wonder of emerging leaves and blossoms. It’s the best way to stay ahead of pests and diseases—you’ll notice more--but also another way to pause and really enjoy your garden.


Fertilize your lawn using a slow-release fertilizer with a 3-1-2 ratio four times a year. Remember when to do it in the PNW with these holidays:  EASTER, MEMORIAL DAY, LABOR DAY AND HALLOWEEN

From the Corvallis Evening Garden Club – Meetings: 1st Monday Oct-May, 7 p.m., Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 2650 NW Highland Dr. Corvallis. Tours, Holiday Greens Party, Socials.  

More at www.EGCCORVALLIS.ORG

CBUF will be at the Spring Festival on May 5th

INTERESTED IN CIVIC BEAUTIFICATION AND URBAN FORESTRY?

CBUF, the Civic Beautification and Urban Forestry Advisory Committee to the Corvallis Parks & Recreation Department, will have a table at the Spring Garden Festival, to be held on Sunday, May 5 at the Arts Center Plaza in Central Park.

CBUF and the Parks & Recreation Department help the community in many ways. Here are some of them:

·     Heritage Tree Program

·     Riverfront Park & downtown planter bed improvements

·     Central Park Plantings

·     Arbor Week & Tree City USA

·     Beauty Grows Here awards

·     NPK posting kiosks

·     Public education

CBUF Beauty Grows Here Awards

Do you have a beautiful yard in your neighborhood?  Help CBUF recognize our neighbors for their outstanding landscaping.  Nomination forms can be picked up at the Parks and Recreation Office in Avery Park.

Award forms can also be found at www.corvallisoregon.gov/bc-cbufdac

Seed Sources

Looking for Seeds to Plant?

Here’s Where to Find Seeds Locally

Adaptive Seeds, Sweet Home

Heirlooms and “rare, diverse, and resilient” seeds from around the world adapted for the Pacific Northwest.  www.adaptiveseeds.com  541-367-1105

Decker Rd. Seeds, Philomath

Vegetable, herb, wildflower, and cover crop seed.  

www.deckerrdseeds.com   503-250-2506

Fertile Valley Seeds, Corvallis

Varieties developed by Carol Deppe as described in her book The Resilient Gardener.  E-mail for seed list.  www.caroldeppe.com

First Alternative Co-op, South Store

Seeds from Territorial, Adaptive Seeds, Peace Seeds, Peace Seedlings, and other companies. 541-753-3115

HOUR Seed and Plant Swap

Held annually in the spring. hourexchange.org  541-224-7752 

Peace Seeds, Corvallis

Public domain plant breeders of many vegetables, flowers and Native American plants.  peaceseedslive.blogspot.com

Peace Seedlings, Corvallis

Public domain plant breeders specializing in Andean root crops and local varieties of flowers and vegetables.  peaceseedlingsseeds.blogspot.com

Territorial Seed Company, Cottage Grove

Large selection of seeds, seedlings, and supplies. Print catalog has detailed growing information for each crop.  www.territorialseed.com 800-626-0866

Wild Garden Seed, Philomath

(Frank Morton) Certified organic open-pollinated varieties adapted for the 541-929-4068 Pacific Northwest. www.wildgardenseed.com  541-929-4068

From the Food Action Team - Edible Garden Group (FAT EGG)

What to do in the Garden in April

Primrose Primula vulgaris

 Planning                                         

 - Prepare raised beds for vegetables if drainage is a problem.  Soil can just be dug from paths into the beds to raise them, but a structure helps to keep it tidy.  Often, raised beds aren’t necessary.    
-Vegetables that can be planted outside now include broccoli, Brussel’s sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chives, endive, leeks, lettuce, peas, radishes, rhubarb, rutabaga, spinach, and turnips.  Click here for planting dates.

- Now is a great time to start pepper, eggplant, and tomato seeds indoors for planting out later.





Maintenance and Clean Up

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



-Apply compost to berries and perennial vegetables.  Mulch to prevent weeds and moisture loss.

 

-Continue dividing herbaceous perennials until soil dries out if you want to spread or share them.  

Fertilizing sustainably
-Avoid chemical fertilizers.

-Make your own compost from yard debris and kitchen waste.

-Mulch with leaves, clippings, wood chips, or straw.

-Don’t fertilize when heavy rain is likely. Fertilizer can wash into streams or ground water where it becomes pollution.

-Many gardens are over fertilized.  A soil test shows which nutrients and amendments would be most helpful.  https://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/cal/testing-your-soil

Red Flowering Currant Ribes Sanguineum

Slugs                 

Use traps or safer iron phosphate baits for slug control near susceptible plants.  https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/less-toxic-iron-phosphate-slug-bait-proves-effective

From Benton County Master Gardeners -

Membership meetings:  3rd Monday of October to May 7:00pm Benton County Extension office.

Plant sale:  May 4 9:00-3:00 at the Benton County Fairgrounds

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

CBUF will be at the Spring Festival on May 6th

INTERESTED IN
CIVIC BEAUTIFICATION
AND URBAN FORESTRY?

CBUF, the Civic Beautification and Urban Forestry Advisory Committee to the Corvallis Parks & Recreation Department, will have a table at the Spring Garden Festival, to be held on Sunday, May 6 at the Arts Center Plaza in Central Park.

CBUF and the Parks & Recreation Department help the community in many ways. Here are some of them:

·     Heritage Tree Program

·     Riverfront Park & downtown planter bed improvements

·     Central Park Plantings

·     Arbor Week & Tree City USA

·     Beauty Grows Here awards

·     Fall Bulb Sale

·     NPK posting kiosks

·     Public education

Stop by and say hello to CBUFon May 6 from 9 to 4. Learn about the Corvallis urban forest, park improvements, downtown beautification, and more. We’ll be happy to see you and to be    of help! 

What to do in the Garden in April

 Planning                                          

- Prepare raised beds for vegetables if drainage is a problem.  Soil can just be dug from paths into the beds to raise them, but a structure helps to keep it there.                                              

 -Vegetables that can be planted outside now include broccoli, Brussel’s sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chives, endive, leeks, lettuce, peas, radishes, rhubarb, rutabaga, spinach, and turnips.





Maintenance and Clean Up

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



-Apply compost to berries and perennial vegetables.  Mulch to prevent weeds and moisture loss.

 

-Continue dividing herbaceous perennials until soil dries out if you want to spread or share them.  

Fertilizing sustainably

-Make your own compost from yard debris and kitchen waste.

-Mulch with leaves, clippings, or wood chips.

-Use organic fertilizer or compost. 

-Don’t fertilize when heavy rain is likely. That can wash fertilizer into streams where it becomes pollution.

-A soil test shows which nutrients and amendments would be most helpful.  Click here for an extension article that includes lots of information on soil testing.

Slugs                 

Use traps or safer iron phosphate baits for slug control near susceptible plants.  See blog for details.

The Evening Garden Club's Sale is Coming This Saturday!

Click here for more details on the Evening Garden Club (EGC) website

What to do in the Garden in April

Planning

·      Prepare garden soil for spring planting. Add generous amounts of organic materials and other amendments, ideally using the results of a soil analysis as a guide.  Compost can be especially helpful if it is free from weed seed and left on the surface.For more about soil testing, click here.  Also, the Master Gardener help desk can test your pH.

·      Prepare raised beds in areas where cold soils and poor drainage are a continuing problem. Add organic matter if possible.  A wooden or other structure is not necessary, but it prevents soil from slumping out of bed over time.
 For more about raised beds, click here.

 Maintenance and Clean Up

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



·      Apply compost or fertilizer to cane, bush, and trailing berries.  Mulch to prevent weeds and moisture loss.

  

·      Place compost or decomposed manure around perennial vegetables, such as asparagus and rhubarb.
 Mulch to prevent weeds and moisture loss.

  

·      Optimum time to fertilize lawns, as long as heavy rains aren’t expected. Apply no more than 1 pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn. It's safest and kindest to our environment to use organic fertilizer.  Reduce risks of run-off into local waterways by not fertilizing just prior to rain, not over-irrigating, and keeping fertilizer away from drainage or very wet areas.

·      Optimum time of year to dethatch and renovate lawns.  Moss is not a problem for most.  It is green most of the year and never requires mowing or attention.   If you really don't care for it anyway, consider shade tolerant plantings instead or if there is adequate sunlight, add lime and rake soil surface prior to seeding with perennial ryegrass.

·      Prune and shape or thin spring-blooming shrubs and trees after blossoms fade.



 Planting/Propagation 

·      It's a great time to start a vegetable garden. Among the vegetables you can plant now - broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chives, endive, leeks, lettuce, peas, radishes, rhubarb, rutabaga, spinach, and turnips. 

    · See this very helpful publication on growing vegetables. Growing Your Own Guide

Pest Monitoring and Management

·      Use traps or pet safe baits for slug control near susceptible plants.  Read and follow all label directions prior to using any chemical control.

  Did you know that invasive slugs brought from Europe are the ones that damage our plants?  Did you know that some slugs and snails are good for your garden because they are predators of the damaging ones??   For more about slugs, click here.

·      Monitor strawberries and other plants for spittlebugs and aphids; if present, wash off with water.  

Spittlebug

Aphids can be green, yellow, gray, brown, reddish, 

·    

·      Cut or pull weeds near the garden to remove potential sources of plant disease.  These are good to compost if they haven't gone to seed.  Turn pile if they begin to grow.

  

·      Use floating row covers to keep insects such as beet leaf miners, cabbage maggot adult flies, and carrot rust flies away from susceptible crops.

  For more on row covers, see this link.

·      Help prevent damping off of seedlings by providing adequate air flow.