Get your new Garden Resource Guide

The latest edition of the guide is available at the 12 noon Tuesday Gearing up for Gardening Master Gardener events at the Corvallis-Benton County Library on February 11, 18, and 25;  as well as Town & Country Realty; Garland Nursery; Shonnard’s Nursery and the Benton County Extension Office, Master Gardener desk.  Stop in and get one today.       

                                                                                                                         

Make a Fresh Start

It’s a great time to start planning your spring garden, gathering your seeds, and getting ready to start growing seedlings to put in your early spring garden. 

Using toilet paper roll centers that you’ve collected (quickly!), prepare little individual pots that will go straight into the garden when it’s time to plant and decompose after being planted there.  This is an easy and economical way to get a jump on the season.

         

Remember to start your early greens, chard, kale, and broccoil in a sterile seed-starting soil mix.  Put some kind of light over the tray to give your plants a good warm start in life. 

The Eco Film Festival Still has Two More Films to See

See this link for more details  https://corvallisecofilmfestival.com

Appropriate Tree Selection

Finding an appropriate tree depends on two factors: why and where

Why?

It is important to consider why we are planting a tree before we select what tree we want.  We plant trees for many different reasons, and usually a combination of different reasons! Some reasons are:

●     To provide more shade

●     To give structure to a planting design

●     To act as a windbreak

●     For spring and/or fall color

 There are many good sources that can help with tree selection!

●      OSU Ask an Expert: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ask-expert

●      Selecting, Planting, and Caring for a New Tree: free at https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1438

 

Where?

Where do you want to plant the tree?

●     Close to sidewalk/drive?

●     Close to house?

●     Under power lines?

●     Close to other trees/plants?

●     Far away from any other trees/plants?

For example, if you want a tree that’s under a power line that gives seasonal color...you’ll want either a dwarf flowering tree or a very short maple like many Japanese maples.  Or, if you want a tree that provides a windbreak and is far away from other plants, you may want to consider an evergreen shrub like an Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) or a tree like Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata).  If it will be near hard surfaces, think about fruit or other debris it might drop throughout the year.  

 See this link for help selecting, planting, and caring for a new tree. Note: We no longer recommend Raywood Ash or any other ash tree as the emerald ash borer is likely to be a big problem.

Gearing Up for Gardening Series 2020

Garden Resource Guide and Resiliency Planning

January means Garden Planning

If you’ve ordered seeds by mail, then you probably have many seed catalogs.  Before you dive into them, take some time to walk in your garden now that much of it has died or been cut back.  Make decisions about what vegetables you’ve raised before and what new vegetables or varieties you want to try this year as well as how you will rotate them in your beds this year.

To help you with your garden dreaming, get the latest copy of the Garden Resource Guide “hot off the press” either online or at Gearing up for Gardening lectures Tuesdays at noon in January and February at the library.  Updated for 2020, this guide will provide you with information on where to learn about food gardening, gathering what you need to get going, places where you can garden with others, and what to do with all your garden bounty.

and Resiliency

Food Sustainability is about more than growing your own food.  It’s also about building a neighborhood that can take care of its members in an emergency.

Individuals, families, and neighborhoods will need to prepare and store supplies of food and other necessities of life for themselves and others.

Please check these sites for more information:

Unprepared: An Oregon Field Guide Special, OPB

Food Storage for Emergencies, OSU Ext.

Storing Food for Safety and Quality, OSU Ext.

Essentials of Home Production and Storage,

LDS

Look for new NPKS around town!

This one is on Polk.  We also just installed one on Conifer.

The Joy of Gardening Moves Indoors

December is the month to enjoy your winter garden, a warm cup of tea, and the new seed catalogs that grace your mailbox among the many holiday cards and catalogs.

Also consider starting members of the onion family like chives, leeks, onions, scallions or members of the rose family like alpine strawberries indoors with added light and heat so they will be ready to plant outside in early spring.  Ind

Or maybe you decide to start some slower-growing flowers like geraniums, snapdragons, yarrow, or violas to transplant under a cloche in late March.

Invite Wildlife into your Garden

Provide water not only for birds, but also for predatory insects.  A shallow bowl with rocks in it helps both birds and insects get a sip.  In the winter, check the water every morning and thaw it out with warm water if it freezes.

Provide shelter for wildlife.  Bird houses are lovely, but a rotten log, stump, or snag can be a home for birds and insects, too.  Don’t clean everything out of your garden over the winter; a bit of grass, a pile of rocks can be a home for insects.

Provide habitat.  Plant natives and berry shrubs in your garden along with vege-tables, herbs, and flowers.  This provides a habitat for both birds and insects.  As a bonus, the birds help you out in summer by eating pest insects.