Sage in the garden - it survived the winter!

Sage in my garden - it survived the winter!

Source: flickr.com via ACHS on Pinterest

Spring is Springing!

I love this time of year - well I get sick of the rain - but the tips of the bulbs peeking out of the soil give me hope that soon my lovely garden will be back in full force!

My to do list this time of year (late Feb) include:
- Cutting back the last of the old growth - I leave most of mine in place to provide seed heads for over-wintering wildlife
- Weeding - getting a jumpstart on the tenacious spring weeks is worth its weight in gold!
- Plotting world garden domination - what to plant! I always have more seeds than I plan so this year I am following the use what you have approach and growing what I have! Sunflowers, arugula, beets, carrot, chard are all on my list! I'm debating whether to try and resurrect my hay bale raised beds from last year or whether to till them all in and do new beds. They have some fab soil in them as I've been dumping all the old bedding from the chicken coop onto them all winter along with food scraps and have been having the chickens "till" the soil for me! So they may be worth resurrecting!
- Cleaning up the greenhouse - mine is very old and nasty but still somewhat serviceable, and although I plan to turn its skeleton into a chicken coop this year, I'll use it for seed starting first!
- Planting garlic! Yes, if you missed planting it in fall, like me, you can still plant it in early spring and get a decent crop come fall!

What will you be doing this february in your garden?

Watering? in December? In Oregon?

That's right folks! The weather patterns are officially messed up and we are having a winter drought here in Oregon. Standard master gardener advice for December includes the following: “During heavy rains, watch for drainage problems in the yard. Tilling, ditching, and French drains are possible short-term solutions. Consider rain gardens and bioswales as a longer-term solution." [From: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/calendar#december]

but I doubt anyone is having drainage problems this December!

Instead, let's look to advice given for Eastern Oregon, which is what is happening here in Portland and the Willamette Valley: "Central/eastern Oregon: Water your plants every 6 to 8 weeks with a deep soaking to prevent drying out."

Why is watering important? It helps protect plants from winter damage. this is particularly important for new trees and shrubs planted in the fall, which have not had a chance to redevelop their root system and are therefore more likely to suffer from winter damage.

According to OSU: "Winter drought-damaged plants are often so weak they do leaf out, but then may die. Others die from drought stress during the winter months. These plants may appear to have been killed by the cold, but more likely the cause is desiccation." [Snow or lack thereof - effects on landscape plants Accessed at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/snow-or-lack-thereof-effects-landscape-plants]

The master gardener January calendar states: Central/Eastern Oregon: To prevent winter damage from drying, water plants deeply every 6 to 8 weeks, when the temperatures are above freezing."

So don't bury the hose too deeply in the garage - you may need to get outside and water your plants! But don't leave the hoses out overnight and remember to re-winterize your hose bibs afterwards!

Best wishes
Erika

Also review

"Some plants make natural antifreeze to cope with winter’s wrath" at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/847

How to minimize winter cold damage to lawns at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1021

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/botany/heat2.html

My apples have bitter pit!

Ack! I have been so excited about our new apple trees - their second year and quite heavy with fruit - but in the last week or so when I've been harvesting I see they are full of bitter pit.

There is a great image here and info on how to treat it in the Pacific Northwest Disease Handbook from Oregon State University.

Clearly for us the issue has been inconsistent watering and perhaps the early winter freeze that happened in November last year.

I'm considering planting raised beds in my orchard for lettuce and other greens crops who prefer shade in the summer - that way the overhead watering for the trees will also help irrigate the lettuce and other greens.

I am a stingy gardener! Or ... Does Growing Your Own Vegetables Save Money?

As a Master Gardener, I've been getting asked a lot recently whether it makes economic sense to grow your own vegetables.

There are a couple of things to consider: In 99% of cases, its better for the environment to grow your own. These costs are not always internalized (ie you don't pay for them out of pocket) but they are still important to take into consideration in the greater ecological picture.

But back to the cost that you, as a vegetable gardener incur: There is always a spectrum of expense. If one rushes off to the garden center and buys small bottles of bat guano based fertilizer, $35 tomato cages, and $4 plant starts, the economics can get a little out of whack.

If you make your own compost, start from seed, save your own seeds at the end of the season, and trade with others (particularly in a community garden), you can garden for next to nothing. I am proud to be a particularly stingy gardener and am lucky to have a neighbor who gives me berry starts and other friends to swap and share with. I also organized a seed and plant swap last year at the College I work for. Last year I spent about $20 and am still eating tomatoes from my freezer, green tomato chutney, and frozen berries. I love my pot maker that makes seed pots out of newspaper. (Coming soon to www.apothecary-shoppe.com) I got mine as a free demo but they are only $12 and well worth the investment.

I also am surprised how often people grow things that they don't like to eat. If you don't eat it, its a waste of money/time/effort/space to grow it. I also advocate growing things that are expensive to buy (berries for example), particularly those that are best eaten organic (the so called "dirty dozen"), and that are easy to grow (particularly to start with). I actually think growing potatoes can be a good choice - I like to eat potatoes, I only eat organic potatoes, they can be grown in an upright wire cage so they don't take much space, they are easy to grow, and it is extremely satisfying to unearth them so it keeps my daughter inspired! I also love eating zucchini, so I grow them, even though they are cheap to buy. Plus I like to plant a potager style garden, which allows you to grow things close together is messy harmony, and results in more vegetables and fewer weeds (in my experience).

Here is a great resource that may inspire you to keep accurate records for your garden this year: http://www.modernvictorygarden.com/gardeneconomics.htm


Hope that helps! Have fun!
Best wishes
Erika

Read All About Common Horticultural Myths

Want accurate info about all those common horticultural myths from Master Gardeners? Click here for a great resource.

Rubber Mulch not recommended by Master Gardeners

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Here is the latest info on rubber mulch - not environmentally friendly, nor safe, nor long lasting. In fact, it can catch fire, leach toxins into groundwater, and is broken down by various microbes.

Read the full story here