Bur Buttercup will be coming. Eastern Oregon Gardening March/April 2017 Mine usually show up the first part of April in the driveway. Being an annual it reproduces by those seeds that turn into burs. Get the hoe out and start scraping or you can try Weed-B -Gon. And do this as soon as you see the seedlings. If you live out of town and have sheep, this weed is highly toxic to sheep. OSU Baker County Extension Service Janice Cowan Horticulture Agent 2600 East Street Baker City, OR 97814 Ph. 541.523.6418 Fax 541-523-8225 janice.cowan@oregonstate.edu Use Seed Packets as Miniature Reference Guides Seed packets are in the stores. But before grabbing a handful and heading to the checkout stand, take a few minutes to read the envelope. There s a lot of information on the seed packet, everything from how deep to plant to how long it will take until the plant is ready to harvest. It s a great resource. The following information can be found on seed packets: how far apart to space in rows what time of year to sow description of the variety, i.e. size, flavor, texture days to maturity. This describes the average number of days from planting until it s time to harvest. For seeds sown directly in the ground, that means from seeding to maturity. For those started inside, the days start from the time of transplanting outside. packing date. You want fresh seed so look for 2017 Two terms on seed packets that can be confusing are hybrid or openpollinated. Open-pollinated varieties are true to type year after year. For instance, if you plant Cherokee Purple Tomato, save the seeds and plant them the following year, the new plant will be exactly the same. Many openpollinated vegetables are called heirlooms. Coming true every year continues the lineage. That makes sense for self-pollinating crops like lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, peas and beans. Hybrids, often marked F1, are bred from two different varieties called parents. The offspring contain traits from each parent. These may be bred to be widely adapted to environmental stresses such as heat, cold, disease, drought. Most cabbages, broccoli, tomato, cucumbers, melons and Brussels sprouts are hybrids. Hybrid summer squashes, cucumbers, melons, corn and carrots dominate the garden seed market. Unless you plan to save seed choose hybrid varieties to get the best edible crop possible.
Snow Mold on Turfgrass Management Raking snow mold patches to loosen matted turf will help the turfgrass to recover more quickly. Raking improves sunlight penetration and air circulation at the turfgrass surface. Snow Mold on Turfgrass I hate to bring this up, but besides possibly having lots of tree trouble by voles tearing off the bark at the snow line and vole tunnels in our lawns after the snow melts we could have lots of snow mold this year! Snow molds are fungi that attack turfgrass under snow cover or in cool, wet weather. There are two kinds of snow mold fungi, the symptoms for both look similar. There are no turfgrass species that are completely resistant to these snow mold fungi but some turf are less susceptible than others. The snow provides the fungus with a dark, humid environment suitable for growth. The two common snow molds are pink snow mold and gray snow mold. Both pink and gray can occur together and almost all grass species are susceptible to both of these diseases. The disease can be managed by cultural practices and in most cases the turf will recover. Symptoms The patches will be 2 inches in diameter at first, will change colors from orange-brown to dark reddish-brown and finally light gray or tan. There will be a faint growth of white or light pink mycelium at the edges of the patch. The patches can enlarge to 8 to 12 inches. As the snow recedes, the patches will have a bleached color. Once snowmelt has begun, areas of light yellow, straw-colored turf will appear. As the grass dries, the mycelium will dry out and disappear turning the leaves a gray or silver color. Under optimal conditions, the diseased areas can coalesce causing a large area of turf to be affected. However, only the leaves of infected plants are killed while the crown is not affected. So new leaves will be produced from the crown during the spring. Management Management practices are similar for both pink and gray snow mold: avoid applying nitrogen fertilizes late in the growing season in the fall, the cutting height should be 20% higher than previous cuttings and continue to cut until the top growth stops do not leave the grass uncut at the end of the season avoid extreme thatch buildup removing snow to prevent better drainage and removing the mycelial crust on infected turf by raking will help recovery of the grass lightly applying fertilizer in the spring will promote new growth fungicides can be useful in controlling disease when applied in the fall, but are not as effective as applications in late winter or early spring. Fungicide application times vary between pink and gray molds. If you want the specifics, download the Utah State University Fact Sheet, Snow Mold on Turfgrass. It s very good.
Check out this Publication from OSU Seed Starter Schedule This publication will assist you in knowing when to start your seeds indoors so that they will be ready to plant outside for the start of the growing season. Generally, the end of May beginning of June is the recommended plant out date for frost tender plants (e.g. pepper, tomato) in eastern Oregon. This publication can be found at: www.extension.orego nstate.edu/baker/ horticulture Gardening Tips for March/April Now that the snow is starting to melt we might be able to start our Garden To Do List for 2017. Below are some jobs to get us in the mood for spring/summer: Buy a clean and sterile seed starting mix for starting seeds indoors. Plant seed flats for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, and asparagus. Plant a windowsill container garden of herbs. Maintain your houseplants-wipe the leaves with a damp wet cloth to remove dust and pests. (I just lost my only chive plant to aphids this week!) If your snow level is below the branches of shrubs, you could prune off any broken branches. Speaking of pruning, sharpen, clean with rubbing alcohol, and oil those garden tools. You will be glad that shovel blade is sharp when you start digging in a couple of months. Tune up the lawn mower and other equipment. Check your cane berry plants. Do they need pruning and tying up? Check your grapes too. If you are pruning your apple trees, and it s time to start, and want to graft a particular variety onto another tree, save the prunings (called scion wood) by wrapping them in a damp paper towel, place in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator until it s time to graft which is when the tree is coming out of dormancy. Plan your vegetable garden, i.e. where to plant what this year. You should be rotating your vegetable families around your garden. I saw an article about how to keep track of your rotation each year, instead of writing in a journal and drawing maps (which I will never do), take a picture! Photograph your garden, raised beds, etc. Label what is in each bed and rotate the plants to the next area. When they are mature this summer, take another picture and label the plants. Sounds easy to me! If you have a greenhouse, is it all cleaned up and ready for you to start working inside, etc? Have you cleaned out any pots, hanging pots, for your container plantings? At some point you will need to rake off any mulch covering perennials, bulbs, etc. so the emerging plants won t rot and stay wet. When to plant cool-season crops: (soil temperature must be above 40 F) Some that are not affected by a light frost include: asparagus, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, collard, garlic, horseradish, kale, Kohirabi, leek, onion, pea, radish, rhubarb, shallot, spinach and turnip. Some cool season crops that are affected by frost include: beets, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, Chinese cabbage, endive, lettuce, mustard, parsnip, potato, and Swiss chard. When to plant warm-season crops: (soil temperature should be above 65 F for best results) cantaloupe, cucumber, pumpkin, New Zealand spinach, pepper, sweet potato, squash, sweet corn, lima bean, eggplant, snap bean, watermelon, tomato.
Getting the Yard I Want Registration Form Name: Phone: Cell: Email: Registration Options See class descriptions. You may register for ALL classes or individual. Select classes below. My Edible Landscape Series Designing My Landscape Series Event Date Class Register by Cost Date Class Register by Cost Mar 25 Fruit Tree Pruning Mar 17 $10 Mar 28 What Do I Want? Mar 22 $5 Apr 22 Small Farm Production Apr 14 $10 Apr 4 Landscape Microhabitats Mar 29 $5 May 6 Vegetable Gardening Apr 28 $10 Apr 27 Remodel Your Landscape Apr 19 $5 Register for all three classes by Mar 17 $25 May 9 Lawn, Area Rug of Yard May 3 $5 May 25 How to Shop for My Landscape May 17 $5 Total: Register for all five classes by Mar 22 $20 My Edible Landscape Series All class times 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. All locations Baker County Community Event Center Lunch and drinks provided by OSU Master Gardeners. Total: Designing My Landscape Series All class times 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. See class descriptions for locations. You bring sack lunch/dinner and folding chair. Payment: write one check, payable to OSU Master Gardeners Mail to: OSU Master Gardeners, 2600 East Street, Baker City, OR 97814 Questions: Call or email Janice Cowan at 541-523-6418 or Janice.cowan@oregonstate.edu
My Edible Landscape Getting the Yard I Want Class Descriptions March 25, 9 a.m. 2 p.m. Fruit Tree Care and Pruning: David Cowan, MG Volunteer This class focuses on the concepts and techniques for pruning fruit trees grown in home orchards of Eastern Oregon. It will build confidence in the first-time pruner and still benefit the more experience gardener. There will be three hours of classroom instruction and demonstrations and an hour of practice in a nearby orchard. With a 30 minute lunch and travel time to the orchard expect the class to take five hours. Bring your pruners. April 22, 9 a.m. 2 p.m. Small Farm Production: Ariel Agenbrood, University of Idaho Small Farms Extension Educator Topics for new and beginning small farmers; i.e. what can you do on a small farm, explore options, learn some basics of planning and marketing. May 6, 9 a.m. 2 p.m. Vegetable Gardening: Janice Cowan, OSU Horticulture Extension Agent Learn some methods of vegetable garden design, review importance of rotation by identifying plant families, plant your own veggie container. Bring a 12 inch or less in diameter container. Designing My Landscape March 28, 5:30 7:30 p.m. How Do I Know What I Want?: Mindy Sherrieb, MG Volunteer Explore options on how your landscape will look, define the rooms of your yard, start planning your landscape. April 4, 5:30 7:30 p.m. Landscape Microhabitats: David Cowan, MG Volunteer This class will help you identify, utilize and manipulate the micro-habitats in your landscape. Understanding the very localized habitats, or microhabitats, in your landscape will help you develop a more sustainable landscape. Baker Botanicals, 10th Street, Baker City April 27, 5:30 7:30 p.m. Remodeling My Landscape: Mindy Sherrieb, MG Volunteer Learn to recognize focal points, color combinations, textures, shapes, use of space; define the structure of the rooms of your yard. TBA (register so you know where) May 9, 5:30 7:30 p.m. Lawns, the Area Rugs of My Yard: David Cowan, MG Volunteer Learn techniques to produce a healthy, sustainable lawn as part of your landscape. D&B Supply, 3515 Pocahontas Rd, Baker City May 25, 5:30 7:30 p.m. Shopping for My Landscape: Mindy Sherrieb, MG Volunteer Now that you know what kind of landscape you want, how to manage the microhabitats, how do you find the right plant in a nursery? This class will help you maneuver through a nursery retail facility. Ace Nursery, 39103 Pocahontas Rd, Baker City
Check out these great resources on the Baker County Extension Website. extension.oregonstate.edu/baker Newsletters past issues Baker County Frost Dates Seed Starting Schedule 2017 Landscape Class Schedule Union County Master Gardeners Schedule Links to Growing your Own Gardening Publications Garden News PNW Handbooks insects, weeds, diseases Pruning Xeriscaping Gardening tips Oregon State University Extension Service offers educational programs, activities, and materials without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability, and disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran status as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. OSU Baker County Extension Service Horticulture Newsletter 2600 East Street Baker City, OR 97814 Non-Profit Org. PRESORT STAND- ARD U.S. Postage PAID Permit #13 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED