Gardening in August
Gardening in August can be a challenge sometimes. In most areas the weather is warm, the plants are going strong, so it's easy for things to slip away. So much for words of encouragement--Continue to add compost to your soil. Water well, though make sure you have good drainage. It's also time to start thinking about what you are going to plant in the fall---

t-shirt container

Away to use your old t-shirts for planting--

 

http://mimikirchner.com/blog/archives/2008/05/tomato-tutorial-making-containers/

It's not to late to plant
You can still grow some vegi's this year--it's not to late!!!! Most stores/nurseries still have plenty of plant stock left. Some have marked prices down. There are around 90 growing days left, so plant away. So--pick plants that will harvest between 55 days (toms-Early Girls) and Lopes (around 80 days). Plant some extra for the local food bank.

It's planting time no matter where you live in Oregon
Even in the higher elevations, it's time to plant. The frost danger has cleared so it's time to get busy. If you are just now planting your garden--go for the plants that have a harvest time under 90 days. That will give you June , July and August for growing time which will be more then enough time to have a great garden. Remember to plant extra for your local food bank.

Warm spell coming
A little warning in that it is suppose to heat up this weekend. So--if you are buying plants in the next couple of days, take some precautions when planting them. Keep in mind that the new plants you are buying and planting have not seen a lot of sun and temps in the 90's. It is suppose to cool down a little bit next week and that would be a better time to plant. If you do plant this weekend, do not plant in the middle of the day. Plant in the evening, that way the plants have the night to get a little adjusted. With the temps in the 90's, you will have to water daily while the temps are that warm.

Strawberries

 

      There are two types of Strawberries--One's
      that bear fruit within a few weeks period,
      in early summer, and ones that bear fruit
      from spring until the fall or up to when
      it freezes. The latter is called everbearing.

      With everbearing strawberries you can pick
      a few strawberries everyday the whole growing season.
      If you want to do some serious canning, then
      the strawberries that just produce one time
      in early summer are the ones you want to
      try.(larger crop--ready at one time)

      Don't expect a lot of strawberries the first
      year. By the third year, you should be hauling
      in the berries. If you live in a area that
      gets heavy snow and frost, mulch them in
      before winter hits. To keep birds off of
      the berries, try putting some netting over
      them.

Can I plant and what?????

For the lower elevations of Oregon, as the saying goes--"we are not out of the woods yet", as far as a chance of frost goes. The forecast looks good up to Wednesday, after that it may change. So, if you are itching to plant something in your yard or garden, you can plant--any shrubs or trees (do watch if you buying them from a place that has been protecting them as they might be a little fragile). You can protect them a little and get them use to the outdoors, by putting them outside during the day and then moving them inside, or put them up against the house. If you buy them from a place where they have been outside--your plants will be fine. As far as flowers and vegi's go, your can plant any cool season vegi's such as carrots, peas, onions, cabbage, lettuce, artichoke and the like. Flower wise, you can plant--Petunia's, Pansies (in the shade) and any perennials. Try to to add organic matter everytime you plant--Happy Gardening--

In the higher elevations, it is best to wait until the end of May to plant most of your flowers and vegi's. You can plant shrubs and trees now and also can put peas in the ground.

Frost Dates

Frost Dates for Southern Oregon--

Lower Elevations-Average--Middle of April ---Last--End of April

Higher Elevations-End of May

Read More...

Spring is Here
In the lower elevations of Southern Oregon, it's time to plant some cool season plants. In the higher elevations, you've got about a month to go, at least for the warm loving ones. In the lower elevations, it's ok to plant--perennials. Some annuals such as Petunia's--cool loving vegi's like--cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, brussels, seeds  like--carrots, radishes-all bare root and you can plant potatoes, onions, and strawberries. Hold off on the warm loving plants--like--peppers, eggplant,