In the 37 years I've lived in Oregon, I've learned that the people here are probably the nicest people I'll ever meet - polite to strangers, patient with the less advantaged, caring for each other no matter what our personal belief system might be. So it makes sense that the Central Oregon gardeners are so generous with what they do best: vegetables!
My 2015 vegetable garden is still in its early stages (except for the leaf lettuce which is threatening to bolt in the heat) - the corn is just starting to show up, the carrots are hesitating and the tomatoes have just a few sweet little blossoms. But something I can do quite easily now is plant a few extras for the Oregon Food Bank and help my fellow Central Oregonians this summer..
COMGA
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Noxious Weeds
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| Dalmatian Toadflax |
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| Orange Hawkweed |
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| Spotted Knapweed |
Like that really pretty girl in high school who was so mean & nasty no one would sit with her at lunch, it takes some bad experiences to realize these plants are NOT our friends.
I've got some significant weeds at my house: Nightshade, Cheat Grass, even some Western Water Hemlock (it can kill a horse if one eats it!) and I know how to get rid of them before they bloom and set their seeds. We all recognize the thistles and bindweed when the plants are still small enough to dig out, but what happens when we think we've got a snapdragon (the toadflax) or an aster (the hawkweed)? It takes over, choking out the plants we've carefully nourished and watered.
More than being invasive in the home garden, when we (or our non-gardening neighbors) don't remove them, these noxious weeds take over the farmer's fields, choking out his/her crops! They crowd out the native habitat which the native animals use to survive. It's not just an annoyance for fussy homeowners who like their prized ornamental plants, it's a problem that could affect us all.
Today is the Bend Weed Pull, organized by the Let's Pull Together folks. Check out their website below and head downtown - they've got prizes for participants!
If you're not sure what weeds are taking over our lovely state, click on the links below for more information and pictures. Let's get these nasty weeds out of here!
http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=State&statefips=41
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/sites/default/files/Horticulture/documents/Knapweed2003.pdf http://pnwhandbooks.org/weed/
http://letspulltogether.com/
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Playing in the Mud?
Mud puddles, mud pies, mud wrestling. Digging for gold, digging to China, digging for pirate's treasure. Down and Dirty, dishing the dirt, dirt baths. Isn't it amazing how often English speakers mention the soil beneath our feet?
But what does the average person know about their own dirt? Oh, you may realize that you're fighting clay soil (it's hard to miss when the hot summer sun turns the garden into a huge rock-hard paving tile). Or you may have shoveled into so many rocks, your shoulders ache every summer evening. But what makes GOOD soil and what can you do to make your garden the envy of the neighborhood?
You may have figured out that something's wrong if you've been watering at the recommended amount (1-1/2" per week in the growing season and deep soaking about every six weeks in the dormant season) but your plants are yellowing, wilting and have damage without any obvious cause. The horticulture experts agree that you probably have poor soil in your garden. The good news is, it's relatively simple to fix!
Did you like playing in the mud when you were little? Squishing it, dripping it, even throwing it - the perfect mix of dirt and water made it so satisfying. The same is true for our plants: the correct balance between air, water and soil will support the plants and deliver the nutrients they need.
Good soil, simply put, looks like a household sponge, letting water deep into the 'pores' and slowing it from passing through before the plants can use it.
Poor soils are either so hard that the water runs off before soaking in, or are so loose (sandy or have debris in them) that water flows too quickly through the soil. Here in Central Oregon, we generally have sandy soil with a balanced Ph (not too acidic, not too alkaline) but too loose for nutrients to stick around for long.
Living in a rural environment, we're lucky to have farms and ranches. The urban gardener may think of garden amendments as products in big plastic bags at the store but we country folks usually can get our hands on a big ol' pickup truck and haul some (horse, cow, llama, chicken) manure from a friendly neighbor who has more than he/she can use. A couple loads mixed into any soil every few years will make your plants happier than anything else you can do. And building a compost pile of grass cuttings, fallen leaves, deadheaded flowers and seedless weeds will create a perfect soil amendment free of charge, right in your own backyard.
I'm barely scratching the surface (see what I did there?), but you can learn so much from these great Extension Service publications:
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/files/project/pdf/ec1561.pdf
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/sites/default/files/ec1503.pdf
Happy Summer and don't forget your sunscreen!
But what does the average person know about their own dirt? Oh, you may realize that you're fighting clay soil (it's hard to miss when the hot summer sun turns the garden into a huge rock-hard paving tile). Or you may have shoveled into so many rocks, your shoulders ache every summer evening. But what makes GOOD soil and what can you do to make your garden the envy of the neighborhood?
You may have figured out that something's wrong if you've been watering at the recommended amount (1-1/2" per week in the growing season and deep soaking about every six weeks in the dormant season) but your plants are yellowing, wilting and have damage without any obvious cause. The horticulture experts agree that you probably have poor soil in your garden. The good news is, it's relatively simple to fix!
Did you like playing in the mud when you were little? Squishing it, dripping it, even throwing it - the perfect mix of dirt and water made it so satisfying. The same is true for our plants: the correct balance between air, water and soil will support the plants and deliver the nutrients they need.
 |
| How "good" soil holds water |
 |
| Water "pooling" on top |
Living in a rural environment, we're lucky to have farms and ranches. The urban gardener may think of garden amendments as products in big plastic bags at the store but we country folks usually can get our hands on a big ol' pickup truck and haul some (horse, cow, llama, chicken) manure from a friendly neighbor who has more than he/she can use. A couple loads mixed into any soil every few years will make your plants happier than anything else you can do. And building a compost pile of grass cuttings, fallen leaves, deadheaded flowers and seedless weeds will create a perfect soil amendment free of charge, right in your own backyard.
I'm barely scratching the surface (see what I did there?), but you can learn so much from these great Extension Service publications:
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/files/project/pdf/ec1561.pdf
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/sites/default/files/ec1503.pdf
Happy Summer and don't forget your sunscreen!
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