Garden hints from your OSU Extension Agent
* Have soil test performed on garden plot to determine nutrient needs. Contact your county Extension office for a list of testing laboratories. * Western Oregon: Plant seed flats of cole crops (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels
sprouts). * Central/eastern Oregon: Plant asparagus if the ground is warm enough. * Tune up lawn mower and garden equipment before the busy season begins. * Use delayed-dormant sprays of lime sulfur for fruit and deciduous trees and shrubs. * Prune and train grapes; make cuttings. * Prune roses in western Oregon; wait until May in high elevations of eastern and central Oregon. * Monitor landscape plants for problems. Do not treat unless a problem is identified. * Central Oregon: Gather branches of quince, forsythia, and flowering cherries; bring inside to
force early bloom. * Western Oregon: Elm leaf beetles and box-elder bugs emerging from hibernation; may be seen indoors. They are not harmful, but can be a nuisance. * Make a coldframe or hotbed to start early vegetables or flowers. * Plant onions outdoors in western Oregon as soon as the soil is dry enough to till. * Check junipers and cotoneaster for webworm activity. Spray if necessary. * Plant windowsill container gardens of carrots, lettuce, or parsley. * Plan to add herbaceous perennial flowers to your flowering landscape this spring: astilbe, candytuft, peony, anemone. * Make plans for an herb bed, for cooking and for interest in the landscape: parsley, sage, chives, lavender; plant next month. * If weather permits and the soil is dry enough, spade or till garden areas for planting later. * Spade & plow down cover crops or other organic matter. * Use a soil thermometer to help you know when to plant vegetable and flower seeds. * Good time to plant fruit trees and deciduous shrubs. * Western Oregon: Good time to plant new roses. * Prune deciduous summer-blooming shrubs and trees. * Prune clematis, Virginia creeper, and other vining ornamentals. * Pasteurize soil for starting seedlings in pots or flats. * Fertilize rhubarb with manure or a complete fertilizer. * Prune and trellis trailing berries and caneberries. * Western Oregon: Fertilize lawns. * Prune fruit trees and blueberries. * Repair winter damage to trees and shrubs. * Control moles with traps; gophers with traps or poison bait.
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