One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides. (W.E. Johns)

Thursday, December 23, 2010

January Tips

This is the start of a new year....something great! While it is still winter, you can always to things to better your garden.


One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides. W.E. Johns


Plan for your garden:


1. Find a gardening group in your area to attend. In Corvallis, there is a Master Gardeners' free brown bag lectures at the Corvallis Library. I think they are held on Tuesdays. You can also start ordering your seeds online for Spring!


2. If you have kids, an indoor garden would be great fun! Show your kids how to plant seeds or how to grow plants from the tops of fruits and/or veggies like pineapple or carrots!


3. Check your stored tubers and bulbs... check for signs of rot.


4. Register for the Insights in Gardening all day seminar coming in February.


Plant:


1. Primroses in pots or beds when the weather is dry.


2. Frost-tolerant perennials if you have a cold frame or a green house. Some good choices: delphiniums, veronica, and columbine.


3. Bare-root fruit and shade trees, roses and other shrubs, vines, and perennials if the weather is dry.


4. Bare-rooted veggies like asparagus and rhubarb.


5. Geranium seeds. They take several weeks to sprout and need a teperature from 55 to 60 degrees...keep them cool, but in a sunny spot.


6. Dwarf annual flowers for houseplants inside: coleus, impatiens, seedling geraniums, etc.


Propagate:


1. Deciduous ornamental shrubs and trees by making hardwood cuttings. Try grapes and berries too!

Paradise Maintenance:

Spray

1. Peach trees on a mild, dry day for peach-leaf curl using fixed copper or lime sulfur.

2. Cherry trees for bacterial canker using copper fungicide with spreader sticker.

Prune

1. Fruit and shade trees unless it is freezing. Cut out diseased and dead wood to open tree's center to more light. Cut back one third of tree if it has been very neglected.

2. Blueberries. Usually taller upper branches don't need pruning for the first three years. Prune the older, lower branches lightly. Concentrate on cutting out the crossing and non-productive branches.

January Green Thumbs' Tips

1. Set your bait for those slimy slugs near cold frames and early flowering plants.

2. Treat for moss in shady, wet areas of your lawn.

3. Sprinkle your wintered over plants lightly with water.

4. Clean, oil, and sharpen your garden tools.

5. Tune up the lawnmower and other yard equipment.

6. Wash and dry your bird feeders. Then fill them up and monitor their levels.

7. Do NOT fertilize houseplants during the winter months.