Hot Times for Gardens

Our high temperatures can be hard on the plants in your garden. My winter honeysuckle did get some burned leaves, but most are just fine.

What you might see

Browning of leaves in centers or on edges - sunburn. Looks bad but won't kill the plant.

Tomato or squash flowers dropping off - they just can't take the heat. There will be more flowers when temperatures fall.

Wilting - many plants wilt to get leaves out of the hot sun. As temperatures drop in the evening, leaves pop up again.

Grass burns around edge of lawn - concrete reflects the heat onto the grass. To maintain a green lawn water once a week - 1" of water. A few mowings will remove damaged grass.

What you can do now

-- Water in the morning to get plants hydrated for the day.

-- Spray leaves in the afternoon to cool them off.

-- Shade newly planted shrubs and flowers with a box or fabric in the hottest part of the day, but don't over water - they have a small root systems.

-- Mulch around trees and shrubs to reduce evaporation and cool soil.

Maybe it's not just the weather!

I planted basil seed early this spring, but in a pot, and in my greenhouse. After much time, a few came up, got to about a half-inch tall, and that was it. More than a month later they all got thrown out - still about a half-inch tall.

Many folks were saying the same thing - my basil just died or my basil did nothing. And considering the unusual spring weather (rain, rain, and more rain), it didn't seem all that odd - basil loves hot, dry weather.

I still think that the wet spring is the answer, but this Washington Post article made me think. What if it's not just the weather?

How many times do we miss a correct diagnosis because - Oh, I know what that is!

This PNW wet spring is certainly responsible for many garden problems this season (herds of slugs, slow-growing tomatoes, rotting seeds, etc.) But, in between the showers, let's pay attention to the details and make sure we know what's really going on.

Endless Rain!!

It’s one of those years, isn’t it? Still raining in June.

The tomato spots are soggy, so the plants stay in their pots. Soil too cool and wet to have much hope for cucumbers and beans. Digging a hole for the fig just seems like a way to compact the soil. No amount of compost will improve the drainage after days of rain.

Well, containers it is! At least I can control the water for those plants.

One of the tomatoes can go into a converted cat litter bucket. The decorative pots can get planted. Maybe start more lettuce in pots – in case we never do get sun. And move them to shadier spots – if we do get sun.

Containers have such potential for the balcony, the deck, or the front steps – even as decorative items in the yard. Use them for long-lived shrubs and trees or for edibles. Use them for colorful annuals or as a small herb garden.

Get intrigued by containers, while we wait out the rain.

Coming up . . .

Planting time - - finally

Garden centers and nurseries are fully stocked, of course, but gardeners have other places to shop, too. Check out neighborhood garden sales. You might find some out-of-the-ordinary plants and be able to walk home.

For example --This Saturday, the Eastmoreland Garden Club (Unit 1) is holding their Annual Mother’s Day Weekend Plant Sale. Drop by Eastmoreland Garden Park (at the corner of SE Bybee Blvd. and 27th Av., across from the Eastmoreland Golf Course) between 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

You’ll find a wide variety of perennials, tomatoes, native plants, and more. Plus, it’s a family-friendly event with a children’s planting table. Local gardeners will be on hand to help you find some thing new for spring. All proceeds will be used to promote gardening in the area.

So, keep your garden eye out for the new and unusual - right in you own backyard.

Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

Each Earth Day we focus on, well, the earth. How we can live better on the planet – energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction – in all areas of our lives.

Many of us connect with the green world around us through gardening. On Thursday, at Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland, the Multnomah County Master Gardeners and the West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (WMSWCD) will be available to help others connect with the green world.

From 9:00 am to 11:00 am the WMSWCD staff and volunteers will actually install a native plant garden at Montgomery Park. Visitors can see how these plants could fit into their own gardens and learn how to enhance their backyard habitat.

Master Gardeners will be on hand in the building lobby to answer home garden, landscaping, and lawn questions and help resolve pest problems. The Multnomah County Master Gardener office (open weekdays from 10 to 2) is on the 4th floor of Montgomery Park – Room 450.

For more information on WMSWCD projects (fighting invasive plants, bringing gardens to schools, encouraging native pollinators, and more), check out their website.

For gardening questions in any of the three metro counties, contact your Master Gardeners by phone, email, or visiting. Start here!

DIRT! The Movie

Let the soil beneath your feet inspire you. Tonight on Oregon Public Broadcasting you can see dirt from many perspectives – both global and personal.

We know how important to our gardens our backyard “dirt” is. Find out how our relationship to the soils around the world have impacted and will continue to impact us.

It’s a fascinating, intriguing, educational look at a busy world just beyond our doorsteps.

Oregon Public Broadcasting
Independent Lens
11:00 pm

Coming up . . .

Metro’s Natural Gardening Guru - Carl Grimm

Saturday we’ll get the chance to talk to Carl about all the gardening information Metro has available.

On the website, you’ll find all the tips you need for making your own compost and even plans for building your own garden debris compost bin. And if you want to try your hand a worm composting for kitchen scraps, you’ll find help there, too.

Metro also has several sites open for visitors. From the Zoo’s Backyard Make-over exhibit, demonstrating easy steps to bring nature into your yard, to the Natural Techniques Demonstration Garden in Southeast Portland. Find out more here.

For a copy of the Grow Smart, Grow Safe guide to lawn and garden products, the native plant guide, and a money saving coupon for natural garden products, click here.