Our season is here!
Northwest Gardening
Tips for gardening enjoyment
O
ne of the best things about being a Master Gardener is sharing learning experiences, successes, and failures with other MGs. I asked my friends for their best tips for having a better garden this year. Thanks to everyone who offered their suggestions — there’s not enough room to share them all! FREQUENT TOPICS: Irrigating, Mulching, Protecting Your Plants We all agree that watering your plants at ground level is the way to go; it protects leaves from fungal diseases and gets the water to the roots where it’s needed. Install drip irrigation in as many places as possible. Place it in your vegetable garden, ornamental beds, around blueberry bushes, etc. It’s easy to do — no need to hire anyone to do it. And it’s inexpensive. YouTube has some great instructional videos!
By Alice Slusher
Programs & Events OSU Extension Columbia County • 503-397-3462
Chat with Chip: Interactive Zoom program with Chip Bubl. June 21 and each 3rd Tues, 6:30pm-8pm. Register in advance online; you will receive a confirmation email with info to join meeting. Other programs: extension.oregonstate.edu
WSU Extension Cowlitz County 304 Cowlitz Way, Kelso, WA 98626
Free Workshops. Online (Zoom)
360-577-3014 X3, for connection info. Info: cowlitzcomg.com/events) June 14 Noon: Drip Irrigation June 21 Noon: Ask the Master Gardener (common garden problems) June 28 Noon: Tips for Easier Gardening July 5 Noon: Cool Weather Gardens July 12 Noon: Summer Watering
One MG suggested using Olla (“oy-uh”) pots — terra cotta vessels that are mostly buried underground and filled with water. The moisture leaches into the soil when it starts to dry out. Keep refilling the pots all summer. Ollas are another great way to conserve water and get it directly to the plants’ roots. And to keep the moisture in your soil and prevent weeds, mulch your beds. You can use a couple of inches of unsprayed grass clippings, dried leaves, straw, or plastic sheeting (I’m going to try red plastic sheeting to increase my tomato production this summer!). Try a silver reflective mulch like inexpensive mylar emergency blankets to mulch your peppers—it’s been shown to deter aphids and provides more warmth for your pepper plants. Since your drip irrigation is under the mulch, very little water is lost to evaporation. Use free arborist wood chips to mulch between your garden rows and landscape beds. Don’t spend money on artificially dyed mulches—who can afford it with gas prices over $5 a gallon! Resolve to tolerate some garden pests— they create a dinner buffet for the beneficial insect predators who can do most of the dirty work for you! Plant lots of flowers that bloom all summer long to attract these insects. If your broccoli, lettuce, and kale begin flowering, let them remain in your garden for the pollinators. Remember that using even the least toxic pesticides can decimate both the good and bad bugs.
bird netting; birds don’t get tangled up in it and die. If the temps get above 90°, offer your plants some shade. Rig a “wall” of row cover fabric by zip-tying it to two bamboo stakes set in the ground. Most of all, don’t aim for perfection. It will wear you out, and you won’t enjoy gardening. Allow yourself to make mistakes—that’s how you learn. Ask for help from friends, spouses, and children. Don’t try to do it all alone. Break it up into many tasks and delegate them to helpers. Lure them with pizza and soft drinks for the littles, and maybe adult beverages for the adults! And final suggestions from MG friends: When it is not raining, be outside, enjoy the sunshine, stay active — you can always find SOMETHING to do. And leave some time at the end of the day to enjoy the fruits of your spring
Learn to love row cover fabric. It’s a translucent fabric that allows light to reach your plants but protects them from cold and extreme heat (remember last year’s heat dome?) Keep your strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries covered with row cover that lets the sun and water in and keeps the birds out. Row cover is more bird-friendly than 36 / Columbia River Reader / June 15, 2022
tasks, the warm summers with longer days, and the beauty of your garden. Set up a nice seating area in a place where you can stop, and sit and smell the roses! Enjoy the coming growing season! ••• Kalama resident Alice Slusher volunteers with WSU Extension Service Plant & Insect Clinic. Call 360-5773014, ext. 1, or send question via cowlitzmastergardener@ gmail.com.
