A 90-day plan for Lane County gardeners

Trying to plot out your year in gardening? The Oregon State University Extension Service has a detailed calendar of what to do and when to do it, depending on whether you live in western, central or eastern Lane County.

If you’re in the Eugene-Springfield area, you can stop by the OSU Extension office at 996 Jefferson St. to ask your questions or bring samples of soil and get tips. The phone number is 541-344-0265, the email is lanemg@oregonstate.edu, and the office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a one-hour break between noon and 1 p.m. 

What follows are excerpts from the service’s 12-month calendar.

March

Planning

• Plan your vegetable garden carefully for spring, summer and fall vegetables that can be eaten fresh or preserved. If you lack in-ground gardening space, plan an outdoor container garden.
• Use a soil thermometer at planting depth to help you know when to plant vegetables. Some cool-season crops (onions, kale, lettuce and spinach) can be planted when the soil is consistently at or above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maintenance and cleanup

• Lawn mowing: Set blade at ¾ inch to 1 inch for bentgrass lawns; 1½ to 2½ inches for bluegrasses, fine fescues and ryegrasses.
• Compost grass clippings and yard waste, except for clippings from lawns where weed-and-feed products or weed killers have been used.
• Spread a thin layer of mature compost over garden and landscape areas and incorporate it into the top several inches of soil where possible.
• If needed, fertilize rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas with acid-type fertilizer. If established and healthy, their nutrient needs should be minimal.

Planting and propagation

• Divide hosta, daylilies and mums.
• Plant insectary plants such as alyssum, phacelia, coriander, candytuft, sunflower, yarrow and dill to attract beneficial insects to the garden.

Pest monitoring and management

Use chemical controls only when necessary, after a specific pest has been identified, and only after thoroughly reading and following the pesticide label. (The label is the law.) First consider cultural, then physical and biological controls. Choose the least‑toxic options that will manage the target pest, such as insecticidal soaps or horticultural oils, and use them judiciously to minimize impacts on beneficial organisms and the environment.

• Protect new plant growth from slugs. Least toxic management options include barriers and traps. Baits are also available for slug control; use with caution around pets. Read and follow all label directions prior to using baits or any other chemical control.
• Learn to identify the predatory insects that can help keep aphids and other pests under control.
• Spray to control leaf and twig fungus diseases in dogwood, sycamore, hawthorn and willow trees.
• Prune ornamentals for air circulation and to help prevent fungal diseases.

Indoor gardening

• Start tuberous begonias indoors.

April 

• Prepare garden soil for spring planting. Incorporate generous amounts of organic materials and other amendments, using the results of a soil analysis as a guide.
• Prepare raised beds in areas where cold soils and poor drainage are ongoing problems. Incorporate generous amounts (at least 2 inches) of organic materials.
• Use a soil thermometer to help you know when to plant vegetables. When the soil is consistently above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, some warm-season vegetables (beans, sweet corn) can be planted.

Maintenance and cleanup

• Allow foliage of spring-flowering bulbs to brown and die down before removing.
• Place compost or decomposed manure around perennial vegetables, such as asparagus and rhubarb.
• Cut back ornamental grasses to a few inches above the ground.
• Cover transplants to protect against late spring frosts.
• This is an optimum time to fertilize lawns. Apply 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn. Reduce risks of runoff into local waterways by not fertilizing just prior to rain, and not overirrigating so that water runs off the lawn and onto the sidewalk or street.

It’s a great time to start a vegetable garden. Among the vegetables you can plant, consider:

• Oregon Coast: Beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, slicing cucumbers, endive, leeks, lettuce, onion sets, peas and potatoes.
• Western valleys: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chives, endive, leeks, lettuce, peas, radishes, rhubarb, rutabagas, spinach and turnips.

May 

Planning

• Prepare and prime the irrigation system for summer.
• Use a soil thermometer to help you know when to plant vegetables. Wait until the soil is consistently above 70 degrees to plant tomatoes, squash, melons, peppers and eggplant.
• Place pheromone traps in apple trees to detect the presence of codling moth. Plan a control program of sprays, baits or predators when moths are found.

Maintenance and cleanup

• If needed, fertilize rhododendrons and azaleas with acid-type fertilizer. If established and healthy, their nutrient needs should be minimal. Remove spent blossoms.
• When selecting new roses, choose plants labeled for disease resistance. Fertilize roses and control rose diseases such as mildew with a registered fungicide, either organic or synthetic.
• Plant dahlias, gladioli and tuberous begonias in mid-May.
• Plant chrysanthemums for fall color.
• Plant these vegetables (dates vary locally; check with local Master Gardeners):
  • Oregon Coast: Snap beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupes, pickling cucumbers, dill, kale, parsnips, peppers, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, sweet corn and tomatoes.
  • Western valleys: Snap and lima beans, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupes, slicing and pickling cucumbers, dill, eggplant, kale, peppers, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and watermelon.