Category Archives: Gardening Tips

March – Gardening Tasks

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March Garden Tasks (Rogue Valley, Oregon)  

 

Vegetable Gardens

Seeds to direct Sow in mid to late March:  Peas, radishes, spinach, lettuce, kale, arugula, chard, carrots, beets, and parsnips. Also Plant:  Onion sets, and perennial roots like asparagus, artichokes, and rhubarb.

 

Seeds to start indoors for May Transplanting:

  • Tomatoes & Peppers:Essential to start NOW for transplanting in mid-to-late May.
  • Brassicas:Broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
  • Herbs:Basil, parsley and cilantro
  • Other vegetables :Celery, eggplants, and leeks
  • Potatoes:Buy seed potatoes, sprout (“chit”) them in a cool, dark place, then plant.

 

Fruit & Berry Crops

  • Planting:March is ideal for planting fruit trees, strawberries, and cane-berries (raspberries and blackberries).
  • Pruning:Finish pruning fruit trees (apples, pears, cherries, peaches) before buds swell.
  • Fertilizing:Feed raspberries and blueberries with organic, acidic fertilizer.

 

Flower Beds & Landscaping

  • Clean & Mulch:Clear away dead foliage, apply compost, and mulch beds to suppress weeds.
  • Divide Perennials:Divide and transplant summer-blooming perennials.
  • Bulbs:Plant dahlia, lily, and gladiola tubers.
  • Pruning:Prune winter-flowering shrubs after they bloom and ornamental grasses.

 

Maintenance & Pests

  • Slug Control:Actively monitor and manage slugs using baits like Sluggo or traps, as they love new spring growth.
  • Soil Care:Avoid walking on or tilling heavy, wet, or saturated soil to prevent compaction.
  • Fertilizing:Apply fertilizer to evergreen shrubs (rhododendrons, azaleas) and roses.
  • Lawns:Sharpen mower blades and set the mower height to 1.5–2.5 inches. Apply Lime to increase alkalinity, boost nutrient uptake.   Treat lawn for moss with ferrous sulfate (iron sulfate).

Allelopathic Sunflower Seeds

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As the weather turns chilly and bird feeders go up, here’s a new word for you…..ALLELOPATHY.

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Allelopathy is where an organism releases natural chemicals that affect the growth of other organisms. How does this apply to your bird feeder? Sunflower seeds. It turns out that many sunflower species, including those used for bird seed, are allelopathic to many other plants, so much so, that they are used as natural weed control. The chemicals contained in most parts of the sunflower, including the roots, seeds, and seed hulls, naturally block the growth of other plants. Basically, the sunflower wages chemical warfare against competing plants. The main allelopathic chemicals that sunflowers produce are terpenes and phenolic compounds. So, bear this in mind when placing your bird feeder (and when growing sunflowers in your garden). Dropped sunflower seeds and hulls, if allowed to build up under your feeder, will kill off most other plants. Plus, it’s always good to keep the area under your feeder tidy to avoid enticing unwanted visitors like rodents, raccoons, skunks, and more.

Cleaning Your Garden Tools

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Initial Cleaning

  • Remove Loose Debris: Use a brush or a stiff brush to remove any loose dirt, leaves, or other debris
  • from your tools.
  • Wash with Soap and Water: Dip the tools in a bucket of soapy water (dish soap or detergent) and scrub thoroughly to remove dirt and grime.
  • Rinse Thoroughly: Rinse the tools under running water to remove all soap residue.

Disinfection (Recommended):

  • Bleach Solution: For a quick and effective disinfection, soak the cleaned tools in a chlorine bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) for about 10 minutes, then rinse and dry thoroughly.
  • Alcohol Solution: Isopropyl alcohol (70-100%) can also be used for disinfection. Dip the tools in the alcohol solution, allow them to air dry, and then dry the tools thoroughly.  Add Isopropyl alcohol into a handheld sprayer and spray shears between each plant you prune.

Rust Prevention:

  • Dry tools:  Completely dry tools before storing them, otherwise moisture can lead to rust.
  • Apply Oil: To prevent rust, apply a thin layer of mineral oil, linseed oil, or WD-40 to metal parts, especially after cleaning.
  • Soak in Sand: For a quick way to clean and oil tools mix some linseed oil in a bucket of sand and then stab the tool into the sand a few times.

Specific Tool Cleaning:

  • Pruning Shears/Pruners: Disassemble pruners, wash each part individually with warm, soapy water, and scrub any sap or sticky residue left behind.
  • Disinfect Pruning Shears: Add Isopropyl alcohol into a handheld sprayer and spray shears between each plant pruning.

Cultivation Tools (Spades, Hoes, Forks, Rakes, Trowels): Use a stiff scrubbing brush to remove any soil from the blade and shaft.

Rusty Tools: Soak rusty tools in vinegar for several hours to loosen rust, then scrub with steel wool or a wire brush. After removing the rust, neutralize vinegar with a baking soda and water solution.

Tips for Larger Tools:
If your tools are too large to fit in a container, wrap them in a cloth soaked with vinegar and salt, then place them in a plastic bag. Check the tools periodically to see if the rust has softened. When rust is loose, then follow “After Soaking” steps.
 

Important Note: Vinegar is a mild acid, so it can dissolve and pit steel if left on for too long.

Article & Photo by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Fall Seed Collecting 

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Collecting Seeds: Collect seeds that are open-pollinated varieties, which means the seeds being saved will produce plants with the same characteristics as the parent.

Annual flowers: Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Cosmos, Calendula, Snapdragons, Amaranth, Sunflower, Morning glory, Zinnias

Perennial flowers: Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan), Echinacea purpurea (Coneflower), Coreopsis (Tickseed), Digitalis (Foxglove), Centranthus ruber (Red valerian), Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William), Aquilegia (Columbine). Continue reading →

Cut Flowers : How to condition for freshness

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Helpful tips for conditioning cut flowers and foliage to stay fresh longer in bouquets.

1- Cut flowers and foliage the night before the sale or early in the morning when it is cool.
2- Use sharp and clean clippers and tools, scissors are not recommended. Cut stems at 45º, and under water if possible.
3- Place them in a 1/4 filled buckets of lukewarm water, and keep them in a cool place.
4- Flowers with strong and tall stems make the best cut flowers.
5- For bulbs flowers, cut the white section at the bottoms of stem so they can drink better.
5- Most flowers can be cut in bud stage as soon as they show a little color.
6- Zinnias, marigolds, mums, and dahlias, should be cut when the flowers are fully open.
7- For woody stems make a clean split at the bottom one inch, don’t crush or hammer!
8- Remove all the lower foliage which will be below the water level.
9- For hydrangeas, dip the head in cold water to firm up the petals for an hour, then drip
dry them, cut and place stems in warm water overnight.
10- Flowers like delphiniums, lupines, dahlias, hollyhocks which have hollow stems can be
filled water and covered with a cotton ball at the base.
11-  Flowers In a vase: Use a clean vase, maintain water level and change the water  frequently.

Submitted by Goly Ostovar, AGC Member

Photo by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Easy-to-make Cut-Flower Preservative

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Using a preservative increases the longevity of your cut flowers. For flowers to survive they need three ingredients: carbohydrates for cell metabolism, a biocide to fight bacteria , and an acidifier to change the water’s pH and increase their water uptake.  This homemade mix provides them with what they need and it can be as effective as a commercial preservative, plus it’s easy to make and cost less.  

  • 1 quart lukewarm water ( warm water delivers “food” to the flowers faster)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon household bleach
  • 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice

Stir thoroughly before using.