Tag Archives: Guide to plant care

Permaculture Lecture

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Permaculture Gardening Strategies
Prepared for Siskiyou Permaculture, Permaculture Design Course January 2011

1) Plan for plant succession. Start gardens on your worst soils. Remember trees and shrubs fill in and are the natural successors of pioneer plants like vegetables. Ideally, start with veggies and end with forest garden. Be aware of arrested succession.

2) Rainwater harvest. Consider size of storage and amount needed, seedlings love rainwater, planting basins, swales, deep mulch, gravity feed from rain tanks, greywater, city water costs.

3) Frost drainage. Layout the garden to drain cold air from planting beds and down paths. Cold air flows like molasses and can be drained from garden under gates and fences.

4) Sheet mulch. Suppress weeds and increase soil fertility and moisture by mulching with newspaper and cardboard. Deep (1 ft.) straw mulch for late summer.

5) Attract Pollinators and Beneficial Insects. Plant a series of flowers that provide nectar flow and habitat year round to encourage insect diversity to your garden.

6) Small ponds. Create habitat for frogs, toads and birds by building small ponds in your yard.

7) Collect micro-climate information. Set up a mini-weather station in your garden with a rain gauge and a maximum/minimum thermometer. Weather information will help you determine where and when to plant your garden. Record on desk or large wall calendar.

8) No till. Plant perennials. Perforation, mulch, top dressing and plant roots build soil structure from the top down.

9) Benefits of home gardening: Psychological health, fresh medicinals, increased nutrition in your food, seed saving, developing soil for future needs, learning how to do it in case we need to know.

Garden Elements: Additional things to think about in planning your home landscape and garden.

    • Wind protection for both house and garden
    • Sun bowl
    • Shade your house in summer, preserve solar access in winter
    • Water drainage
    • Outdoor rooms
    • Wildlife to invite in and wildlife to keep out (distract)
    • Frequently visited areas near the house and main walkways
    • Height layers
    • Maximizing usable space
    • Dynamic accumulators
    • Plant guilds
    • Plan for the amount of time you can spend gardening
    • Field crops (corn, beans, squash) in community gardens and open spaces
    • Share specialties from home micro-climates

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A FEW FAVORITE GARDENING RESOURCES
Books:
Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally, by Robert Kourik, 1986
A permaculture based overview with extensive sections and charts on fruit trees, companion planting, cover crops, and more. Author based in northern California.

Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley, Year ‘Round & Month by Month, Jackson County Master Gardener Association. Not strictly organic, but it de-emphasizes nonorganic methods. Gives you important local recommendations for timing and success in our climate.

Gaia’s Garden; A guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, by Toby Hemenway, updated 2009
The permaculture backyard classic explains how to get your garden to pop.

Sunset Western Garden Book
Still the landscapers essential guide. Organized as an encyclopedia, and addressing western climate issues, it includes lists of recommended plants for wind, deer resistance, sizes, etc.

Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, by Carol Deppe, 2000

The Resilient Gardener, by Carol Deppe

Four Season Harvest, by Eliot Coleman, 1999

The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming, Fukuoka, Masanobu. Reprinted 2009. Edited by local permie Larry Korn!
New Roots For Agriculture, Jackson, Wes, 1981

Teaming with Microbes; the Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web, Lowenfels, Jeff and Lewis, Wayne

The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book, Stout, Ruth. 1979

On-line Resources:

The Future is Abundant, Species Index, by Shery Litwin. Available on the Siskiyou Permaculture website. http://www.siskiyoupermaculture.org

Plants for a Future, database for edible and useful plants. http://www.pfaf.org/user/plantsearch.aspx

OSU Extension Gardening Encyclopedia online: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/

Sowing Calendar, Hardiness Zones 7-8; Local chart for numerous vegetables prepared through research not experience, but likely still useful.

Click to access Sowing%20Calendar01-14-11.pdf

Pros and Cons of Deep Mulch Gardening, article, http://theprepperproject.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-deep-mulch-gardening/

Siskiyou Permaculture
Melanie Mindlin

Powdery Mildew-Resistant Pumpkin & Squash

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This list is reprinted from the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000617_Rep639.pdf

Powdery Mildew-resistant Pumpkin & Squash Varieties

Pumpkins – Large

18 Karat Gold R
Aladdin H
Gladiator H
Golden Condor M
Hercules H
King Midas S
Magician H
Magic Lantern H (BWS)
Merlin H (BWS)
SuperHerc H
Spartan SW

Winter Squash – Acorn
Autumn Delight R
Royal Ace H
Sweet Reba HM
Table Star R
Table Treat R
Taybelle PM R
Tip Top PMR J

Summer Squash – Yellow
Fancycrook HPS (crookneck)
Patriot II R (straightneck, TG)
Prelude II R (crookneck, TG)
Sunglo R (crookneck)
Sunray R,J, H (straightneck)
Success HM (straightneck)

 Pumpkins – Medium

Charisma H
Hobbit H
Oktoberfest S
Scarecrow M
Pumpkins – Pie
Cannonball H
Harvest Princess M
Iron Man H (phyt)
Mystic Plus H
Prankster S
Pure Gold M
RockaFellow S
Touch of Autumn R, S, CW, CS

Winter Squash – Butternut
Betternut 401 S
Bugle R
Indian Brave NES
JWS 6823 PMR J
Metro PMR J
RB3106 r

Summer Squash – Zucchini
Ambassador HPS
Hurakan H (gray zucchini)
Judgment III (TG) SW
Justice II R (TG)
Lynx St
Payroll R, S, SW
Sebring (yellow zucchini) SW
Wildcat St

 Pumpkins – Specialty

Bumpkin M (mini)
Gold Dust R (mini)
Hooligan (tricolor mini) CS
Gooligan (bicolor mini) CS
OneTooMany R (white/red
veins)
Sweet Lightning R (bicolor
mini)
 

Winter Squash – Specialty
Bush Delicata J, HPS
Celebration R (y/or acorn hybrid)
Harlequin R (gr/wht acorn hybrid)
MardiGras NES (gr/whtacorn hybrid)

All pumpkins and squash will develop powdery mildew symptoms if weather conditions favor the fungus. Resistant or tolerant varieties develop symptoms more slowly and maintain leaf coverage later in the season. For more information about controlling powdery mildew, see the New England Vegetable Management Guide, found online at http://www.nevegetable.org/.

 All varieties should be trialed on a small scale to determine whether they are suitable for your growing conditions, and markets.

 Legend of seed sources: R Rupp Seeds, M Meyer Seed International, H Harris Moran Seed Co, J Johnny’s Selected Seeds, HM High Mowing Seeds, HPS Horticultural Products & Services, N New England Seeds, SW Seedway, St Stokes, S Siegers, CS Carolina Seeds.

This information is presented as a guide only. No endorsement is implied, and sources listed are not necessarily sole sources.

Comments: Phyt – also tolerant to Phytophthora. BWS – Highly susceptible to bacterial wilt.

TG – transgenic virus resistance, not compatible with USDA Organic Certification.

Leyland Cypress

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“Cypress foliage is very flammable.  It is sticky and aromatic, two signs that is contains volatile waxes, oils and other substances that burn hot.  Flammability may not be an issue in a situation where the trees are isolated from other plants and flammable material (like fences), but consider that in recent years Leyland cypress plantings have contributed to damaging fires in southern Oregon.”

Siskiyou Woodlander
Leyland cypress: requiem for a hybrid?  Posted on March 25, 2014 by

Read more here:
http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/sworwoods/2014/03/25/leyland-cypress-requiem-hybrid/

 

The Gardeners Pen

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The Gardeners Pen, Oregon Master Gardener Association newsletter is available: http://www.oregonmastergardeners.org/docs/GardenersPen/2014April.pdf

“I would particularly like to draw your attention to the information in the Gardeners Pen, about the annual OMGA Gardeners MiniCollege which will be held on July 12th-13th at the LaSell’s Stewart Center on the Oregon State University Campus. Details about the MiniCollege are at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/minicollege.”

Bob Reynolds, Master Gardener Coordinator
Oregon State University Extension Service Jackson County
541-776-7371
robert.reynolds@oregonstate.edu
extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/mg

5 W’s for Fertilizing

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                                                                    Article by Kelly Brainard, Owner Ashland Greenhouse

“There are always so many questions about fertilizing.  I would like to go over some of the basics, especially since early spring can be a key time for taking care of fertilizing needs. Always ask yourself:
The type of plant you are focusing on (perennials, annuals, vegetables, ect).
What type of fertilizer to use based on season and the plant(s) you’re fertilizing.
When do you apply fertilizer?  Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter?
Where is the best place to apply fertilizers?  Topically or to the root zone?
Why is this necessary?  What are the benefits of fertilizing?

Since we could write a book on everything mentioned above let’s keep it brief and relevant to what we should focus on in early spring.  This is a great time of year to focus on perennials.  Most perennials prefer a well-balanced or all-purpose fertilizer (all three numbers on the packaging are identical, i.e. 3-3-3 or 16-16-16).  Perennials fed in early spring develop strong root systems which in turn produces larger, healthier plants.  Apply granular fertilizers to the soil around the root zone.

For annuals that are tough enough to be outside early and continue blooming throughout the summer, like petunias and verbena, apply well balanced or slightly higher nitrogen fertilizers. This gives them an extra boost, encouraging growth.  You can successfully use either a granular or foliar fertilizer.  Foliar fertilizers tend to react faster than granules since they are taken up by the plant through the leaves but need re-application more often.  For annuals I like to use granular fertilizer applications in the spring and start using weekly or biweekly applications of liquid fertilizer in the summer. Remember as a rule of thumb – ALWAYS apply fertilizers in the morning. It is less stressful for the plants.

Vegetables are a completely different beast when it comes to fertilizing.  There are numerous techniques when it comes to fertilizing your vegetables.  If it’s grown for leafy greens then apply fertilizers heavier in nitrogen. If it’s grown for the fruit apply fertilizers heavier in phosphorous.  Nitrogen promotes healthy, green foliage and too much of it can discourage fruit development while phosphorous promotes bud and flower growth which encourages more fruit.

When in doubt about fertilizing don’t hesitate to ask a fellow gardener. Some of the best advice is the advice that we share with each other!”

Source: http://AshlandGreenhouses_April2014Newsletter

Deer Resistance Plants

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OSU: Deer Resistant Landscape PlantsRussian sage
Click here to download pdf:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/sites/default/files/Deer_Resistant_Plants_EC.pdf

OSU Information compiled by Paul MacMillan, OSU Master Gardener
and Amy Jo Detweiler, Horticulture Faculty for Central Oregon