Unrecognizable person picking carrots on field, close-up, low section

July

• Pinch back annuals to keep them full of blooms.

• Plant flowers that attract beneficial insects such as ladybugs.

• Native plants will attract native beneficial insects and pollinators.

• Plant trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals anytime during the growing season.

• Deep water your trees, shrubs and perennials every five to seven days.

• Protect your berry crops from birds with bird netting.

• Stake tomatoes, delphinium, hollyhocks, lupine and other tall plants.

• Protect your vegetable garden from flying insects using row cover.

• Plant seed beans, and harvest broccoli, peas, lettuce and radishes.

• Keep your potatoes and tomatoes consistently moist by watering thoroughly; this will produce better quality crops.

• Time to harvest beets, broccoli, carrots, kohlrabi, leeks

August

• Be sure to give your turf and landscape plants additional water during the hottest days of summer.

• Spider mites prefer our hot and dry environment, especially the weather during the month of August, and they target specific ornamental shrubs and perennials such as arborvitae and holly hocks. These tiny insects can be controlled by jet spraying more resilient plants with water from your garden hose. This blast of water will kill the spider mite on contact or knock it off the plant to prevent further feeding damage. For larger infestations on more tender plants, a miticide may be necessary.

• Living in a wildfire prone area? Check out Fire-Resistant Plants for Home Landscapes at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/pnw/pnw590/ .

• Check leafy vegetables for caterpillars. Control with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

• Avoid fertilizing your lawn during this month. The hotter temperatures are more stressful for turfgrass and you do not want to encourage excessive growth.

• Continue to water your lawn 4-6 inches per month as needed.

• Plant garlic and cold season crops.

• Harvest potatoes when the tops die down. Store them in a cool, dark location until use.

• Fertilize cucumbers, summer squash, and broccoli, white harvesting to maintain production.

• Harvest raspberries and ever-bearing strawberries.

• Clean up the leaves and fertilize strawberry beds.

• Prune away excess vegetation and selectively remove new blossoms on tomatoes; this will improve the quality and flavor of your existing tomatoes.

September

• Harvest beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, chard, cucumbers, leeks, lettuce, potatoes, and radishes.

• Plant asters, mums, pansies, and ornamental kale for fall color. The Michaelmas daisy or New York aster varieties ( Aster novi-belgii) provide great fall color for central Oregon and also a great cut flower.

• Harvest plums, pears, and Asian pears if ready.

• Having trouble with voles or other wildlife in your landscape? The University of Nebraska has an excellent website that provides management information on many of our most troublesome critters. To check out this leading resource go to: http://icwdm.org/handbook/index.asp

• Deep water your trees, shrubs and perennials every five to seven days.

• Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and tall fescues are some of the better choices for seeding or sod in Central Oregon. Consider a blended mix of grass seed for drought tolerance. For more information on establishing a new lawn go to http://extension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes/sites/default/files/ec1550.pdf Water your lawn approximately three times a week at 1.0 to 2.0 inches per week.

• Dethatch or aerate your lawn if necessary. Thatch is a layer of living and dead grass stems and roots. If your thatch layer is a half inch or greater, it can prevent water, air, and nutrients from penetrating the soil and reaching the roots of your grass; resulting in dry spots. Thatching allows new grass shoots to grow in thick and lush. Thatching should be done every other year, particularly in lawn consisting of 100% Kentucky Bluegrass. Aeration, the process that pulls out plugs should also be done every other year in spring or fall. This process helps relieve compaction and opens up the soil for adding soil amendment or reseeding.

• In late September, plant spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and crocus. Work phosphorus into the soil below the bulbs. Remember when purchasing bulbs, the size of the bulb is directly correlated to the size of the flower yet to come in spring.

GARDEN EVENTS

All events are offered by the OSU Extension Service Master Gardeners and are free unless otherwise noted.

• Summer Gardening Care

Tuesday, July 15, 12:15 p.m.

– OSU Demonstration Garden in Redmond (Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center near parking lot ‘D’), bring you own lunch.

• Herbs and Edible Flowers

Thursday, July 17, 5:30 p.m.

– Hollinshead Community Garden in Bend (located on Jones Road)

• High Desert Garden Tour

Saturday, July 19, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

– View seven gardens in the Tumalo area. Self-guided tour. Tickets are $10 and will be available July 1 in several locations. For more information, call 541-548-6088.

• Designing and Planting with Bulbs

Saturday, Aug. 2, 1:30 p.m.

– East Bend Public Library on Dean Swift Road

• Composting

Saturday, Aug. 16, 10:30 a.m.

– Hollinshead Community Garden in Bend (located on Jones Road)

• Vegetable Garden Harvesting and Food Preservation Tips

Tuesday, Aug. 19, 12:15 p.m.

– OSU Demonstration Garden in Redmond (DCFE near parking lot ‘D’), bring your own lunch.

• OSU Demonstration Garden Open House and Mini-classes

Saturday, Aug. 23, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

– Redmond (DCFE near parking lot ‘D’), mini-classes will be presented throughout the day by OSU Master Gardeners.

• Open House and Mini-classes

Saturday, Sept. 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

– Hollinshead Community Garden in Bend (Jones Road)

• Seed Saving, Garden Cleanup and Cover Crops

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 12: 15 p.m.

– OSU Demonstration Garden in Redmond (DCFE near parking lot ‘D’), bring your own lunch.