Garden for Life

Summer’s harvest may be winding down, but fall gardens can still produce food — and provide winter shelter for wildlife.

Master gardener Lynn Kunstman said gardeners can grow cool-season vegetables while leaving fallen leaves and standing plants to protect insects and feed birds.

Kale, spinach, lettuce and carrots are among the crops suited to cooler weather. Hardy greens can withstand fall frosts, though planting dates vary by crop and local conditions. Garlic can be planted in October for harvest the following summer.

"Think about what does nature do, and those are the things you can plant," Kunstman said.

As gardeners prepare for the next season, they may still be harvesting squash, tomatoes and peppers. These heat-loving crops need full sun, and Kunstman said picking produce at peak ripeness is one advantage of growing food at home.

"The flavor in your homegrown food is always going to be better because you can pick it right when it's at peak ripeness and flavor," Kunstman said.

Preparing a garden for winter also means considering what to leave in place.

Standing flower seed heads provide food for birds, while plant stems can shelter overwintering bees. Fallen leaves help insulate moths, butterflies and other insects through the cold months.

Kunstman said clearing away leaves and sending them to the landfill can also remove insects that would emerge the following year. Leaving that material in the garden helps preserve wildlife habitat and returns nutrients to the soil.

As summer turns to fall, home gardeners are harvesting the season’s final crops and deciding what to plant next.

Jackson County Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman said winter squash should be cut from the vine with part of the stem still attached. That helps protect the squash during storage.

“If you break it off and expose the area where the stem connects, it’s going to rot,” Kunstman said.

Bell peppers require patience. They can be harvested while green, but Kunstman said they need roughly another month to ripen fully and turn red. Gardeners who want peppers throughout the season should plant enough to harvest some early while allowing others to ripen.

“If you’re going to do that, you better plant a lot of bell peppers so that you can take some green ones along the way if you want fresh peppers earlier in the season,” she said.

As summer crops finish, Kunstman recommends replacing them rather than leaving garden beds bare.

“Whenever I take something out, I’m putting something back in,” she said.

Fall is also an ideal time to add native plants. Warm soil allows roots to become established, while cooler temperatures and seasonal rain reduce stress on new plants.

“September, and even through October and into November, are the best times to plant native plants in your yard,” Kunstman said.

Native bunch grasses are one option. Kunstman said their extensive roots can improve water infiltration, store carbon and support organisms in the soil.

“The grasses actually help build that soil around and provide nutrients for the plants that you’re planting,” she said.

Late-summer gardens can produce some surprises. Cross-pollinated squash might leave gardeners wondering what exactly they’ve grown, while an invasive worm can rapidly chew through mulch and alter the soil beneath it.

Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman says this is a time to keep a close eye on what’s happening in the garden — and to keep planting as the growing season begins to change.

Squash can be one of the more entertaining surprises. Different varieties can easily cross-pollinate, which means gardeners who save and replant seeds might not get what they expect the following year.

"You never save seed from your squash because you know what they will do — they will just have fun with anybody," Kuntsman said. "You don't want to get a zumpkin."

A less welcome surprise is the arrival of invasive, leaping Asian jumping worms.

The worms can cause problems by rapidly consuming organic material near the surface of the soil.

"They are like bottomless pits, and they go through the mulch really fast," Kunstman said. "They mess the soil up in terms of its crumb texture so that water has trouble percolating and they cause all kinds of weird problems."

• Lynn Kunstman, master gardener

July is when Oregon gardens begin paying off. It's also when they demand the most work.

Between rising temperatures, persistent weeds and an abundance of insects, gardeners have plenty to manage as vegetables begin producing and berries ripen, according to Jackson County Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman.

One challenge this year is an unusually large earwig population, which Kunstman attributes in part to the cool, damp weather in June.

She's had success trapping the insects with tuna cans filled halfway with soy sauce and halfway with vegetable oil.

"They crawl into those and die in the hundreds," Kunstman said.

Slugs and snails have also thrived in the damp conditions. Kunstman recommends shallow beer traps placed beneath nursery pots, where the pests gather overnight. Squash bugs require quicker action.

"They can destroy a squash plant in, you know, 24 hours," Kunstman said.

One way to find them is to water squash plants from overhead. As the insects climb toward the tops of the plants to escape the water, gardeners can pick them off and drop them into a bucket of soapy water.

July is also a time to adjust fertilizer.

Kunstman recommends remembering fertilizer labels by the phrase "up, down and all around." Nitrogen promotes leafy growth, phosphorus supports root development and potassium helps overall plant health. By midsummer, she said, gardeners generally should reduce nitrogen and focus on phosphorus and potassium to encourage flowers and fruit instead of more leaves.

Consistent watering also becomes more important during the hottest part of the season. Tomatoes, in particular, can develop blossom end rot if soil swings between very dry and very wet conditions.

While many gardeners are harvesting raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, July is also time to think ahead. Kunstman said carrots, lettuce and radishes can still be planted for later harvests as earlier crops begin producing seed.

For gardeners looking for more help, Kunstman recommends the Oregon State University Extension Service's online gardening resources or visiting the demonstration gardens at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point, where Master Gardeners are available to answer questions on weekdays.

Guest
Lynn Kunstman, master gardener

If you haven't planted your garden yet, don't worry.

While many gardeners treat Mother's Day as the unofficial deadline for planting, Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman said there's still plenty of time to get crops in the ground.

"There's lots of stuff you can still put in the ground well into the month of June," she said, including tomatoes, peppers and many seeds.

But growing a successful garden is becoming less predictable.

"The way the jet stream is moving now, we can't count on weather patterns to be gradual," Kunstman said.

A cool June can quickly give way to triple-digit temperatures, putting stress on plants that haven't had time to adjust. To protect crops such as lettuce from bolting or scorching, Kunstman recommends using shade cloth or even old lace curtains during heat waves.

Gardeners should also keep an eye out for pests. Slugs and earwigs can destroy young seedlings before they emerge, making it look as though seeds never germinated. Kunstman uses Sluggo Plus to control pests but recommends applying products such as neem oil early in the morning to avoid harming pollinators.

As conditions change throughout the season, Kunstman said gardeners should pay close attention to how their plants respond. Extra watering may be needed during periods of extreme heat, while succession planting can help extend harvests of crops such as beans and corn.

Her advice is simple:

"Watch your plants. They're telling you what they need."

May has arrived, and it can be tempting to rush into the garden and fire up the rototiller. But Jackson County Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman said the common practice can damage the ecosystem beneath the soil.

Soil is a complex biosphere, with organisms adapted to specific layers. When soil is turned over, deep-dwelling organisms are moved to the surface, while surface-dwelling organisms are buried in conditions where they cannot survive.

“You’re basically killing off the life in your soil every time you rototill,” Kunstman said.

Repeated tilling can also deposit clay into an impervious layer, known as hardpan, that blocks water flow and root growth.

Instead of tilling, Kunstman recommends patience and careful planting. For summer vegetables, she said gardeners should generally wait until Mother’s Day to make sure the soil has reached 50 degrees and the risk of frost has declined.

Kunstman also recommends several strategies:

• Trench tomatoes: Rather than digging a deep hole, gardeners can make a trench and bury the plant along the stem. Kunstman said that encourages the stem to grow extra roots in the warm upper soil, creating a stronger root mass.
  
• Build mounds for melons: Squash, cucumbers and melons grow well in hills of rich compost. The mounds provide warmth and better drainage for heat-loving plants.
  
• Watch the nitrogen: For peppers and eggplants, gardeners should avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, which encourage vegetative growth instead of fruit production.
  

The Jackson County Master Gardener Association Spring Garden Fair is scheduled for May 2-3 at the Expo in Central Point. The event will feature more than 3,500 plants and expert demonstrations.

• Lynn Kunstman, Jackson County Master Gardener

April is the time for garden maintenance, according to Jackson County Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman.

She said gardeners should pull annual weeds by the roots and shake soil back into the bed to preserve nutrients.

She also recommends removing mulch in April to allow soil to warm, then reapplying it in late May or June to help retain moisture.

As temperatures rise, many gardeners begin planting summer vegetables. But Kunstman said early warm weather can be misleading.

“We get tricked by the false summer,” she said.

While nurseries may already be selling starts such as tomatoes and peppers, planting them too early can lead to losses from late frosts.

“It’s great for the nurseries that are selling them," Kunstman said "(They) get to sell them twice."

She recommends waiting until at least early May to plant summer crops, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and squash.

Kunstman said Mother's Day is a perfect time to plant these crops, adding that gardeners in low-lying areas hould be especially cautious because cold air settles in valleys.

Instead, gardeners can focus on cool-season vegetables such as kale, broccoli and radishes, which tolerate colder conditions and can be planted earlier.

Soil temperature is also critical. Kunstman said soil should reach at least 50 degrees before planting summer crops.

“If you put seeds in when the soil is too cold, they are not going to make it,” she said.

Kunstman also recommended the Jackson County Master Gardener Association Spring Fair, scheduled for May 2-3, as a good place to find plants ready for local conditions.

• Lynn Kunstman, Jackson County Master Gardener

While many gardeners in the Rogue Valley treat Mother’s Day as the traditional start of planting season, experts say waiting until May can mean missing a prime growing window.

Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman said the Mother’s Day guideline applies mainly to warm-season crops such as tomatoes and peppers, which cannot tolerate frost. March, however, falls within the shoulder season, when many cold-hardy vegetables grow well.

“Broccoli, Brussels sprouts ... cabbage, collard greens, kale — all of those are very, very cold resistant,” Kunstman says. Many of these plants originate in Northern Europe and prefer cooler temperatures. If planted too late, they can "bolt," or go to seed, when summer heat arrives.

Gardeners who missed the traditional fall window for planting garlic may still have a chance if they act quickly.

“If you’re going to do it, I would do it right away,” Kunstman said, adding that even missed bulbs from last year can be separated and replanted.

March is also a good time to direct-seed vegetables such as carrots, peas, radishes and spinach.

Kunstman said a successful spring garden also depends on encouraging beneficial insects. Rather than relying on sprays, she recommends planting “insectary plants” such as sweet alyssum and dill alongside vegetables. The flowers attract predatory insects that help control pests.

“All the good guys will come if you provide them some flower forage in your garden,” Kunstman said.

For those looking to expand their knowledge or pick up starts, the Jackson County Master Gardener Spring Fair returns to the Expo on May 2nd and 3rd.

• Geoffrey Riley, host
• Lynn Kunstman, master gardener

• The Jackson County Master Gardener Spring Fair will take place May 2–3 at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point.

Geoffrey Riley and Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman offer insights for gardeners in their button-up-for-winter segment. They discuss the final harvest of food gardens before frost sets in, how to get a garden ready for winter, and how to make moves now that give you, and the environment, more biodiversity later.

Geoffrey Riley and Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman offer insights for gardeners in their button-up-for-winter segment. They discuss the final harvest of food gardens before frost sets in, how to get a garden ready for winter, and how to make moves now that give you, and the environment, more biodiversity later.