WHAT'S NEW
Spring/Summer CalendarLawn • Garden • Forest • Pasture
From The Ground Up E-News
If you are interested in receiving an e-newsletter from The Environmental Center about sustainability--including information about lawn and garden care-- click here.
Late Spring: May-June
Lawn & Garden
• Late spring/early summer, optional 2nd light lawn fertilization (as in May).
• Start grasscycling (mow & leave clippings to breakdown into soil).
• Reseed snow mold damaged & bare areas with mixture of grass seed & compost.
• Be careful not to overwater lawn. (adjust irrigation system based on weather conditions).
• Plant root crops, lettuce and most other veggies. Plant pansies early in the month, and plant other annuals later in month.
• There is still time to move perennials & plant potted nursery stock.
• Start to aggressively control weeds by hand pulling.
• Tomatoes, peppers, & salad greens should be doing well in the greenhouse by now.
• Plan for your fall bulb garden while current bulbs still visible.
• Your compost pile will start to get very active. Make sure to mix “greens” (nitrogen sources) such as collected food waste, grass clippings, etc. with “browns” (carbon sources) like wood chips & shavings, dry needles, straw. (More info on home composting at www.resourceoregon.org).
• Take a cut out template of the top inside diameter of your pots to the nursery. Use templates to “arrange” the plants you plan to purchase. Consider something tall and spiky (ornamental grass?), something with a rounded form, and a draping plant for mixed flowerpots. Color and texture that complement both the pot and its setting will really make your container planting “pop.”
Forest & Pasture
• Think wildlife habitat. Keep dead snags with cavities. Put up species appropriate birdhouses. Use bird feeders, but do not feed mammals, as this can harm them and attract predators.
• Put livestock on pasture when grass is 6 -8“. Take them out when grass is 2-3”.
• Make hay or use additional animals to take advantage of increased growth in the spring.
• Keep livestock off of fields when they are being irrigated so their hooves don’t compact the soil.
