Monthly calendars for Oregon gardeners are produced by the Oregon State University Extension Service. Each calendar provides reminders of key garden chores, such as fertilizing, pest control, planting, and maintenance. These calendars are developed for Oregon gardens. While some of the information may apply to other regions, the specific recommendations may not be appropriate for areas with different growing conditions or pest problems.

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

January

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Central/eastern Oregon: Water your plants every 6 to 8 weeks when temperatures are above freezing with a deep soaking to prevent drying out.
• View Constructing Cold Frames and Hotbeds (FS 246-E) online.
• Check with local retail garden or nursery stores for seeds and seed catalogs, and begin planning this year's vegetable garden.
• Have soil test performed on garden plot. See your local Extension office for a list of laboratories or view EM 8677 online.
• Western Oregon: Where soil is well-drained and workable, plant garden peas and sweet peas. Suggested varieties of garden peas include: Corvallis, Dark Green Perfection, Green Arrow, Oregon Sugar Pod, Snappy, Knight, Sugar Snap, Oregon Trail, Oregon Sugar Pod II.
• Spray cherry trees for bacterial canker; use a copper fungicide with a spreader-sticker.
• Gather and store scion wood for grafting fruit and nut trees. Wrap in damp cloth or peat moss and place in plastic bag. Store in cool place.
• Mid-January: Spray peach trees with approved fungicides to combat peach leaf curl. Or plant curl-resistant varieties such as Frost.
• Take hardwood cuttings of deciduous ornamental shrubs and trees for propagation.
• Western Oregon: Water landscape plants underneath wide eaves and in other sites shielded from rain.
• Monitor landscape plants for problems. Do not treat unless a problem is identified.
• Watch for field mice damage on lower trunks of trees and shrubs. Control measures include approved baits, weed control to remove hiding places, and traps.
• Use dormant sprays of lime sulfur or copper fungicide on roses for general disease control.
• Western Oregon: Gather branches of quince, forsythia, and flowering cherries; bring inside to force early bloom.
• Place windbreaks between cold, drying winds and foliage of landscape evergreens to prevent "windburn."
• Monitor houseplants for correct water, fertilizer; guard against insect infestations; clean dust from leaves.
• If moss and lichen on trees and shrubs are objectionable, treat with copper fungicide.
• Propagate split-leaf philodendrons and other leggy indoor plants by air-layering.
• Plant some dwarf annual flowers inside for houseplants: coleus, impatiens, seedling geraniums.
• Reapply or redistribute mulches that have blown away during winter.
• Too early to start seeds for vegetable transplants, but consult seed catalogs for ideas.
• Plant deciduous fruit and shade trees.
• Moss appearing in lawn means too much shade or poor drainage.
• Prepare and store potting soil in clean containers.

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More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.

February

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Have soil test performed on garden plot to determine nutrient needs. Contact your local Extension office for a list of testing laboratories or view EM 8677 online.
• Western Oregon: Plant seed flats of cole crops (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts).
• Central/eastern Oregon: Plant asparagus if the ground is warm enough.
• Tune up lawn mower and garden equipment before the busy season begins.
• Use delayed-dormant sprays of lime sulfur for fruit and deciduous trees and shrubs.
• Prune and train grapes; make cuttings.
• Prune roses in western Oregon; wait until May in high elevations of eastern and central Oregon.
• Monitor landscape plants for problems. Do not treat unless a problem is identified.
• Central Oregon: Gather branches of quince, forsythia, and flowering cherries; bring inside to force early bloom.
• Western Oregon: Elm leaf beetles and box-elder bugs emerging from hibernation; may be seen indoors. They are not harmful, but can be a nuisance.
• Make a cold frame or hotbed to start early vegetables or flowers.
• Plant onions outdoors in western Oregon as soon as the soil is dry enough to till.
• Check junipers and cotoneaster for webworm activity. Treat if necessary.
• Plant windowsill container gardens of carrots, lettuce, or parsley.
• Plan to add herbaceous perennial flowers to your flowering landscape this spring: astilbe, candytuft, peony, anemone.
• Make plans for an herb bed, for cooking and for interest in the landscape: parsley, sage, chives, lavender; plant next month.
• If weather permits and the soil is dry enough, spade or till garden areas for planting later.
• Spade or plow down cover crops or other organic matter.
• Use a soil thermometer to help you know when to plant vegetable and flower seeds.
• Good time to plant fruit trees and deciduous shrubs.
• Western Oregon: Good time to plant new roses.
• Prune deciduous summer-blooming shrubs and trees.
• Prune clematis, Virginia creeper, and other vining ornamentals.
• Pasteurize soil for starting seedlings in pots or flats.
• Fertilize rhubarb with manure or a complete fertilizer.
• Prune and trellis trailing berries and caneberries.
• Western Oregon: Fertilize lawns.
• Prune fruit trees and blueberries.
• Repair winter damage to trees and shrubs.
• Control moles and gophers with traps.

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More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.

March

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Western Oregon: If soil is dry enough, begin vegetable garden soil preparation and plant cool- season crops (peas, lettuce, cabbage, onions, kale, chard).
• Central Oregon: Plant seed flats of cole crops (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts).
• Central Oregon: Plant chard.
• Divide hosta, daylilies, and mums.
• Plan and plant an edible landscape or flower bed.
• If you lack in-ground gardening space, plan a container garden: grow radishes, carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes (during the warm season).
• Fertilize evergreen shrubs and trees.
• Monitor landscape plants for problems. Do not treat unless a problem is identified.
• If necessary, treat crowns of raspberry plants with registered insecticides to control raspberry cane borer.
• Western Oregon: Plant berry crops (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, and other berry-producing crop plants). See OSU Extension publications for varieties.
• Western Oregon: Fertilize caneberries (broadcast or band a complete fertilizer or manure).
• Prune gooseberries and currants; fertilize with manure or a complete fertilizer.
• Spray trees and shrubs for webworms and leafrollers, if present.
• Western Oregon: Take geraniums, begonias, and fuchsias from storage. Water and fertilize. Cut back if necessary. Move outdoors next month.
• Fertilize rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas with acid-type fertilizer.
• Spray to control leaf and twig fungus diseases in sycamore, hawthorn, and willow trees.
• Use stored scion wood to graft fruit and ornamental trees.
• Treat lawns for European crane fly if damage has been diagnosed.
• Spread compost over garden and landscape areas.
• Western Oregon: Best time of year to thatch and renovate lawns.
• Plan the vegetable garden carefully for spring, summer, and fall vegetables that can be eaten fresh or preserved.
• Learn to identify the predatory insects that can help to keep aphids and other pests under control.
• Protect new plant growth from slugs. Use bait or traps.
• Western Oregon: Prune spring-flowering shrubs after blossoms fade.
• Trim or shear heather when bloom period is finished.
• Start tuberous begonias indoors.
• Plant insectary plants to attract beneficial insects to the garden.
• Do not compost grass clippings from lawns where weed-and-feed products or herbicides have been used.

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More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.

April

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Early April: fertilize lawn, let spring rains carry the fertilizer into the soil.
• If lawns are becoming thin and sickly, consider overseeding with a mixture of perennial ryegrass and fine fescue.
• Protect dogwood trees, as they begin growth, against anthracnose diseases. Apply a copper fungicide or Daconil. Rake and destroy fallen leaves spring through fall.
• Help youngsters start a garden this year with carrots, chard, lettuce, onions, and peas.
• Bait for slugs; iron phosphate baits are available that are safe for use around pets. Clean up hiding places for slugs, sowbugs, and millipedes.
• Allow foliage of spring-flowering bulbs to brown and die down before removing.
• Prune and shape or thin spring-blooming shrubs and trees after blossoms fade.
• Control rose diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew. Remove infected leaves. Spray as necessary with registered fungicide. Prune ornamentals for air circulation and to help prevent fungus diseases.
• Prepare garden soil for spring planting. Incorporate generous amounts of organic materials and other amendments as needs are shown by soil analysis.
• Plant early broccoli varieties for western Oregon: Green Valiant, Premium Crop, Packman, or Rosalind.
• Use floating row covers to keep insects such as beet leaf miners, cabbage maggot adult flies, and carrot rust flies away from susceptible crops.
• Monitor strawberries for spittlebugs and aphids; control if present.
• Cut and remove weeds near the garden to remove sources of plant virus diseases.
• Spray for apple scab, cherry brown rot, and blossom blight. See EC 631, Controlling Diseases and Insects in Home Orchards.
• Apply commercial fertilizers, manure, or compost to cane, bush (gooseberries, currants, and blueberries), and trailing berries.
• Plant gladioli, hardy transplants of alyssum, phlox, and marigolds, if weather and soil conditions permit.
• Prepare raised beds in areas where cold soils and poor drainage are a continuing problem. Add generous amounts of organic materials.
• Place compost or well decomposed manure around perennial vegetable plants.
• Watch for botrytis blight on peonies.
• Check started seeds for damping-off.
• Cover transplants to protect against late spring frosts.
  
• Southwest Oregon: place pheromone traps in apple or pear trees in late April to monitor codling moth activity.
• Plant these vegetables:
  Oregon coast: beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, slicing cucumbers, endive, leeks, lettuce, onion sets, peas, potatoes.
  Western valleys, Portland, Roseburg, Medford: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chives, endive, leeks, lettuce, peas, radishes, rhubarb, rutabagas, spinach, turnips.
  Central Oregon and higher elevations of eastern Oregon (late April): peas, radishes, lettuce, spinach, turnips.
  Columbia and Snake River valleys, Ontario: snap and lima beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chives, sweet corn, slicing and pickling cucumbers, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onion sets, parsnips, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, rhubarb, rutabagas, summer and winter squash, turnips.

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More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.

May

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Leafrolling worms will affect apples and blueberries. Prune off affected leaves and place pheromone traps or spray with approved pesticides.
• Trap moles and gophers as new mounds appear.
• Control spittle bugs and aphids in strawberries and ornamentals, if present; wash off or use insecticidal soap as a contact spray. Follow label directions.
• Fertilize rhododendrons and azaleas; remove spent blossoms.
• Plant chrysanthemums for fall color.
• Plant dahlias, gladioli, and tuberous begonias in mid-May.
• Control cabbage worms in cabbage and cauliflower, 12-spotted cucumber beetle in beans and lettuce, maggot in radishes. Control can involve hand removal, placing barrier screen over newly planted rows, or spraying or dusting with appropriate materials.
• Spray cherries, plums, peaches, and apricots for brown rot blossom blight, if necessary.
• Control aphids with insecticidal soap, a hard spray of water, or hand removal; by promoting natural predators; or by using approved insecticides labeled for the problem plant.
• Tiny holes in foliage and shiny, black beetles on tomato, beets, radishes, and potato indicate flea beetle attack. Treat with Neem, rotenone, Bt, or use nematodes for larvae. Follow label directions.
• Fertilize roses and control rose diseases such as mildew with a registered fungicide. When selecting new roses, choose plants labeled for resistance to diseases.
• Prevent root maggots when planting cabbage family, onions, and carrots, by covering with row covers or screens, or by applying appropriate pesticides.
• Control slugs with bait or traps and by removing or mowing vegetation near garden plots.
• Place pheromone traps in apple trees to detect presence of codling moth. Plan a control program of sprays, baits, or predators when moths are found.
• Monitor broadleaf evergreens for root weevils. Look for notches chewed on new leaves. Mark plants to teat with parasitic nematodes in autumn when soil temperatures are still above 55°F.
• Plant these vegetables (dates vary locally; check with local gardeners):
  Oregon coast: snap beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupes, pickling cucumbers, dill, kale, parsnips, peppers, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, sweet corn, tomatoes.
  Western Oregon: mid-May, transplant tomato and pepper seedlings.
  Western valleys, Portland, Roseburg, Medford: snap and lima beans, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupes, slicing and pickling cucumbers, dill, eggplant, kale, peppers, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon.
  Lower elevations, eastern Oregon (dates vary widely): snap and lima beans, beets, celery, sweet corn, slicing and pickling cucumbers, dill, kale, kohlrabi, onions, parsley, parsnips, peppers, white potatoes, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, tomatoes.
  High elevations, central and eastern Oregon: prepare garden soil for spring planting.
  Central Oregon and higher elevations of eastern Oregon: early May-onions; mid-May to late May-beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chives, endive, spinach; mid-May to early June-dill, kale, kohlrabi, parsley, parsnips, potatoes; late May to early June-snap beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, summer squash, tomatoes.
  Columbia and Snake River valleys, Ontario: cantaloupes, dill, eggplant, kale, okra, peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon.

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More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.

June

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• First week: spray cherry trees for cherry fruit fly and brown rot if fruit is ripening.
• First week: spray for codling moth and scab in apple and pear trees. Continue use of pheromone traps for insect pest detection.
• Apples and crabapples that are susceptible to scab disease will begin dropping leaves as weather warms. Rake and destroy fallen leaves; spray with summer-strength lime sulfur, wettable sulfur, Immunox, or Captan.
• Plant insectory plants to attract beneficial insects to your garden. Check with local nurseries for best selections.
• Plant dahlias and gladioli.
• Learn to identify beneficial insects and plant some insectory plants (Alyssum, Phacelia, coriander, candytuft, sunflower, yarrow, dill) to attract them to your garden. Check with local nurseries for best selections.
• Lawn mowing: set blade at 0.75 to 1 inch for bentgrass lawns; 1.5 to 2.5 inches for bluegrasses, fine fescues, and ryegrasses.
• Spray with Orthene to control adult root weevils in rhododendrons, azaleas, primroses, and other ornamentals. Or, use beneficial nematodes if soil temperature is above 55°F.
• Remove seed pods after blooms have dropped from rhododendrons, azaleas.
• Prune lilacs, forsythia, rhododendrons, and azaleas after blooming.
• Fertilize vegetable garden 1 month after plants emerge by side dressing-alongside the rows.
• Harvest thinnings from new plantings of lettuce, onion, and chard.
• Construct trellises for tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, and vining ornamentals.
• Use organic mulches to conserve soil moisture. An inch or two of sawdust, barkdust, or composted leaves will minimize loss of water through evaporation.
• Pick ripe strawberries regularly to avoid fruit-rotting diseases.
• Blossoms on squash and cucumbers begin to drop: nothing to worry about.
• Control garden weeds by pulling, hoeing, or mulching.
• Control aphids on vegetables as needed by hosing off with water or by using insecticidal soap or a registered insecticide.
• Watch for cabbage worms, 12-spotted beetles on beans and lettuce, flea beetles in lettuce. Remove the insect pests or treat with labeled pesticides.
• Spray peas as first pods form, if necessary, to control weevils.
• After normal fruit drop in June, consider thinning the remainder to produce a larger crop of fruit.
• Late this month, begin to monitor for late blight on tomatoes.
• Birch trees dripping means aphids are present. Control as needed.
• If indicated, spray cherries at weekly intervals for fruit fly.
• Last week: second spray for codling moth and scab in apple and pear trees.
• Move houseplants outside for cleaning, grooming, repotting, and summer growth.
• Make sure raised beds receive enough water for plants to stay free of drought stress.
• High elevations, central and eastern Oregon: fertilize lawns, late June to early July.
• Oregon coast: plant cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale.
• Western Oregon: plant sweet corn, other tender vegetables.
• Western Oregon: apply fertilizer to lawns.

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More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.

July

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Control hollyhock rust by sanitation, picking affected leaves, or spraying with a recommended and registered fungicide. Read and follow label directions.
• Early morning is the best time to water vegetable and flower gardens to reduce evaporation. Water deeply and infrequently.
• Hanging baskets of flowers or vegetable plantings need careful attention to watering and feeding during extended periods of hot weather.
• Watch for cutworm damage in garden. (In July, climbing cutworms become a problem and large portions of foliage will begin to disappear on established plants.) Use barriers, remove by hand, use beneficial nematodes when soil temperature is above 55°F, or spray with Bt according to label directions.
• Midsummer plantings of beets, bush beans, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, kale, and peas will provide fall and winter crops.
• Place traps to catch adult apple maggot flies. You can use pheromone traps to monitor presence of pests.
• July 10: spray filbert trees for filbertworm.
• July 10-15: spray peach and prune trees for root borers.
• July 17-23: third spray for codling moth in apple and pear trees.
• Cover blueberry bushes with netting to keep birds from eating all the crop.
• Stake tomatoes, watch for blight (prune for air circulation, pick off affected leaves, treat with approved fungicide).
• First planting of Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, rutabagas on Oregon coast.
• Monitor camellias, holly, maple trees for scale insects. Treat if necessary.
• Monitor rhododendrons for root weevil adults. Look for fresh evidence of feeding (notching). Try sticky trap products on plant trunks to trap adult weevils.
• Check leafy vegetables for caterpillars. Control with Bt or Sevin. Never use Sevin during bloom period or in the presence of bees.
• Mound soil up around base of potatoes, gather and eat a few "new" potatoes from each hill.
• Weed and fertilize rhubarb and asparagus beds, water deeply to develop crowns for next year. A mulch of compost or rotted cow manure works well.
• Mulch to conserve soil moisture with paper, plastic, sawdust, etc.
• Spider mites can become a problem on ornamental plants, vegetables, and fruit plants during hot, dry weather. Watch for dusty-looking foliage, loss of color, presence of tiny mites. Wash infested areas with water or spray with appropriate pesticides.
• Dig spring bulbs when tops have died down; divide and store or replant.
• If a green lawn is desired, make sure lawn areas are receiving adequate water. Deep watering less often is more effective than frequent shallow watering.
• Stake tall-growing flowering plants such as delphinium, hollyhocks, and lupine.
• Aerate lawns for more effective water and fertilizer usage.
• East of the Cascades: spray for corn earworm as silking begins. Protect bees from spray.

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More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.

August

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Check apple maggot traps; spray tree if needed.
• Make compost of lawn clippings and garden plants that are ready to be recycled. Do not use clippings if lawn has been treated with herbicide, including "weed-and-feed" products.
• Control yellow jackets and wasps with traps and lures as necessary. Keep in mind they are beneficial insects and help control pest insects in the home garden.
• First week: spray for walnut husk fly.
• First week: second spray of peach and prune trees for root borers.
• First week: second spray of filbert trees for filbertworm.
• Check for root weevils in ornamental shrubs and flowers; codling moth and spider mite in apple trees; scale insects in camellias, holly, maples. Treat as necessary.
• Plant winter cover crops in vacant space around the vegetable garden; plant winter kale, Brussels sprouts, turnips, parsnips, parsley, and Chinese cabbage.
• Dampwood termites begin flying late this month. Make sure your home is free of wet wood or places where wood and soil are in contact.
• Watch for corn earworm on early corn--treat as needed.
• Begin soil preparation for planting new lawn.
• Fertilize cucumbers, summer squash, and broccoli to maintain production while you continue harvesting.
• Clean and fertilize strawberry beds.
• Control caterpillars on leafy vegetables, as needed, with Bt., or by hand picking and removal.
• For mite control on ornamentals and most vegetables, hose off foliage, spray with miticide if necessary.
• Monitor garden irrigation closely so crops and ornamentals don't dry out.
• Use mulch to protect ornamentals and garden plants from hot weather damage.
• Camellias need deep watering to develop flower buds for next spring.
• Prune raspberries, boysenberries, and other caneberries after harvest.
• Willamette Valley: corn may need protection from earworm. Spray new silks with appropriate pesticides if necessary.
• East of Cascades: check for tomato hornworm.
• Mid-August to early September--fertilize lawn for last time this growing season.
• Western Oregon: mid-summer planting of peas; use enation-virus-resistant varieties, plant fall crops of cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli.
• Oregon coast: plant spinach.
• Western valleys, Portland, Roseburg, Medford: plant cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, turnips, and parsnips.
• Columbia and Snake River valleys, Ontario: plant Chinese cabbage, and endive.
• High elevations, central and eastern Oregon: prune away excess vegetation and new blossoms on tomatoes after mid-August. Concentrate on ripening set fruit.
• Coastal and western valleys: spray potatoes and tomatoes for early and late blight.
• Willamette Valley: allow your lawn to dry out in late summer to make it less attractive to egg-laying crane flies.

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Updated September 9, 2008.

September

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Apply parasitic nematodes to soil beneath rhododendrons and azaleas that show root weevil damage (notched leaves).
• Harvest winter squash when the "ground spot" changes from white to a cream or gold color.
• Plant lawns until October 15 in western Oregon.
• Plant or transplant woody ornamentals and mature herbaceous perennials.
• Plant garden cover crops as garden is harvested. Spread manure or compost over unplanted garden areas.
• Pick and store winter squash; mulch carrot, parsnip, and beet rows for winter harvesting.
• Spray holly for leaf and twig blight, blueberries for stem canker as needed.
• Reduce water on trees, shrubs, and vines east of Cascades to harden them off for winter.
• Plant daffodils, tulips, and crocus for spring bloom. Work calcium and phosphorus into the soil below the bulbs at planting time.
• Divide peonies and iris.
• Clean houseplants, check for insects, and repot if necessary; then bring them indoors.
• Protect tomatoes and/or pick green tomatoes and ripen indoors if frost threatens.
• Use stakes to support tall flowers and to keep them from blowing over in fall winds.
• Bait for slugs with traps or iron phosphate products that are safe for use around pets.
• Dig, clean, and store tuberous begonias if frost threatens.
• Harvest potatoes when the tops die down. Store them in a dark location.
• Prepare compost pile for recycling vegetation from garden and deciduous trees. Do not compost diseased or insect-infested plant material.
• Western Oregon: plant winter cover of annual rye or winter peas.
• Copper spray for peach and cherry trees.
• Monitor trailing berries for leaf and cane spot. Treat if necessary.
• Spray for juniper twig blight after pruning away dead and infected twigs.
• Monitor arborvitae for Berckmann's blight. Spray if necessary.
• Coastal and western valleys: spray potatoes and tomatoes for early and late blight.
• Willamette Valley: allow your lawn to dry out in late summer to make it less attractive to egg-laying crane flies.

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Updated September 9, 2008.

October

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Recycle disease-free plant material and kitchen vegetable and fruit scraps into compost. Do not compost diseased plants unless you are using the "hot compost" method (120° to 150°F).
• Clean and paint greenhouses and cold frames for plant storage and winter growth.
• Harvest sunflower heads; use seed for birdseed or roast for personal use.
• Dig and store potatoes; keep in darkness, moderate humidity, temperature about 40°F. Discard unused potatoes if they sprout. Do not use as seed potatoes for next year.
• Western Oregon: Harvest squash and pumpkins; keep in dry area at 55° to 60°F.
• Harvest and immediately dry filberts and walnuts; dry at 95° to 100°F.
• Ripen green tomatoes indoors. Check often and discard rotting fruit.
• Harvest and store apples; keep at about 40°F, moderate humidity.
• Spray stone fruit trees to prevent various fungal and bacterial diseases. Use copper fungicides. Obtain a copy of Managing Diseases and Insects in Home Orchards (EC 631) from your local Extension office.
• Place mulch over roots of roses, azaleas, rhododendrons for winter protection.
• Place hanging pots of fuchsias where they won't freeze. Don't cut back until spring.
• Central/eastern Oregon: Water your plants deeply every 6 to 8 weeks to prevent drying out.
• Central/eastern Oregon: Dethatch your lawn and follow with a nitrogen fertilizer application.
• Trim or stake bushy herbaceous perennials to prevent wind damage.
• Western Oregon: Check/treat houseplants for disease and insects before bringing indoors.
• Pot and store tulips and daffodils to force into early bloom in December and January.
• Early October: Begin manipulating light to force Christmas cactus to bloom in late December.
• Store garden supplies and fertilizers in a safe, dry place out of reach of children.
• Western Oregon: If weather permits, spade organic material and lime into garden soil.
• Cover asparagus and rhubarb beds with a mulch of manure or compost.
• Propagate chrysanthemums, fuchsias, geraniums by stem cuttings.
• Remove and dispose of windfall apples that might be harboring apple maggot or codling moth larvae.
• Monitor landscape plants for problems. Do not treat unless a problem is identified.
• Rake and destroy diseased leaves (apple, cherry, rose, etc.).
• Clean up annual flower beds; mulch with manure or compost.
• Dig and divide rhubarb. (Should be done about every 4 years.)
• Western Oregon: Treat for moss on roofs during dry periods.
• Dig and store geraniums, tuberous begonias, dahlias, gladiolas.
• Control lawn weeds while they are small.
• East of the Cascades: If soil analysis indicates a pH below 6.0, apply lime to your Kentucky bluegrass lawn (50 lb lime/1,000 sq ft).
• Take care of soil drainage needs of lawns before rain begins.
• Place mulch around berries for winter protection.
• Save seeds from the vegetable and flower garden, dry, date, label, and store.
• Plant ground covers and shrubs.
• Western Oregon: Fertilize lawn for last time this year.
• Central/eastern Oregon: Prune evergreens.
• Trap moles and gophers.
• Clean and oil tools and equipment before storing for winter.
• Plant garlic for harvesting next summer.
• Register to become an OSU Master Gardener volunteer with your local Extension office, or check the Web for more information (http://extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/).

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Do you want to print a copy of the October garden calendar?
We recommend downloading the print version (32 K).
First download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, if you don't already have it.

More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.

November

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Western Oregon: Bait garden, flower beds for slugs during rainy periods. Use traps or new phosphate baits, which are pet-safe.
• Rake and destroy leaves from fruit trees that were diseased this year. Remove mummified fruit.
• Tie red raspberry canes to wires; prune to 1 foot above the top wire or wrap the canes around the top wire. Check for holes made by crown borers at base of plant, treat with registered insecticides if seen.
• Western Oregon: Good time to transplant landscape trees and shrubs.
• Western Oregon: Prune roses to "knee-high" to prevent winter wind damage.
• Renew mulch around perennial flower beds after removing weeds.
• Western Oregon: Take cuttings of rhododendrons and camellias for propagation; propagate begonias from leaf cuttings.
• Place mulch of manure over dormant vegetable garden area. A 3- to 4-inch layer of leaves spread over the garden plot prevents soil compaction by rain.
• Cover rhubarb and asparagus beds with composted manure and straw.
• Use mulches to prevent erosion and compaction from rain.
• Watch for wet soil and drainage problems in yard during heavy rains. Tiling, ditching, and French drains are possible solutions.
• Protect built-in sprinkler systems: drain the system, insulate the valve mechanisms.
• Central/eastern Oregon: Water your plants every 6 to 8 weeks with a deep soaking to prevent drying out.
• Central/eastern Oregon: Wrap the trunks of young, thin-barked trees with paper tree wrap late in the month to prevent sunscald.
• Monitor landscape plants for problems. Do not treat unless a problem is identified.
• Clean and oil lawnmower, other garden equipment and tools before storing for winter. Drain and store hoses carefully to avoid damage from freezing.
• Tie limbs of upright evergreens to prevent breakage by snow or ice.
• Plant shrubs and trees that supply food and shelter to birds; e.g., sumac, barberry, elderberry, and holly.
• Protect tender evergreens from drying wind.
• Trim chrysanthemums to 4 to 6 inches after they finish blooming.
• Moss appearing in lawn means too much shade or poor drainage.
• Central/eastern Oregon: Apply a winter fertilizer to your lawn.
• Place a portable cold frame over rows of winter vegetables.
• Reduce fertilizer applications to houseplants.
• Still time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, but don't delay.
• Western Oregon: Apply lime to lawns.
• Rake and compost leaves that are free of diseases and insects.
• Place mulch around berries for winter protection.
• Plant window garden of lettuce, chives, parsley.
• Check potatoes in storage and remove any going bad.
• Western Oregon: Plant garlic for harvest next summer.
• Force spring bulbs for indoor blooms in December.
• Good time to plant trees and shrubs.
• Check firewood for insect infestations. Burn affected wood first and do not store inside.

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Do you want to print a copy of the November garden calendar?
We recommend downloading the print version (32 K).
First download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, if you don't already have it.

More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.

December

Oregon State University Extension Service encourages sustainable gardening practices. Always identify and monitor problems before acting. First consider cultural controls; then physical, biological, and chemical controls (which include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, botanical insecticides, organic and synthetic pesticides). Always consider the least toxic approach first.

All recommendations in this calendar are not necessarily applicable to all areas of Oregon. For more information, contact your local office of the OSU Extension Service.

• Spread wood ashes evenly on vegetable garden. Use no more than 1.5 lb/100 sq ft/year. Do not use if the soil pH is greater than 7.0 or if potassium levels are excessive.
• Use dormant sprays of lime sulfur or copper fungicide on fruit trees and roses for general disease control.
• Protect new landscape plants from wind: staking, guy wires, windbreaks, site selection.
• Central/eastern Oregon: Water your plants every 6 to 8 weeks with a deep soaking to prevent drying out.
• Western Oregon: Make sure that landscape plants in protected sites receive water regularly during the winter.
• Monitor landscape plants for problems. Do not treat unless a problem is identified.
• Yard sanitation: rake leaves, cut and remove withered stalks of perennial flowers, mulch flowerbeds, hoe or pull winter weeds.
• Check for rodent damage around bases of trees and large shrubs.
• Mid-December in western Oregon: Spray peach trees with lime sulfur or approved fungicides to protect against peach leaf curl. Choose resistant varieties if possible.
• Western Oregon: Still time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses. Don't delay.
• Avoid mounding mulching materials around the bases of trees and shrubs. The mulch might provide cover for rodents.
• During heavy rains, watch for drainage problems in the yard. Tiling, ditching, and French drains are possible solutions.
• Protect poinsettias from cold, place in sunlight, don't let leaves touch cold windows; fertilize with houseplant fertilizers to maintain leaf color.
• Monitor houseplants for adequate water, fertilizer, humidity. Water and fertilizer requirements generally are less in winter.
• Check stored flower bulbs, fresh vegetables, fruits for rot and fungus problems. Discard any showing signs of rot.
• Make holiday decorations from trees and shrubs in the yard.
• Monitor spruce trees for spruce aphids. Treat if present in large numbers. Read and follow pesticide label directions.
• Tie limbs of columnar evergreens to prevent snow or ice breakage.
• If the lawn is frozen, stay off it.
• Use paper tree wraps on lower trunks of newly planted fruit and nut trees to avoid sun damage.
• Turn the compost pile.
• Western Oregon: Good time of year to plant trees, landscape shrubs.

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Do you want to print a copy of the December garden calendar?
We recommend downloading the print version (32 K).
First download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, if you don't already have it.

More gardening information from the OSU Extension Service.

Updated September 9, 2008.