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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2017)
2017 SPECIAL SECTION HOME & GARDEN How to child, pet proof your home Persistence key to controlling weeds How to attract birds to your yard INSIDE | PAGE 3 INSIDE | PAGE 4 INSIDE | PAGE 5 Best times to plant vary By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian T he rough winter may have delayed some gardeners in getting outside to plant, but there’s no reason you can’t start now. Sherry Kopacz, owner of Hermiston’s Kopacz Nursery and Florist, reviewed the best time to plant different types of garden crops in the Hermiston area. “With weather like this, any root crop — beets, carrots, potatoes, onions — they’re all early,” Kopacz said. “You can also get cabbage or other cold-hardy plants like broccoli and caulifl ower early.” Kopacz said peas can also be planted in early spring. Crops that need a little more warmth to survive in the ground include tomatoes, melons and peppers. Some gardeners try to start those crops indoors and then transfer them outside when the weather warms up, or put row covers on those plants to protect them. “With melons or tomatoes, if you protect them, you can get away with planting them some time in April,” she said. “But if the ground is not warm, they’re not going to grow. So I’d hold off until after May 1st.” Kopacz said Hermiston’s climate is good for growing most types of crops, and that often the issue in the summer is protecting plants from too much sun. Gardeners can also grow berries pretty success- fully in this area, Kopacz said. Fruit trees, she said, can grow here as well, but gardeners have to be careful to protect them from pests. Many perennial fl owers and shrubs are fairly hardy as well, Kopacz said. According to the Oregon State University Exten- sion Service, fall is a good time to plant shrubs, as the weather is a little cooler and eases some of the shock of being transplanted. It also gives them enough time for the roots to get adjusted before spring. The key to transplanting, Kopacz said, is adequately watering everything. Annuals, or plants that survive for only one season, are a little more sensitive. “Geraniums, petunias — give or take, you can plant those in April,” Kopacz said. In mid-May, gardeners can start planting bulb fl owers such as dahlias, gladioli and tuberous begonias, as well as chrysanthemums, which bloom in the fall. Succulents also tend to do well in the dry Eastern Oregon climate, and can be planted at any time, according to Kopacz. Kopacz said some plants need to be sprayed with a systemic fungicide and bugs like aphids are a common nuisance. Gardeners can also use row covers to protect plants from certain pests, like cabbage maggot adult fl ies and carrot rust fl ies. The most important thing here, she said, is keeping everything watered adequately. Kopacz has owned the nursery in Hermiston for 40 years. Staff photos by Jayati Ramakrishn An employee at Kopacz Nursery an preparation for spring gardening. takes plant starts out of their boxes in Several pots of forsythia are being transported at Ko- pacz’s nursery. Bins of potatoes and onions are ready for planting.
