News
Opinion
ENLARGE
In late winter I think all gardeners love to look at colorful gardening catalogs or publications that show gorgeous gardens so ornately designed with beautiful plants. It is our time to dream about the coming spring and the rebirth of nature in our own yards.
With such a mild January and early February our plants are starting to believe spring is just around the corner. The rich yellow blossoms of daffodils and forsythia are opening, and fruit tree buds are swelling and not far behind.
With nature thinking spring is here, it is understandable if you are getting a case of spring garden fever. Avid gardeners get the itch to get out into the landscape as soon as the weather warms up, but in most cases, it is best to be patient and wait for our true spring in April. However, if you need to satisfy that gardening urge, you should think about joining Oregon State University Extension's late winter program called “Spring Into Gardening.”
The full-day seminar will be held at Umpqua Community College, Snyder Hall. The seminar is a series of gardening classes that begin at 8:30 a.m. and go until 4 p.m. The seminar is broken into four sections — 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. to noon, 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 4 p.m. During each section you can select one of three classes being offered.
During the day you will be able to take four classes for a total of $20. Topics range from pruning ornamentals or fruit trees, vegetable seed starting, growing vegetables, growing herbs, container and raised bed gardening, composting and soils, raising backyard chickens, canning and preserving, and a session to ask your questions of the gardening experts. Our “ask the experts” session will allow you to direct follow-up questions to a panel of experts. If you have a specific question about your garden problems, this will be the perfect venue.
We have focused most of our planned classes this year on growing food crops because our own Master Gardner surveys taken over the past five years show a strong trend toward wanting more knowledge in this area. This interest in growing food crops is going on all across the country.
Seed companies and nurseries report food plant sales as their best sellers over the past three years. If you have favorite vegetable seed or fruit plant varieties, you should be making those orders soon to ensure you will get the ones you want.
If you are interested in learning more about growing food crops, especially from local people who know our climate, best varieties and unique pest problems, “Spring Into Gardening” will be a great training session for you. Come visit the OSU Extension office to register for this program and make your class selections, or call for more information.
Registrations are due by Tuesday.
Steve Renquist is the horticulture extension agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at steve.renquist@oregonstate.edu.
With such a mild January and early February our plants are starting to believe spring is just around the corner. The rich yellow blossoms of daffodils and forsythia are opening, and fruit tree buds are swelling and not far behind.
With nature thinking spring is here, it is understandable if you are getting a case of spring garden fever. Avid gardeners get the itch to get out into the landscape as soon as the weather warms up, but in most cases, it is best to be patient and wait for our true spring in April. However, if you need to satisfy that gardening urge, you should think about joining Oregon State University Extension's late winter program called “Spring Into Gardening.”
The full-day seminar will be held at Umpqua Community College, Snyder Hall. The seminar is a series of gardening classes that begin at 8:30 a.m. and go until 4 p.m. The seminar is broken into four sections — 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. to noon, 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 4 p.m. During each section you can select one of three classes being offered.
During the day you will be able to take four classes for a total of $20. Topics range from pruning ornamentals or fruit trees, vegetable seed starting, growing vegetables, growing herbs, container and raised bed gardening, composting and soils, raising backyard chickens, canning and preserving, and a session to ask your questions of the gardening experts. Our “ask the experts” session will allow you to direct follow-up questions to a panel of experts. If you have a specific question about your garden problems, this will be the perfect venue.
We have focused most of our planned classes this year on growing food crops because our own Master Gardner surveys taken over the past five years show a strong trend toward wanting more knowledge in this area. This interest in growing food crops is going on all across the country.
Seed companies and nurseries report food plant sales as their best sellers over the past three years. If you have favorite vegetable seed or fruit plant varieties, you should be making those orders soon to ensure you will get the ones you want.
If you are interested in learning more about growing food crops, especially from local people who know our climate, best varieties and unique pest problems, “Spring Into Gardening” will be a great training session for you. Come visit the OSU Extension office to register for this program and make your class selections, or call for more information.
Registrations are due by Tuesday.
Steve Renquist is the horticulture extension agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at steve.renquist@oregonstate.edu.
