The weather took a wintry turn, but the calendar says it’s spring and that means gardening time has returned. You may have questions. For answers, turn to Ask an Expert, an online question-and-answer tool from Oregon State University’s Extension Service. OSU Extension faculty and Master Gardeners reply to queries within two business days, usually less. To ask a question, simply go to the OSU Extension website, type it in and include the county where you live. Here are some questions asked by other gardeners. What’s yours?
Q: How well do bell peppers and tomatoes grow in Eugene? Would I need a greenhouse or plastic covering to get good growth, or to create a suitable growing season? – Lane County
A: Bell peppers and tomatoes can be grown successfully in Eugene. Both bell peppers and tomatoes do best when planted in your garden as transplants or starts. Tomato and bell pepper starts are available at most garden centers. You can start your own starts from seed indoors, but it is now getting late in the season to start from seeds.
Tomatoes need about eight weeks and bell peppers about 10 weeks to be ready to transplant from seeds into the garden during their optimal planting time, which is from May to the first part of June. The publication Propagating Plants from Seed will be of great resource if you are thinking about starting from seed.
Tomatoes are a staple in most gardens and there are many varieties that do well in Eugene. Bell peppers need a longer growing season and can be more challenging. Look for varieties that have been recommended for growing in our area.
For best results after planting, bell peppers need temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees during the day and 60 to 70 degrees at night. Tomatoes need outdoor temperatures of at least 60 degrees and soil temperatures of 65 degrees. If they are too cold, they may not blossom or develop fruit.
You can use a greenhouse for starts until it is warm enough to plant outdoors. If you need to plant them outside before the temperatures are optimal, using row covers will help to keep them warm. Be sure to uncover or vent them during the day to avoid overheating them under the plastic.
When you plant your vegetables, make sure the soil drains well and has plenty of organic matter. Water the plants infrequently and deeply into the soil for best fruit and root development. The following publications have additional information on tomato and pepper growing:
Grow Your Own Tomatoes and Tomatillos
– Jan Gano, OSU Extension Master Gardener
Q: I just planted my vegetable garden yesterday – tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, peas. The weather for the upcoming week looks cool and wet. Will my 2- to 3-inch plants survive? – Clackamas County
A: I wish you had asked this a week ago, because even without the chilly weather, it was too early to plant tomatoes and peppers. They need the soil to be 65 degrees before planting. Peas are more forgiving, and lettuce is “iffy.” I suggest that you read the planting chart on page 7 of this OSU publication. It has some great information throughout. – Kris LaMar, OSU Extension Master Gardner
Q: I have a climbing hydrangea on a north-facing stucco wall. After six years it has never bloomed and I’m ready to give up this experiment. How can I safely remove it without damaging the stucco? – Clackamas County
A: I am afraid that protection of stucco structures isn’t part of the OSU Extension education program, but I found this article out of Illinois.
I wonder if you’d be willing to give your plant one more year, by trying to prune it so it will produce blooms next year? This hydrangea variety does not produce blooms on horizontal stems, only on vertical ones. This may be your blooming problem. You would typically prune after the prior year’s blooms fade, and might have to prune thereafter until late summer or early fall. If you see no blooms this year, then begin pruning after all chance of frost has passed.
If you decide to remove it, I suggest you find an expert specializing in stucco repair, in case the tendrils have weakened or destroyed the surface. – Kris LaMar, OSU Extension Master Gardener
Q: I have two out of 13 blueberry bushes that are very behind on growth this season. They both have clusters but look stunted and have brown around the clusters. The bushes are large bushes around 5 feet tall, but look almost as they are dying. The others are full of flowers and look wonderful. Do you have advice on what I can do or look for to support the bushes?? – Clackamas County
A: What you describe is most likely due to a common virus that can infect blueberry called Blueberry Shock Virus. You can learn more about this virus here.
I was walking blueberry fields yesterday and saw very similar symptoms to what you show in your photo. Plants can get this virus when they are young or older as you describe. The virus is pollen borne – transferred from an infected plant to an uninfected plant by bees as they pollinate the flowers.
There is NO control once a plant is infected. Pretty much all of the varieties you can buy at any nursery are susceptible although they differ in how quickly they can get the virus (how old). The good news is that plants should NOT be removed. If this is blueberry shock, the plants will recover. You will see them start to grow in a couple of weeks or so. Prune them well and they will flower normally next year.
Of course, they may spread the virus to the other plants you have, but these will then recover also. Shock can affect plants differently. Sometimes a part of the plant will get infected and recover and then year you will see another part of the plant do the same thing. Just let the disease run its course. Just in case you are wondering, the damage is not due to cold injury (blueberries are very cold tolerant and it has not gotten cold enough). – Bernadine Strik, OSU Extension berry specialist, retired
Q: Will pruning off the dead limbs of my Japanese maple, which appears to have verticillium wilt, be helpful? – Jackson County
A: Yes. Here are some other recommendations:
- Prune dead branches to discourage infection by other fungi. Disinfect tools between cuts in a 10 percent solution of household bleach.
- Water generously, especially during dry periods.
- Apply modest amounts of slow-release fertilizer, low in nitrogen and high in potassium.
- Mulch to maintain soil moisture, keep soil temperatures moderate and minimize chances of root injuries.
- Avoid gardening under a Japanese maple, as damage to the roots can be an entry point for verticillium wilt.
- Don’t use wood chips from infected trees.
- Because the verticillium fungus can survive in the soil for 10 years, do not move soil or debris from areas of known infection.
- Fungicides are not effective for control, because tree roots inevitably grow beyond the treated area.
– Chris Rusch, OSU Extension Master Gardener
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