Green thumb itching? Oregon nurseries confirm a slow season start

By Karen Richards (KLCC)
March 29, 2023 5:14 p.m.
Spring crocus push through leaves, signs of spring, March 2, 2023, in Portland.

Spring crocus push through leaves, signs of spring, March 2, 2023, in Portland.

Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Nurseries in the Willamette Valley say planting season is delayed this year because of the chilly start to spring.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

Esther McEvoy owns Willamette Gardens in Corvallis, and specializes in native plants. She told KLCC it’s been a slow start to this year’s season. “So when I go to purchase and help fill in gaps in my inventory,” she said, “in the last two weeks, I went and got items from two different nurseries: They are both saying, as I’m feeling, we’re about two to three weeks behind in growth, because of it not being warm enough.”

McEvoy said she’s had to tell customers not to come by, because the potted plants she carries haven’t greened up yet. She said while it should be fine to plant species that go dormant in the winter, like trees, other plants like perennials should wait until there’s no threat of frost.

She said native plants are usually okay, because they’re adapted for cold winters, but she likes to make sure individual plants are thriving before putting them up for sale.

Erica Chernoh, Horticulture Faculty with OSU Extension in Lane County, agreed the season is a couple of weeks late, but said that can change quickly if the weather heats up.

She said the best way to judge whether to start planting a vegetable garden is to measure the soil temperature. Cool season crops need average temps to be over 50 degrees, and warmer crops need soil to be 65 to 70°.

Chernoh said to take measurements when the soil is at the coolest point of the day, around 9 a.m.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

Related Stories

Spring flowers with pollinators flying around.

Superabundant dispatch: Plan a pollinator-friendly edible garden

After a few sunny and warm days, it’s actually starting to feel like a turnover in the seasons. You might be amped to get busy in the garden, but hold your horses: Are you making room for insects in your landscape plans? There are so many small steps we can take to support pollinators in our gardens, and this will pay off in dividends with a more Superabundant growing season.

An egg in a nest of pink flowers in outer space.

Superabundant dispatch: Celebrating the flavors of the vernal equinox

Between Holi (Hindu Festival of Colors), Nowruz (Persian New Year), Shunbun no Hi (Japanese Vernal Equinox Day) and Ostara/Easter, there are so many ways humans have traditionally celebrated the return of spring. The vernal equinox represents a triumph of life over the dark, cold death of winter; of fertility and rebirth. In this week’s newsletter, we reflect on the ways in which the equinox is observed with the season’s symbolic foods.