Corn chatter

Corn and tomatoes are favorite garden crops in this area. We all get anxious and want to get those plants in the ground, often before the weather really has cooperated. This year might be a year to gamble on early planting. Many garden soils are ready to be tilled. Before planting, add 4 pounds of actual nitrogen (organic or synthetic) per 1000 square feet of garden (that is the equivalent of 40 pounds of a fertilizer where the first number is “10”, like 10-20-20).

The new supersweet corn varieties need very warm soil at planting. They are more prone to fungal and insect attack if they sit in cool soils. It may be helpful to till up an area and cover it with clear or black plastic for several days to increase the temperature. Clear plastic will give you more heat gain but will also stimulate the weed seeds. Black plastic gives less heat but also knocks out that first flush of weeds if it is kept on there for 8-10 days. You can leave the clear plastic on until you can just see the tips of the corn emerging. Then you can cover the planting with a row cover to speed seedling growth. It will also protect the crop from hungry crows.

Corn spacing is a perennial topic of conversation. I see lots of corn that is jammed too close together to produce well. People can’t bring themselves to thin seedlings. The take-home message is that you should end up with a corn plant about every 8-10 inches if you have 30 inches between rows. If you have a wider row spacing (say 36 inches), you may be able to narrow the “in-row” spacing down to 6 inches, but don’t try to avoid thinning by planting less corn. Insects, diseases, or crows can knock a lot of plants out and then you have wasted all that precious growing time. Plant enough and then go out and thin.

Corn that is thinned can be transplanted into some adjacent rows. Those transplants will mature about two to three weeks later, just as the first planting is slowing down. A final note: don’t forget to give your corn a shot of nitrogen when the plants get up to about knee-high. This is called side-dressing. It will boost your crop after the initial fertilizer has been somewhat used up.

Deer resistant plants

There is not a square foot of Columbia and Wahkiakum counties that doesn’t have deer. Are there plants that deer won’t browse? Sure, but very few are ones that we grow for food. Edible crops that deer generally avoid are maybe winter squash, usually potato vines, fig leaves (but they will eat the figs), persimmons, lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, bay laurel, tarragon, and other herbs. Gardeners can choose to grow these plants outside their deer fence (if they have one) to increase the space for other crops inside the fence.

Ornamental options are more available. Great lists can be found in the Sunset Garden book and an OSU publication you can find at: emswcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/OSU-Deer-Resistant-Plants.pdf

The OSU publication is a little out of date and there are a few invasive plants listed that we no longer recommend (like English ivy which I wish the deer would devour), but the list is still very useful. But do deer read lists? How accurate are they? Here are some of my experiences:

I grow a lot of garlic varieties. We didn’t have a deer fence and deer never touched the garlic. One spring, deer came through and ate one garlic variety (California Late) and left the other eight alone. We built the deer fence that summer.

In the heavy snowfall of December 2008, our resident deer discovered that evergreen azaleas, which they never had touched before, were alright. Their progeny has continued the tradition of annual light deer “pruning” since.

Rugosa roses are generally considered some of the most deer-resistant rose species. We planted some in an area where we depended on periodic deer repellants to get them going. It worked fine, except for a cultivar called Therese Bugnet, which they browsed to oblivion. But looking at Ms. Bugnet, she clearly isn’t all rugosa. Her leaves don’t have the characteristic heavy-veined rugosa look nor the deep green color. The take home lesson here is that a given species may be largely tolerant of deer browsing but certain varieties within the species are deer candy.

Finally, a given deer can develop a taste for something that deer normally avoid. I saw that with a deer eating our native columbines, which are generally on most deer resistant lists. Same with red-flowering currant. So, deer behavior and lists approximate the truth, with plenty of wiggle room and uncertainty. Much like life itself.

One final comment: native forests and fields are losing their deer desirable native plants. I am not sure what the remedy is but our native landscapes are transitioning with the large deer populations now in our region.

Apple codling moth

The codling moth is the main cause of wormy apples. The adult moth generally emerges about one month after full bloom in the apple orchard, usually about mid to late May. If trees bloomed later, the moth shows up later. This year looks like mid-May to start spraying.

A new “organic” insecticide, spinosad (several trade names), is active against the codling moth and apple maggot. It needs to be applied every 14 days or so to get good control. Surround™ which is kaolinite clay, can be sprayed on fruit and leaves several times over the summer starting in late May. Both the codling moth and apple maggot are less likely to lay their eggs on “Surrounded” fruit. The jury is still out as to how well Surround works and how often it needs to be applied.

Encouraging lady beetles

Research shows that purchased lady beetles fly a considerable distance (many miles) after release, but new studies show that lady beetles can be attracted by tubes painted chrome yellow and mounted around the garden; sugar solutions sprayed on plants (about one-half cup of sugar dissolved in a quart of water); and flowers that produce lots of pollen and nectar, such as angelica, catnip, yarrow, marigolds, roses, open-face dahlias, daisies, aster, and dill.

Final notes

Take excess produce to the food bank, senior centers, or community meals programs. Cash donations to buy food for the food banks are also greatly appreciated.

Very helpful information sources are your local Extension offices: Columbia County Extension 503-397-3462; Clatsop County Extension 503-325-8573; Wahkiakum County Extension 360-795-3278; and Cowlitz County Extension. 360-577-3014. The Extension Service offices offer their programs and materials equally to all people. Advice on future garden topics is welcome by emailing me at chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu.