This publication provides direction on estimating soil moisture by the "feel and appearance" method; taking a some soil and rolling it up in a ball then squeezing it between your thumb and forefinger to form a ribbon and noting how it appears and feels. Compare what you see with photographs and/or charts to estimate percent water available and the inches depleted below field capacity.
Drought has become a fact of life for farmers throughout the West. For hemp growers, careful planning for where, when and what to plant can result in a crop that will thrive despite dry conditions.
There are lots of gardening tasks to complete in April, including fertilizing your lawn and preparing soil and raised garden beds. Learn more in this guide.
For Oregon gardeners, May is a busy month. It's time to check soil temperatures, establish irrigation systems, and to start planting flowers and vegetables. Learn more in this guide.
The plants in the field trials were chosen by an advisory group of nursery growers and landscape designers and were evaluated on growth, visual appeal, timing of flowering, density of flowers, physiology and heat tolerance.
This report includes preliminary data for the second of a three-year study. Since this year was a record drought year, results could vary from a normal rainfall year. Finalized data and observations will be released in future as peer-reviewed studies, reports, and extension articles. For more information, please visit the RDFA project page. .