Pre new years eve

Another rainy day.
Snow in the mountains - yeah.
3.54 inches rain in two days.
Soil still filling with water,
a lot running off because it
can't absorb quick enough.
Clean the gutters, lawns really
greening up with the rain.
Seed catalog mania!

Three days and counting

2011 is nearly gone.
Looking back it has been a good
year - over all.
Hazelnuts - medium yield but
good price.
Blueberries - huge price
and less mummyberry found.
Strawberries - short crop.
Veggies - good after July 15th,
and still going strong until
after November 15.
Tomatoes - just didn't get
going until mid September.
All cole crops did well and peas
are STILL growing. (Many plants,
shrubs and tree fruits showing
large swollen buds already.

All "bud" indications show a mild winter.

Monday - the day after

Whew, made it thru Christmas.
Oh so much fun with the grand
kids and family.
Four more days until we start
planning for the 2012 season,
so PARTY and vacation.
Watch the cold AM temps for
freezing water lines.
Clean house gutter of leaves,
control moss on the roof, lime
lawn to help reduce moss in
the lawn.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and happy
holidays to everyone.
Time to enjoy the holidays.
Great weather today
- wonderful.
Prepare for wet weather
for the next few days.

Beautiful day

Another beautiful day.
Grass is starting to grow again :(
Control weeds - mulch with
leaves or clean straw.
Prune away. The OSU Lane County
Extension office will hold over
25 pruning classes this year
starting in January. Check
out our web site:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/gardens

Wednesday

Weather 40 hi and 31 low -
more freezing. Finally got
the lawn leaves ALL mulched
- yeah. The front and back
yards now have nicely mulched
leaves and I didn't have to
RAKE the leaves. Peas and
broccoli still growing well.

Love winter

Great weather this week,
40 hi and 30 low.
No rain, yeah. Actually
we NEED rain, we are down
over 12 inches :(
Still waiting for a few dry
days so I can finish mulching
the lawn leaves.
Peas almost ready to
bloom....go, go, go :)

Sunday

Such a glorious day.
Take advantage of every day.

8 days to Christmas

Having been gone, we are still
putting up Christmas decorations.
Dang wet weather is keeping me
from doing the final leaf
mulching. Weeds are still
growing - very well....grrrrr.
Start or continue pruning....
pruners are a great Christmas
present. ARS, Fisk or Corona.

Yeah

Getting ready for the holiday season.
Time to prune.
Time to plan for 2012.
Look for gardening presents.
Time to really enjoy this time
of year, enjoy, friends and
family, and the freedoms that
we have but don't truly
appreciate. Pea and broccoli
plants still dong well :)

More cold sunny days

More cold and sunny days.
Frosty in shaded area.
Frosty weather taking
its toll on cole crops.
Finish mowing - mulching leaves.
Clean gutters.
Plan ahead for cold, electric -
less nights int he near future
with a good store of candles,
a few gallons of water and
canned food for a 2-7 days.

December wish list

Garden catalogs.
Everything mulched.
Lawn mowed.
Lots of snow in the mountains.
Fruit trees soon to be pruned
or pruned.
Blueberries ready for spring
- copper sprayed.
Worms happily in compost with
lots of food.
Everyone sitting inside,next
to warm fire....sleepy yawn!!
Fresh garden veggies in the fry pan.

Weekend stuff

Another good day and tomorrow good
weather - sunny, but cold.
Mow grass and mow or mulch leaves.
Add to base of trees and bushes,
roses and/or potted plants to
help protect from cold weather.
Continue to prune.

More 38-25 weather for a while.
Clean up the fallen leaves. Use for
flower mulch. Mulch sensitive root
plants - roses, blueberries,
strawberries,bulbs. Prepare for
more pruning classes. Look at the
OSU Lane Co Extension web site for
all of the up coming gardening and
pruning classes:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/gardens

This week

With the weather at 42hi - 32low this
week, outside work is OK. After a 4
day drive from Michigan to Springfield,
there is a wonderful country out there.
There is a beautiful land to OCCUPY,
and most of it is growing food. We
drove thru Michigan, Indiana, Iowa,
Nebraska, Wyoming,Utah, Idaho, and
Oregon. There were remnants of corn,
soybeans, wheat, potatoes, sugar
beets plus grazing cows, sheep, goats,
buffalo, antelope most everywhere.
Talk about being a country that can
TAKE OF HERSELF and us!!! Next few
days, I will see what else is going
on locally.

December

2001 is waning and coming to
a close. Time to reflect on
what we have accomplished - and
successfully OCCUPIED our gardens,
our yards, the local food markets
and farm stands. We have successfully
grown food this year even after
a HARD, late start but we have
been successful at growing food
this year.

Winter ?

Enjoy the moderate weather.
Time to OCCUPY the garden
and yards. Control weeds.
Mulch winter susceptible
plants. Keep plotted plants
close to each other for added
warmth.

Now what

Do soil tests. Review soil tests
to see what is needed for April
fertilizer applications.
Wet, dry, cold, warm-ish.
Hard to get all of those leaves
raked up or mulched. Paint young
fruit tree bark with white
exterior paint to protect from
winter freezing-bark splitting.

New Pages

I have this Blog for those who
do not like Faceboook for
getting information, and I
changed from Facebook GROUPS
to two new Facebook PAGES
for added options. If wanted
I can send you an invitation.
I will continue to post here.

Near December

Rain off and on this week.
December will be soon upon us.
Prune raspberries, start tree
fruit pruning when leaves drop.

End of November

A few good days to work outside
and OCCUPY the garden or yard.
Probably not quite dry enough to
rake or mulch leaves (put that
on the to do list.) Cover (mulch)
the root crops to keep them from
freezing. Put potted plants next
to each other for added warmth
(by December 10th) or place
near the house (up to 5 degrees
warmer near house
foundations.)

Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving is upon us.
Time to gather with friends and family.
We have much to be thankful for.
Many gardens are sill producing.
Time to vie the bounties of the
year in our pantries.

Winter wonderland

We live in a marvelous part
of the US and world. Freedoms
galore; opportunities a bound;
I am truly amazed at how much food
we can actually produce in our back
yards and I am really appreciative
of how much high quality and quantity
of food is produced in the three
county area. Data shows that we can
actually produce ENOUGH food to feed
the people of Lane County. Where
else in the world can this be done!!
OCCUPY local backyards and farms -
food!

:) :) :) :)

Another good day. Some sunshine
around the area. It was near a
window and it was SOOOO nice and
warm until I walked outside.
Prepare to OCCUPY the Thanksgiving
Day events with family and friends,
or help out at a place helping
the needy.

Great weekends

A bit of sunshine.
Get your last few hours
of sun and tan for 2011!
Get some gardening in.
"OCCUPY" the farm and lawn
for a few hours this weekend.
Look and see what you may have
for Thanksgiving still in the
garden: potatoes, chard,
squash, celery, sage, a few
apples, beets, carrots. What
else do people have?

Weekend

Let's enjoy the rain.
Season ending.
A few apples available.
Hazelnut crop - moderate crop
(better than expected.)
Most farmers stands closing
or soon will.
Some cole crops available.

Winter is here

But we can still grow some cole crops and peas.
They haven't frozen out yet.
Carrots and beets are doing well.
Lots of pretty leaves to rake or
mulch if it dries out.

Occupy

Time to OCCUPY a nice easy chair, in
front of a nice fire and order the
seed catalogs for 2012. Take your garden
journal and finish the notes from this
year so you are ready for next year.
OCCUPY the garden, my peas are doing
great; remove the dead warm season plants
- tomatoes, peppers, squash. Finish picking
and drying the squash for storage.

Next week

Not bad weather for the past
few days for having rain forecast.
Best forecast - look out the window.
It is nice to slow down a bit.
Catch up on things to do INSIDE.
Almost time to start thinning about
seeds for 2012.

Weekend

Rake or mow the leaves.
Mow the lawn one more time.
Volunteer at Grass Roots Garden, Eugene.
Sign up for Mg day time or evening
for a great learning experience.
Sustainable landscaping class,
composting and more - go to:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/gardens

Finish outdoor activities.
Clean and put away tools.

Excited

Time to mow the grass again.
Cole crops still growing well.
New pea crop 20 inches tall.
For those who have always wanted
to take the Master Gardener class but
worked, we are holding a Master
Gardener@Night class. Go to our
website for more info:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/gardens
-or call 541 344-5859.

Hum

Another great sunny, cloudy, oh, now wet day.
Hazelnut harvest slowing down - near the end.
Apples - nearing the end. If you want fresh
produce, check on local farmers markets or
local farm stands.
Hunker down get out a good book and enjoy
the day and evening.

Rain

Two inches in Springfield in the
last week. Hum.
Weather prediction in the paper -
just like the last two winters, cold
and wet. All of my red delicious -
on the ground. Guess it was time to
pick. The ones on the ground --oh so
good and water cored)juiced
concentrated around the core of the
apple.) They are perfect for making
cider. Cover up equipment, the wood
pile and looks like the leaves WON'T
get mowed and mulched this weekend.

OCCUPY!!

Here is short video on how to really
OCCUPY. Also there are a lot (over 64)
of good gardening videos and hints
on this site.
Occupy Your Garden & Local Farms
Change The World
Extension Service at KEZI Garden

In the Garden: Occupy Your Garden
& Local Farms
http://kezi.com/news/local/228861

EUGENE, Ore. -- Save your garden,
save the world? It sounds like a
strange concept, but Master Gardener
Ross Penhallegon shows us how growing
our own food or buying locally can
help more than just your pocketbook.

Video 1:13

OCCUPY Farms and Gardens

Growing season nearing an end.
Hazelnut and walnut harvest -
continuing.
A few fall apples.
Squash and a few protected
tomato plants.
Cole crops doing very well
even in the cold weather.
New pea crop 18 inches tall.
New mantra - OCCUPY Gardens
and Farms --provide more food!
With food prices going up, be glad
we know how to grow and HAVE been
growing our own food for the last
few years. Each month put a little
away for a rainy - (crappy economy)
day. We have been warned, are we
listening?

Warm and windy

Winter weather upon us.
Snow at 2500 feet, snow in
the Sisters foothills.
Hazelnut harvest still
going in. Some late apples,
walnuts. Some replanting
lettuce and mustard - way to
go. My peas are 16 inches
tall. Cherry tomatoes -
doing very well :) Note to
self: Wow, food in the grocery
store is expensive.

Rain drops keep falling ....

Red delicious - still a tad
bit green. Two more weeks
and the 2nd crop of figs MAY
be ripe. Drained the garden
irrigation line. Started
draining hoses and laying flat.
Weeds - already behind on the
weeds. Glad I mowed the lawn
last week :) Slowly mentally
getting used to winter..but
the rain had moderated the
cold weather. Hard to believe
that we still have SOME tomatoes
and it will be November in a few
days.

Rain

Potential rain today (maybe not
accounting to the cloud maps
(Eugene weather) and more potential
rain on Sunday, but time will tell.
Sure way...look out the window or
walk out side - 100% accurate :)
Cover tomatoes and that which has
not been frozen yet.
Move equipment under cover, or put
to "bed" until spring except the
snow shovel..wish...wish.
Enjoy a great weekend.
Do a little service to the community
with your church, community group, family or
Grass Roots Garden on Coburg Road
and St. Thomas Church.
It is good for the soul and body.
Plant away! Peas are doing
REALLY well.

Fall weather

Three cold AM's have taken out
most of the warm season veggies
if they weren't protected.
Better weather the next 7 days
but some rain Friday and Sunday.
Cole crops doing well.
Winter weeds still growing wildly
- control them now or they will be
hard to control the bigger they get.
If you haven't yet, drain hoses,
lay flat, drain irrigation system.
Clean up tools that have been used
and remove dirt and grime.

Great day, cold nights

Last night and tonight are
going to be cold. Most squash
and warm season plants are
"biting" the dust due to cold
temps. As temps remain cold,
compost the plants that die.
Covering the plant will help
protect the plants. Cole crops
will be OK.

Wooly bear caterpillars

Black and reddish wooly bear
caterpillars are showing up
all over. It is the end of
season so don't worry, just be
aware they are showing up in
many places.

Apples

I was out picking apples today and
noticed several things. Many apples
are ripe but some late varieties are
STILL green, like red delicious.
The apples had a lot of bitter pit
(exterior skin pits or lack of calcium
so add lime ASAP. Many apples are
showing water core, where the juices
are concentrating in the center of
the apple - a natural condition.
Make apple cider. Nothing to worry
about. Leaves have yellow spots and
there are small insects "flying" around -
leaf hopper. Don't worry this late.
We also found a new caterpillar that
is eating the top layer of the leaf -
a skeletonizer. Use Bt to control
the caterpillar.

Friday - apple day

The weather for the last two months
has been perfect for apple ripening.
Most apples are excellent. Take time
to get a box or two, store them in a
cool, non freezing area and they
should last for 2-4 months. Then
either dry, sauce or eat them.

Grand autumn

More great weather. Gardens continue to grow,
keep them covered. Early AM
temps still above 35 degrees
so all is well. Continue to mulch
falling leaves BEFORE the next rain.
More rain on the way so pick
tomatoes and grapes, if ripe. My
peas are 15 inches - peas in the
near future. My table beets, squash,
onions, doing good. The broccoli
is really good with 2-3 inches heads
after cutting the primary head in
September. The second cabbage head,s
after harvesting the primary head
are now 4 inches.

Tuesday - great weather

Each sunny day is a joy. Are you
taking advantage of this great
weather??? My new mantra: OCCUPY
- FARMS AND GARDENS. I was thinking
how do we make an impact; by working
in and occupying our own gardens and
raising food for our selves and families;
by occupying the local farms and buying
fresh, local produce - thus increasing
the need for more locally grown food and
more local employment; plus keeping the
money local; and occupy the local
Extension office (Where ever it is);
where there is great education
information, classes and information
to help local gardeners and farms;
which then helps feed the local
community.

:) :)

Fall can be some of the best
weather, time and opportunities
that we have during the year.
Another great weekend. More
leaves falling. Compost, mulch,
lasagna, or pulverize with lawn
mower. Control winter manual weeds,
there are coming in massively. As
little as three layers of cardboard,
or 3 inches of mulch will smother the
new weeds. Don't delay. Beets,
peas, salads, still doing well.
Get the winter garden in ASAP.

Friday

Hazelnuts falling, some harvesting.
Apples, late pears - great taste for so late.
Pumpkins survived the powdery mildew.
Squash - OK. Zucchini - still producing.
Some late raspberries.
Spotted wing drosophila - still finding a few.
Not bad this year.
Tomatoes - still turning red, avoid getting
the fruit toooo wet and keep from splitting.
Grapes - starting harvest. Look really good.
Veggies - still growing slowly.
Actually may get another pea crop.

Oh well

Fall and winter are coming upon us.
There will be good days and not so good days.
Start mulching the leaves that fall.
I like to wait when it is dry, some day
soon :( and mow the leaves which will
pulverize, or rake them into the flower
bed. Peas, beets, zucchini, tomatoes,
apples, winter pears, asian pears STILL
doing good.

Hum

Rain and then great weather - talk
about confusing, oh ya, it is fall
in the Willamette Valley. Found
several not ripe apple varieties -
Liberty and Golden delicious. They
need another week or two to be perfect
in color and taste. The wind today
and tomorrow will help hazelnut to fall.

Sunday

Gardens, tree fruits and nuts...
still moving ahead in a positive
direction. The extended trowing
season has made tomatoes, peppers
and apples really have excellent
flavoring.

:) what is next

Great day today.
Did too much today so am sore :(
Mow the lawn before th e next rain;
weed and mulch the garden; vole are
out in huge numbers. Don't mulch to
blueberries, fruit trees or small
ornamentals. Cole crops and PEPPERS,
yes my peppers were marvelous that we
picked today. Kohlrabi doing very well.
Red flame grapes ALMOST ripe. All we
need are few more days............
time will tell.

Weather

Very wet weather
Hazelnuts are dropping well.
Grapes and tomatoes are suffering due
to the wet weather.
Cole crops still doing OK.
Insects and critters NOW starting to
show up: voles, red humpback caterpillars,
massive aphids, fall web worms.

Night temps

Night time temps are getting into the 30's.
Cover tomatoes or other tender crops.

Great day

I have been at a water quality
conference this week, relearning
what a value resource RAIN, surface
water and groundwater we have
in the Willamette Valley compared
to contaminated water in the mid US
and dry Texas. World wide most of
the water is unpotable or drinkable,
being salt water. And where does
the the water come that fills all
of our reservoirs, and rivers?
I also listened to a fellow by the
name of Dean Jacobs who does similar
travels as
Greg Mortensen (Three Cups of Tea.)
He showed a picture of a grandfather
and his granddaughter, which he
called humanity. How often we forget
how easily it is get caught up in the
bad news and we forgot the joy of just
holding our grand children's hands :)

More rain

This rain is hammering
the tomatoes and grapes.
Cover if you can.

Rain

Hope everyone covered your tomatoes.
More rain on the way.
During the weather break I am still going
to transplant some more cole crops.
Watch grapes for powdery mildew
and splitting, maybe only juice this year.
Control weeds as they LIKE the wet weather,
especially the winter annual weeds.

Master Gardener Fall fest

Thank you to all who helped with
the great Fall fest at the Springfield
adult center Saturday.

La Nina

According to the paper we are going
to have another La Nina or cooler
and wetter winter. The way the
weather is starting, the paper
may be right. So lets throw
caution to the wind. Time plant!!!
I planted peas two weeks
ago and they are now 7 inches all.
Lets plant broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower,
chard, lettuce. Who said we have to stop
growing food. Weeds are also growing
strongly so the winter annuals need
to be controlled on a weekly basis.
Worst case scenario, you will
have a good cover crop.

Fall

Tough year for tomatoes - the rain
is causing ripe tomatoes to split,
like cherries due to the moisture.
Tomatoes just really ripening now.
Early apples - good; later apples
like red delicious - still green.
Bartlett pears still hanging on.
A long harvest and many dropping
pre maturely due to weather. Spotted
wing drosophila showing up - in small
numbers but more wide spread in late
raspberries and blackberries; few SWD
made it to strawberries or blueberries
this year. Squash and pumpkins -
slowly ripening, not quite ready yet.
Hazelnuts falling nicely.

More sun

Tomatoes are really ripening, but
the rain has split many. Keep the
tomatoes up off the ground.
Broccoli - still growing but small heads.
Kohlrabi - excellent.
Weeds starting to grow again -
mulch or keep under control.

Corn ear worms

This week there there has been a large emergence of corn ear worms - be aware.

Fall Festival,Springfield, OR.

Attend the Master Gardener Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 1 from 10am-3 pm, at the Willamalane Adult Center. Classes: 11 Plant bulbs; 12 - gifts from the garden; 1 - garlic; 2 lasagna gardening. For sale: bulbs, shallots, great garden books, craft booths, bake/food sale, plants, tomato and apple tasting and kids activities. Don't miss this great event.

More rain, sun soon

Gardening on hold.
More spotted wing drosophila
found in raspberries.
Cole crops growing very well.
Peas - explosive growth.
Apples and pears - ripening slowed.
Watch grapes and tomatoes - rain
can cause splitting and spread
powdery mildew - use more
bicarbonate of soda.

Rain

Rain is happening.
Protect grape and tomatoes
with coverings. The water
will cause these to split or
spread the powdery mildew
even more.

Great Saturday

More sunshine.
More good growing weather.
Tomatoes - really ripening fast,
but are splitting due to the foggy
mornings. Plastic cloche would be
good to get extra heat and protect
from AM fog.
Hazelnuts falling. Walnut crop -
not sure yet. Black walnut - good crop.

Extension Celebration today

Thanks to everyone for a great
Extension celebration today.
We had around 200 people show
up, viewed 12 booths, and learn
about the different partner programs
from Extension, Rainbow Valley
Design and Const., and LCC.
Thanks to everyone who helped
set up, take down and the mass of
volunteers who helped out.

Sept. 22

Extension Open House tomorrow, 2:30-6:30; 783 Grant Street, Eugene. Lots of booths, information, food. Come support the Extension programs.

Fall

Fall is creeping upon us.
Our experiment with controlling
powdery mildew - watch out. Too
much baking soda can burn leaves.
The use of baking soda should NOT
cause the leaves to turn brown.
Apples are ripe when the "under color"
turns from green to yellow to red
or true yellow.

What is next

Apples and pears ripening - very slowly.
Many apples dropping prior to true ripeness,
just due to the cold AM's and warm days.
Same with pears - smaller this year due
to the lack of rain. Plums really late
and small crop.
Blackberries - still picking. Some fall
raspberries.
Peas, zucchini, beans,corn, and tomatoes
doing very wel.. Tomatoes turning red,
slowly. Stink bugs and fleas beetles
showing up in big numbers. Waiting for
a late insect emergence.

Saturday

Same 'ol in the world of hort.
A great Natural Resource classes
up in Corvallis today.
If interested, sign up for the Lane
Master Gardener classes ASAP. For anyone
interested in learning more about
gardening. 66 hours of training and
66 hours of volunteer pay
back. Sept 22, 2:30-6:30 pm, visit the
Lane Ext office for our BIG celebration!
Be a supporter.

Thursday

Tomatoes continue to ripen.
Keep the tomatoes dry if possible.
Protect from late blight.
Grapes - muscats splitting
from powdery mildew.
Fall peas - good crop.
Apples - still ripening.
Watch out for the rain - can
split the grapes and spread PM.

More weather

With the weather change be aware
of powdery mildew on squash, grapes
and late blight on tomatoes. Insects
still in low numbers. Watch increase
in other diseases.

Test

Let's do a test.
For an experiment. Lets try to
control powdery mildew:
1- try using milk and water,50%
once a week.
2- try baking soda (sodium bicarbonate),
2 tablespoons per quart of water once a week.

-and see if this works.

More hot weather

More hot weather for a few more days.
Lawns going dormant.
Gardens are suffering.
Apples and pears are starting drop.
Prunes actually getting ripe.
Sept. - l5 plant garlic.
Reseed lawns when the weather
stays below 78 degrees, OK, 75 degrees.
Line lawns, gardens, berries and
tree fruits anytime now.

Time off

Sit back.
Read a good book.
Relax.
Sit outside and enjoy
the weather.
Imagine a great Indian summer.

More hot weather

Cedar and sequoia trees hurting and need water.
Gardens and lawn need more water.
Mulch all ornamentals and berries.

Apples

Apples ripening nicely.
Asian pears - about ready.
Peaches - nice but nearing end.
Plums - near ripe but small crop.
Veggies - very good.
Tomatoes - coming on full scale.
Few insects still.
Enjoy the weather.

Weeds

Control the weeds as they are dry
and pulverize with the lawn mower
and provide a great mulch. Control
blackberries, they areal vigorous
this year.

Fall?

Great weather.
However, the leaves from maple
and madrone trees have started
to fall already.All veggies are
doing good.
Apples - coming on very well.
Peaches - very good this year.
Corn - good.
Plant fall garden. What is your
guess as to when fall will start?

Be Aware

There was a massive hatch of flea
beetles this past Friday.
Br sure to control these pests.
I am leaving some veggies uncontrolled
so will report back.

Job

Friends, Our Farms & Gardens programs are going strong in Lane County. Ross and Linda need some help! We pulled together some creative funding, and I’m pleased to announce the office will be hiring a part-time program assistant to help organize and support our programs. We hope to fill the position by the end of September. If interested, please see the announcement below. Note that applications must be done through the OSU Jobs website. The announcement provides a link to that site, and complete position description. John Punches, Extension Regional Administrator for Lane. John.punches@oregonstate.edu
Education Program Assistant 1. The Oregon State University Extension Service in Lane County seeks a Part-Time (19 hours per week) Education Program Assistant 1 to help organize and deliver education programs to adult audiences. Duties include coordination of programs, scheduling, event support, working with volunteers and general office support. To review posting and apply, go to http://oregonstate.edu/jobs/. Posting 0007899 Closing date: 09/09/2011. OSU is an AA/EOE.

Pomergranant

Anyone out there have any pomegranate
bloom this year, in the Pacific Northwest?

More great weather for the next six days.
Beans finally producing well.
Chard riddled with leave miner.
Huge kohlrabi.

Dinner

Great stir fry weather - zucchini,
green beans, onions, celery, tomatoes,
peppers. What a great time of the year!

Beautiful Weather

Great weather for August.
Be glad we were not on the east coast- another
good reason to have a few days worth of food,
water, medical supplies. We never know when
disaster will happen.
Learn how to preserve what we are growing.
Crops all doing well.
See the bi weekly KEZI "In The Garden" news hints,
on Tues and Thur., 5:20 pm, or review on KEZI
website.

:) :) :)

Another great summer day.
Grapes sizing nicely.
Pears near ready.
Great night for stir fry veggies, oh so good.
Irrigate in this heat.
Lawns going dormant.
Blueberries showing some sun bun and leaf burn.

More good news

Plum, if any are ripe.
Peaches ar4e great tasting.
Early apples - gravenstein and lodi,
really good.
Blueberries - some of best in a long
time and good yields.
Insects - still in low numbers.
Spotted wing drosophila - have been
around the three county area, but not
in much fruit.

Summer, summer, sumer

Some lawns going dormant.
Cedar and madrone trees under water stress.
Don't over water oak trees int he yard.
Great weather.
Sustainable landscape classes coming up
in Sept. Call 541 344-5859.
Master Gardener applications -
pick one up now for the 2012 class.
Become a local expert.

Celebration

Sept. 22, 2:30-6:30 pm. Extension Celebration. Celebrating new partners. Come celebrate that the Extension Service is this here and working with many partners. Find out how you can help us remain strong in the community. Booths, door prizes, educational activities and great food by the MFPs.

Great grapes

Grapes are really sizing, but they have many sizes due to a long pollination time, and powdery mildew is showing up. Cut some of the vegetation to let in the air.
Irrigation is needed with the warm weather - dig the soil to see how much waster is needed. Green beans are really coming in. The next 2-3 weeks look very productive.

Tomatoes turning color

Tomatoes, many which are still green, but we see the firsts ones turning yellow.
Cherry toms have been red for almost two weeks. The next two weeks, if the weather holds, tomatoes galore!
Green beans, beets, doing well; cole crops have been slow this year.
Zucc, summer squash, doing very well. Corn - finally. Peas - still doing very well, but most plants are turning brown due to the hotter weather.
The Master Gardener booth is a the LC fair, next to the EWEB watering station and the Jungle display. Drop by and ask your gardening questions.

Yeah for summer

Summer continues.
Summer apples very good.
Some prunes.
Cherries - near done.
Peaches - near done.
Strawberries - near done.
Blueberries - good for another two weeks.
Blackberries - ripe and huge crop.

Mid August

Veggies are doing well.
Time to irrigate again.
Gravenstein apples - ripe.
Apples and pears sizing.
Winter hard on plums.
Blueberries - huge crop.
Strawberries - some late crop.
Blackberries - ripening and
looks like a huge crop.
Great garlic crop.

Great events

Son was married Friday, great reception,
he has a great wife, great new in laws:
father very good at building canopies and
mother is a Washington MGer!
Tomatoes are ripening. Squash -
good.
Apples look really good.
Weeds - un-controllable this year.
Some corn available.

Wednesday

Another great growing day.
Lots fo veges, berries and tree fruits.
Huge blueberries.
Lawns are slowing down.
Blueberries have great great -
good year for 2011 and now 2012.

Apples

Early apples now ripe.
Cherries -near done. Peaches - at farm stores.
Strawberries - near down. Raspberries - near down.
Black, blue - full picking.
Harvest garlic and dry.
Tomatoes - coming on.
Hard to say - but start winter garden.
(How can we start winter garden when summer
hasn't hardly started yet, anyway.......)

Summer

Summer is here. Sunny days, no rain, but the evenings and mornings are still on the cool side for the second week in August.
Visit some hazelnut orchards - nuts sizing nicely but crop yi3ld looks down. The Ennis nut crop looks very good, Barcelona looks down.
Corn showing up in the local fruit stands.

Harvest continues

Harvest continues with berries, tree fruits and vegetables.
Garlic is drying back so it is ready to harvest, and dry.
Various veges doing well. Especially the cole crops.
Grapes starting to show powdery mildew.
Not many insects, but lots and lots of fungus and bacterial problems.
Clean these up ASAP.

Tuesday

More ripe berries.
Peaches - will or soon be ready.
Early apples in about one to one and half weeks.
Aphids out in big numbers, the rest of the insect
populations is in smaller numbers, so far. Cucumber
beetles usually start to increase right about now.
Seeing ripe tomatoes, peas still doing well. Early zucchini
and yellow cruck neck, doing well. Garlic looks like a bumper crop.

Today while the sun shines

Raspberries and currants, nearing end of season. Raspberries - very small this year. Gargantuan blackberry crop - the wild ones are ripening. Really good.
Sad news - Sharon Detering, wife if Roger passed away July 24 and memorial last Saturday in Harrisburg.

Smile

Another great day and weekend.
Plants growing good now.
Berries - all doing well.

Friday

Cherries - split buy rain, up to 50%
Apples and pears - sizing, finally
Peaches - down crop
Apples - mediocre
Pears - OK
Strawberry - good crop
Raspberry - lighter than normal year, poor pollination
Blueberries - just started picking, huge crop.
Blackberry - huge crop.
Spotted wing drosophila- found along River Road, Lane County, OR: as last year. has been around now for two weeks, but levels seem to be down, at this point.
Fewer codling moth, filbertworm. Cherry fruit fly showed up two weeks ago and this week.

Insects

Lots of aphids and predators.
More army worms, cucumber beetles, and cutworms.
A report of pandora moths, the big fuzzy caterpillars.
Plants looking better.
Blueberries ripening.
A few strawberries ripening, some raspberries,
and blackberries - looking good.

Worms

Filbertworm and codling moth numbers going up. Control is needed the numbers being seen.
Spotted wing drosophila - more found along River Road in raspberries, so watch raspberries. Watch in black and soon blueberries.
More good weather, still cool in the AM.

Enjoy

Great weather.
Berries are ripening very nicely.
Fruit sizing.

Irrigation needed again.
Lawns going dormant if not watered.

Another great day

Seeds planted two weeks a go are FINALLY coming up.
Tomatoes are either growing good or not.
Other warm season plants - slow.
FIRST SPOTTED WING DROSOPHILA FOUND TODAY IN RASPBERRIES - BE AWARE.
Tomatoes showing very curled leaves = either weed and feed or Garlon applied nearby or a virus called tomato curly leaf virus.

Sunnnnnnnnny!!!

The weather was fabulous today. I got a slight sun burn. Yeah.
Cherries split from the rain. Cherry season has been shortened. Strawberry and raspberry crop - rain has shortened the crop.
Garlic is ready to harvest. The rain will make tomato pollination longer as it washed a lot of pollen away.

Weather guess

Monday July 18
The latest berry harvest season in the past 40 years was 1984, when marion blackberries were harvested from July 13 through Aug 26. The tardiness this year has easily broken that amazing record, as marion harvest should kick-off around July 20-21. A clipping system may arrive Monday July 26 to cool things and threaten showers over NW WA for a day or so; not a threat to OR at this time. Overall, the PNW should remain seasonal and warm in the July 27-30 period. Some cloudiness possible. Model bring on some warmer temperatures in the July 31 to Aug 4 period. Can it be? -Rufus http://www.ovs.com/weather_cafe.htm

More rain

With the warm rain, diseases will be rampant.
Copper or sulfur may be needed ASAP, especially on tomatoes.
Apple and pear scab is rampant also.
Rusts and mildews will continue.

More rain

More rains means - no irrigation for a few days. Weeds are loving the weather and are growing great. More fruit scab, more rust. With the hot and cold, watch out for tomato late blight, with water soaked stems and brown/black leaves. If you find this, bring it to your local Extension office.

New old bug

A new old bug was found at one of the local gardens. It was a "dung beetle", which helps to compost animal manures. I haven't seen one but the literature says they are fairly common in the Willamette Valley. A great find GRG.

Thursday

Bugs are still in the low amounts.
So far low numbers of cucumber beetles, corn earworm, cabbage looper but lots of moths; few variegated cut worms; with diamond back moths on the increase. Aphids are large on red cabbage but not green cabbage.
Some damage due to codling moth in early apples. Cherry fruit fly found in cherries. Still no spotted wing drosophila. SWD expected any day. For more info go to: OSU SWD

Tuesday

Rain. It rained almost 1/2 inch in places.
Finding cherry fruit flies in cherries.
Veges still slow growing.
If you have oak trees, look for the jumping oak gall which is 1 millimeter, very small but they really jump. The tiny galls are all over oak tree leaves. The insect inside is a wasp larvae. They jump, in an effort to move into soil cracks where they will pupate and emerge as tiny wasps next spring.

Sunday

I am doing a little tracking and 30 people have visited the site since Friday night. Cool. I ma easily entertained. :)
Irrigate this weekend or Monday.
Apples really getting big. See if they need thinning again.
Knock on woo, insects still not many showing up. Some people have had cucumber beetle and flea beetle but the phone calls have not b33n bad in this area.
Eat strawberries, cherries, raspberries, gooseberries and currants.

Apples

Apples that are bumpy and crinkled, their is another cause, it is the rosy apple aphid.

Berries

Strawberries - doing well. Red raspberries - ripe. Black raspberries - small and slow to ripen. Red and black gooseberries - excellent crop and ready to pick. Blackberries - huge bloom and crop. Apples, pears and peaches sizing. Early apples - almost two inches already. Cherries - time to pick. Veges - still slow growing. Peas - doing very well. Tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins - just not growing very well.

Hot

The weather as been really warm....hot, over 80 degrees.
Water the garden, go to the EWEB site and look up ET
evapo-transpriation or how much water is transpiring per
day or needs to be replaced.
Keep planting. Many tomatoes still slow growing.

4th July

We honor those who have helped to keep us free.
Great day to be with family and friends.
Irrigate the garden, soil was dry today.

Wow

My Blog counter just went over 4500 views since 2009. Hopefully people who are viewing are being able to use these tidbits of information.

Grapes

Grapes are growing nicely, and are starting to flower or will soon. They are really late this year so grape harvest may be in late August to the cool fall.

Crinkly apples can be caused by a disease...or by rosy apple aphids, which are reddish. Each problem can often have many answers.

Blueberries

Since blueberries are over producing this year.
Typically we don't fertilize in July but with such a heavy load, there is two options: thin the fruit or add additional fertilizer in July and water in. The bushes need new growth for the berries next year and the new grow is very slow this year.

Thursday

Lots of insect galls on oaks and willow, lots!! They don't hurt the trees but kind of unique with so many showing. Go to Alton Baker park and look at the willows just south of the ponds pill way along the river.
Wild huckleberries showing witches broom (thick, fleshy stems), caused by rust.
Older tomato bushes showing "bright" yellow lower leaves, just cool weather symptoms.
New apple disease called crinkle, where the apple flesh is all crinkly. Great discovery Patty D.

Wednesday

Another great semi summer day.
Cucumber beetles - lots out, smash, squish, cover the plants with Remay, plant a catch crop of zucchini; use Sevin, pyrethrin or Pyganic.

Summer

Summer arrive in full glory July 21st.
Some raspberries showing poor pollination.
Irrigation is needed.
Peas are doing very good.
Rain may spread more apple scab and other diseases.

New insights

Another great summer day.
I re-discovered that well maintained equipment works better than medium maintained equipment. (For us mechanically declined people).
This spring I have had equipment turned up - my tiller - too much ethanol and it pitted the carburetor; mower - just got too old; and the weed eater - bit the dust after three hours of very hard work (too tall of grass and the shaft broke.)
So, don't over work the equipment, they have limits (DARN); keep them well maintained; and a new lawn mower really is very nice.




1

Slow growing

Garlic - really getting a lot of rust.
Cold frame veges - seeing tomatoes and good strawberries.
Outside veges, still slow growing.
Try and keep up with control, and mowing.
Onions - really slow.
Strawberries - prime.

Grass growth slowing

The grass is slowing growth.
Huge amounts of grass and pine pollen.
Gardens growing well.
Soon plants will need irrigation.
Found that a new lawn mower really
makes mowing very NICE.

More good days - summer???

Apples getting big.
Cherries turning pink --cherry fruit fly out soon.
Strawberries - near perfect.
Tomatoes - looking good.
Peppers and egg plant still looking very cold,
esp. with temps in the 40's during the night.
Start looking for powdery mildew in grapes, apples, roses.

More rain :(

Finding more scab and powdery mildew.
Found wooly aphids on apples.
Happy Fathers Day To All Fathers and Soon to be Fathers

Plants are growing

Plants are really growing well.
Soil moist dropped the last two days.
The top 1-2 inches is dry so time to irrigate.
Strawberry season in full swing.
Thin apples, quickly.
Raspberries and blackberries in full bloom.

Sunny Tuesday

A glimmer of summer the last few days, or at least parts of the day.
Strawberry season started today. Yeah.
Blueberries - developing. Raspberry- developing.
Take a look at the mammoth blackberry bushes, and they are over loaded with bloom. OK, one good reason for a cool spring. Some stocks are over an inch wide.
Lots of diseases, rust on quince, rust on garlic, mega snails; really haven't seem many slugs yet.
Mosquitoes are brewing in any container that holds water. Dump the buckets, pools, tires out fo water. For larger areas - use DUNKS.

:( :( :(

Well, so much for the good weather and today looked very nice.
Weeds and lawn like the weather.
The cole crops like the weather.
No need to irrigate, even though it is getting very close to be needed.
Point in time - rhubarb is JUST being harvested, in mid June.

Why is life so hard sometimes....to make us learn. And sometimes it takes times to understand what we needed to learn.

More planting weather

Plant away.
Plant still slow but growing better with the warmer weather.
Mow the lawn, dang rain :)
Maintain power equipment.
Sharpen tools.

Keep going

Continue to plant.
Thin apples. Plums are looking good.
Slugs and snails are really bad. They need to be controlled.
Looked at apples and many apples didn't have seeds.
Apple have powdery mildew - just pick off the infected leaves.

Weather forecast

Monday June 6 - Expect seasonal conditions this week, with NW breezes holding temps & humidity in the pleasant range. Morning 'marine' clouds may increase at times, but overall it should be a dry, mild pattern all week. As the coming weekend unfolds, temps may actually warm as compared to this week, with even warmer weather modeled for week of June 13-17.

No significant moisture appears until late Friday, June 17 and into that weekend. Just seasonal weather for June. Temps in the 70s, some clouds, NW breezes.

Agricultural patrons need this break. Strawberry harvest should take place under near perfect conditions. Bees will have some time to work red raspberry & blackberry blossoms in what could become a "compressed bloom" period. -Rufus
http://www.ovs.com/weather_cafe.htm

Good weekend

This has been a good weekend.
Hope everyone did a bunch of planting.
Most soil is ready for tilling. Any soil covered in grass is still wet.
Mow, wait and then till.
Honeyberries are ripening.
Chard, broccoli from last year is bolting.
May have to replant if plants are going to seed.

Be Aware

The next three days will show around 30 degrees between AM and PM temps.
Sun burn could affect plants.
The warm weather may also increase the cole crops to bolts due to the hot and cool weather cycle.
Good weather -finally.
Many soils still very wet and cloddy.
All tree fruits progressing but at least two weeks late.
Blueberries - long bloom and several varieties very slow to leaf out, huge bloom, some Pseudomonas issues.
All vegetables - very slow to grow.

Great weekend

The next few days should be great, and should be warmer than normal....what ever that means???!!!
Plant warm season plants, till the garden, mow the lawn, thin the apples and pears.
Try and keep the weeds under control.
Strawberries -s till several weeks off. Blueberries - some varieties still not leafing out very well. Saw a lime tree with purple leaves - lack of potassium form being so cold. Citrus - look for scale, or sticky substance on branches or leaves - Neem oil has worked well or clean with alcohol.

Read a good book

According to weather forecasts, time to find a good
book that you can read for the next few days until
the weather changes this weekend.
Work inside.
Build small greenhouses or cloches for outside.

The way it is

Some soil is ready to tilling and other is not.
On an afternoon drive, we drove past some soil that was tilled and it was big clumps of clay ,i.e.- still too wet to till.
Crops are still slowly growing, but growing.
Apple, pear and peach thinning will be u traps up ASAP but don't expect the real hatch until mid June.

Memorial Weekend

Still - plant away.
The weather isn't quite ready for warm seasoned veges but they will grow.
The soil temp isn't 60 degrees yet, but close.
The cooler temps will just slow down the potential growth if the soil temp was above 60 degrees.
Cloches, wager jugs and mini cold frames will help.

Weekend

Weather still cool and cold at times with days of rain.
Increased apple scab infection.
Lots of cherry gummosis, dead bud and canker due to the wet weather.
Bartlett pears got a lot of cedar apple rust.
Blueberries - noticing a lot of Pseudomonas or tip die back.
Pollination on all tree fruits and berries seems to be OK so far. Even cole crops slow at growing.
Grass and pastures are enjoying the cool weather. The first hay crop MAY not get cut in time for maximum yield and nutrient value...grass is too wet, weather too wet for drying.

Wednesday

Corn up and growing.
Commercial tomatoes have gone in.
Pumpkins going in this week or next.
All trees fruits looking good.
Cherries still not looking very good.

Warm and wet

With the next rain, it will be warm and wet.
Thus an increase in apple scab, cedar apple rust and rose black spot, peony leaf blight, rust on garlic and onions. Find a good fungicide or use wettable sulfur.

Warm season plants

Let's go out on a limb.....time to plant warm season veges.
Time for tomato (cherry), melon, pepper, cucumbers.
Wait for egg plant unless you have protection.
Hard to believe but are 5 weeks AHEAD of last year.
Remember finally planting the first of July :)

More good ??!! weather

More good weather for a while.
Spring will be here.....
Tree fruits looking better.
Blueberry - full bloom, some frost damage but so far just a little.
Strawberries - good bloom, slow leaf growth, some frost damage.

Wednesday

Plant away.
Still too early for tomato and other warm season plants, but hopefully next week.
Rain in the forecast.
Slugs and snails - massive amounts. Use beer, boards, copper, yeast, or even plastic sheeting to attracts slugs.
Till weeds.

Paradise

Another beautiful day in paradise.
We have the soil.
We have the climate.
We have the water.
Enjoy each day we have to grow bounteous food in the Willamette Valley.

Saturday

Spring slowly coming but more rain coming.
Peaches - some crop
Cherries - will waiting to see pollination.
Apples - Long pollination, different sized apples.
Spotted wing drosophia out in big numbers. Have vinegar traps out when strawberries turn pink.
Weather OK for cole crops. Still cool for warm season crops, was 38 last night.

Apple bloom looks good.

Apple bloom looks good.
Wait two to three weeks to thin. Wait until the fruit is about quarter size and then thin.
Plant away.
Weather still hot and cold.
Cole crops still slow growing.

Lawns

Mow lawn ASAP
I had some grass that was 6 inches tall...a pre pasture.

Saturday

Continue to plant the cole crops.
Still a bit cool for the warm season veges unless they are protected with Remay, Walls of Water or jugs of water.
Mow the grass, it is getting too long.
Soil can be rototilled.
Some aphids around.
Time to make the apple cider vinegar traps for spotted wing drosophila.
Go to: SWD OSU for more info or call your local Extension office.

Great day

Plant away before the rain.
Good pollination happening.
Crops looking very good.
Still too cold for warm season veges, maybe next week.

Today

Blueberries - good bee day.
Old brassicas going to seed.
Lots of bees out.
Soil still VERY cold.
Plants planted 30 days ago, cabbage, onion,s broccoli and peas really haven't grown very much.
Protect the plants from the cold AM's.

Plant away

Good weather, plant away.
Apples, sherries good pollinating the last few days. Yeah.
Good bee movement Saturday and Sunday.
Still Am very cool so not warm season pants yet.
If you have, protect them with Walls of Water or water jugs.

Today

Blueberries - near full bloom.
Apples - early varieties near full bloom.
Pears and cherries - near the end of bloom.
Work hard this weekend.
Webworms out in big numbers. See webbing in trees.
Slug and snails - lots

April

Peaches, plums, cherries and Asian pears are pretty much done pollinating.
Late pears, apples, blueberries, and strawberries are starting to show bloom.
Crops will look good, many some reduction in yield. Time always tells. With most tree fruits we only need 20% of the bloom for a good crop.

This too shall pass

Another two partial rainy, cold days.
Eventually this bad weather will pass and we will be able to grow the tons of vegetables and fruit that we NEED to grow this year.
Blueberries blooming.
You can check the ovary of the fruit bloom with a razor blade to see if it has been frozen or NOT.

Saturday - huge plant sale

Lane County Master Gardener plant sale, EWEB in Eugene, under the bridge, 11am. Get there early. Thousands of great plants. Great prices, instant satisfaction and instant garden.

Two days left

Till, plant, transplant, protect.
Cover with Remay, put out milk bottles with water.
Put transplants out side a few hours each day to get them ready to move outside without burning.
Bittercress is starting to act like a good cover crop.

DISCOVERY

While walking in a field, I noticed that there were a lot of dandelion plants. At close observation, the 12 spot cucumber beetles were all over the dandelion bloom.
So,in June, when the 12 spot beetles starts to move into the garden, have a row of blooming dandelion or zucchini and this should help keep the beetle off of the other garden plants!

Plant away!!!

Quickly get the plants in ASAP. However, the evening temps are low so cover the new plants with Remay cover, can be found in the garden stores.
Watch In The Garden each Tuesday and Thursday at 5:20pm., KEZI for new gardening hints.

Another good day

Another day that we are closer to growing plants.
Good pollination.
Soil getting drier.
I got a sun burn two days ago!!!!!

Just a few more days

Just a few more days and the soil will be ready.
Honeyberries are in full bloom.
Bees were out but will chilly.
\Found out that the 12 spot cucumber beetle s/like dandelions, the dandelions have a lot of 12 spot on them - a new trap crop!

Time to plant

OK,time to plant. Enough of the rain. (Looks good for Monday.
If you have raised beds, the good soil will allow you to plant. Plant any cole crops.
If you have wet, clay soil, cover with plastic or put up small greenhouses using BiMArt plastic rolls, rebar and flexible white plastic pipe.

Or plant into black plastic which will keep the soil and the black plastic will heat the soil.

Herbs

The cool season herbs can be planted, ie - thyme, rosemary, mint, valerian.

If soil is well drained, continue plating the cole crops.
Hold off in applying mulch as it will keep the soil wet and cold. Mulch around tree fruits or berries will slow the bloom development a little bit.

Weather guess

Friday April 8 Many ask if this eternal winter will ever end.
Breezy rain will yield to showers and some breaks late Monday through Wednesday.
An unseasonably COLD upper level trough will dig into the Gulf of Alaska by mid-week, setting up atmospherics that will generate a rather intense April storm for the PNW by Thursday. The cold, WET system will pass Friday, with clearing, cool conditions next Saturday. Frost possible, if sky clears, esp east side; a mirror of this weekend, actually. Another shot of rain is possible late Sunday, Apr 17. However, model runs hint that a ridge of high pressure may, just may, build in to hold moisture west and north of the coast. THAT would yield a mild, dry couple of days starting next Sunday. We'll see.

Great day

No rain.
Mow grass, mulch yard.
Soil still wet, prep rototiller.
Peas and transplants ready to go into the garden.

Hot, cold, snow, sleet, etc.

Talk about weird weather. I was in K Falls and while I was doing pruning, it became a white out. I checked Highway 97 - chains; Highway 58 - chains; so headed back to Eugene heading to Medford. All the way, rain, sleet, hail, rain.
One more good day. Take care of lawns, mulch flower areas; finish pruning; buy seeds and get ready to seed if the soil is tillable.

No rain

Now you see why I don't predict the weather, just pass along what is reported.
Recommendation: Look out the window :)

Rain :(

Hopefully you were able to get some planting done today, I did.
Three more days of rain.
Light the fire, get a good book, relax.

Four days of Spring

Very nice beginning of spring.
The next three days ARE said to be WET.
Hopefully everyone got the lawn mowed and some minor tilling done....soil is still very wet.
Get the peas in ASAP.
Weeds are rampant, mow, till, cut, mulch, kill.

Get ready

Time to mow the lawn, use the clippings for compost in the garden.
Soon we can till or turn the soil. If needed cover the garden with plastic to keep the rain off.
Peaches and prunes - blooming.
Pears and cherries - near bloom
Blueberries - fully leafed out.
Garlic - very nice.
Farmers market this weekend, downtown Eugene.

Great class!

Diagnosing and Preventing Disease in the Garden
2011 Community Gardener Series
Thursday, March 31, 2011 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Learn to identify common diseases and pests of the home garden. Identify the symptoms, causes and some solutions to the problems that affect our favorite plants. A hands-on diagnostic session will be part of the class. Registration form. $10 per class.

Location: Eugene Water & Electric Board Room: Training Room, North Building
Address: 500 E. 4th Avenue, Eugene
Contact: Linda Renslow, Phone: 541-344-5859

Great class!

Diagnosing and Preventing Disease in the Garden
2011 Community Gardener Series
Thursday, March 31, 2011 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Learn to identify common diseases and pests of the home garden. Identify the symptoms, causes and some solutions to the problems that affect our favorite plants. A hands-on diagnostic session will be part of the class. Registration form. $10 per class.

Location: Eugene Water & Electric Board Room: Training Room, North Building
Address: 500 E. 4th Avenue, Eugene
Contact: Linda Renslow, Phone: 541-344-5859

Great weather

Another good day, rather wet.
Plums and ornamental plums in full bloom.
Grass growing tall. Mulch garden and flower areas with mulch. Keep compost pile covered to keep from getting too wet. Add nitrogen to compost.

Spring

Spring is upon us. Just look out the window.
Roses are leafing out, peonies are 8 inches tall.
Pears - very swollen buds, peaches, showing pink, plum - white showing.
Blueberries - leafing out, strawberries in greenhouses leaves and flower buds.

Garden soil still tooooo wet. Still cold. It is only March 25!

Back

Back from three weeks in Belarus. I tried to enter Email but the connectios was very slow. We taught tree fruits and pruning to 220 plus growers and organic farming. Glad to back with hot water! Locally spring is really moving forward. Peaches about to break. Soil still very wet after the last two weeks of rain.

Next three weeks

The next three weeks I will be in and out of areas where computer usage may be very limited. Stay tuned.

Next week

This next week is cold, colder, wet, cold,freezing.
Cleaning up prunings. Finish prunings.
Go skiing.

Rain and snow

The weather is as weird as it could b;, raining, sleet and snow all at the same time. Time for a good book and fire.

Beautiful day

Another beautiful day.
Buds keep pushing.
Pea planting time.

Hard to beleive

It is February 20. If the colder weather can LAST, yes last for 10 more days, typically the tree fruits can start to bloom. We are at least two weeks ahead of normal. Too early for plum and perunes to bloom.

Lawns

Lawns are starting to grow again.
Plan to mow in the next few weeks.
Soil is very wet again. If you need to plant peas, cover the soil with plastic and plant in 2-3 weeks.

Its Happening

Spring broke, buds are breaking, peonies are coming up and the weather turns cold and we looking at the forecast of even snow on the valley floor.
Snow is the best solution as it would protect any soil crop or plants - great insulation. If the temp drops below 30 for any length of time -- a lot of the crops are TOAST!!

More rain and cold

Yeah - the mts need a lot more snow and the soil was starting to get dry!!
Fields around the region were being tilled, which is actually normal for this time of year.
Mescalin salad, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts still going well.
Growth on tree fruits has slowed a bit. It was actually snowing in the foot hills and cold, below 33 degrees tomorrow.

Be aware

The flu is going around.
Plants continue to develop and buds are expanding, root crops growing quite fast.
Rhubarb,peonies may need fertilizing in the next two weeks.
Try NOT to fertilize the lawn. The lawns are about ready to grow on there own.

Good weekend

Enjoy the great weekend.
No working,just goof off.
Willamette Valley Tree Fruit Growers Meeting at Roths IGA in West Salem at 9:00 am.

More cold and warm

More cold and warm weather coming.
Plants continue to develop. 20 more days and we can breath easier. Hopefully!!!
Plums in the city are blooming. Daffodils - flowering.
Lesser calendaine - a weed has come back. Control ASAP.

We are spoiled

With the nice weather, we have gotten used to the great weather. We really NEED the rain. We are 6 inches under!!! We need a lot of rain.

Great weekend

Another great weekend.
As we look at what is happening around the US and world,it is only time before these weather events, floods, rains, snow will hit the Pacific Northwest. Being prepared is a great idea.

More cold weather

All last night it was below 30 degrees, and again tonight.
Pears still showing bud and leaf damage.
Cover peonies, roses, and mulch asparagus.

Till and mow

If this weather continues, it will be time to till the garden and mow the grass!

Peonies

Peonies and hydrangea have broken buds and growing.
Finish pruning ASAP but still time for pears and apples.
Blueberries - apical buds broken and open.
Daffodil and iris up.

Pears

Pears have broken bud!

Tuesday

Prune/plums breaking bud and some white showing.
Blueberries, more bud break.
Apples - flower buds getting big.
Finish pruning.
Do dormant fungicide sprays and dormant oil sprays.
Garlic up 12 inches.
Do a quick turning of the soil during this dry period to loosen the soil.

Great Saturday

A great Saturday.
Visit the Good Earth and Home Show, great booths this year.
Great time to prune.
Still a month of potentially cold weather.
Brussels sprouts and cabbage still doing OK.
Time to the plan the next garden.
Visit the Extension booth at 1204.

Tonight

Another very cold night!

Nice and cold

Today was very nice but by 3:30 pm, it was getting really cold, again; ince it is January. Garlic is up 8 inches, some winter perennials are up 10 inches tall; blueberries apical buds definitely broken; peach buds expanding.

Rain and land

If you are looking at land, quickly drive out and look at the property. This rain will show up as wet spots ro clay soils.

Blueberries

Terminal buds on blueberies have broken OPEN!
Spray with copper ASAP or other dormant fungicide to clean up the bushes from last years diseases.
Garlic is up 9 inches.

Flowering plum

Saw one branch of a flowering plum just showing white color in the bloom.
Control moss on the roof and the lawn. For the lawn, add lime, 80# per 1000 sq feet.

WOW

Found blueberries that had the apical bud that had broken open already.
I have seen an ornamental shrub with 3/4 inch of new growth.
Plum/prune buds were 1/2 long.
According to the plant, winter is nearly over but as Bill Bauer, hazelnut farmer said" In the Willamette Valley and it only takes a few hours to go from 40 degrees to sub zero." March 15 is a long ways away and January and February can be real cold!

Lots of classes

Lots of classes from OSU Extension Lane County - go to:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/gardens

Goof off

Time to goof off.
Go on vacation.
Go skiing, tubing, cross co skiing.
Read a book.
Go to a movie.
Spend time with family.
Enjoy!

Prune

Great weather for pruning.
Get the catalogs and plan for spring.
Jan. 15 - second peach leaf curl spray.

No cold damage

Even though it has been cold, I haven't seen any cold damage. Time will tell in the spring for sure. Hazelnuts are starting to bloom. The flower is magnificent, dark purple and less than 1/4 inch long. Take a look, these are amazing flowers.

New Year

Have a great new year.
Do some planning for the next gardening year.
Time to prune.
Go skiing and vacation!