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.




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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.