Happy gardening new year.
Happy beginning of a great new harvest
year for the commercial growers.

Time to start getting the catalogs and seeing
what is new on the vegetable, berry
and tree fruit horizon.

In Oregon, look for plants that are
DISEASE RESISTANT, especially with the
three wet summers that we have had so far.

Many land grant universities often have
plants and seeds that need testing for
disease resistance.

Lawn is still under control, the cool
weather has stopped the grass growing.
Lots of winter annual weeds growing and
NEED to be covered with mulch, being
hoed and/or controlled.

Continue to prune, berries and tree fruits.
A good time to bring the black berries back
under control......but remember that the blackberries
cause most people to bleed pretty bad  :)

Apples and sweet gum trees trees still fully leaved,
don't worry, they will drop their leaves.

Start using the winter squash.

A great week to rest, relax, and start
planning for next year on crops and/or
gardens for 2013.

Time to put plastic over the  raised beds
so worms can begin to compost leaves and
mulch, plus begin to dry out the raised bed mulch.

Do a light weeding as the inter annuals
are continuing to germinate.

 

Weather report – Lane County

Snow in the foot hills, many mud slides,

water in waterways very high.

Many fields flooded.
Snow on the valley floor for a short period of time.
Some broken tree branches due to wet snow.

Major crops done.

Hazelnuts – good crop for Lane County this year.
Few filbertworms caught but higher than normal
cullage due to filbertworm.
Pruning happening in many tree and nut orchards.

 

The good, it is a very good insulation
for ground pipes, any shallow rooted plants,
and it protects the lawn if the weather gets
 too cold, plus it protects potted plants if
covered in snow.

The bad, like last March, it breaks huge
branches if the snow accumulates on tree
branches;  it can wreaks havoc on arborvitae
bushes, which need to be tied loosely with
 rope to keep the branches from breaking
or bending way down.

Colder weather with 34 low, 41 high.
Still not damaging to cole crops.
Apples will be water coring with the
colder weather, great for making cider.

Raspberries, remove all dead canes,
thin out primicanes and then limmit
height to around 3 feet;  many time the
canes to a wire at 3.5-4 foot.  Do not mulch
raspberries, the mulch will cause winter root rot.

More rain and cool weather.
Time for a nice fire in the fire place, a
good book and the chores all being done.
Still good broccoli, chard, lettuce
around the county.
Leaves are mostly down; rake, mulch,
mow the leaves.  Looks like the leave
are done for now.
A few apples, pears, and Asian pears.

Observations:

Here it is December 9, and ready for
 winter, or are we.  Some plant say winter is
over or      we are going to get hit with some hard
winter freezes in January-February.

Roses - 1 inch of new growth.
Tulips - 1 inch of new fat, bud growth.
Apples - still full of leaves.

Hazelnut = many flower buds are small, but
some BLOOMING, the small purplish flower. 
Most catkins are very tight but also some catkins
which are almost ready with pollen.

Leaves are mostly down now.
If needed, order leaves from the city or
pick them up along the road side.

Lawn slowed down..... yeah.
It has been amazing how much the lawn will grow
from JUST  from re-mulching the lawn clippings
with a mulch lawn mower.

Time for pruning berries and tree fruits.

Rain, rain, rain.  Each time I talk about the
rain, it does go away, for a few minutes.
Apple tree leaves staying on the trees.
Some Jonagold still on trees.
Blackberries have  a lot of Septoria
leaf spot so spray copper this winter.

Last chance for anyone wanting to take part in
the 2013 Lane County Master Gardener class. 
Call 541 344-5859 as classes start in January.  The
Master Gardner class are held around the US. 
Learn about gardening and then volunteer back
by answering gardening questions, what a deal!
.

Still to many wild blackberries
Pruned MORE wayward blackberries that
were sneaking into the two greenhouses.
Cut them way back.
Many were 1 to 1 1/4 in diameter
 and at least 12 foot long.
ripening, yeah.

More rain today.
Lawns showing the wet as are many gardens.
Mowed the last of the leaves.
Have at least 6 inches of leaf mulch in the flower beds.
Spring bulbs starting to show.
Dec. 1 soon, temp records show
 this year warmer than 2011.

Weather the next few days, lows of around
40 and highs of around 55, so not much change.
Looks like a few days of rain.
Protect faucets, drain hoses, drain
irrigation systems.
Us leaves or mulches to protect roses,
blueberries, any plants in pots.

Not to bad of a weekend.
Quite a bit of rain this past week.
Leaves are almost all down.
Mowed/mulched most of the weeds, yeah.
Lawn mowed again but looks really nice.
Clean the roof.
Added mow-be-gone.  Moss growing
already on a new roof, grrrrrrrr.  Roof is
too expensive an investment to not
keep it clean.
Dig some limb pruning on low tree branches. 
The tree causing the moss will be gone
in a couple months.

4 inches of rain in some areas.

Holiday markets now until Christmas.
Some apples, some veggies, some winter
pears still at local farm stands still
open.  Call ahead of time to see what
they have in stock.

During the rain breaks mow the lawn, mine
grow 2 inches, due to the decomposing leaves.

Leaves are near done falling, mulch with a good
mulch mower, or rake into bags for the garden
or rake into the flower bed for winter protection.

Happy Thanksgiving to our many
friends around the world.
The world is a marvelous place, with wonderful
people and traditions that keep people close.  

Enjoy all of the great local produce that we
have grown this past year.
During the holiday season, any extra produce
or canned produce can be used by all
of the food distribution centers, family
or dear friends.

While I was getting wood for the fireplace, I noticed
 a huge growth of mushrooms growing in the lawn. 
From early fall until hard freezes, the Oregon weather
provides the perfect environment for mushrooms,
both fall and spring.  The Oregon mushrooms like a
moist soil and usually some sort of decomposing
rganic material.  In the area of my lawn, there is a lot
of mulched grass and leaves.  If lawns have been
renovated, the decomposing lawn, or organic mulch
 is prime for growing mushrooms.  The mushrooms
are signs of natural decomposition.  BE AWARE that
many mushrooms are very poisonous.  Talk with
someone that is skilled in mushroom identification. 
According to a local expert, some of the good opens
can have bad look a likes.  BE CAREFUL.  The best
solution to mushrooms is to leave them.  IF there is
a chance of human or animal consumption, just take
 a rake and rake them out of the lawn.

Another pretty good weekend.
Take advantage of the large amounts of
 leaves that are falling this year, especially
the large maple leaves.

Mulch with the lawn mower, bag and move to
the flower or garden area;  leave in the garbage
bags, add a nitrogen source let decompose over
the winter;  collect the leaves from along many of
 the roads ways or even request leaves from the
 local leaf removal --public works agencies.  Most
 leaves SHOULD be clean but beware some may
have small chemical residue.  If any concern,
let compost for 6-9 months.

Hazelnut harvest pretty much done,
medium to good yields.
A few late apple and winter pears.
Nice crop of Asian pears.
Local farm stands, some go until Thanksgiving.
Local farmers markets have moved
 indoors in many locations.
Winter annual weeds coming back very strong.

Recent grass seed and winter wheat plantings
doing very well with the localized rain.
Many local cole crops - broccoli doing very well still.
Warm season crops, unless protected
- rained or frozen out.

A few more days of good weather.
Leaves are really falling and need to be removed
from lawns; they can be raked into the flower
bed; or placed on the garden in 6 inch depth,
covered with black plastic so the worms
can decompose the leaves by spring time.

I you have oak or black walnut, mix with
other leaves or compostable materials.

The weather looks like our gardens with
any warm season plant will be toast soon.
Pick celery, tomatoes, eggplant, or any other
plants that are still producing, or cover
for the next few cold nights.

Grass seed and wheat growing well.
Some fields in prep for seeding
and planting.
Some apples, some Asian pears,
some hazelnuts being harvested.
Winter annual weeds germinating.
Cole crops doing well, but some
cold weather happening the next few days.
A few tomatoes and peppers found this week.

Ok, time to go back to the garden.
OCCUPY the garden and grow food, even now.
Still good growing weather but the cold
weather may slow or damage the cole crops.

If you look at the newspaper, we are ahead in all areas.
of precipitation.  Precipitation - month to date; 
normal precip. to date; precip.since 10-1. 
All are in the positive range.
Time to mow the lawn and mulch the leaves.  I was
able to mulch 50% of the leaves from 4 huge
trees, it just took time to mulch the leaves. 
Easier than raking the leaves.
If you have any celery, cut and dry.
LOTS of winter annual weeds are just starting
to grow;  hoe, or cover with 6 inches of mulch; 
layers of paper or cardboard.

Hazelnut harvest near done.
Some late apple and Asian pears.
Fresh produce stands, pretty strong
use by public, but weekend rains
have slowed pumpkin sales.
Most farm stands finish this time
of year or around Thanks giving,
call before heading out.
Cole crops continue to produce
nice product.
Grass seed, cover crops and winter
grains have germinated and continue
to grow very nicely.

The warm weather is causing seeds to
germinate, so far corn and peas have
sprouted.  The warm weather above
60 degrees is creating MORE diseases. 
Apple can get MORE apple scab so
wash when picked.
Pick squash and dry them out. 
Get off of wet ground.

Discovery - I was out in the garden
and where the peas had been growing,
some peas that had fallen to the ground were
sprouting and growing.  So, we will see how
well they grow since it is almost November.

Last few blackberries and the last Fallgold
raspberries.  All done :(
Broccoli still going very well.  Got a 7 inch
cutting Friday, more coming on.
Hazelnuts harvest nearly over.
Prune rapsberries.
Start pruning tree fruits after leaves fall or
Dec. 1st which is only 5 weeks away.
Apple trees still holding the fruit.
The lawn may need mowing in the
next week or two between rain storms.
Mulch the unused garden area with 6 inches
of mulch or compost.  This will keep the
soil from compacting.

Pretty good weather for the week.
More rain forecast.
Some hazelnuts being "mudded" out due to the rain.
Apples and Asian pears - still good crop.
Grass seed and winter grains up and growing.
Ag activities slowing down.

Broccoli doing well, crop number 8.
Tomatoes - nearly done.
Winter squash - doing OK.
Still have artrichokes growing, slowly.
Some zuchini.
Cabbage - regrowing  from the earlier harvest.

Before it really gets cold, you MIGHT try to
put in a cover crop of fava beans or buckwheat,
but it is going to need some warm days.  For a
cool cover crop, any of the grains will do well,
but can be harder to till under in the spring.

Another great weekend, a little rain but nice most of the day.
Great pumpkin weekend - only 11 days left.
Tomatoes still coloring.
Celery OK.
Apples and Asian pears - nice.
Weeds growing too well.

Hazelnut growers scrambling to harvest nuts
during the dry days.
Rain is much needed for winter crops.
Still need about 10 days for the hazelnut
harvest for late falling nuts.
Pumpkin crop - a lot of pumpkins still waiting
for the public to arrive to purchase.
Fall apples - slowly ripening, need
a few days good sunshine.
Tomatoes and other warm season veggies
 - barely hanging on.  Lots
of frost and cold damage.

Grass and lawns are re greening with the rain.
Broccoli - doing very nicely.
Some squash such as winter  squash
and zucchini - are still blooming!!!!  Go for it!!!
Garden weeds jumped up at least a 1/2 inch  :(
Letting the prickly lettuce weed seed as
the plant attracts aphids in the garden.

Boy has the rain come back.
My front lawn which has been without
water for two months, is turning green in
less than two days after the first rain.
Tomatoes are covered in plastic, time will
tell if they survive this very wet weather.
Good thing I mowed all of the tall weeds
 in and around the garden.
Apples and late pears doing OK.
Fall broccoli is alreaday 6 inches across.
Picked all of the acorn squash and they are in
the green house curing, vines were dead.
Winter squash still have a green stem and
when you scratch with your thumb nail,
the skin indents = still green.

More great weather.
Rain predicted, but no clouds yet, yeah for the garden.
Protect the tomatoes with plastic.
Bring garden equipment in or under cover.
This rain will cause many weeds to grow and
the LAWN, so don't put the lawn mower away yet.
Lots of apple cider being made.
Fall raspberries doing great, especially the golden type.
Warm season veggies near end of production. 
If tomatoes get wet and then the weather
turns warm = late blight.

More good weather.
Hazelnuts falling due to the windy weather.
Broccoli - coming in strong.
Lots of people doing lots of canning and drying.
Basil being hit with the cold weather.
Pumpkins and squash looking good, scratch
the skins;  if the knife doesn't indent the skin-
the squash are ripe or the stems are hard and tan color.
I am hoping for a few more artichokes.
Egplantgs - done.
Celery - doing OK.

Apple and Asian pear crop continue.
Hazelnuts dropping nicely with the windy days. 
Harvest has begun in some areas.
Great apple and pear weather, bad weather for
warm season crops.
Frost in some areas already, watch the
weather forecast for freezing temps.
Grass seed and winter wheat being planted, 
some growers irrigating the crop up.
Irrigation still needed in most mid valley
counties, many young hazelnut trees have
excessive leaf burn due to lack of water
in August and Sept.

Apple crop - good.
Broccoli -7th crop.
New Fall crop - looking very good,
6 inch heads.
More cold morning.
Pleasant Hill had frost.
Onion and garlic - doing well.
Tomatoes - still ripening.
Eggplant - done.
Irrigation - needed for garden and tree fruits.
Place diseasy pumpkin and cucumber
plants with powdery mildew in hot
compost or cold compost pile.

Protect warm season plants for the next
 to nights/mornings.  Cover with Remay,
 sheets or jug of water.

Even though it seems to be dry, if we look at the weather charts:
Prec. month to date - down 1.21 inches
Prec. year to date:  3.44 inches ahead of last year
Prec. since 10/2011 - 3.19 inches down from previous year.

So, even with the dry weather we are close to normal. 
Hint:  Water the garden and the yard, the soil is dry.

Blossom end rot or the end of tomatoes get a scabby
end,mean either toooo much water - probably not; 
not enough water - very likely in most gardens; or
too hot  yes;  or too cold;  yes, the last three weeks. 
Solutions:  add mulch to the soil or use drip hoses;
add lime to the soil, rototill lime (rate of 50 pound
per 1000 sq feet).

More good garden weather.
Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, celery,
basil still growing nicely.
First crop of broccoli still producing heads.
August  crop - nice broccoli heads.
Apple crop very nice.
Grapes coming on nicely.
Asian pears - very good.
Fall wild blackberries and nice golden
fall raspberries.

Ripening tomatoes as the weather changes can be difficult.
 For the next week, cover the tomatoes with plastic and put
a LOT of apples under the plastic.  The apples emit  ethylene
gas and will help ripen the tomatoes and/or almost any other
fruit that needs ripening.

Morning temps are below 60 so the
garden and plants will need Remay cover
or the milk jugs to keep the tomatoes and
warm crops ripening.

Apple and pear crop looks very good.
Pumpkins getting hammered with powdery mildew.
Cold AM's slowing down tomato ripening,
great for apple ripening.
Hazelnut crop - looks excellent so far.
Soil getting pretty dry.

It has been a good farming year. Pretty go prices also.
Gardens and farms still doing amazingly well. Tomatoes still dong well as are the peppers. The weather is great for continuing tomatoes and peppers. Apple crop very good, as in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has a great apricot crop; they have nice, golden orange apricots. You can feel the weather changing in the early AM, I call it pre fal

l. Be aware that most of the worlds water is not clean, that many outhouses are usually within 10 foot of the city water supply; don't think about that statement too long, but it is reality; for most non locals the amount of E coli in the local water system is amazingly high. We just turn on the faucet and forget how safe our water is. Imagine living on around $35 per month, or having to live off of what has been growing buy you this!!!

The world is a wonderful place to travel.  I am
sorry I had to leave my wife home to tend to the garden.
I have relearned that in the real world,
everyone works, or they don't eat.
We in the US ae so spoiled with all that we have at our fingertips.
Like the intenet, hard to explain how hard typing
on a Rusian key board and bad internet access.
Count our many blessings.
They grow great cotton, rice, killer
persimmons and pomergranates.
They make a great dish called PLOV.
More later.

8000 miles away and enjoying great Taj produce
while my wife is tending the home garden produce.
Thinking for Oregon.  Horrible internet.

Harvest garlic if not done already.
Time to plant garlic.  Be sure to dry the garlic
for a week if you are going to use the same
garlic that was just harvested.
Apples and pears - a great year.
Bartlett pears - they taste marvelous this year.
Wild blackberries, huge crop.
Blueberries - nearly done, long harvest.
Acorn squash - looking very good, if the
deer would stop eating them!
Broccoli - going for crop 4.
Actually getting the start of a second cauliflower
crop after the first cutting, time will tell.
Zucchini - still producing.
Caterpillars devouring he kohlrabi leaves, but that is OK.

More great weather.
Can and preserve away.
I have a lot of acorn squash that were hiding.  Yeah.
Zucchini still going crazy. Deer decided they liked
 the peas and green beans and zucchini.
Fennel - very nice.
Celery - near perfect after three months.
Apples - lots.
Pears - ripening for bartlett.
Golden fall raspberries - very good.
Lots of blackberries.
Sit back and see how long he weather lasts.
Enjoy the holiday weekend.

Good weather continues.
Mornings cool, but day time temps
still good.
Apples - looking very good.  Apples - great
crop with little insect damage
even for those who didn't spray.
Berries - blueberries nearly done.
Blackberries - going crazy.
Raspberries - some fall raspberries.
Veggies - most doing very well. 
Tomatoes turning color nicely.
Nuts - huge hazelnut crop this year.
Pears - Bartletts in full harvest, nice crop.

More good weather but cooler nights and warm days.
Great for pears and apples.
Not so good with temps dropping below
50 at night for the warm season plants.
Insects still on the low number.
Tomatoes, corn, zuchinii going crazy.
Tomatoes getting a lot of blossom end
rot due to too wet, too dry and lack of calcium.
Better watering technique and add calcium next year.
Tomatoes still getting early blight but
watch for late blight.

Last night 50's, and Saturday morning, high 40's.
Put water jugs back out near the
warm season plants.
Veggies - all are ripening nicely.
Squash doing well.
Artichoke - almost ready.
Peppers - doing good.
Celery - almost ready.
Zuchinni - going crazy.
Cabbage - perfect.

Mornings are getting cooler, like September pre fall.
Time to think about putting jugs of water back out
 into the garden for the tomato, pepper, eggplant
 and other warm season plants.
Apples ripening, pears near ripe, especially bartletts.
Blossom end rot or the black rough end on tomatoes -
mainly due to to hot, not too cold, to dry and too wet
Peppers coming on, hold off fall for just a few more weeks.

Apples are falling due to them pushing
themselves off if they have short stems. 
If gravenstein or Lodi, just ripe.
Prunes - half way developed, I cut one
open and there was no seed, so lack of pollination.

The OSU Lane County Master Gardener class is now
accepting application for the 2013 class. 
The training includes intensive classes on insects, diseases,
weeds, tree fruits, berries, plant diagnostics, plant biology,
and much more.

Got to:  http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/gardens

- for an application or drop our office at 783 Grant Street,
Eugene, M-Th 10-1 and 2-5.

The web site is full of information about the MG
program or call 541 344-5859.

 Insect Numbers from Dan McGrath, OSU

INSECT             5 YR AV       2012
Black cutworm      0.5             0.36
Corn earworm        1.3            0.41
12 Spot                  1.2             1.03
Cabb looper           5.99          0.71
Cabb butterflies     3.6            8.13 - some risk

Another good article on Gardens.  Note for item 6,
typically we don't fertilize during hot periods.

 http://www.changeofaddress.org/

10 Ways to Care for Your Garden in a Hot, Dry Summer

During the summer it’s not unusual for the temperature to reach above 100 degrees in many parts of the country, even in the shade, which is a cause of concern for anyone who is trying to nurture a garden. Trying to combat an untimely death to plants and flowers that you have lovingly cultivated and nurtured can be like fighting an uphill battle in the never-ending heat waves that plague summer months. However your plants don’t have to disappear once the summertime hits and, armed with a few helpful tips and tricks, your garden can thrive despite record-breaking temperatures and the relentless rays of the sun.

1. Choosing plants that thrive in your normal weather pattern and the area of the country you live in is the first step to having a healthy garden.
2. You can’t always forecast when the summer will be unseasonably hot and dry, however keeping up with the weather forecasts from your weather stations will help in making decisions to keep your garden growing during a dry spell.
3. One water-saving method is to use mulch.  How much mulch you need will depend on the size of your garden, but mulch is known to help retain the moisture from rain or from your own watering system.
4. Never water during the heat of the day.  The sun has a way of evaporating the water faster than the plants can receive nourishment from the water. Try to water early in the morning or later at night when the sun isn’t out to ensure your plants get the most water possible.
5. Use a watering spike – this is simply a sprinkler nozzle on a large plastic reticulation sprinklerextension with a connector to the hose
6. In times of heat shock, a seaweed extract based liquid fertilizer treatment often reduces heat stress and it may help protect the plant in future. You can read more about that here.
7. Using a water wand will aid in watering plants without force.  Spraying too hard may harm the plants during drought.
8. Conserving water should be a way of life, and knowing to use our supply correctly will also aid in keeping plants healthy.  For instance, use the wand on the hose to water the roots.  The roots actually give the growth above it a drink from its supply.
9. A soaker hose laid around the plant on the ground will also soak the plants and use less water
10. Understanding that there is no life form that can live without water, we must plan our gardens knowing we have a good water supply close by.  Some plants we can over water, while others need more TLC where a drink of water is concerned.

Hopefully, despite the long, hot summer days, by using these tips you have success when harvest time comes. By carefully paying attention the temperatures and providing your plants with plenty of water and love, your garden should survive the hottest part of the year.

Good weather continues.
Great zucchini, broccolil,
cauliflower, peas, green bean,
corn, 
.Basil- still very slow growing.
Tomatoes - both types ripening.
Apples, peaches, figs ripened very
quickly this weekend.
Blackberries -fully ripe but there
are ripe, semi ripe, red and
very immature berries.
Grapes getting big, spray with sulfur.

IpmccauleyAugust 1, 2012 2:07 PM

I just got into gardening this summer. I had planted some Dill about a month ago after my first attempt had failed (i know its probably too late anyway to even plant), but my question is, they seem to not be growing very much except for say 2 out of 15. Is this because I planted them too late? They were from seed. The 3 that are surviving well are only about 5 inches tall. Any help would be great!

ReplyDelete

Ross PenhallegonAugust 9, 2012 8:32 PM

Sorry, just found the comment: our dill just
came up 10 days ago. Still plenty of time.
5 inches is just right for this year.

Corn doing well here.
Green bean harvest - looks
very good so far for Linn,
Benton and Lane County area.
Peach crop- very nice but some
cat-facing across the valley,
still trying to find out why.
Blue and black berry crops -
progressing well.    Good yields.
Lots of zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower.
Filbertworm - still in low numbers. 
No walnut husk flies found yet.

As we look at the weather and growing
warm season veggies; the few days FINALLY
have had an evening temperature of 61 degrees.
Just a few days ago the early AM temps were
around 40 degrees which shuts down the
growth of the warm veggies.   
Most warm season veggies like temps above
60 degrees, so that is the reason many of the
warm veggies, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers,
melons have been so slooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooow at growing this year.

Commercial green bean harvest continues.

Good strawberry harvest.
Raspberry - good harvest, little light.
Blueberry harvest has begun - huge crop
in most areas.
Marion berry - moderate crop.
Wild blackberry crop - huge.
Cherries - good year.
Lodi and transparent apples - picking.
Early gravenstein apples - ready.
Spotted wing drosophila - hammering
strawberries, raspberries, blueberries,
jostaberries, cherries -- expecting it to
continue to hit the mid to late blueberries,
the wild blackberries, prunes, and peaches.
So far we have not seen the SWD in tomatoes,
but if it is going to happen, this is
the year, so watch out. Call your
local Extension office if found in tomatoes.
This next weeks warm weather should
bring on a lot of the garden crops.
Watch of a second round of bolting on cole crops.

More good growing weather.
Cauliflower - taking off.
Lawns are starting to dry out.  Let them go
dormant in August or increase the watering a little. 
Use the Eugene Water and Electric
 Board Evaporation Transpiration information.
I read a good article on Lawns and
grass types by a Keith Howard.
http://www.lawncareservice.net/blog/2012/why-it-makes-a-difference-which-grass-seed-you-plant/

Dill up three inches.
Seed basil - still slow, needs more heat.
Pruned tomatoes for third time.  They just
keep sending out massive side shoots.  Nice
4 inch, green tomatoes.  Zucchini - full production.
Hubbard squash - found one 5 inches diameter.
Chard, beets, and kohlrabi are 7  inches tall.
Wild black crop- massive.  Marions 1-2 inches long.
Blueberry - large crop.  Early corn. 
Broccoli going very crazy.  Cabbage
and cauliflower sizing nicely.Still a
 lot of cucumber beetles.

Repeat broccoli usage:cut the main head,
then as the side heads develop, thin
then off except for one or two.

More good growing weather.
Raspberries doing well.
Peas doing very well.
Chard, spinach, Mescaline
lettuces, nice and leafy.
Loosing some plums do to the abscission
layer forming 3 weeks early - due to
weather, ie - green plums are falling off early.

 Still seeing a lot of early blight on tomatoes; 
Cersopera leaf spot on egg plant, but most
due to the wet spring and cool AM's.

Garden Insects - from Daniel McGrath, OSU
INSECT                    AVERAGE   JULY
Black cutworms -      1                   0.2
Corn earworm           0.27              0.27
12 spot                       1.53              1.47
Cabbage looper         13.2              3.5
Var cutworms            3.4                0.03

So veggie insects are normal or below normal
right now.

Broccoli - 6-8 inch heads.
celery - 8 inches tall.
Zuchini - tons.
Peas - near bloom barring the deer -
munching the new vines.
Basil - pooping out.
Cucumbers - still doing poorly.
Weeds - oh well.
Blackberry - two hours, many bleeding
wounds, and then some well directed spray,
They will be back.  Prepared more soil.
Found some prunes, and two pears so far.

Mint near to harvest or harvesting.
Second alfalfa cutting coming along.
Cherries - near end.
Peaches - fairly good crop.
Strawberries - near end.
Raspberries - mediocre crop.
Blueberry - very nice crop.
Blackberry - looks huge.  More spotted
wing drosophila this year. - strawberries,
cherries, raspberries so far.
Veggies - doing well.  Early cole crops -
bolted due to hot and cool weather.
Codling moth - damage showing up, here and there.
High cucumber beetle populations.
Signs of flea beetle but population are down.
Apples  and pears - sizing.
First local farm corn due next week in farm stands.

More zucchini today.
Beans blooming, peas blooming.
Celery taking off, tomatoes,  and sunflowers
growing several inches each day.  Cherries
and peaches - really good. 
Weeds - weeding each day and
barely keeping up, but I am winning :)
Apples sizing nicely, codling moth
damaging pears and apples;
 try Bt, Imidan or spinosid.
Thin apples again - yes, thin again, or at least
one limb to show how thinning works.
Remove the suckers in the middle of the tree.

Cucumber beetles - small invasion, be aware
they are moving unto the garden.
Spotted wing drosophila has moved into
strawberries, raspberries and now
CHERRIES.  For info, go to:  osu swd.
Corn, beans, tomatoes looking fine.

Questins came up about my Taiwan berry note.

Common name:  Taiwan Creeping Berry
Rubus pentalobus
Use:  as a deer resistant cover crop.
Takes full and partial sun.Trives in amost soils.
Berries : yellowish and edibe.
Sold:  Little Prince Nursery, Aurora

Be aware:  the stripped cucumber beetle and the 12
spotted cucumber beetle numbers are above average
 this past week - meaning they are going to attach
cucumber, squash and zucchini blooms.  They also
 like many other vegetables - beans, and leafy veggies.
If they haven't shown up yet, cover with the material
 called Remay that can be found at most garden stores.

Control with:  pyrethrins (also mixed with rotenone)

Another great July week, plenty of sunshine.
FB shows that many gardeners are getting great
returns - green beans, cucumbers, zucchini.
Cherries, black, blue, strawberries,
plus Marion and Tay berries.
Weed still growing wildly.
More SWDis berries and cherries.
Peas doing very well, tomatoes taking off.......
they need to be contained, supported.
Lawns slowing down growth.

Good weather continues.
Irrigate as needed, just dig holes in
the soil, grab dirt and see if it is dry, moist or wet.
Thinned apples looking good.
Spotted wing drosophila - bad this year. 
For info - go to:  osu swd.
General insects and diseases low right now.
Garlic being harvested, dry for a week in a shaded area.
Zucchini - exploding.
Cucumber and melons - barely growing.
Celery turning green - slow growing.
Peas - eaten bu the deer, grrrrrrrrr.
Basil - coming up.

A great article in the the new July 2012,
Agricultural Research magazine:
   http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/ar/

- on the big bee colony collapse.
They looked at eleven potential causes.
They researched many causes that were
being said to cause the colony collapse.

Insects:  Spotted wing drosophila - hitting strawberries,
cherries and now Marionberries.  Got to:  OSU SWD 
for trap and control info.

Varigated cutworms - below normal.
12 spot beetle - average or below.
Codling moth - expecting nay day.

Peas.
Beans - looking good.
Zucchini - small and perfect.
Raspberries and blueberries.
Lots of chard, salad mix, beet leaves.
Cole crops really looking good.
Celery - nice green.
Melon seed - very slow still.
Apples sizing nicely.

Great 4th.
Great weather for Oregon.
Cherries - good crop.
Straw - nearing end.  Raspberry and
blueberries - good crops.
Grapes - looks good.
Grass seed - being cut.
Late spring hay - being cut and dried.
Hot weather usually means more insects.

Cherries and blueberries ready.
Garden looking good.  Nice garlic and onions.
Zucchini - growing nicely.
Some beans near bloom.
Celery turing green - finally.
Tomatoes - bad early blight, use
copper or Serenade to control.
Bad me - finally thinned my apples - the gravensteins
were within a few days of pushing  each cluster off.
Summer prune the long sucker growth in the center
of the tree --just pull off the suckers and they come
right off the branch easily.  I will try and get some pixs.

Great gardening and growing weekend.
Beans - doing well.  Onions and garlic -
 good other than rust.
Strawberry - June bears nearly done. Raspberries
coming on well.  Watch out of spotted wing drosophila,
put up the vinegar traps - go to: 
OSU SWD on how to build the traps.
Peas - up and down.  Cole crops - love the weather
except for bolting due to the hot and cold extremes.
Insects in general, down in populations so
far, just wait for he warmer weather.

With  this on again, off again; warm and then
wet cool weather, this is prime for tomato and
potato late blight.  We haven't seen it yet but
the weather is perfect for it.
Keep foliage as dry as possible -- hope that the
rain quits, only use drip irrigation.  Try NOT to
walk down the tomato or potato rows while
the foliage is wet.
Trim the plants, sanitize the clipper so there
is good air circulation.
Use copper or organic Serenade to protect the foliage.
Cover with a small plastic cloche.

BE  AWARE for tomatoes and potatoes:  Lane County, oreogn:

Tomato early blight
http://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease-descriptions/tomato-lycopersicon-esculentum-early-blight

Found in Washington and New Jersey- bad infestations of tomato late blight
http://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease-descriptions/tomato-lycopersicon-esculentum-late-blight

What is ripe?
Haskap or honey berry.
Strawberries.
Raspberries.
Cherries - right in time, turning pink-red.
Blueberries - soon.

If this wasn't Oregon, I would be worried.
Crops still growing.
Spotted wing drosophila out, another
finding in the River Road area.
Tomato early blight sample came in this week,
very angular patches on the leave that don't
usually don't cross the veins.
Washington state has found tonight LATE blight. 
So be aware with this warm and then cool weather.

More great weather other than NOT
believing the weather forecast.  Best
method - look out the window.
Warm season crops picking up.
Cherries - turning pink and reddish. 
Strawberries - great crop so far.
Blues, rasp, and currants turning color.
A few codling moths, SWD found in the
River Road area as in the last three years.

Great weekend.
Plants making good headway.
Next 8 days 75-49 degrees, still a bit cool
in the AM, keep the water jugs next to
the peppers, eggplant and tomato plants.
Tine to fertilize again.
Keep the grass and weeds under control.
With the warmer weather diseases
have slowed down.
Rust showing up on garlic plants.

Tomatoes during very well.  Other warm
season plants putting on new leaves.
Beans aredoing bad and need replanting.
Even cole crops are doing poorly.
We need more sunshine.
I hear of a gerat pea crops.
One MGer had a huge pea crop aleady
 but planted back in February.  Success
 really depends on the dy when
you plant the seeds.  Thin gravenstein apples. 
Cherries turning pink so wsatch for cherry fruit fly.

More good gardening weather.
Time to do some replanting,
so far corn, beans, peas.
Cantaloupe and cucumber seeds slow to emerge.
More scab controls.
Few codling moth, which is late.

Beans coming up.
Tomatoes, peppers and egg plant need extra heat.
Berries look the best of fruits so far.
Photinia - hammered with photinia
leaf spot, needs copper in March.
Garlic showing rust on older leaves,  when
harvesting destroy leaves or put
 into cold compost pile.

A great weekend.
Lawn under control again.
Expecting codling moth this weekend.
Tomatoes, garlic, cole crops,
strawberries doing very well.
Continue thinning apples, and pears.
Harvested some garlic, but bulbs were
about 2/3 the normal size.

What's happening in Lane County, Oregon:

More rain.
Strawberry season has started.
The orange fungus, Pacific coast
cedar rust has been harsh on bartlett,
comice, bosc pears;  serviceberry and
quince plants this wet year.
Cole crops doing OK;  the warm season
plants;  it just depends on when they
were planted as to how well they are
doing.  Early plantings are thriving,
late plantings are very slow to grow.
Strawberries - OK so far.
Cherries - poor pollination
Pears - hit by fungus.
Apples - huge crop - with apple scab.
Blueberries - looks medium to very
good but seeing quite a bit of
freeze and tip damage.
Raspberry and blackberry - looks like an
excellent crop.

Some flea beetle and cucumber beetle damage.
This week the leaf rollers started
inflicting damage to filbert and orchard crops.

The pacific coastal cedar rust has affected a
lot of fruit.  So far the orange fungus
has seriously affected serviceberry, bartlett - a
lot; comice,bosc and quince fruit to the
point that the fruit are aborting.  Theer has
been two infections or one long infection period.
Nothing can be done with the wet spring. 
There is no spray to control the fungus.

Darn rain.  The wind and rain  were,
were just unbelievable today. 
The weather report looks wet
for he next few days, grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Cole crops still doing well.  Seeds recently
planting may have problem germinating
with evening temps in the mid 40's.
Heard from several people
who had corn rot in the ground.
The rain is going to spread the cedar rust,
apple scab, powdery mildew, on and on.

Strawberry season is upon us,
starting this weekend.
Lots of flea beetles, cucumber
beetles, cut worms, diamond moths.
Plant away.
This next week temps predicted to be in the
mid  40's in the early AM's which is cool.
Plant protection will
be needed Tuesday and Wednesday,use walls
of water, milk jugs, Remay cover, old sheets,
5 gallon blue water jugs,etc.

Black Cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon) moth counts are significantly 

above average. The average valley wide moth count is nearly

three times what would be considered normal.  Black cutworm 

infestations are very patchy.  I am not 100% certain that we are

 in a major cutworm outbreak. We will know in a week or two.  

 One of the problems with black cutworm damage in sweet corn 

is that by the time you see the damage, it is too late to control.  

 D McGrath

The great weather continues,
for only a few more days.actually a
little rain Sat-Tuesday may be a good
thing, as the soil is drying out.
Everything is coming up nicely, but the
weeds are almost overwhelming, so
look at keeping them under control.
Try and get all of the chores done tomorrow
and then we can rest until Wednesday
of next week.
The lawn actually slowed down, yeah.
We are seeing lots of yards/gardens going
acid, so even now you add lime,
40# per 1000 sq foot.

Black cut worms are out and one grower said they
were chewing on his corn.  They come out at night. 
Just dig around the base of the plant and look for
dark colored, C shaped cut worms.  Pick them
or use a Bt spray to control them.

Also, the diamond back moth is starting to show
up in larger numbers with the warm weather so be
aware as they like ti munch on veggies.

If you are following the rain fall averages, in the local
Register Guard, the current rain fall is as close to
the short and long term averages that I have sen in
years.  As the old timers say, this year is very close
to what the weather was like in the 1950's.

Dear bloggers.
I know many of the local blog readers.  For those of
you who are from around the US and world, I would be most
interested in a short statement as to where you reside = country=
and how you found the blog.

Be aware that tiny black flea beetles are
out and they like chewing on small veggies.
Transplanting larger veggies help.
Cover early with Remay cover cloth.
Spray with a pyrethrum/rotenone spray works
pretty well.
Time to apply the predatory nematodes.
Even under a microscope, I had a hard
time seeing them.....leap of faith :)
Beans, onions, garlic are jumped out
of the ground this past week.
I am NOT going to talk about the
lack of slugs and snails.

Another great day for gardening.
Lots of cole and warm season crops in.
Grass is still going crazy.  The grass that I 
mowed two weeks ago, the grass has died and
is now nice mulch.  Knock on wood, no
secondary weed seed emerging, yet.
Tomatoes and peppers doing fine.
Plant some late and garlic and it was up
in less than one week.  When I dug a garlic up, I
noticed that the garlic scales, which keep the cloves
contained, there weren't many left, which means
the cloves may split more this year.
Berries forming very nicely.
Insects being slow, but the warm and
wet diseases are exploding.

Weather is up and down, rainy then sunny.
Forecast is for sunny - yeah.
Protect plants from slugs and snails.
Found quite a bit of frost damage from two weeks ago.
Most plants actually doing well.
Apple scab and powdery mildew really bad.  Prune
off the powdery mildew.  A protection spray is needed
for apple and pear scab.
Rosemary - blooming nice.
Garlic - sending up whistles or seed heads,
remove for bigger bulbs.
Grass is going wild so cut ASAP.

Dang rain,
It was only suppose to rain 10%, not all day long.
Apples looking very good.
Still seeing peach leaf curl.
Seeing a lot of coastal cedar rust on Bartlett
pears and comice.
Oaks showing the green webworms on thin
web strands.
Garlic is over three foot tall but bulbs
only about 1 1/2 inches.

For tree fruits, the new growth is perfect for "wiping". 
Wiping is where you go out to the tree.  Where the new
growth is located, take your hand with a grove, and "wipe"
off the new growth from pruning cuts made this past
winter.  With the new growth only 2-3 inches long, with a
gloved hand, the new growth can be removed or "wiped"
from where it is growing.  By wiping, there is very little
growth since you are not cutting the tissue.  Plus little you
are a head for next winter, two WINS!!!  Apples have
 a lot of powdery mildew, just prune it out.

Spittle bugs out in big numbers, just
wash them off or spray with a little
 insecticidalsafers soap mix.
Spotted wing drosophila was reported
in Albany, so the little critter is coming.
four more GOOD days.  Plant away.

Lots going on.
Stripped cucumber beetles are out so
be aware if you have squash plants.
Codling moths emerged early this week.
Lots of insects out.
Plant quickly as it may "R" next week.
Most crops, fruit and berries doing well.
Looks like strawberries around June
15th if the weather holds.
Push plants with a good fertilizer such
a liquid fish, blood meal or 16-16-16.