WETTTTTTTTTT

More rain.
Two out of three of the rain stats
show us above average.
60 inches of sow on Willamette pass.
Low lying flood warnings.
Maybe some relief Monday or Tuesday.
So far the wet spring prediction
has been correct.
Small plastic greenhouses can help start
to dry out the spoil on raised beds so
you can do some cole crop planting.
Or lay a tarp over the raised
bed to shed the water.
Cole crop transplants will do OK.
Every dry day do a little soil prep.
Time a big pot of nice, veggies
soup and a nice warm fire.

End of March

Peaches - near full bloom.
Plum/prunes - full bloom.
Lawns growing - getting long,
need to get mowed ASAP.
Get back to planting peas.
Being distracted by the snow, rain and all
of the tree branch removal (back to having
a sore arm, dang, this getting old is a
pain, a real pain! Spring farmers market
soon, you can pick up transplants at local
stores also or seed when the soil dries out
(but another wet-ish week.) Clean tools,
sharpen pruners and shovels - carefully.

March weekend

More time wood cutting.
So far have cut 1/2 cord of
wood and 1/2 cord to go.
Time to mow the lawn.......very soon.
In five days, time to fertilize the bushes
and fruit trees. Fertilize so the
branches will grow around 12-18 inches.

:) :) :) :)

Great day. Snow nearly gone on the valley flower.
Hills still covered in snow - how picturesque.

Been spending a LOT of time cutting
broken limbs.
Self mulch, grind up, take wood and limbs
to the local recycling center such
as Rexius or Lane Forest.
Prune back the broken branches to the
collar or swollen area on branches or trunks.
Plum.prune - full bloom.
Peaches - near or full bloom.
Pears - pre white.

Spring winter

Snow everywhere. Lots of broken branches. Wait for
the snow to leave the tree branches, then cut the
branch back to the collar zone near the trunk or
side branch. The collar is the swollen zone where
branches join together. Go out and brush snow
off of small bushes, shrubs, etc. They can be tied
back to a "normal" shape. A good reason to tie floppy
bushes in November and leave then until late March.
Any greenhouse structure - get the snow off ASAP.
(Guess what I was doing ALL morning.) Springfield
Utility Board was out early this AM and cut branches
off power lines - they were great. A lot of damage
happening today. So far we have lost ten tree branches
- big ones, and you can still here them cracking.
Branches keep coming down. SUB said to be aware
of a possible ICE storm tonight!

Today

Seeds and plants going in - so much for the weather.
Prune/plum - full bloom.
Peaches - pink.
Cherries, Pears, Apples - buds very swollen.
Farmers markets start soon - first weekend in April;
Eugene and Springfield - Sprout.
Voles, moles and gophers very active.
Weeds growing too much, so soil temps
is near veg growing time for cole crops.

Spring or late winter

The weather continues to be WEIRD.
Rain, sunshine, sleet, snow, wind, cold, etc.
Rain has made the soil very wet. So a while
longer before tilling, using soil fork or
getting the soil ready for planting.
Lawns continue to grow.
Soil temp still under 50 degrees.
Anyone measured the soil temp?????

Thursday

More rain and cold weather.
So much for preditcting timeto plant :) :) :)
Mow lawn if dry enough.
From Mar. 15-30, get the soil ready.
Finish pruning.
Rake up prunings.
New radio porgram, http://www.krvm.org/
KRVM Garden Spot, M - 2:20pm, F - 10:20 am,
whag is happening in the local garden area.

March10 great day for outdoor work............kind of

I got in 6 1/2 hours of had outdoor work done,
mostly pruning. Pruned the 12 dwarf apple trees.
They are open center, low and really look nice.
Part of "what is your vision for your tree."
They are now all at 5 foot. Gravenstein apple buds
are big for March 10. Get any copper or
lime sulfur or oil on ASAP. If too much leaf
tissue or bloom is showing, there can be
some spray burn, but the trees need to be
clean before bloom. Spray on a cool day.
Pears - near bloom break. Plum - some tight
bud, the wild ones- full bloom. Kaskap berry -
tight buds with the blooms showing.
Filberts - leaf buds near breaking - spray with
less strong sprays if you have not sprayed.
Fig tree, now 8 foot tall, buds are very tight and our
California bay laurel, is ten foot shorter - in full bloom.
When using the very sharp pruning saw, there is a
good reason to wear gloves........the sharp blade is
not nice to bare fingers. It only takes one second
for the blade to slip and............WEAR GLOVES!!!
Garlic 8-10 inches. It was very slow to
emerge this year. Peonies - 8 inches.
Lesser celandine - bad yard weed is out in all its glory.
It is very green and has large yellow flower right now.
Please control this bad weed.

Get ready

The home shows are helping to get
people in the mode for planting.
Lots of blooming plants in the stores.
Looks like rain for the next three days.
Time to get the lawn mower and
garden tools ready for the summer.
Peas are in and up in some areas.
Prunes - white bloom.

So much for spring

60 degrees, then 27 degrees.
With a clear ski, another cold morning.
It was cold and breezy all day today
......burrrrrr.
Plum and peaches starting to bloom,
should do well.
it is called pre pink or pre white.
Planting has started. Any peas, or cole
crop - broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, peas,
chard, etc. However, the soil temp is
just barely 50 degrees, so soil temp is still
chilly unless you plant into plastic plastic,
or use wall or water or full water jugs.

Spring is blooming all over

There are a lot of blooming plants;
azalea, white plums; pre forsythia;
willows; beginning daffodils; pre
pink peaches.
So much for a nice dry week end. Make
sure you plant into very well drained soils.
Clay soils will remain toooooooo wet
and rot the seeds.

Good weekend

Another good weekend.
Soil still mostly wet.
Dig a hole and test soil moisture by
grabbing the soil and squeezing.
If the soil is very clayey, it will make
pots. If wet, water can be squeezed out.
If just right, it will crumble.
Use a fork or shovel to start working
raised beds or garden sites.
Some people planting sweet peas
AND regular peas n trial plots.

Weather weather

Well, spring was on its way and
will be back this weekend. Having
been around the northern part of
the state, there was a lot of snow in
the coastal range and in the Cascades
= more water in the summer.