Tuesday, July 31, 2012

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/

Sunday, July 29, 2012

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.


Friday, July 27, 2012

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




Wednesday, July 25, 2012

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.

Monday, July 23, 2012

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.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

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.


Friday, July 20, 2012

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.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

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.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

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.

Monday, July 16, 2012

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)

Friday, July 13, 2012

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.


































Wednesday, July 11, 2012

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.

Monday, July 9, 2012

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.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

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.


Friday, July 6, 2012

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.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

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.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

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.