Are You Ready for Tonight's Potential Frost?

Warning - Frost Advisory Tonight!

The National Weather Service has posted a frost advisory for tonight in the Willamette Valley and a frost warning for the Columbia Gorge region. The forecast calls for rapid clearing this afternoon and plunging temperatures overnight. The coldest period will be from 1-8 a.m. with lows predicted below freezing in many low-lying areas. We advise taking all reasonable measures to protect crops today. Those with overhead irrigation or fans should prepare to operate those systems. Those without such systems, should consider spraying an anti-transpirant such as Frost Shield, Moisturin or VaporGard.  Either option should buy at least 2 degrees Fahrenheit of protection which may be enough to protect through this event.

From:   OVS Aurora,  19658 Hwy 99E,  Hubbard, OR 97032.  971-216-0111(phone).  971-216-0112 (fax)  800-653-2216   www.ovs.com   info@ovs.com    

Good weather continues.
Most tree fruits have or are blooming.
Don't use any insecticides around fruit trees
until the blooms are gone.
Looks like May 1st for planting warm
season plants, but watch the temps
as we are still seeing cool mornings

Plant an exgtra row of veggies for the
local foos bank, Food for Lane County,
the local church or for people
who may be  in need. 

Another great weekend.
Bees are flying.  Keep planting those
flowering plants to keep the bees happy.

The mornings are still cool, so warm
season plants MAY still be too early to
plant or have something to protect the plants.

Dump out any containers with water--- buckets,
5 gallon buckets, cans, gutters......the
water is full of mosquitoes.  So far 2we have
avoided West Nile virus but there are LOT
of mosquitoes growin in almost any
container that holds water.

The bees are flying which is good
for the pollination.

The bees are also flying ----swarming
so be on the look out for swarms that
are moving through the area.

Your local Extension office often will
have lists of people looking for swarms of bees.

For Lane County, Eugene - 541 344-5859

Two days of chancy weather but M-Friday
 look like spring is here, again-- with lows of 40
(chilly for any warm season plants or they protection),
but nice day time weather of 58-70 degrees; 
great for warming up the soil.

Most tree fruits are done bloom or as with
apple early varieties, have bloomed and
the rest are following.

For apples, plan on a LESS yield year since it was
such a huge crop last year.....unless you thinned
the fruit, which means you WILL get a
crop most every year.

Perspective - I have been in Egypt teaching
growers how to grow strawberries.  Their
season is JUST finishing.  Kind of like the
Willamette valley but reversed time wise.
They grow very nice strawberries.  Their goal
is to use IPM and reduce the amount of pesticides
being used and look for ways to work with
insects and diseases.

The weather is all over the board.
Rainy, but under 60 degrees which means
 no apple or pear scab.  IF the temps rise
 above 60, a BIG scab infection will happen. 
It has to be wet AND warm.

Lots of bees, wasps, mason,s and bumbles
out pollinating the pear and apple trees.  Having
a wild flower area REALLY does help to bring the
bee population back.  If 20,000 homes provided 
wild bee flowers, we could solve the reduced
bee populations.  Hum, such an easy solution. 
And IF it doesn't work, we have a great place
for predatory insects to hid out and have food.

EDITORIAL:  Do we sit around complaining
about less bees, poor genetics, three years of
wet weather where bees were without food
for up to 8 months (I couldn't last 8 months
without food); crazy 3 years of wet weather;
miss use of pesticides;  and general reduction in
bee populations;  OR let's just fix the problem.  My
small farm has a huge amount of bees, due to my
wild area that has bee food for a long period to time.

Each moisture event that is wet AND
warm can cause scab.  If the temp is
 below 60 degrees, no scab.

Snow on the valley floor, just a bi but
 just goes to show spring STILL isn't here
 Mother Nature can change all we have
done in the garden with one quick freeze.

Get the walls of water, Remay, milk
 jugs full of water to help be ready
for the next time the temps start
to drop.

Even tho the plants have said winter
 is over, the weather has proven
 this wrong.

Another great weekend.
Get those cole crops in ASAP.

May 1st, go for the warm season veggies,
even tho I heard about others planting tomatoes
and peppers. Two days ago the morning temps
were between, 34-30 degrees, cold for warm season veggies.

Gravenstein apples - full bloom;  blueberries full bloom.
Almost back to NORMAL on our date of when
things should be happening.

The pears are beautiful and so fragrant.
Apples showing pink.
Bay laurel tree showing bloom.
Soil near perfect.
Raspberries leafed out.
Grass - still growing crazy.
Look for the many plant sales.
Mater Gardener mega plant sale April  20
at the EWEB parking lot downtown.
 

Apples - graventein showing pink and
ready to bloom.
Peears - full bloom.
Blueberries - showing white  and will be
 in full bloom in less than one week.
Soils drying out.
Wet weather  - spray for apple and
pear scab, plus hazelnut EFB again.
Garlic - up over a foot tall., if it
continues to rain, then the garlic
bulb splits because the scales have gone
away, due to too much rain.
Each time it rains, one "scale" will be
lost from the garlic skin.
Tulips - blooming.

Coastal cedar trees in the Eugene are
LOADED with coastal cedar rust and
the trees are oozing with orange masses. 
Be aware that the orange masses will be
there only for a few days.

MEANING - the Bartlett pear crop is going
to suffer and there are no controls
for home gardens.

Go out and look at your cedar tomorrow!

Hazelnuts leafing out.  Protect new
foliage from Eastern Filbert Blight.
Pears - near full bloom.
Early apples - pushing pink.
Peaches, cherries and plums - some
blooming, some petal fall.
All berries - leafing out.
Weather - seems to be about 2 weeks
ahead of NORMAL but almost 2 months
ahead of the last three years.
Some soil is drying out quite
quickly for April.
Gear up for a very heavy Spotted Wing
Drosophila year in berries, as everything
is earlier this year so far.
Rain has been during cold periods so
less scab pressure.

Oregon grape blooming out.
Native or wild bee population seems to
be very good in Lane County.  Many people
have been planting a lot of flowering plants -
daphne, tree fruits or flowering tree fruits,
borage, dandelion, rosemary, lavender,
sunflowers.  Thus providing a long term
pollen sources.  If 100 yards per year plant
flowers, this will help stabilize the local
bee populations.

Spring continues to move closer.
Coastal cedar rust found on pears in Jefferson Oregon.
Soil drying out more.
Pears - blooming.
Apples - pink pushing.
Berries - leafing out. 
More slugs and snails.
The spot I tilled in tomatoes - no emergence
of volunteer tomatoes yet, so no warm
season veggies yet.

Sad news - the ever informative, Hatch Patch
we have been told will no longer be heard
on the radio on Saturday's.  Oh so sad. 
Thank you Pat Patterson and Duane Hatch
 and all those who helped during the years.