Friday, July 25, 2014

What's happening


Grapes - showing some varieties poor pollination and some really good pollination.

Lodi and Transparent apples - being picked.

Plums - still dropping, I believe due to the temperature changes.

Late blight on tomatoes still showing up on the bottoms of the tomato plants.

Codling moth - pretty bad if not sprayed on gravenstein and red delicious apples.

Blackberries - ripening nicely.  Blues - still being picked.

Raspberries - seeing lots of root rot from the wet winter and spring.

Basil turning black due to the cool weather in July.

Some tomatoes hit hard by viruses, which is pretty rare.

Monday, July 21, 2014

This week in paradise

Currants and gooseberries - pretty much
done.
Blueberry - going full steam.
Blue jays - really taking a lot of hazelnuts
this year.
Plums - quite a few fruit are falling due
to the tree getting too dry.  Water to keep
this from happening.

Apples - the codling moth came two weeks ago. 
Watch for the codling moth to affect apples
and pears again this week or next week. 
Put up a pheromone trap.  A good reason
to have a pig.

Bay laurel trees: they had a lot of aphids
but the predators got them all.

Coastal cedars really looking bad with from
the winter freeze and the spring coastal
cedar rust.  This disease is cyclic.  Water around
the base of the tree in July and August.


Thursday, July 17, 2014

Insects in the valley

Looks like the bertha armyworm moth is in high
numbers right now so be aware.

Good stuff:
http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/content/
vegnet-regional-pest-trends-week-july-14th-2014-0

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Summer time

Tomatoes ripe and ripening.
Weather too hot.
Weather too cool.
Berries - going fabulous, even the wild,
 bee friendly blackberries.
Cherries - mediocre crop to low.
Strawberries - nice crop this year.
Blueberries - looks like a good crop.
Cool season crops (cole) are bolting some
more with the hot, door door weather.
Insects - all over the board as to being
both normal, and not normal.

Still have at least until mid September and
on good years, crop growing weather
until November 1.

Heading back to Springfield, after a wonderful
 humanitarian trip to Bishkek, Lake Issykul
and Ferbien, after 32 hours travelling.

Great agriculture volunteer opportunities at
Winrock International, CNFA or ACDI VOCA.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Bugs

Black cut worms and corn ear worn are in
high numbers this weeks so be aware in
the Oregon Willamette valley.

Cloudy and warm

Cloudy and then warm weather for the next 10 days,

Temps in the 90's so watch the soil to see if it needs watering.

Warm season plants are loving the (FINALLY), summer weather.

Cool season crops, now bolting and going to seed. 
What happened to the spring garden?

Fruit sizing and coloring nicely.

Filbertworm came out June 28th, so control the filbertworm. 
Place filbertworm traps in the trees and watch the moth
 populations.

Continue to monitor the SWD - spotted wing drosophila
in berries.

Weeds still growing crazily.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

More critter

Here is a great web site to track what critters are doing. 
It is updated quite regularly and has a good list of common 
insects and their populations and possible risks.

http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/content/vegnet-regional-pest-trends-week-june-23rd-2014


This week the corn earn worn is above normal so begin
to protect your corn.  However, due to the weird spring
weather most corn so far is far from tasseling or developing
ears.  fro the super gardeners that may have corn, be ware.

Historical note:  As the local grass seed is being cut and
harvested, we often see an increase in the cucumber beetle
populations.

Lots of people commenting about large aphid populations.

So far , only two call about the spotted wing drosophila in
berries.  The expectation was a LOT of this insect in the
strawberry and cherry crop.

Cherry fruit fly seemed to down in population this year.

Flea beetles - big population.