Warm fall weather.
10% chance of rain M-W, Th.  More apple/pear
scab weather; but if you are going to pick and use
 yourself;  don't worry.  If for sale, a scab spray
may be needed for the later apple and pear varieties.

Wet and warm bring on the fungus issues.  If it
turns wet and cold, look out for late blight.

Plant still seem to be doing well.

This week

Weather is 80's and high 57 degrees.
Good for ripening during the day, but at nights
slows or stops ripening as it gets below 60
degrees tomatoes and warm season crops
will be slow to ripen.

Good for pears and apples.  They like warm
days and cool nights.

Looks like a good year for fall gardens so plant away.
Garlic goes in in mid September.
With heat, use transplants or keep soil moist.

Irrigation is still needed.

Anyone seem tomato late blight, other than
in Isfara, Tajikistan?

Rain

It is raining in the Willamette Valley.
Rain is good for the soil, less irrigating.
However,  rain can soften the raspberry
and blackberry crop.
Rain can cause the shoulder of some tomatoes
to split and crack.
Being wet AND warm = apple and pear scab.
More white powdery mildew is showing up with
the warm weather.
High prediction of powdery mildew on grapes,
prune back vines, apply wettable sulfur so the
PM does not affect the grapes.

On Line Again

Back on line again.
Great weather in Oregon.
Veggies and fruit continue to ripen nicely.
Drying, canning and eating fresh are marvelous.

Tomatoes - coming on strong.
Lots of insects showing up again.
Great Tajikistan pictures to follow.

Point to remember - when you go to the bathroom,
remember that a good portion of the world DOES NOT
 have toilets, running water, heat or air conditioners.

Second point - sanitation is almost a non word in
central Asia.
Most water has been used MANY times.  Let the
imagination run wild, and all ideas will be TRUE.

Bounty

Mid August is the time for gardens and commerical
farm stands to be in their prime.
Blueberries - near end other than a few late varieties. 
Blacberries - in full swing, may be shorter season due
the lack of water.rain.

Tree fruits - pears, apples - good for
another month or more.
Tomatoes - finally full glory for all types.
Squash have finally caught up - the zucchini
will be coming on later than normal.  Squash
look good, other than being late-ish.

2nd fig crop, and maybe, just maybe the way
the weather is going, a third crop.

Weather - highs of 88 and lows of 55 degrees.
Highs good for ripening, lows below 60 degrees
tend to shut down the warm season veggies.

Another great week ahead of us.  Here it is the middle
of August and produce is coming on
nicely, very slow at times but very nice for
most veggies.

Tree fruits doing well, especially hazelnuts -
great crop so far, pear crop-
dropping early when watering plus extra
watering is causing core rot, can't win as we
need to water;  apples doing well.

More great growing weather.
Strange weather as it has been.
Too hot and too cool in the AM's.

Apples and pears doing very well.
Grapes sizing nicely.  Watch out for
powdery mildew.  Sulfur or good aeration.

July broccoli looking very nice.
Tomatoes - full production mode.
Zucchini - still slow.



My input will be slow and limited for the next while.
So time for others to help out.