The Yellow Farmhouse Garden

June 14, 2011

Keep an Eye Out for Poison Ivy

Filed under: Weeds — bob @ 12:36 pm

Most plants made excellent growth during our cool, wet spring.  Standing water in low-lying areas did some damage but plants in well-drained areas made exceptional growth.

We will be seeing the effects of our spring for the rest of the summer.  One of those is the bumper crop of poison ivy. Poison ivy is turning up in places were it never has grown before.

We have a forty-foot square patch of wild dewberries in a dry spot near the chicken run.  Those vines choke out anything that tries to get a foothold. Not this year though. The poison ivy has nearly overgrown the dewberries this spring.  I’m sure it was in large part due to the rain stimulating the poison ivy growth.  Poison ivy resembles dewberries at first glance.  It would be very easy for someone to walk trough that area without realizing there was poison ivy mixed in.

Notice the dofference between poison ivy in the center of the photo and a bramble leaf to the left.

Be careful when working in your yard and garden, you may have poison ivy growing and not realize it.  As a reminder, poison ivy has three leaflets growing out of a single point on the stem.  The leaves are smooth and often, shiny-looking.  It can grow as a vine, a shrubby plant or look like any other weed in the yard.  Sometimes a young Box Elder seedling is mistaken for poison ivy.  If the plant in question has thorns, it is not poison ivy.

It’s a good idea to keep in mind that old saying: “leaflets three, let it be”.

Bob

June 3, 2011

Plum Curculio Damage on Apples

Filed under: Fruit,Insects,Trees — bob @ 10:08 am

The cold, wet spring we had is fast becoming a distant memory now that nice weather is finally here. One thing that keeps reminding me of spring is the insect damage I see on my apples.

It was difficult for me to spray the apples at just the right time in between all the rainy days we had early in the season.  As a result, my apples are showing signs of plum curculio damage.

The plum curculio is a small (1/4 inch long) beetle that attacks apples, pears, peaches, cherries and of course, plums.  The adult female emerged a couple of weeks after the apple blossoms fell.  That’s when I should have sprayed. But, it was rainy and I was gone for a few days and missed the critical spray.

The adult female curculio cuts a crescent shaped slit in the skin of the apple, and then lays an egg under the flap of apple skin.  The egg hatches and the tiny worn that emerges starts eating the young apple.

Plum curculio damage on developing apples.

Many of these damaged apples will fall off; some will stay on the tree and grow to full size but will have scars left from the curculio attack. The cherries, peaches and plums won’t be so lucky; they will all fall to the ground carrying the growing curculio larvae with them. There they will grow.  As they reach full size, the burrow into the soil. Later in the summer, the mature curculios emerge from the soil and feed for a while before they hibernate under the leaves for winter.

The plum curculios are still be laying eggs at this point in the season, so it is a good idea to keep up your spraying routine. Other pests will be out in the orchard attacking your fruit trees too.

Bob

May 24, 2011

Lilacs

Filed under: Flowers,Shrubs — bob @ 10:07 am

The Lilacs have really been putting in a show this spring.  They started blooming quite a bit later because of the cool temperatures.  The flowers have been looking fresh longer too.

Lilacs have been flowering profusely this spring.

Some of the early varieties have started to fade, but the later varieties are still looking fine.  A big bouquet of Lilacs can really brighten up a room.  Also,  cutting flower stems is just about the best kind of pruning you can do for your Lilac bush.  Cut off as many stems as you need; you won’t hurt the plant.

Keep your flowers fresh by stripping off the leaves from the stem.  Also crush the base of the stems before placing them into water.  A pair of pliers works well for small stems; use a small hammer for larger stems.

It’s a very good idea to snip off all of the old flowers once your Lilac has finished blooming. Removing all the faded flowers will help stimulate the plant to produce even more flowers next year.  The old flowers never fall off, they end up forming brown panicles that makes the shrub look a bit messy.  So, that is another good reason to remove them.

Don’t worry if you are not able to get to snipping off the flowers, your Lilac will still do just fine without any attention.  That is another reason why Lilacs have been so popular since colonial times.

There is also a discussion on crushing Lilac stems here.

Bob

May 15, 2011

Vegetable Garden Planting Chart

Filed under: Vegetables — bob @ 1:20 pm

Sometimes it’s hard to decide how much to plant.  How many seeds do you plant to get the amount of vegetables you need at harvest time?  Maybe you have decided to make pickles this year; how much do you plant?

Here is a chart I found in my old files.  It was developed by Michigan State University in 1974.  I referred to it all time back then, as you can see by all the markings on it.

This chart was designed for a garden that will be planted in rows; raised beds and/or grid planting will produce different yields.

Use this chart as a reference point to decide planting and harvest rates.

This chart is pretty old but I believe the information is still pretty accurate.

Bob

May 4, 2011

Frost Free Dates

Filed under: Weather — bob @ 10:05 am

There is a possibility of frost in our area tonight.  That’s not surprising considering the cool spring we’ve had so far.  I doubt if many gardeners have tender plants set out yet.

The good news is: every day that goes by brings us closer to the frost free date.  The National Weather Service has weather stations all over the State.  They have figured out when the last chance of frost will be for all of those areas.  Here a link to a chart they put together.

It’s very interesting to see how wide the spread in temperatures is; even at neighboring stations.

We have a lot of plants still in trays; a lot of them still have to be transplanted into bigger cells and pots.  I plan to move them inside this evening.

Many of these plants won’t be able to survive freezing temperatures.

Better to be safe than sorry.

Bob

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