Luscher FarmJuly 2012
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Welcome to Luscher Farm's Community Garden Newsletter!

 

We are half way through the gardening season, and we need everyone to be sure to  get the required four hours of work completed.  We want you all to be able to return next year. Now is the time to attend a work party and to get your pathways tidied up.

 

As you enter the Farm be sure to notice the new landscaping in front of our century old barn.  The split rail fencing and the new plantings were completed last week. Soon you will also see three of Luscher's original farm outbuildings being refurbished by one of our local Eagle Scouts. 

 

Karen Davis

Luscher Farm Coordinator
503-638-0376

Things To Do This Month

  • Watch for scarecrows to appear in the garden. pink scarecrow
  • Early morning is the best time to to water vegetables and flower gardens to reduce evaperation. Water deeply and infrequently.
  • Cover blueberry bushes with netting to keep birds from eating all the crop.
  • Weed and fertilize rhubarb and asparagus beds, water deeply to develop crowns for next year.
  • Stake tomatoes and other plants that need support.  We get strong winds on top of this knoll.
  • Keep a close eye out for pests and other problems.
  • Dig up spring bulbs you want to move after the tops have died down and store in a dry place. 
July's Work Party
Saturday, July 14, 10a-12p at Luscher Farm 

 

Classes at Luscher Farm
Old Fashioned Cutting Annuals
Learn how to select, plant, cut, and condition flowers you remember from Grandma's garden. Master Gardener Kathy Whitman shows you how.  To register, click here.
Saturday, July 21 at 9:30-11a
Class #3325122

 

Herbaceous Perennial and Clematis Propagation
FRCC Curator Linda Beutler shares how to literally make more of your garden with techniques for starting new plants from cuttings, divisions, and seed. To register, click here.
Wednesday, July 11 at 6:30-8p
Class #3325089

Worm Bin Troubleshooting
This class is for anyone thinking of starting a worm bin or having questions about their own bin. We'll cover what you need for a successful, healthy and simple bin. To register, click here.
Saturday, July 28 at 1:30-3p
Class #3325132

 

Healthy Foods for Babies- Summer Garden
Make and preserve food for your baby or toddler using fresh and organic produce. Learn easy recipes to please the pickiest eater and encourage life-long healthy eating habits. After completing food preparation class, enjoy lunch at the Farm. To register, click here.
Saturday, July 14 at 9a-1p
Class # 3325420summer garden

 

 
To register for
other classes,

Eat Fresh Lettuce All Season Long

 

If you have been treating lettuce as a minor vegetable, perhaps it's time to take another look. By selecting and planting heat tolerant varieties for your garden you can enjoy many months of one of your favorite vegetables. Plants from the field tested group below have been bred to resist bolting*.

 

Types of lettuce include: Leaf lettuce, which is the easiest to grow. The leaves of the heads do not close tightly but form an open rosette. You can pick the outer leaves without harvesting the whole plant or plant very closely for clipping small, young leaves. Romaine, has long, broad, upright leaves that bunch as they mature. Butterhead, which is crisp and juicy with a sweetness unmatched by other lettuce types another option. this type forms large, ruffly outer leaves surrounding a soft, folded heart which is the most prized variety in Europe. Heat tolerant varieties to try are: Jericho; Slobolt; Tropicana; New Red Fire; Oakleaf; Helvius; Valmaine; Coastal Star; Cherokee and Nevada.

 

*Bolting-Producing seed or flowering prematurely, usually due to a change in conditions such as heat. Leaf crops are discouraged from bolting by removal of flower heads.

 

 

Lettuce

 

Attend Mini-College for a Mini-Vacation  

 

CALLING ALL GARDENERS! For 27 years Oregon Master Gardeners have been meeting during the summer for a few days of gardening classes and fun. Now this 2-3 day event is offered to all gardeners, not just Master Gardeners. This year Mini-College will be held on July 25th-July 28 at Salem's Willamette University. All sorts of wonderful gardening ideas can be found in the more than 50 classes offered. Most people stay in the college dorms and eat onsite meals in the school's cafeteria (just like college days). In the evenings local garden tours and other activities are offered. The cost is quite reasonable so come for a day or the whole session. Contact Karen Davis at 503-638-0376 for general information. You can get class and workshop details at http:/www.oregonmastergardeners.org/MiniCollege2012.htm.  You will also be able to sign up on line.

 

TREAT YOURSELF TO A MINI-VACATION. YOU DESERVE IT.

I hope you find these monthly newsletters interesting and informational. They are sent out the fourth Thursday of each month. Please tell me if there are topics you would like me to include in future
newsletters.
 
If you have any comments  or questions you may reach me at luscherfarm@ci.oswego.or.us or 503-638-0376.  

See you in the garden,
Karen
In This Issue
Things to do this month
July Garden Activities
Eat Fresh Lettuce All Season Long
Discover Active Living!

To view the Summer 2012 Catalog, click here. To register for Parks & Recreation programs, please call the registrar 503-675-2549 or visit www.lakeoswegoparks.org
 
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Luscher Farm Sponsors
 
Portland Nursery
 
Bryce Buchannen
 
Kordell's Nursery 
 
Eagle Scout to-be Patrick Galleger