Luscher FarmAugust 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 their 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.

 

I will be away on the August 11th work party, but others will be there to help with projects.  There will be a list of chores (pathway work is always needed). Please check the list will leave in the tool shed for other projects.  General pick up, clean up along all paths is also needed. 

 

Remember to bring your small recyclable plastic bags to the farm.  Gardeners use a lot of them when they take home veggies from their plots. 

 

Karen Davis

Luscher Farm Coordinator
503-638-0376

Things To Do This Month

 

CHECK OUT THE SCARECROWS!!   LOOK FOR "SNEAKY PETE" AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SCARECROW - You'll know Sneaky Pete when you find him!  Voting box is located in the tool shed!

  •  Keep an eye out for yellow jackets and report any nests to the coordinator. summer flower
  • Clean and fertilizer strawberry  beds.
  • Support tall flowers and vegetables with stakes to protect them against winds that will come later.
  • Monitor garden irrigation closely so crops don't dry out.
  • When corn silks appear, the ears will be ready to eat in 17 to 20 days
  • Keep picking those beans to encourage more production.
  • Start planning and planting mid-summer peas and fall crops of cabbage,beets, carrots, and Swiss and broccoli. 

August Garden Activities
 
Saturday, August 11 at 10a-12p at Luscher Farm 

 

Classes at Luscher Farm
Scarecrow Sculpting 
Create and decorate a spooky, dazzling, or life-like scarecrow. Scarecrows are in the farm gardens to bring inspiration to your own creation. Participants bring clothes, ideas and other items from home to personalize the scarecrow. Materials provided in the workshop: hay, PCV pipe, string and other items.  To register, click here.
Saturday, August 4 at 21 at 11a-1p
Class #3325330

 

 
Family Evening Stroll
Who's out and about at the farm after dark on a summer evening? Twilight is a pleasant time to explore the farm to see or hear owls, insects, and noisy stirrings in the grasses and among the veggies, or maybe see the stars. Bring a small flashlight, sturdy shoes and something to sit on so we can spend time "listening" in the evening. 
To register, click here.
Thursday, August 23 at 7-8:30p
Class #3325474
 
 Tilth's Top Ten Perennials
Walk Tilth's Demonstration Garden and discuss the super star perennials.  From drought tolerant and beneficial to elegant and beautiful, each has a roll and function easily replicated in your garden.
To register, click here.
Wednesday, August 1 at 6-7:30p
Class #3326772

 
 

To register for
other classes,

 Winter Gardening

 

Reasons why winter gardening is so easy

  • Mother Nature takes care of the watering
  • Weeding is usually not a problem
  • There is empty space in your plot
  • There are fewer pests
  • Truly fresh vegetables are not available in the stores. 

 winter gardening-carrot

Use cold tolerant  (winter) varieties of plants.  They are slow growing, but are much hardier and have more nutrients.  Cole crops for example, when exposed to cooler weather will gather sugars in their tissues to act as anti-freeze and give us a very sweet flavor that only cool season growing brings. 

 

Cole crops: Broccoli; Brussels sprouts; Cabbage; Cauliflower; Kale; Kohlrabi

Legumes: Fava beans; Peas

Root Crops: Beets; Carrots; Parsnips; Radishes

Alliums: Overwintering onions; Specialty onions; Topsetting onions; Multiplier onions; Leek; Garlic

Lettuce: Corn Salad; SwissChard; Spinach; Pac Choi; Oriental Greens

Garden Tips

 

Some vegetables are considered heavy feeders and will preform better with an occasional feeding or two during the growing season. Below is a list from the Master Gardener Handbook. The Community Garden provides each gardener with slow acting organic fertilizer each year, eliminating the need for additional feedings, but a water soluble application can gives these plants an additional boost. If you should decide to add additional fertilizer, be certain it is organic!

Broccoli                          Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage                          Cucumber

Eggplant                          Pumpkin

Summer squash            Winter squash

Tomato

 

Pruning tomatoes will increase yield and improve air circulation which will help avoid diseases. Removing unwanted shoots and leaves can also be an important part of ensuring that the majority of the nutrients are sent to the fruit, instead of being wasted on unwanted shoots. Ideally sucker shoots can be nipped off while the plants are still small. If you are doing this later in the season leave a couple inches of the "branch", don't cut/pinch right at the main stem. Pinching them off with your fingernails works great and helps eliminate diseases or you can disinfect your shears. Remove all stems below the flower producing branches. At the end of the summer you can "top" the plant to get the last growth of the season. 

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
Things to do
Things To Do This Month
August Garden Activities
Winter Gardening
Garden Tips
mr portland zucchini 
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

 

Nancy Sergeant and the Oswego Garden Club

 

The Family of Dr. Faye

 

Eagle Scout to-be Daniel Verburg
  
Tree Care- Lake Grove