Mar Farm: June 2008

Monday, June 30, 2008

veggy pics taken 6/30/08

Here are so

me veggy pictures from today.

Fava beans. This is the first time I have tried growing favas.

So far they are looking yummy.

Sweet peppers and a small basil

The "pick-n-go" tomaotes out front.

Garden pictures from 6/30/08

Well only 15 days left til my birthday! Here are some pictures of flowers in the garden that I took this evening.

More lilies. LA hybrid are a little smaller with orange center and pink tips on the petals.

Asian lilies more fully in bloom
(La hybrid in front)

Thalictrum Flavia (ranunculaceae-buttercup fam)

Scabiosa, also called pincushion flower

orange poppies with orange and yellow dahlias behing them. Also Liatris not yet in bloom.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Mar Farm Chicken

Ok so it is really a fluffy baby jay and not a chicken. This little guy was born "on the farm" in the fir tree.

This is the small garden I have planted at work.

I was actually able to get a picture of Lucky the possum. Lucky is the possum we rescued when he got entirely tangled up in the salmon fishing net. He likes to browse through the garden in search of snails. Possums are one of the best snail controls I have found, especially when they get a little bigger.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Thanks to everyone who has visited so far!

Thank you everyone who has visited my garden blog. It is fun for me to share my photos and tips. Let me know if you need advice (or in some cases, whole gardens). I may not be a master gardener, but I know almost as much. Just not the formal training./ Note: you should be able to click on the pictures to see them full size. -Marika

Rosemary

I originally bought this plant as spindly sorry looking plant for 50 cents. It was an orphan plant and needed a good home. I have been growing it for many years now, but it is definitely not a spindly plant any more.

Mind your T's and P's

Teas - Monarda or bee balm. Add the leaves to tea for a nice Earl Grey flavor. This particular one has purple flowers. The hummingbirds like them a lot. At the base of the monarda is lime thyme and behind then is oregano and garlic.

Peas - Snow peas. The purple flowers in front are radish flowers. I let a few radishes flower as they are not only lovely flowers, but I will get volunteer radishes later this year.

Problem plum-Tips for growing plums

No plums this year. It snowed on the blossoms so naturally no bees or other pollinators were out. This plum also has a problem. It had a major infestation of white flies and aphids. I have treated the underside of the leaves with a mild insecticidal soap. It is better to get a commercially blended organic insecticidal soap rather than try to make your own as too many soaps have salts in them. The salts will cause "burning" of the leaves-equally as detrimental to the plants as the parasites. I am also encouraging spiders to help keep any that might have survived. I will also routinely spray the leaves with a strong stream of water to eliminate any that may return. The problem is that the damaged leaves cannot be made better. It will weaken the tree and so I will have to maintain a diligent vigilence next spring to make sure the tree revives. I am told by an OSU master garden, who is well educated about fruit trees, that this is a common problem in the Northwest and that white flies and aphids actually kill a lot of young plum trees.