Jubilee to Leaf Spot

The Stoddart Avenue Community Garden survived our wet June and the early July heat wave, where we went a whopping 8 days without measurable rain.  Our black raspberries are reaching the end of their season, but peaches are coming along nicely and our blueberries are better than ever (albeit a little small).We are also on pace for our weekly food pantry donations.   However, all of the humidity has exacerbated a new problem: Cherry Leaf Spot.   


I noticed that an abnormal number of our cherry tree leaves had turned bright yellow and were dropping off all of our tart cherry trees (which just gave us such a great harvest).    I took a few photos and emailed them to Mike and Tim at OSU Extension. They both agreed that it looked like Cherry Leaf Spot. My failure to prune a tree and our humidity are adding to the problem.  We now need to rake up all of their leaves and put them in the lawn waste bags to cart the pathogen off the property or it will be even worse next year.  The spores drop to the ground with the leaves and then infect the leaves in the Spring.   Sigh.  One more thing to do.

Luckily, we have continued to enjoy the support of the Community Service volunteers from the Environmental Court.  Leigh Ann drops them off around 10 and picks the up around noon. They help to weed, water, mow, prune brambles, harvest for our weekly food pantry donation, etc.    With last week’s heat wave, that has been invaluable.  

Because of the Saturday closure of the LSS Food Pantry at Champion and Frebis, I am now driving every week to Faith Mission’s Homeless Shelter for our weekly donation.  It’s been mostly cherries and berries so far.   We aren’t growing kale and collards any more in the food pantry plots so that I do not have to rush to make the donation each Saturday afternoon.  (Loose leafed kale and collards must be refrigerated within two hours of harvest, or sooner in this heat).


Charlie and I spent over an hour watering this  week because I was not optimistic that it would rain, but an hour after we finished for the evening, we received a half inch of rain and almost an equal amount the following evening.    Simon came and helped me to cut back the brambles, water and fertilize some of the food pantry plots on Saturday.  He did not bring his tribe with him, so he had more time to help.

Straders has continued to make large seedling donations to GCGC and the SACG has benefitted from this.  I was able to plant a flat of bell peppers in our food pantry plot, as well as some cucumbers and squash.  This week, they donated a lot of flowers, such as begonias, petunias and painted daisies, which Amy helped me to plant in the flower beds and a couple of repurposed planters that I found along a Bexley curb in May during Bexley’s Freecycle event.


Our raspberry brambles are attempting to take over the Garden.  I usually find the best berries hiding under canes and weeds, but it’s getting too hot to deal with them, so I’ve started to prune them back a bit earlier this year.  Pruning keeps the long canes from reaching the ground and setting roots and promotes bushiness.  



I tested our peaches last week and they are not ready.  I tested ones on the ground, but should not because there was a reason that they had fallen. Yuck.  I will leave it to your imagination what I found when I cut into it.

I'm feeling pretty good about the SACG this year.  We have so far not had any problem with critters.  Unlike some community gardens, I placed a great premium on an appropriate fence to keep varmits out.  While there is not a lot that one can do about deer and squirrels, they have not found us yet.  Another nearby community garden is overrun with rabbits and groundhogs and maybe even a few deer.  It's almost impossible to grow beans there and all of the gardeners have to invest in their own fencing and netting because that garden's fence is only aesthetic; it does not keep out any critters of any kind.

As for squirrels, the number in my backyard seem to have mysteriously decreased this year.  Nonetheless, I am attempting to protect my three best tomato plants by covering them with bird netting.  I am hoping that will keep the squirrels from eating my best tomatoes.  It looks like I will have a bumper crop.  Besides, I grow cherry tomatoes along my fence and the squirrels will be able to eat those.  They already ate my sunflower.  Grr.