Berry Picking

Nothing says summer more than strawberry picking, or berry picking of any sort.  So that's what we did the other day at Boonstra Farms by Stonewall.  

We went early to try and beat the heat, they were actually closing early that day.  We wanted to get there about 0830, but we kinda got a little off the direct route and it took us a bit longer to reorientate  ourselves!!

The day started off well with some cloud cover and a nice breeze, then out popped the sun, we were smoking hot in no time and both Ryann and I forgot our hats.  We quickly filled our baskets (well as fast as we could taking into account the number that were disappearing), thank you Ryann!

We were going to go the the barn and see the animals but it was just too hot.

We went into Stonewall to Subway (opted out of the tea house, no air conditioning!)

Then of course had to make a stop at the wonderful quilt shop there.  We had a great day, hot but nice.  We will try and get out picking earlier in the season next year, the farm said that the berries were getting smaller but seriously, these berries were the smallest ones I have ever seen, some smaller than raspberries!

Here is a pic of Ryann enjoying the berries later on that day, again!

ANTHRACNOSE

I love the colours on these leaves, they are among my most favourite, which is why I love the fall season.
However, when one sees multiple fall looking leaves on the ground in the first week of July, closer inspection is warranted.  As you can see, it is some sort of fungus (of which there are many) to attack plants, trees, foliage of any sort and it has descended on my tree in the front yard.  I had ripped out all my strawberry plants earlier in the year as the leaves were looking somewhat like this, the rhubarb leaves to a degree, my lovely Virginia creeper, Midnight Lady with her lovely large leaves.

Fungus spreads literally with the wind as the spores go through the air landing on anything and  everything and if the site is nice, set down and destroy to whatever degree they can.  I am going to try spraying with some liquid soap, a gallon of water with a heaping tablespoon of baking soda.  This apparently changes the ph and the fungus will not set on the leaves sprayed with the baking soda, it does not kill the fungus itself.  I'll let u know how that works out, I have a pretty big yard to deal with.
I wanted to try and be as organic as possible before resorting to fungicides containing coppers and sulphurs!
In the fall, I will not leave any leaves anywhere in the yard!!  All to be raked (well the ones already on the ground have to be raked now and bagged to try and prevent the fungus from spreading).

• Anyways, always something new.
  I also did something yesterday that I knew was wrong but did it anyways, must have been the heat!!
  

  

  Never move plants around in the heat, esp flowering ones that are producing (in this case zucchini).  It looks like it might recover somewhat though.
  Radishes have gone to seed, the lettuce is done, the spinach has gone to seed.  What a heat wave can do to growing plants!
  Time to re-seed!