Washington County Cooperative Extension Service
HORTICULTURE March 2016 Volume 12, Issue 3 Inside this issue:
Time To Plant Cool Season Plants
2
A Note From Dennis
3
Beekeepers News
3
Master Gardener News
3
Farmers Market Flyer
4
Wheelbarrow Series
5
To Do’s
6
Plant Of The Month
6
Springfield Green Festival 7
Recipe Of The Month
Plant of the Month Follow Us Hellebores
9
at
Recipe Of The Month County 10 Washington
Horticulture
Choosing Housing For Small Poultry Flocks Source: Jacquie Jacob, UK poultry extenOne popular option for backyard sion associate flocks is a bottomless, moveable coop. The owner can move it at regular interRaising small poultry flocks on the farm or in the backyard has become very vals, so the birds always have access to fresh grass. These housing units also propopular. The most important things to tect birds from predators. remember when choosing the type of housing are provisions for adequate shelter from weather, adequate ventilation and also protection from predators.
This type of structure is also helpful for small production flocks. You can use the basic hoop design and amend it for the size of your flock. You can even make an easy and relatively inexpensive portable housing system with cattle panels.
You should choose housing that is easy to build from readily available materials. Housing The University of Kentucky should also have a low College of Agriculture, Food maintenance cost and and Environment compiled a support the changing needs of your flock. series of videos from Kentucky State University showing step-by-step instrucOver the years, a variety of designs for backyard flocks have hit the market, tions for poultry housing construction on each with their own pros and cons. The its website at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/ best design for you depends on the num- smallflocks/Housing.html. ber and types of birds you have and on how much you want to spend. It’s a good idea to make the coop tall enough for you to stand inside; you’ll clean it more often if you can get inside. If you need a lower coop for some reason, make sure you have easy access to make cleaning easier.
The site also provides links to other housing plans.
For more information about backyard and small poultry flocks, contact the Washington County Cooperative Extension Service at 859-336-7741.
Time For Cool Season Planting It’s that time of year, can you feel it? Spring has started and it seems to have started all at once, the birds are chirping and the sting of cold has been replaced by mild fresh air. I don’t know why but spring just smells better, sounds better, and feels better this year! It must be because winter felt like it lasted ten years. We are still going to have some cold weather, frosts, and freezes but there are a lot of plants that can and should be planted now in the vegetable and flower garden. In the vegetable garden there are numerous crops that should be planted now to give you a great spring crop of fresh, delicious, and
nutritious veggies. Crops such as peas, radish, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, spinach, kale, collards, mustard, beets, and lettuces should be planted now through April. These crops are cold hardy and actually prefer or require cool weather to thrive. There is no need to run out and cover them when frost is forecast nor is there any need to keep sprinklers running over them to keep them from freezing. These crops are at their peak when the weather is cool and it actu-
ally improves their taste and nutrition.
tucky you can plant them in the fall and they generally survive the winter and bloom again now. However if In the flower garden there are a lot of plants that can be planted you missed the fall planting they are just as beautiful planted now. The now or should be ornamental cabbage and kale should up and growing actively. Most peo- be purchased as larger plants which ple see the flowers will give you a better display because such as crocus and the cool weather causes them develdaffodils blooming op a deeper color. If you plant small now with hyacinth plants they won’t develop the deep and tulips coming color because by the time the plants on as well. Again, these are cold hardy as anyone that has daffodils and crocus in their garden can tell you, since they have been growing since early February! There may be the odd year where it can get freakishly cold in April like it did a few years ago when daffodils got their blooms burned off but according to meteorologist that was a once in 100 year freeze! So, spring bulbs are only guaranteed to bloom 99% of the time! You may have also noticed get large the weather will be heating peonies coming up this past weekup and the plants won’t color up. end, and again there is no need to worry. Peonies are hardy this time The one thing the cool seaof year and will bloom again this son crops require is full sun, no matspring just like they have in years ter if they are vegetables or flowers. passed, except that one odd year It seems odd that plants that like when they got nipped along with the cool weather would also require full daffodils. sun but they do. Others spring garden plants that you can plant now are pansies, ornamental cabbage and kale, stock, and snapdragon. I bet many of you hadn’t thought to plant snapdragon now since we use it in May and June as an annual bedding plant. Pansies will grow just fine planted now but in Ken-
A Note From Dennis FINALLY!!! Winter ends and Spring begins this month! I can’t say that winter has bothered me as much this year as the last few but its nice to have the bulk of it over. Poor Tori has had a bad few weeks with a pain in her shoulder and the doctors can’t find out what is causing it even after x-rays and a MRI, we are hoping that a specialist at Kosaire can find out what it is…. Gabby has just been doing her thing….she relaxes and chills better than anyone! She will come home go straight to her room and put on her flannel PJ’s and then curls on the couch with a blanket and plays mine craft. The Wheelbarrow Series is underway and so far with registrations it is going to be as well attended as any year yet! If you want to get in on the classes with seeds and plants you definitely want to register NOW! Happy Gardening!
Lincoln Trail Beekeeper’s Association News and Events Monday March 7th 6:15 PM meet at the Springfield Branch of the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College on Corporate Drive, John Benham will be the speaker. Remember as always it is a pot luck.
Washington County Master Gardener Association News And Events
March 17th, 6:00 PM at the Sutton House March 22nd, 5:00 PM at the Extension Office (Making Hypertufa Pots for the Green Festival)...more information to follow in a One Call . April 21st, 6:00 PM at the Extension Office to plant hypertufa pots. April 23rd, Green Festival
Want To Become A Master Gardener? Contact The Washington County Extension Office For Details New Classes Start Fall 2016
2016 Gardener’s Wheelbarrow Series Schedule You Still Have Time To Sign Up!!! January
26th
February
9th
February
23rd
March
8th
March
22nd
April
5th
April
12th
April
26th
May
10th
May
24th
June
7th
June
21st
August
16th
August
30th
September 13th September 27th October
11th
October
25th
Morning
Great Annuals For Cutting, From Seed
Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening Morning Evening
Great Annuals For Cutting, From Seed Straw Bale Gardening Straw Gale Gardening Growing Honeyberry In Kentucky Growing Honeyberry In Kentucky Dennis’ Favorite Summer Vegetable Varieties Dennis’ Favorite Summer Vegetable Varieties Dennis’ Perennial Picks Dennis’ Perennial Picks Fabulous Phlox Fabulous Phlox The Summer Garden Headliner, Hardy Hibiscus The Summer Garden Headliner, Hardy Hibiscus Growing Magnificent Melons In Kentucky Growing Magnificent Melons In Kentucky Culinary Herbs For The Epicurean Culinary Herbs For The Epicurean Fabulous Ferns For Indoors And Out Fabulous Ferns For Indoors And Out Hens And Chicks Hens And Chicks Cold Hardy Bamboo Cold Hardy Bamboo Fall Vegetable Production Fall Vegetable Production Pollinator Friendly Gardening Pollinator Friendly Gardening Delightful Daylilies Delightful Daylilies Peonies The Queens Of Spring Peonies The Queens Of Spring Alternative Alliums Alternative Alliums Garden Tool Maintenance And Storage Garden Tool Maintenance And Storage Basic Registration For Any and All Classes Total From Above
Total
$5.00 $5.00 Free!!! Free!!! $20.00 $20.00 $10.00 $10.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 $20.00 Free!!! Free!!! $10.00 $10.00 Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! Free!!! $15.00 $15.00 $25.00 $25.00 $10.00 $10.00 Free!!! Free!!! $5.00 x
March To Do’s
Now is a good time to plan your flower and vegetable garden lay- out. Look through garden catalogs and landscaping books. Plan on using plants that you have experience with and new varieties, and always try to buy plants that are disease resistant. Check local nurseries for cultivar availability. Generally locally grown plants are better and you get to look at the plants before you buy them. March and April are good months for planting fruit crops. When planting apples choose more than one variety for pollination and fruit set. There are several apples that are good and disease resistant in Kentucky, such as Liberty, Redfree, Enterprise, Jonafree, and my personal favorite Pristine. For a more complete list call me at the
office.
swell. This single spray will almost completely control peach leaf curl and plum pocket. Two diseases that cause premature defoliation each year and can weaken trees over time.
It is also a good time to plant thornless blackberries (Apache, Arapaho, Triple Crown), raspberries (Heritage, Autumn Bliss, Fallgold, Brandywine, Royalty) March and April are also good months for planting trees and shrubs.
Early March is a good time to prune summer-flowering trees and shrubs such as clethra, beautyberry, butterfly bush, golden raintree, mimosa, and only the following hydrangeas (Annabelle, Hills of Snow, Peegee). Do not prune other hydrangeas or they will not bloom this year. It’s a good idea to start spraying fruit trees for diseases as well. Apply liquid lime-sulfur spray on peach and plum trees anytime before the buds start to
You can also spray raspberry and blackberry with a liquid limesulphur spray to help control anthracnose. This will not control it completely, however it will help and additional sprays during the growing season will be needed. A dormant spray of copper sulfate should be applied to apple and pear trees by the first of April to improve control of fireblight. Be sure to spray the entire tree. A streptomycin sulfate spray (if available) during the growing season will also help.
Plant Of The Month Cornelian Cherry Cornus Mas, also called “Cornelian Cherry” are fantastic small edible, ornamental trees. They are beautiful in all seasons, covered with yellow flowers in the spring before the leaves appear, flavorful summer fruit and red and yellow fall foliage. Trees appreciate soil with high organic content and full sun where summers are cooler. They also thrive in partly shady areas under large trees. The trees grow to only 15’ tall. Foliage: green fall. Stems: mottled bark Height: 15ft Width: 15ft..easily pruned anytime Growth Rate: medium fast Flowers: May-beautiful white Plant Needs Zone: 4-8 Light: sun to partial shade Soil Type: all types Comments: Mottled bark, star stopping yellow flowers in spring, feeds birds in summer.
Washington County Cooperative Extension Service 211 Progress Road Springfield KY, 40069 Office 859-336-7741 Fax 859-336-7445 Email dennis.morgeson@uky.edu
We Are On The Web!!! washington.ca.uky.edu
Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/WashingtonCounty-Horticulture/140659449317295
March Recipe of The Month Spinach Slaw
Ingredients
Ingredients:
Directions:
2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
1. Wash, quarter, and core lettuce, red cabbage and green
2 cups chopped red cabbage
cabbage.
2 cups chopped green cabbage 2. Thinly slice lettuce and cabbage quarters; chop slices 1½ cups fresh spinach into small pieces. ¼ cup canola mayonnaise
3. Wash and tear spinach leaves into small pieces.
¼ cup hummus, original flavor
4. Whisk together mayonnaise, hummus, honey, garlic
2 tablespoon local honey
powder, salt and pepper until ingredients are mixed well.
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Toss dressing with vegetables until coated thoroughly. Re-
1/-8 teaspoon salt
frigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Directions
1/-8 teaspoon pepper Makes 8, 1 cup servings http://kyproud.com/recipes