Gardener News July 2020

TAKE ONE July 2020

Gardener News

Proudly Serving the Agricultural, Gardening, Landscaping & Nursery Communities GARDENERNEWS.COM

TAKE ONE No. 207

Vineland Water Tower Boasts Jersey Fresh Message to the World

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

City of Vineland/Photo

Jersey Fresh logo adorns the 2-million gallon water tower, strategically located across the street from the Vineland Produce Auction on Main Road in Vineland, Cumberland County.

Over a year ago, some farmers I know were talking to me about the promotion of fruits and vegetable from our state, Of course, the subject of Jersey Fresh rolled off everyone’s tongue.

Not everyone knows how this program came to be the first state-sponsored agricultural-products promotion in the nation. Nor does everyone know how it has evolved to be the most successful and longest running in the United States for produce promotion.

It was Arthur Brown, the fifth New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture for New Jersey, who came up with this tagline. Secretary Brown, along with Al Murray, who was then-Director of Markets in the Department, developed the first campaign that, in various iterations, has been running effectively ever since its launch in 1984.

In the world of marketing, though, you must constantly make adjustments and accommodations to make sure you continue to connect with buyers, purveyors, and ultimately and most importantly, the end user, which in this case is the consumers of fruits and vegetables.

Over the years, we consistently strive to promote local farmers and farm products by enhancing the public’s understanding that you cannot be more local than Jersey Fresh. It’s grown by farmers in our communities, picked, packed and shipped daily and can be on your table the next day. Now that is fresh!

So why is Jersey Fresh now painted on a water tower in Vineland, N.J.? Partly because right across the street is the Vineland Produce Auction (the largest produce cooperative east of the Mississippi), where multi-millions of dollars are transacted buying the best, freshest, most exquisite produce in the country.

For years I was asked by local farmers if this could be done (the painting of the tower). I remember sitting at a celebrated local farmers (Cont. on Page 4)

2 July 2020

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July 2020 3

Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Congratulations and a Loss of a Pioneer

Congratulations are in order for two Gardener News writers.

Hubert Ling is now president of The Native Plant Society of New Jersey.

The Native Plant Society of New Jersey is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to the appreciation, protection, and study of the native flora of New Jersey.

Founded in 1985, they have hundreds of members across the state, and are organized into county and regional chapters. Their members include gardeners, horticulturists, naturalists, landscape designers, students, and native plant enthusiasts from all walks of life.

Bruce Crawford is the newly appointed Program Leader in Home and Public Horticulture within the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station’s (NJAES) Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) is an integral component of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The experiment station provides a diverse range of research, extension, and education programs that serve the people of New Jersey and the urban, suburban, and rural communities in which they live. Through its Cooperative Extension offices in all 21 New Jersey counties, dedicated 4-H agents, Extension specialists, Family & Community Health Sciences educators, and Agriculture and Natural Resources agents work to serve New Jersey residents in every area of the state.

In addition, off-campus field stations and farms focus on research ranging from support for fisheries, agriculture and allied businesses to support for youth and teens, while several centers and institutes on the George H. Cook Campus at Rutgers–New Brunswick engage in world-class research to provide solutions for a range of issues faced by New Jersey residents.

Now it is with great sorrow that I share with you a Rutgers loss.

The below text is an excerpt from the Rutgers NJAES Office of Communications.

William “Bill” Roberts, inventor of the airinflated greenhouse covering system that revolutionized agriculture worldwide, passes away.

He developed the first air-inflated, double-layer polyethylene greenhouse covering system, an innovation that, once developed for commercial applications, revolutionized the use of greenhouses worldwide and became a boon to the agricultural industry. Today, approximately 65 percent of all commercial greenhouses in the United States and globally use this air-inflated, double-glazing system.

Roberts’ discovery began on Christmas Day 1964, when he used an aquarium air pump to separate two layers of plastic film in a model greenhouse he was building in his basement. He recalls his breakthrough this way: “Everyone needs at least one good idea in their career and mine came in 1964. On Christmas morning when I was supposed to be doing something else, I was in the basement building a model greenhouse. We had been installing two layers of plastic film on greenhouse

structures to reduce the energy consumption by 35 percent and it was a tedious and labor consuming job; plus it was not very effective. After I had built my model and installed two layers of film on it, I took a small air pump used in fish tanks and rigged it so that air could be blown between the two layers of film.

“And as I saw it blowing up, I said, ‘Thank you Lord, this is the way to overcome many problems and reduce the tedious work of double glazing.’ The outer layer inflated outward and the inner layer was forced down over the rafter supports creating an air space and giving rigidity to the two layers so that under normal wind conditions the plastic would not flap and move in the wind like a sheet hanging on a clothesline. It all clicked in my head as the way to go.”

Roberts’ concept was successfully applied to a greenhouse on the Cook campus, the first such prototype structure, which in 2004 was designated a Historic Landmark by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

Roberts designed wooden greenhouse frames of several sizes to match the available widths of polyethylene film, as well as a pipe frame structure and a pipe bender to assist in the hand-bending of the hoops. He also developed greenhouse engineering plans and drawings, which were part of a USDA-supported service consisting of contributions by land-grant universities and their Extension personnel, thereby providing construction blueprints for growers.

The early popularity of Roberts’ designs and their rapid commercial acceptance were due primarily to their low cost relative to conventional greenhouses glazed with glass or fiberglass. The insulation properties of the inflated air space in the “double plastic” greenhouses reduced heat requirements by over a third, further reducing costs to growers. The commercial application of the air-inflated, double-layer polyethylene film system spread as several manufacturers developed steel and aluminum frame structures for multi-span and single-span greenhouses, which could effectively use the double-layer plastic film system.

In 2007, Roberts received the “Lifetime Recognition of Distinguished Leadership” award from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Among many other accolades, Roberts was honored in 2010 with the New Jersey Agricultural Society’s (NJAS) Gold Medallion, which is widely viewed as the highest honor in New Jersey agriculture. In making the presentation, then-NJAS President Brian Schilling, who is the current Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, noted that, “Professor Roberts sets a high bar in Cooperative Extension, and one many of us aspire to reach.”

Schilling lauded Roberts’ contributions to Rutgers and to agriculture, in general. “As an Extension Specialist, Roberts devoted himself to innovative and practical research on greenhouse materials and designs, including solutions for better heating and environment control.

His research was guided by the goal of developing costeffective and energy efficient approaches for achieving optimal controlled environment agriculture.”

Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening, landscaping and nursery communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

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4 July 2020 July in Jersey is such a superb time to enjoy so many of your favorite crops from across our great state.

Throughout July, through August and into September, you will find New Jersey’s agricultural operations as a whole in their “high season,” when the greatest variety and largest amounts of fresh farm products are moving from the fields, barns, and packing houses to you, the consumer.

Jersey sweet corn is being picked and rushed to market within hours. Cabbages, and broccoli, and any number of salad greens of every description, come out of the fields. And our unrivaled Jersey tomatoes, which have been basking on the sundrenched vines, are ripe for the picking.

Also, our farmers who are famous for producing those plump, juicy Jersey blueberries are harvesting hundreds of millions of those blue gems for us to enjoy right now. The door to so much produce opens wide and the fields bring forth a dazzling lineup of flavor, freshness and color to be easily brought to our homes and businesses and onto our plates.

Family farms dominate our

GardenerNews.com brewery or distillery.

While you’re at it, don’t pass up the opportunity to secure our fabulous seafood, whether it is wild-caught or raised in an aquaculture operation. New

By Douglas H. Fisher Jersey has the great fortune of Secretary of Agriculture being a coastal state, surrounded by ocean, bay and river. That helps make the bounty of our waters plentiful and of the highest quality.

It is, indeed, a glorious time for right here in our state. of life that makes it all possible summer fare and we have it right I also encourage you to travel that they will never disappoint here, right now. Summer in the a bit farther to the outskirts, the when you ask for details about Garden State is a national treasure nooks and crannies, the valleys and their crops. for us all to enjoy. peaks, where our crops are grown Many farm markets and farms in any number of environments. have printed “farmhouse favorite” Certainly, where you live there recipes and you might want to Editor’s Note: Douglas are your favorite places to go. ask for a copy to use in your H. Fisher is New Jersey’s But, once or twice this season, I kitchen. I have picked many from Secretary of Agriculture. urge you to travel, even if it’s just my travels and the influences He is the department’s a county away from your own, of each region of our state are executive officer, secretary to find farmers growing a few of nothing short of amazing. We are to the State Board of their own specialties, or raising a confluence of so many cultures Agriculture and a member livestock, or producing eggs and in this state, each bringing their of the Governor’s cabinet. poultry, as examples. culinary customs and traditions Secretary Fisher fulfills Hundreds of crops are all for us all to enjoy. executive, management around us. Talk to the farmers New Jersey, it has been said, has and administrative duties and they will tell you all about about a 190-day outdoor growing prescribed by law, executive their special variety of peach, or season in our Zone 7, and along order or gubernatorial a family recipe will be recited for with all that our farmers produce direction. He can be reached you to jot down and try at your in the field, along this path of at 609.292.3976. For more house. Our farmers are so proud exploration, I am encouraging you info, please visit: http:// of what they produce and the way to visit a winery or a homegrown www.state.nj.us/agriculture

NJ Dept. of Agriculture

July in Jersey state and each, as I have said many times before, is special and unique. Fortunately, you can find Jersey Fresh products in most traditional outlets and you can buy with confidence.

At a time when there are uncertainties about the usual supply chains getting products to markets, it is great to live in a state where more than 100 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables are produced so close to home that we can simply drive a short distance to a nearby farm stand or on-farm market, as well as to our regular grocery stores and community farmers markets, in search of the best fresh produce.

Seeking out the Jersey Fresh brand, by the way, is a fool-proof way of ensuring that the produce you are buying comes from farms

Vineland Water Tower Boasts Jersey Fresh Message to the World (Continued from page 1) table with John Formisano, who first proposed the idea. Well, it takes time, but here we are. It’ s up, larger than life, and showing the bursting pride of New Jersey farmers.

By the way, Vineland, at more than 69 square miles, is the largest city in the state of New Jersey and boasts an agriculture economy that rivals any city in America.

Some of the most prominent names and innovations in foods have their roots in Vineland. Welch’s grape juice started here. Truck farming was practically invented in this region. Progresso, the soup maker, for years operated here, and its former plant is now home to F&S, a produce packaging operation.

And to this day, farmers grow hundreds of crops and nursery stock that propel Cumberland County to be the number-one agricultural county by dollar value in the state and among the top revenue producers of agricultural products in the United States. The county also has about 10 percent of all agricultural land in New Jersey, at approximately 70,000 acres.

Working with Mayor Anthony Fanucci of Vineland, who supplied half of the funds, and John Lillie of the Vineland Municipal Utilities Authority, as well as the NJDA’s Division of Marketing and Development Director Joe Atchison, we are proud to boast, in 10-foot-high letters, that there is nothing more New Jersey than Jersey Fresh.

Almost every county has a place where a boast and a toast to New Jersey farm products would fit nicely. It would be great to see this effort repeated in all 21 counties.

If you want fresh, make it Jersey Fresh!

Editor’s Note: Douglas H. Fisher is New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture. He is the department’s executive officer, secretary to the State Board of Agriculture and a member of the Governor’s cabinet.

Secretary Fisher fulfills executive, management and administrative duties prescribed by law, executive order or gubernatorial direction. He can be reached at 609.292.3976. For more info, please visit: http://www. state.nj.us/agriculture

FindJerseyFresh.com

GardenerNews.com

July 2020 5

6 July 2020

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Rutgers Cooperative Extension Phone Directory Atlantic County Phone: 609-625-0056 Bergen County Phone: 201-336-6780 Burlington County Phone: 609-265-5050 Camden County Phone: 856 216 7130 Cape May County Phone: 609-465-5115 Cumberland County Phone: 856-451-2800 Essex County Phone: 973-228-2210 Gloucester County Phone: 856-224-8040 Hudson County Phone: 201-915-1399 Hunterdon County Phone: 908-788-1339 Mercer County Phone: 609-989-6830

Middlesex County Phone: 732-398-5260 Monmouth County Phone: 732-431-7260 Morris County Phone: 973-285-8300 Ocean County Phone:732-349-1246 Passaic County Phone: 973-305-5740 Salem County Phone: 856-769-0090 Somerset County Phone: 908-526-6293 Sussex County Phone: 973-948-3040 Union County Phone: 908-654-9854 Warren County Phone: 908-475-6505

GardenerNews.com

From the Director’s Desk

Rutgers Outreach Provided by Brian Schilling Director

New Role for Serving New Jersey Home Gardeners Trends obviously come and go, otherwise they would not be considered “trends.” Working with and growing plants is undoubtedly a pastime many have not had the opportunity to enjoy.

In fact, with our hectic lifestyles, it is often a challenge to simply find the time to garden.

The year 2020 brought about a number of unforeseen lifestyle changes, not the least of which included spending far more time at home.

With the sudden increase in the number of homebound residents, a major upward trend among households is gardening.

Usually, our parents or grandparents are the inspiration for gardening, although there are always circumstances that initiate a curiosity about enhancing our gardens, populating our homes with houseplants, or developing a vegetable garden.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, people began to look to plants to not only provide food and beauty in their lives, but also a means to lessen anxiety and stress. There is something innate about plants that creates a cathartic effect on people and brings a calming peace in our world.

For example, introducing houseplants into an office environment will inexplicably allow employees to enjoy their work more, increase their levels of productivity, and reducing the number of sick days.

In the Healing Power of Gardens, the late Dr. Oliver Sachs, describes repeatedly how individuals with various neurological problems experience a noticeable improvement when introduced to a garden setting. He mentions patients with advanced symptoms of Alzheimer’s who no longer understand how to tie a shoelace— but can perfectly plant seedlings in a container.

In fact, he advocated that nature can be more powerful and effective than medication. Hence, as the duration of home confinement grew from days into weeks, it was only natural for us to develop a renewed connection with plants, whether it be houseplants, container gardens on a porch, or a more complex landscape.

Working with plants is not only a pastime that we can do individually, but also as a family. For families, gardening also has the added benefit of numerous educational moments for children.

Vegetable gardening has also shown a huge increase in popularity. It is driven in part by a desire to reduce the strain on the supply chain of moving adequate fresh vegetables to stores, much like the Victory Gardens of World War

II. However, it is also driven by the simple need to know nutritious food will be available for the table. Sales of herbs, cool season vegetables, and vegetable seeds have been off the charts.

People throughout the region are also looking at methods beyond the traditional means of growing vegetables in the ground, with many families looking at container culture or window boxes.

So, what do these new trends have to do with me, a columnist in the Gardener News who typically writes about interesting plants for your home, and the former Director of Rutgers Gardens? The hint of course was “former Director,” since I have now transitioned to the Program Leader in Home and Public Horticulture within the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station’s (NJAES) Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The transition was expedited by the outbreak of the virus, as the needs of the gardening community became apparent. The position focuses on helping homeowners with questions and challenges they may confront with their garden.

It may involve simple questions like what plant works best in the filtered light of a bedroom window, to where a shade tree is best planted in a yard, or what happened to my zucchini squash. It will include working with gardeners throughout the state that are new to the world of plants and learning tricks from the experienced gardener and sharing these with everyone.

This is essentially the same position held during the 1950s through the ’80s by Mr. Donald B. Lacey. He was a well-respected man who developed the annuals trial garden at Rutgers Gardens in 1964 that today bears his name. It is certainly a great honor to follow in his footsteps.

Some 40 years ago, my ambition was to help people have better lives through becoming a medical doctor. Obviously, that career did not materialize, but over the course of my career, I have noticed how plants benefit people and make them happy.

For the past 16 years, I have come to understand that people do not go to public gardens to study and learn about plants. Rather, they come for the beauty and to be immersed in a world of plants. My new position will permit me to further disseminate the various benefits of plants, helping people to immerse themselves into a world of plants at home and no longer consider gardening as a new “trend.”

Editor’s note: Bruce Crawford is a regular columnist in Gardener News and is the newly appointed Program Leader in Home and Public Horticulture at Rutgers NJAES. He can be reached at bcrawf@sebs.rutgers.edu.

GardenerNews.com

July 2020 7

R U T G ER S N J AE S / R C E

The Culver’s Root Fan Club Why are certain plants popular with gardeners and others not?

It is a pattern that I have always found interesting. One of the current popular trends is adding native plants to the garden. In addition, plants that provide color, height and texture during the summer months have also become increasingly popular.

Culver’s Root, botanically known as Veronicastrum virginicum, has all of these virtues, yet for some mysterious reason, it has yet to gain recognition within the gardening community.

Culver’s Root is one of approximately 20 species of Veronicastrum found throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

A member of the Plantain Family or Plantaginaeae, this species is native to open forests, meadows, grassy mountain slopes and prairies from Ontario south to Georgia and Louisiana.

It was originally collected As the Director of the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education (OCPE), I have the privilege of leading one of the most innovative and diverse educational program portfolios in the world.

This Lifelong Learning column is dedicated to amplifying educational programs and courses available throughout the year. Please visit the website at the bottom to obtain the full list of classes available.

July Trivia Question: How many gallons of water can one acre of wetland store?

Wetlands provide flood control, shoreline stabilization, water purification, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, sediment retention, as well as a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and plants.

Because wetlands play such a critical role in our ecosystem and are legally protected, it is important to have a good understanding of wetland science. Celebrate the vital importance of wetlands to our ecological, economic and social health by learning the proper way to plan and conduct construction projects within and near these ecosystems.

Spotlight Program: Vegetation Identification for Wetland Delineation (August 4 & 5, September 10 & 11, 2020): Wetland plants, also known as hydrophytes or hydrophytic

by the Naturalist the Rev. John Banister (1654-1692) soon after he moved to Virginia in 1679 and was originally named Veronica virginica in 1753 by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (17071778). It was not until 1917 that the Herbarium curator and drug inspector for Park, Davis and Company, Oliver Atkins Farwell (1867-1944) assigned the proper genus name.

Interestingly, the name Veronicastrum was not new to the world of plants, as it was originally penned in 1759 by the German botanist and surgeon Philipp Fabricius (1714-1774).

Obviously, the name incorporates the genus name of Veronica, which was initially created by Linnaeus.

According to the Christian faith, St. Veronica gave her veil to Jesus to wipe the sweat from his face as he carried the cross to Calvary. Evidently, some species of Veronica have markings on the leaf that resemble St. Veronica’s veil. Astrum is Latin for “star,” indicating that this genus resembles or shines like Veronica.

The species epithet honors the

location of its discovery by John Banister while the common name pays tribute to Dr. Culver, a physician in the early 18th century who recommended the root for medicinal uses.

The apparent lack of interest in Veronicastrum is by no means due to its lack of physical stature, since the plants typically reach five to seven feet tall with a spread of two to three feet. The stout stems have whorls of five, six or seven leaves at nodes every six to eight inches along the stem.

Each leaf is upwards of seven inches long. This leaf arrangement provides horizontal lines in the garden that work well with architecture. Come late June and throughout July, the tips of the stems yield six-to 12-inch-long spike-like racemes of white or bluish white flowers. The central spike typically has one to several whirls of smaller, subtending flower spikes that appear from the lower leaf nodes. These lower spikes help to enhance the display while providing a royal crown-like appearance.

The individual flowers appear in vertical rows along the stems.

Each flower is cup-shaped, consisting of four fused petals that are approximately oneeighth of an inch in diameter by a quarter inch long. The brown tipped anthers extend an additional quarter inch beyond the flower, resulting in a lacey effect for the flower spikes.

If a light lavender flowered form is desired, consider “Lavender Towers” or “Fascination.” “Cupid” is a new selection whose flowers are a much darker lavender with blue highlights.

Culver’s Root needs full sun and soils that do not become excessively dry in order for it to thrive best. With its tall stature, it is traditionally placed toward the back of a border. However, with its upright habit, it can also be placed toward the front of a border, where it enhances the visual depth of a border.

Its spiky form also looks great mixed with the equally upright form of Feather Reed Grass.

Culver’s Root remains attractive well into late fall, since the frosted stems add a slightly ghostly form to the garden composition.

Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education

By Kenneth M. Karamichael Director

Lifelong Learning

vegetation, have adaptations that enable them to grow and reproduce with their roots in water or saturated soil for at least part of the year. Along with hydric soils and hydrology, the presence of wetland plants is one of the primary factors involved in the identification of wetland areas and the delineation of wetland boundaries.

In this hybrid course made up of four half-day sessions, you will learn how to identify plant species frequently encountered by wetland delineators in Northern and Central New Jersey, as well as neighboring New York and Pennsylvania. By the end of the course, you will be able to quickly and confidently identify the wetland plant species that are important in determining if an area meets the hydrophytic vegetation criterion for wetland delineation.

Featured Topics Covered in this Vegetation Identification Course:

Introduction to Plant Identification and Wetland Plant Indicator Statuses; Use of Plant Identification Keys in the Field; Plant Names, Plant Groups, and General Plant Morphology; Basic Botanical Terminology; Woody Plant Morphology; Grass Morphology; and Sedge/Rush Morphology.

This course is designed for anyone who wants to gain experience identifying wetland plants, including: Arborists and Forestry Technicians, Biologists, Ecologists, Engineers, Environmental Scientists, Environmental Consultants, Environmental Planners, Geologists, Hydrogeologists, GIS Specialists, Landscape Architects, Landscape Designers, Land Surveyors, Wetland Delineators, and Wetland Scientists.

All students are required to attend both half-day online sessions, a halfday field trip to Somerset County Environmental Center, and a half-day field trip to High Point State Park to

complete the course. During the field trips, students can expect to see over 100 different plant species, including trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, while learning how to use two basic field guides for identifying wetland and upland plants.

Jump-Start Your Career! Promote your education and experience in wetland plant identification and delineation – earn the nationally recognized Rutgers University Wetland Delineation Certificate by completing this course and our Methodology for Delineating Wetlands course in October.

Meet the Instructor: Ralph Tiner, M.S., M.P.A., SWS Fellow, has over 40 years of practical experience in wetland delineation and is a nationally recognized authority in the field. He recently retired from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, where he directed wetland mapping in the Northeast United States as part of

For a plant that has a long history with gardeners, beginning with the colonists in the 1600s, it seems odd for this plant to not be a garden favorite. With the regal crown-like floral display, combined with its many other attributes, it only seems natural for this plant to have far better recognition in the gardening community.

Perhaps a Culver’s Root fan club is of need?

Editor’s Note: Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth, is the Rutgers State Program Leader for Home and Public Horticulture, a part time lecturer in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, regularly participates in the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education Program, and Past President of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. He can be reached at crawford@njaes. rutgers.edu. the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory (NWI).

Ralph has written extensively on the subject of wetlands and is the author of several field guides including: Field Guide to Non-tidal Wetland Identification, A Field Guide to Coastal Wetland Plants of the Northeastern United States, and In Search of Swampland. For more details, please visit our website or contact Suzanne Hills at (suzanne. hills@rutgers.edu) or 848-932-7234.

Trivia Answer: An acre of wetland can store 1 million to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater.

Wetlands function like natural tubs or sponges, storing water and slowly releasing it. (EPA 843-F-01-002c).

Visit (CPE.RUTGERS.EDU) to learn more about the spotlight program and the hundreds of programs available at Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station each year!

Learning Never Ends for the New Jersey Gardener!

Editor’s Note: Kenneth M. Karamichael, Ed.M., is the Director of the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education within Rutgers Cooperative Extension. He can be reached at kenneth@ rutgers.edu.

8 July 2020

GardenerNews.com

SAVE AMERICAN AGRICULTURE AND FORESTS SAVE AMERICAN AGRICULTURE AND FORESTS

JOIN THE BATTLE. JOIN THE BATTLE.

BEAT THE BUG. BEAT THE BUG.

STOP THE SPREAD OF THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY. STOP THE SPREAD OF THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY. CHECK YOUR VEHICLE Search for all spotted lanternfly life stages CHECK YOUR VEHICLE

Search for all spotted lanternfly life stages

Egg mass Sept.-June Egg mass Sept.-June

Early nymph April-July Early nymph April-July

Late nymph July-Sept.

Late nymph July-Sept.

Adult July-Dec. Adult July-Dec.

SCRAPE. SQUASH. REPORT. SCRAPE. SQUASH. REPORT. Contact your State Department Contact your of StateAgriculture Department of Agriculture Scrape

Squash

egg massess into a any bugs container of rubbing you see Scrape Squash alcohol or hand sanitizer egg massess into a any bugs container of rubbing you see alcohol or hand sanitizer Get more information at aphis.usda.gov/hungrypests/slfbiz Get more information at aphis.usda.gov/hungrypests/slfbiz

Report

any sightings

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any sightings

GardenerNews.com This has been an especially tough year for farmers and fishermen and many of the businesses that are their customers.

Seasonal farming workers have been hit hard by illness.

Supermarket demand has grown, but institutional customers like schools and colleges have all but disappeared. Commercial fishing boat captains have lost revenues as they watched restaurant demand evaporate, while dock-to-table seafood wholesalers scrambled to find new markets. The recreational fishing industry also took a big hit when party boat captains were forced to head out to sea at the opening of fluke season in May with capacity limits on their boats, losing business during critical weeks of what would normally be the peak of their season.

These businesses generate more than $1 billion a year in revenue and create ten of thousands of jobs in New Jersey. Most are family-run and have continued for generations.

They are the heart of our Garden State’s identity. They are stewards of the land and New Jersey’s waterways; preservers of open space and our natural resources.

Now, New Jersey’s agricultural and aquacultural communities need and deserve our support as citizens,

July is the month I dream about while enduring those long, cold winter evenings. Huddled by the fire listening to a storm rage outside, my mind wanders to warmer days and luscious Jersey Fresh blueberries, sweet corn, peaches, tomatoes and all the great produce we are so fortunate to have grown nearby.

Well, here we are, and best of all we have the whole summer ahead of us! In just a couple days, we will be celebrating our nation’s 244th birthday. Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday.

The day begins with the town’s parade, then to the local firehouse for beer, hot dogs, and fire engine rides, later a few picnics, capped with a fireworks display at a nearby athletic field.

Many holidays are associated with food. Thanksgiving has its turkey, Easter has its ham, but no Fourth of July celebration is complete without the hot dog.

While we have always taken hot dogs for granted, Fourth of July remains the day we most consume this ubiquitous little tube of ground meat trimmings and spices packed into a casing and served on a bun slathered in mustard and relish.

The origin of the hot dog is largely unknown and subject to

July 2020 9 Agriculture and Natural Resources

By Eric Houghtaling New Jersey Assemblyman

NJ Farmers, Fishermen Need Our Support

as consumers, and as legislators.

We have seen the power of New Jersey residents when they put their mind to something. Just look at the Delaware River, which has come back after decades of pollution to earn American River’s designation as “2020 River of the Year” and as a model for other river restoration efforts across the county. The Washington, DC-based advocacy group credits clean-water safeguards and community stewardship with the river’s restoration. Or look at the impact Clean Water Action and its hundreds of volunteers have had on keeping our beaches, riverfronts and lakes clean during annual beach sweeps.

When we support farmers and fishermen, we are supporting their efforts in partnering with food pantries, nonprofits and community farms to provide

free delicious fresh produce to struggling families. Not everyone can afford a restaurant-cooked meal at this time, but we urge residents who can to order dinner from a farm-to-table restaurant and enjoy a delicious meal while supporting local farmers. Visit a seafood co-op and treat your family to a healthy, fresh, local catch while helping the fishermen that caught feed theirs.

Take advantage of the ability to social distance at a local farm market and enjoy the freshness of vegetables just out of the field. As our state Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher says, if the buying public demands “Jersey Fresh” products from our local farmers’ markets and supermarkets, New Jersey farmers will have a successful season.

While you’re doing your part, the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee

will continue to strive to bring consumers and farmers together.

The agriculture committee will continue discussions this summer on two bills that recognize the importance of agritourism to our farmers by allowing them to host special occasion events. We want them to be ready and able to host events such as weddings, community festivals, fundraisers, concerts and corporate and private parties as soon as it is safe for New Jerseyans to gather in groups again. With guests practicing social distancing, these events will provide additional revenue to financially stressed farmers and broaden the public’s opportunities to see and enjoy a working farm.

The first bill, A-2773, would allow an owner of preserved farmland - land restricted by deed to farming - to hold 14 special occasion events per year if the farm

NJ Agricultural Society

By Al Murray Executive Director

An American Icon

conflicting stories. It is believed they first appeared in Frankfurt, Germany sometime in the late 1400s. Sausage has long been a staple in Germany, so no one really knows when these specific sausages, then called “dachshunds,” first appeared.

These sausages arrived in America in the 1860s when they were sold

by German immigrants in New York City.

In 1871, Charles Feltman, a German baker, opened the first Coney Island hot dog stand and promptly sold over 3,600 dachshund sausages in his first year. By 1893, hot dogs were a staple at major league baseball parks. In 1916, Nathan Handwerker – an employee of Feltman’s – opened a rival hot dog stand and sold them for half the price of his competitor. Feltman was eventually forced to close his

business. By the 1920s, Nathan’s Famous was just that: famous. His dogs became known nationwide.

Just how these dachshund sausages got their moniker “hot dog” also has several origins. The most popular version says the word was coined in 1901 at the New York Polo Grounds during a New York Giants baseball game. It was a cold April day and vendors were selling hot dogs from portable hot water tanks shouting, “They’re red hot! Get your dachshund sausages while they’re red hot!” A New York Journal sports cartoonist, Tad Dorgan, observed the scene and hastily drew a cartoon of barking dachshund sausages nestled in rolls. Not sure how to spell “dachshund” he simply wrote “hot dog!” From there, the name stuck.

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council based in Washington, D.C., (Yes, there

is such a thing!) during a typical Fourth of July, Americans will consume 150 million hot dogs in one day. Over the course of a year, Americans will consume 20 billion hotdogs – almost 60 per person.

Each region tends to have their own preferences in how they serve their hot dogs. In the Northeastern states, hot dogs are enjoyed in sauerkraut and beer.

Southern states tend to serve them with chili, cheese, and coleslaw.

If you lived in the west, it would not be uncommon to enjoy them with jalapeno peppers. Those wild partiers in the Midwest typically like their dogs smothered in ketchup.

Which leads to an age-old question: mustard or ketchup?

Again, according to the great arbitrator of all thing’s hot dogs, the National Hot Dog and Sausage

is located in a non-residentiallyexposed area. The bill would also allow farmers whose land is located in a residential area to hold seven special occasion events annually.

The other bill, A-2775, would make permanent a pilot program allowing farmers with wineries on preserved farmland to hold special occasion events. The pilot program expired at the end of May. New Jersey has a rich history as a farming state. It earned its name as the Garden State, and our farmers have never let us down. That’s why we, as gardeners and consumers, as recreational fishermen and twice-a-summer blueberry pickers, need to support agriculture and aquaculture by shopping local and buying Jersey Fresh produce, Jersey Seafood and Jersey Grown nursery plants.

Editor’s Note: Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling is Chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in the New Jersey State Assembly.

He can be reached at 732-6953371 or AsmHoughtaling@ njleg.org, or by mail at 802 W Park Ave, Ste 302, Ocean Township 07712.

Council reports 71 percent of people use mustard, and 52 percent use ketchup. The council also weighs in on whether anyone really should use ketchup on a hot dog. It has codified the rule in their paper on “Hot Dog Etiquette and everyday guidance for eating America’s sacred food.” Rule number 9: “Don’t use ketchup on your hot dog after the age of 18.”

Despite the many ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, and practices that make up our great nation, one common denominator that binds us all together remains the mighty hot dog.

Editor’s Note: Al Murray is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Society. Established in 1781, the Society is New Jersey's oldest organization whose purpose is to advocate, educate and promote on behalf of New Jersey's agricultural industry. Mr. Murray previously spent his entire career at the NJ Department of Agriculture, serving as the Assistant Secretary. He can be reached at njagriculturalsociety@ gmail.com

10 July 2020 Most of us were not able to host the late-spring/early-summer get-togethers we usually have for Memorial Day, graduations, etc.

Hopefully, now that it is midsummer, we are on our way to family get-togethers, cookouts, etc. When you look at your yard, you may feel that it is the same old look. Let’s make over your yard for $500 or less!

Not all of these ideas can be combined for that cost. But put a few of them together and you’re sure to have a yard where you will be proud to entertain those missed family and friends this summer and fall.

First, let’s freshen up that yard! If you currently have flower beds, why not change the shape of them? If you have straight border beds, what about creating islands or reshaping the edges into a serpentine flow? If you already have curvilinear beds, make your gardens more formal.

For beds, clearly delineate between where the grass ends, and the bed begins. This will give it a clean and fresh look. Plant different types of material that will bloom during alternating months so there is always visual interest in the garden. Fill it with some perennial groundcovers for One of the first trips I took to Oregon, some 30 years ago, was to acquire nursery stock.

I found myself smitten with a certain tree. Drawing a 50-mile circumference from Pioneer Square, in downtown Portland, near where my hotel was, I mapped out every nursery I wanted to visit. Many of the finest nursery growers in our country are in Oregon. The plant depth, availability, cultivars and sizes are steeped there in the “fertile crescent,” and I’m not talking about Mesopotamia.

The story goes as this: after visiting one of my favorite nurseries, disciplined for their staunch commitment to growing some of the finest, cutting edge, Japanese maple cultivars, I learned that the value of their plants goes far beyond any price tag. Their ability to offer supreme merchandise in near perfect, fertile soil, seldom irrigated, still perplexes me to this day.

At the forefront of this nursery, matching V-shaped shaped Lion’s Head Japanese maple trees, Acer palmatum “Shishigashira” adorn their entrance. I was told that one of our country’s wealthiest entrepreneurs offered to buy these mature, stately trees, some of the oldest in our country, only to be turned away. A decision based on appreciation rather than simple

GardenerNews.com The NJLCA Today

By Gail Woolcott Executive Director

$500 Yard Makeover

a natural look. Add some privacy plantings along your property line using shrubs or flowering trees.

Of course, you will want to add fresh mulch to the beds to give them a crisp look, or possibly gravel if that’s more appropriate for your plants. Add raised vegetable gardens to grow your own tomatoes, lettuce, herbs and more while teaching kids where our food comes from.

Next, let’s add some more interest to your yard. Create seating areas for different uses.

They do not have to be clearly marked by a paved surface versus a grassy surface, simply place your furniture in different areas to mark that one is a relaxing area, another may be for eating and another is a conversation area.

Looking for some new furniture? Benches can be made with a few cinderblocks, wooden fence posts and a can of paint.

Add new cushions to your old furniture to spruce it up. Purchase a new umbrella for the areas you would like to have shade.

You can add container plantings to these sections to give them all a different feel. For container plantings, also look to recycled materials to showcase them: an old tricycle or bicycle, a wheelbarrow, an old dining room chair, anything that strikes your fancy. These items can often be found curbside!

How about a vertical garden?

Go on the internet to find an easy way to create them yourself using pallets and/or soda bottles.

Finally, add a focal point. Maybe it is a statue. Or maybe you have

a tree stump that you can use to display plants on, or even create a fairy garden. Running water also adds a Zen feel to your yard.

Why not install a water feature – a fountain or small pondless waterfall?

Have you always wanted a fire pit, but you were afraid it was too expensive? For an economical option, purchase wall block from a local garden center or hardscape material yard and create your own. Or use large rocks and look up how to create fire rings. You can also purchase a DIY kit. Just follow all local fire codes and safety warnings.

Some other thoughts…

Paint or stain your fences, this will instantly brighten up your yard. Pressure wash all concrete and paver surfaces (check with manufacturers

Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

The Lion’s Head

financial gains.

Lion’s Head Maple, Acer palmatum “Shishigashira,” is a distinct Japanese (female) maple type that has ascending branches, thickly covered with dense layers of foliage. Small, green, heavily textured leaves coat the tree’s outward spreading branches, and in the fall, brilliant shades of orange and yellow greet you, showcasing the season’s dramatic color display.

This maple, also known as “Meijishi,” the name for the mythological female lion of Japanese drama, I was corrected, and rightfully so, by one of our best customers and friend. “John,” whose photographic memory often astounds me as his discipline lies more in the financial world rather than the horticultural.

However, a “true plant lover,” my friend called me out and corrected me between the distinction of

“Shishigashira” and “Ojishi” (female vs. male). “Shishigashira” grows comfortably to 10 to 15 feet high and seven to 10 feet wide. A gorgeous, broad upright tree, hardy to zone 5, Lion’s Head grows 6six to 12 inches a year and appreciates full sun to part shade.

Tight, congested foliage, appearing to flower from a distance, and its fabulous fall color are the reasons why we chose it for either side of our home’s front entrance.

Appreciative of some part afternoon shade, avoiding hot afternoon sun and dry soil types are a few keys to its success.

Native to Japan, Korea and China, this maple type has five to seven pointed-toothed lobes. Small reddish-purple flowers in umbels happen in mid-spring, followed by samaras (those things we put on our noses as kids) that ripen in September and October. An

important side note: it has been said that this tree is tolerant of rabbits and Black Walnut, juglone. Finally, this highly sculptural tree form has no serious insect or disease problems.

The male counterpart Lion’s Head Maple, Acer palmatum “Ojishi,” is named for the mythological male lion of Japanese drama. Displaying short branches loaded with small, densely packed, rich green leaves, again there is a sculptural quality that exists. “Ojishi’s” green leaves develop into burnt orange-gold hues in the fall and it is here that one can conjure up visions of a lion’s head mane.

A superb cultivar for small areas, including bonsai culture, this treemendous tree grows to about 10 feet tall and seven feet wide. Crinkled foliage and vibrant fall color are features that help define this “male lion.”

Japanese literature, in the

if this is appropriate for the surface you have). Clean up and add new sand to paver joints.

Many contractors also offer this service. Add some lighting. If low-voltage outdoor lighting is not an option for you, purchase indoor/outdoor “Edison” bulbs or even white Christmas lights for some ambiance.

The sky is the limit for what you can do to spruce up your yard with some creativity. Always talk to your landscape professional as well to see the ideas that he/she might have for your space.

Editor’s note: Gail Woolcott is the Executive Director for the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association.

She was presented with a community service award from the Borough of Fairview for her assistance in leading the 9-11 Memorial Park project and the Legislative Champion of the Year award from the Federation of Employers and Workers of America. She is currently the State Licensee Chair on the National Association of Landscape Professionals International Certification Council.

1700s, talks about “Ojishi” as the male counterpart to the famous “Shishigashira.” Clearly “John” read and absorbed this factoid as I fumbled and reversed their sexes.

Older growth, twisted and flattened, more than the new growth of “Shishigashira” is a distinguishing characteristic between the two trees.

“Ojishi” is a rare, dwarf, deciduous beauty, uncommon even in advanced horticultural circles. Important to note: “Ojishi” can handle full sun or full shade with only the fall markings being sacrificed.

Should you be in search of a sculptural, architectural beauty, with distinct form, texture and fall color… look no further than Lion’s Head maples!

Editor’s Note: Bob LaHoff is co-owner of Hall’s Garden Center and Florist in Union County, a member of the Union County Board of Agriculture, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, Reeves-Reed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers.

He can be reached at (908) 665-0331.

GardenerNews.com

July 2020 11

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908.534.7710 • www.hionisgreenhouses.com You may like the summer sun and heat, but your lawn does not.

Heat, drought, fungus and insect stress are most prevalent during summer months. There are some exceptions to this rule, so let’s explore which lawns will survive and which ones will become toast.

When you toast bread, the process actually involves taking the moisture out of the bread, thus producing a golden brown or charred black toast. The same goes for your lawn. If it gets too hot and dry, your lawn will turn brown and perhaps die if left alone too long.

The first stage of shutdown when a lawn is under stress is the dormant stage. The blades start to turn a slight blueish color and then browning continues as it gets more stressed. Like all plants, your lawn tries to conserve energy and moisture in the blades.

This gives the lawn a chance to survive. If there is no relief from the heat and or drought (lack of water), the plant will eventually die.

It is very stressful for the lawn to go completely

& Much More!

Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Hot fun in the summertime

dormant and then you start to water it to bring it back to life. Do not let the lawn get to its final “brown” stage if possible. Also, do not try to bring a dormant lawn back to life by applying any fertilizer; this will only hasten its death.

Lawns that survive extreme summer heat and drought need to get some help; help from my many articles over the years. Using better quality grass seed species is the key to establishing your lawn.

In the past 15 years, turf-type Tall Fescues have really shown a great ability to survive various climate conditions. They can survive in poorer soil conditions; they are very drought tolerant and need less water and fertilizer than other cool-season grasses

to look good.

Starting in the spring, a properly fertilized, watered and mowed lawn will survival a lot of stress from heat, drought and even fungus and grubs and other lawn pests. Your soil has to be in good condition with soil pH between 6.2-7.0 with some level of organic matter and proper nutrient levels.

If your soil has a lot of microbial activity, compaction should not be a problem and the soil should have the ability to hold a fair amount of water.

Kudos. Yes, you may need to water your healthy lawn every once in a while during stressful summer months, but you should not have to lose it completely. In the absence of rainfall, your lawn likes

about one inch of water per week during stressful periods if possible.

Be sure to monitor your lawn each week to look for signs of trouble. Are grubs present, is fungus creeping in, are weeds thriving? Depending on how hot and humid the weather is, determine if you can do anything about these problems. Applications of fungus and insect controls are fine during summer months; water them in if the label says so.

Fertilizers should be avoided if temperatures are over 85 degrees and the lawn is already under stress. Be sure to follow all label directions if you try to treat your lawn under stressful conditions.

Weed killers especially

should not be applied in hot, dry, humid weather over 85 degrees.

Keep mowing during summer months but remember to raise your cutting height as high as you can. This will help the lawn retain more moisture. If you can mulch the clippings, even better, and let them work their way down into the soil. The clippings are mostly water (free irrigation!) and also may contain some lawn nutrients.

If your lawn does go dormant and a bit too close to the edge and dies, you can always re-seed in early fall after you access any summer damage.

Well it’s really time for you to go to get in the pool or go to the shore if you are allowed to. I hope your lawn makes it through the summer, enjoy a picnic or two.

Editor’s Note: Todd Pretz is Vice President of Jonathan Green, a leading supplier of lawn and garden products in the northeast. For more information, please visit: www.jonathangreen.com

GardenerNews.com

July 2020 15

Bliss

By Jeannie Geremia Contributing Writer

These past few months spent at my home and especially in my gardens have brought unexpected bliss as I am beckoned outdoors by birdsong and the thrill of seeing what possibly could be newly blooming in my garden beds.

Beginning in mid-March, with the spring ritual of rebirth three weeks earlier than normal, fruit trees started to bloom, bulbs popped up, forsythia and Japanese Quince displayed all their finery, and my state of bliss began.

March turned to a cool April, extending the early bloom while more trees, plants and shrubs joined the phenomenal displays, and I was in a continual state of delightful bliss. Garden Centers and nurseries added to the palette in my gardens as I brought home snapdragons, still blooming as I write this, begonias, lupines, daisies, fuchsias and more.

Everywhere I look, I am thrilled with excitement as my gaze now falls on roses beckoning bees and butterflies, birds flitting busily here and there retrieving delicacies for their chicks in so many nests in our birdhouses and shrubs. Wouldn’t we be floored knowing just how many were ensconced in nests throughout our yards and gardens?

I confess that I am hopeless when it comes to finding bird babies in their nests. I don’t want to disturb the very protective parents.

I do know that we have three sets of house wrens with nests, one set of Carolina wrens who determined that the iron wall planter filled with violas at our backdoor was the perfect site for their nest (a version of the Italian Trulli found in Puglia). We had to move the hummingbird feeder hanging right there as both bird species are territorial and we didn’t want to see any confrontations.

My blissful state continues with not only the array of plants, trees and shrubs in a continual display but by the close encounters I’ve had with the birds attracted to my gardens because of providing habitat, water, food, and nesting sites they desperately need.

The reward is never-ending as they patrol the property for offending pests they dispatch in a flash.

Lately I’ve taken to cutting oranges in half and threading them on wire wrapped around posts, thinking I’d attract Baltimore Orioles.

However, the Red Bellied Woodpeckers became obsessed with dining on the oranges and have caused us no end of enjoyment watching them do acrobatics to feed. They also received the wrath of our house wrens nesting in a birdhouse near the oranges as they came too close to the nest as far as the wrens were concerned.

I am always struck by how fierce the tiniest bird can be in defending its nest and how melodic the wrens are. I get serenaded every day and I am just astonished by the beauty and power of their song. Not far behind in loving the oranges are the Catbirds who make their yearly appearance in May. They also delight, along with the robins, in taking a daily bath in one of the several birdbaths we have throughout our gardens.

My grandfather instilled in all of us, a love of nature and especially of birds, wildlife and gardening that is the most precious gift anyone can give. It’s a joy every day of my life and the excitement of seeing a new bird is beyond thrilling.

My new bird appeared in my backyard iron planter that just had a coconut fiber mat in it. Initially it looked like a Catbird or Mockingbird, but it had a pure white breast, and striped wings, so checking the National Audubon bird book, I discovered I had the rare pleasure of seeing an Eastern WoodPewee, a member of the Flycatcher family of birds that are usually in the upper canopy of woodlands.

This bird was on the search for nesting material and was checking out the coconut fiber. That sighting plus the visit from the Eastern Towhee have just added to my bliss and who knows what the summer will bring as we’re headed down to the Jersey shore and looking forward to more bird species that frequent the Jersey beaches and bays.

New Jersey has it all with such a vast array of flora and fauna, and I am nothing if not a proud Jersey Girl!

Speaking of which, my blissful state continues with images of strawberries, blueberries, peaches and tomatoes. We are blessed here in New Jersey to have such wonderful fruits available at our farm stands and farmers markets. Reading Al Murray’s article in the June issue of Gardener News set me in a state of early anticipation for my strawberry fix. Embrace July, your gardens, wildlife, and local produce, and stay safe!

Editor’s Note: Jeannie Geremia is The Garden Club of New Jersey President, and a National Garden Clubs, Inc. Master Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is a member of Neshanic Garden Club, and The Raritan Township Historic Committee.

Jeannie’s email address is: jgeremia42@gmail.com

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APHIS Takes Additional Actions to Safeguard U.S. Agriculture Against Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working with State departments of agriculture and producers to conduct a tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) survey of U.S commercial greenhouses that produce tomatoes.

APHIS and cooperators are also putting in place official control measures to further safeguard U.S. agriculture against this virus. This decision follows the confirmation of several isolated detections of ToBRFV in U.S. commercial greenhouses last winter.

ToBRFV can cause severe fruit loss in tomatoes and peppers. It is easily spread by contaminated tools and hands, and through plant-to-plant contact.

Symptoms include mosaic patterns on plant leaves or fruit with brown or yellow spots.

APHIS urges U.S tomato, eggplant, and pepper producers, the nursery transplant industry, and the seed industry to follow recommended sanitation practices to safeguard against the introduction of this virus into commercial greenhouses and report any signs of symptoms to their State plant regulatory official.

New Jersey 2019 Cranberry Crop Valued at $14.5 Million New Jersey cranberry producers realized a total value of utilized production of $14.5 million in 2019, compared to $14.9 million in 2018, according to Bruce Eklund, New Jersey State Statistician. Cranberry price per barrel increased in 2019 to $29.60 per barrel, compared to $29.30 in 2018. Growers produced on average 196.0 barrels per acre in 2019, up from 165.3 barrels per acre in 2018.

In 2019, New Jersey cranberry production totaled 490,390 barrels, down 4 percent from the 2018 crop of 508,420 barrels. Total harvested cranberry acreage fell by 400 acres compared to the 2018 growing season of 3,100 acres.

United States Cranberry Production Down Significantly The United States total cranberry production of 7.9 million barrels in 2019, was down from 8.9 million barrels the previous year. Harvested acreage, at 38,500, decreased 800 acres fromthe 2018 growing season. In 2019, Wisconsin harvested acreage increased while Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon harvested acreage decreased.

16 July 2020 Since 1979, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Gold Medal Plant program has honored and promoted plants of outstanding merit.

The program was originally conceived by noted nurseryman Dr. J. Franklin Styer, who realized homeowners and gardeners needed to learn about superior woody plants for their landscapes. Five years ago, PHS began including perennial plants in addition to woody plants, in its selections. Plants are nominated through submissions by home gardeners, garden designers, horticulturists, landscape architects, nursery owners, and propagators.

Gardeners who acquire a Gold Medal-designated plant can be assured the plant will exhibit standards of excellence for pest and disease resistance and many of the selections have strong ecological functions.

There are many great Gold Medal plants for the gardener in Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey for great summer display. Allium lusitanicum “Summer Beauty” is an ornamental onion relative that is deer resistant and reaches 20 inches tall with globes of lavender-colored flowers in July and August. It is a great perennial for both the perennial garden and the gravel garden. Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, leadwort is a ground-covering perennial for full sun and has an abundance of sky blue flowers from July into September, and the foliage turns a beautiful wine red If your strategy come October is pumpkins, this article is for you.

There is an outstanding array of late bloomers available for our garden’s “FINAL ACT.” Here are some that I have grown successfully.

Nasturtiums, Tropaeolum majus, grown in sunny, sheltered spots, bloom until frost. Deer and rabbit resistant, the ground-hugging Alaska series flowers hover above variegated leaves. With edible leaves and flowers, they work great in autumn plantings with kale and crucifers since their allelopathic properties help those plants. As nights get colder, I tuck a bit of salt hay around them.

The sweet face of Pansy, Viola x wittrockiani, belies an iron constitution that can withstand light snow and frost. Pansy “Ice Show” is still blooming at Thanksgiving. Then I deadhead and water it well, cover it with a half inch thick board, and two inches of salt hay. In April, remove the hay and board to see those sweet faces again.

Hiding all summer with its wiry stems, Bugbane’s autumn entrance is spectacular. Actaea racemose’s racemes of creamy white flowers persist for about a month and bring vertical entertainment to your shade garden just when it’s looking dismal.

Its common name, Fairy Wand, is a perfect fit.

News flash: Goldenrod is not an allergy trigger. New dwarf cultivars are non-rhizomatous and play nicely

GardenerNews.com Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

By Andrew Bunting Vice President of Public Horticulture

Great PHS Gold Medal Plants for the Summer in the fall.

As every gardener knows, there are literally hundreds of cultivars and selections of hostas to choose from, but the only hosta to get the Gold Medal designation is one that is more grown for its flowers than its foliage. Hosta plantaginea has darkgreen pleated leaves. In August and into September, long stems rise about the foliage with dozens of intensely fragrant, white flowers. The Rubythroated Hummingbird love this hosta.

One of my personal “top ten” perennials is Salvia nemorosa “Caradonna.” It starts blooming at the end of May and will continue into August. Reaching approximately 20 inches tall, it is completely covered in masses of spikes of rich, violet purple.

A wonderful native perennial is Rudbeckia maxima. The large coneflower develops beautiful glaucous-blue leaves. In mid-summer, seven-feet-long stems become covered with golden yellow flowers with a

black center. I have grown this native to central and southern United States in my front garden, which receives a lot of deer pressure and this rudbeckia has suffered little to no damage. As the flower heads ripen in late summer, they become an important seed source for the American Goldfinch.

There are several selections of Gold Medal shrubs as well for the summer. The native bottle-brush buckeye is a large, multi-stemmed shrub that can form large thickets over time. Like the aforementioned Allium and Rudbeckia, this buckeye, Aesculus parviflora, is also shown great resistance to deer browsing. At maturity, the shrub can reach 15 feet tall. From July to August, it is covered in long, wand-like spikes of white flowers. In the fall, the foliage turns a stunning buttery yellow.

A true New Jersey native shrub is the summersweet, Clethra alnifolia.

Growing throughout the Pine Barrens, Clethra is a suckering shrub that can adapt to very wet areas,

including standing water. It is called summersweet because it flowers in August and has sweetly scented flowers. In the fall the leaves turn golden yellow.

There are cultivars that have received Gold Medal status, including “Hummingbird,” which was selected for its compact habit, reaching four feet tall at maturity. “Tom’s Compact” is even more diminutive in stature, reaching three feet tall and making it a perfect consideration for the small property or city dweller. “Ruby Spice” was selected for its deep-pink flowers.

At maturity it can reach seven feet tall and like all Clethra alnifolia cultivars will increase its width by spreading over time. All three of these cultivars attract a host of pollinators, including hummingbirds.

These great perennials and shrubs are just a handful of the over 90 exceptional plants in this program.

Many garden centers in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania support this program by promoting these plants

The Garden Historian

By Lesley Parness Garden Educator

“The Final Act: Late Season Bloom for New Jersey Gardens” mid-border. Likewise, Sneezeweed, or Helenium autumnale, does not make you sneeze. This overlooked, late-season herbaceous perennial likes full sun and tolerates deer, wet soil and clay.

I grow “Potter’s Wheel” with fourfoot-tall cherry red flowers edged with a golden rim.

Other fine fall plants? Try the giant-leafed Farfugium japonicum for big, wet spaces. In the world of bulbs, there are fabulous Gladiolus (“Yellowstone” grows to five feet).

Explore Asters, including “Purple Dome,” bred at Mt. Cuba.

There are Sedum (I like “Autumn Fire”) and Sumac (ditto for “Tiger’s Eye”) and sufficient Dahlia to charm your pants off when it’s too cold for shorts. “Bishop of Llandaff” bears rich red flowers blooming till frost and perfect for fall flower arrangements.

A plethora of Japanese Maples are waiting to entertain your eyes, but if you want a tree to tempt your nose, try the Katsura, or Cercidiphyllium

japonicum, whose burnt sugar smell is reminiscent of caramel.

And since in autumn every leaf’s a flower, think about Fothergilla, whose leaves turn a psychedelic array of maroon, burgundy, orange, and gold shades. Or Oakleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, whose crimson, purple, orange, and bronze foliage reveals an attractively peeling cinnamon brown bark.

Japanese anemones bring elegance to the late-season garden.

None matches the swaying grace of “Honorine Jobert.” At four feet tall, pristine white buttercup shaped petals surround a gold center. Its finely textured foliage does not break through the soil until late May, making the ground around them an ideal place to interplant early-spring bulbs like crocus, miniature iris and daffodils. Once all those charming bloomers are finished, the anemone leaves fill in to form a handsome mound. Deer and rabbit resistant, it naturalizes beautifully.

“Radio Red” Autumn Sage, Salvia greggii, sporting apple green foliage and stunning crimson-red bloom, deserves a prominent location.

A compact cultivar, it can be utilized as a low informal hedge, at the front of a border, or in a container garden.

Its one-inch-long, two-lipped tubular flowers attract hummingbirds. This herbaceous perennial grows to two to three feet tall and wide.

Fall is ornamental grass prime time. I recommend Plumetastic® Pink Muhly Grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris “Irvine” from Monrovia.

Its foliage has a gentle arching form topped with glittering clouds of plumes emerging much later than other pink varieties. This results in richer color longer into the fall and in wintertime, a silvery-grey presence.

Finally - Chrysanthemums. The New Jersey State Chrysanthemum Society is a wonderful resource for learning about the many classes of mums. Their October Show at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum

and offering them for sale. At the end of 2020, look for the new slate of Gold Medal recipients that will be announced for 2021.

Editor’s Note: Andrew Bunting is Vice President of Public Horticulture for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. He is one of the most recognized horticulturists in the Philadelphia, Pa., region and a highly regarded colleague in the world of professional horticulture.

Bunting has amassed a plethora of awards, including the American Public Gardens Association Professional Citation, Chanticleer Scholarship in Professional Development, Delaware Center for Horticulture’s Marion Marsh Award, and the Certificate of Merit from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

In addition, Bunting has lectured extensively throughout North America and Europe, and participated in plant expeditions throughout Asia and Africa. Learn more at https://phsonline.org/team/ andrew-bunting has attracted mum aficionados for decades. President Bob Solstad recommends the old fashioned, delicately petalled “Sheffield Pink’ for rock gardens and the durable, hardy, self-seeding Korean Mums in many shades for New Jersey gardens.

So, save the pumpkins for pies.

Your “Final Act” could be your best one! (This article is an excerpt from my new talk of the same name.)

Editor’s Note: Lesley Parness has taught horticulture and environmental education around the world for the past four decades. Retired from her post as Superintendent of Horticultural Education at the Morris County Park Commission, her focus now is garden history and botanic literature. She is a past President and Founding Member of the Garden State Gardens Consortium, and a member of the Herb Society of America and The Council on Horticultural and Botanic Libraries. Lesley lectures throughout the tri-state area. She can be reached at www.lesleyparness.com, where a complete listing of her presentations and workshops may be found.

This column will appear in the paper every other month.

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July 2020 17

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18 July 2020

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NORTHEAST DEPARTMENT NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

New FFA Officers Take Seats after Elections at Convention

Commissioner Ball Congratulates Student Winners of the 2020 New York State Virtual Envirothon Competition

Four chapters from around the state are represented in the 2020-2021 State FFA officer team that was elected as part of the 91st Annual State FFA Convention, which concluded May 22 as a virtual event. The state officers represent New Jersey FFA at several state and national functions throughout the year, including visiting FFA chapters throughout New Jersey.

The new officers with the chapters they represent are Talia Priore (Woodstown), State President; Abigail Goodenough (Northern Burlington), State Vice-President; Elizabeth Stenard, (Freehold), State Treasurer; Jacob Dotson, (Northern Burlington), State Parliamentarian; Alexis Hutson, (Northern Burlington), State Secretary; Kayleen Kollasch, (Northern Burlington), State Reporter; Katelyn Duell, (Salem Tech), State Sentinel.

“Being a state officer comes with responsibility as well as it being a tremendous honor,” said New Jersey State FFA Advisor and Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Education Program Leader Erin Noble. “I’m confident that this group will continue the tradition of previous state FFA officer teams by representing new Jersey FFA as outstanding ambassadors during events in New Jersey as well as nationally.”

Some of the state officer duties include assisting chapters in the execution of their program of activities; encouraging FFA members to participate in food, agriculture and natural resources education and FFA programs; maintaining positive relations with members, the agribusiness sector, the public and others interested in agricultural education; traveling to FFA chapters around the state 2-3 times per month; assisting at career development events, including fall, spring, and summer; and representing the New Jersey FFA Association at events of other state agricultural organizations.

FFA is a component of a food, agriculture and natural resources program of instruction that prepares students to pursue fulfilling careers in the business, science, education and technology of agriculture. There are more than 2,300 FFA members in New Jersey and nearly 670,000 members across the nation.

VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets Adopts Vermont Hemp Rules The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) filed its adopted Vermont Hemp Rules with the Vermont Secretary of State on May 6, 2020. The Vermont Hemp Rules became effective May 21, 15 days after filing the adopted rule. These rules come in advance of the 2020 planting season.

The Vermont Hemp Rules set standards and expectations for recordkeeping, reporting, testing, and labeling. They also include provisions for disposal of non-compliant crops and products, and inspections and enforcement. The rules are important to protect public health, safety, and welfare, and to support the Vermont brand and production of quality agricultural products. The Vermont Hemp Rules can be found here: 2020 Vermont Hemp Rules.

“The Agency appreciates all the input from stakeholders over the past year,” said Cary Giguere, VAAFM Director of Public Health and Agriculture Resource Management. “The process of educating hemp registrants on how the rules apply to their operations is just beginning, and the Agency looks forward to this next phase.”

To date, VAAFM has issued 347 combined hemp grower and processor registrations, with 1,115 acres for the 2020 growing season. During the 2019 hemp season, the Agency received over 986 hemp grower registrations on 9,100 acres, and 292 processor registrations. VAAFM anticipates that that the number of registrants and acres registered will be less than in 2019.

Reasons for this difference could include a grower registration fee increase in 2020, which is now based on the number of acres a person registers. In 2019 the fee was a flat $25 to register regardless of the number of acres registered.

If you wish to grow or process hemp crops or hemp products in 2020 you must register with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets.

For more information about the Vermont Hemp Program, please visit: https://agriculture. vermont.gov/public-health-agricultural-resource-management-division/hemp-program.

State Department of Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball congratulated the student winners of the 31st annual New York State Envirothon Competition, which was held virtually on May 28. Ulster County’s Mount Academy team was named New York State Champion at the long-standing environmental science competition, which challenges students on their knowledge of natural resource sciences, public speaking, and civic engagement. Additionally, student teams from New York City schools, Stuyvesant High School from New York County and Staten Island Technical High School in Richmond County, were awarded second and third place respectively, an exciting achievement for agricultural education in urban settings.

Commissioner Ball said, “Congratulations to the Mount Academy, Stuyvesant, and Staten Island Technical students on their successes in the 2020 Envirothon competition. Now, more than ever, it is inspiring to see young people who are passionate about New York’s environment and agriculture. I know that with the leadership skills these students have learned through the Envirothon, we will be in capable hands in years to come.”

The Envirothon is a series of field station tests in the areas of soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and emerging environmental issues. This year’s emerging issue focused on local solutions in water resources management. The competition was designed to test students’ knowledge and understanding of natural resource issues within New York State and cultivate students’ desire to learn more about our natural resources and environmental issues. This year, seventeen teams competed from across New York State.

The 2020 Envirothon, for the first time ever, awarded two teams from high schools in the New York City area with second and third place respectively. Urban agriculture continues to grow in importance across New York, focusing on building greener, healthier cities through community gardens, school gardens, and educational farms. These programs are centers of learning where young people can discover the natural world and find out where food comes from. The success of these teams in the Envirothon competition points to continued growth in urban agriculture.

Additionally, the competition was held virtually for the first time in its history, due to the impacts of COVID-19.

The Envirothon Committee, largely made up of Soil and Water Conservation District staff, worked hard to ensure the competition could be held even during this challenging time. This year’s competition was made possible through the contributions of several sponsors and partnering agencies, including the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The Department’s Division of Land and Water Resources works to protect New York’s land and water resources through farmland protection, farmland conservation and proactive environmental stewardship.

Additional sponsors of this year’s event included the NY Conservation District Employees’ Association, NY Association of Conservation Districts, NYS Soil and Water Conservation Committee, FAGE USA Dairy Industry, Inc., Cattaraugus County Trappers Association, New York Central Mutual Inc., Norton’s Gas, Inc., Seward Sand and Gravel Inc., Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts from Steuben, Erie, Tompkins, Hamilton, Niagara, and Montgomery counties.

GardenerNews.com

July 2020 19

OF AGRICULTURE NEWS MAINE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Announces 2020 Agricultural Development Grant Awards The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) announced its latest round of Agricultural Development Grant (ADG) program awardees. For 2020, eleven Maine agricultural producers and organizations are sharing a total of $472,736.96. Recipients include Aroostook Hops, LLC; Atlantic Sea Farms; Blue Barn LLC dba Bluet; Daybreak Growers Alliance; Maine Cap ‘N Stem LLC; Maine Rice Project; New Roots Cooperative Farm; Somali Bantu Association of Maine (Liberation Farms); Springtide Organics LLC, the University of Maine System; and the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine. The full list of projects and grant awards are detailed on the ADG webpage. DACF’s 2020 ADG call for proposals yielded 45 responses.

“We are excited to provide grant funding for market and technology development at this critical time for Maine agriculture,” says Amanda Beal, DACF Commissioner. “These grants are helping agricultural producers to expand and improve production, strengthen their ability to respond to consumer demand, and be more competitive while benefiting a broad community of partners.”

“This funding has given us a boost to scale up our wholesale. It means that we will be able to achieve our market goals and reach more people to help the community at large.” - Omar Hassan, UMaine Cooperative Development Institute, conveying the comments of ADG recipient New Roots. New Roots is applying its grant funding toward scaling up the Lewiston farm’s wholesale and direct-retail marketing operations.

“As a farmer-owned distribution company, Daybreak Growers Alliance seeks to grow market opportunities for over 50 Maine farms and food producers. This year is especially critical as Daybreak enters its second year in business and faces increased challenges due to the COVID19 pandemic. While the pandemic is creating market disruption, it is also creating accelerated growth opportunities for those local food businesses equipped to respond to these changes. This grant will allow us to build our capacity, agility, and efficiency in our response to these market changes.” - Colleen Hanlon-Smith, Wholesale Supervisor at Daybreak Growers Alliance. Daybreak Growers Alliance is applying its grant funding to respond to increased consumer demand for a customized CSA delivery program.

“This 2020 ADG grant will allow us to expand the availability of Maine-grown and processed hops by further equipping our hop processing facility not only to increase our efficiency but also to serve other emerging farmers. Our goals are to increase the amount of Maine-grown hops that are included as ingredients in local craft beer for the state’s expanding brewing sector, and also to help new growers overcome many of the barriers to entry in Aroostook county.” - Krista Delahunty, Aroostook Hops.

Established by the Maine Legislature in 1996, the ADG program funds projects that accelerate new market development, the adoption of improved technology, and the promotion of agricultural products produced in Maine. Grants are awarded every one to two years through a competitive proposal process.

CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Survey Underway to Assess Availability of Food Storage and Meal Preparation Sites in Connecticut HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut Department of Agriculture, in partnership with other state and local agencies, is surveying various entities on their willingness to collaborate with local emergency food distribution agencies (e.g.; local food pantry) who are seeking additional food storage space and meal preparation services for home-bound individuals and families.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for emergency food provided by food pantries has far exceeded the storage capacity of most locations throughout the state. This has resulted in pantries limiting the amount of food they can accept through donations and state food banks.

This in turn limits the pantries from sufficiently serving people at-risk of food insecurity. There is also a growing need for prepared meals for homebound individuals and therefore companies willing to produce those meals.

Please answer the survey below to help us inventory potential food storage, meal preparation, and redistribution options throughout Connecticut.

Completion of this form does not obligate your future participation.

Learn more about the survey at https://portal. ct.gov/DOAG

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Department of Agriculture, PA Veterinary Medical Association Remind Pennsylvania Pet Owners to Maintain Up-to-Date Rabies Vaccinations ​ Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association president Dr. Kate Harnish remind Pennsylvanians of the importance of getting back on track with regularly scheduled pet vaccinations and boosters.

Maintaining up-to-date vaccines is not only important for the health and well-being of cats and dogs, but for the health and safety of Pennsylvanians.

“As we work to safely reopen Pennsylvania and counties move from red to yellow and green phases, it’s important for Pennsylvanians to schedule well visits for their four-legged companions to keep them up to date with necessary vaccines and boosters, especially rabies,” said Agriculture

Secretary Redding. “Because of its ability to be transmitted from animals to humans and its fatality rate, rabies vaccines and boosters are incredibly important to be maintained.”

By Pennsylvania law, all cats and dogs three months of age and older are required to have current rabies vaccinations. Even pets that are indoors only are required to be vaccinated. Each year, dog wardens visit neighborhoods across Pennsylvania to conduct dog license and rabies compliance checks. Owners of pets without current rabies vaccines can face fines of up to $300.

“Veterinarians cannot express enough how important it is to keep your pets up to date on vaccination,

especially rabies. When dogs and cats are not vaccinated, it puts them, you, and us at risk. Treating a sick pet without a current rabies vaccine can be problematic, as even the friendliest pets will bite and scratch when they are stressed and do not feel well,” said PVMA president Dr. Kate Harnish.

“Vets may have to report these incidents to the PA Bureau of Animal Health, recommend quarantine, or even take more drastic measures such as euthanasia. This is the time of year when potentially rabid wildlife could interact with your pet. Vaccination results in overall improved health.”

Rabies is a virus of the central nervous system that can affect any mammal, it is widespread throughout

Pennsylvania. It is of great public health concern because it can be transmitted to humans and is nearly 100 percent fatal without post-exposure treatment.

Since 2000, between 350 and 500 animals in Pennsylvania annually are confirmed in a laboratory to have rabies. The most commonly affected animals are raccoons, bats, skunks, and cats. The last diagnosed human case of rabies in Pennsylvania was in 1984. The best way to prevent the spread of rabies and protect human health is vaccination of domestic mammals.

For more about Rabies in Pennsylvania visit pa.gov/guides.

For a current map of rabies cases in Pennsylvania, visit agriculture.pa.gov.

20 July 2020

GardenerNews.com

Jersey Fresh Garden Featured at Landmark Eatery

Tom Castronovo/Photo

The Stirling Hotel, set on two-and-a-half acres in the Morris County town of Stirling, an unincorporated community located within Long Hill Township, reopened with outdoor dining on June 15. Included in the grand reopening to serve the kitchen in preparing the freshest food, is a newly created Jersey Fresh garden created and planted by the restaurant and tavern’s co-owners Dori and her husband Tom Baldassarre. The all-organic Jersey Fresh garden, which is 10 paces from the kitchen door, is filled with arugula, basil, chives, cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley, rosemary, Swiss chard, and thyme. The beautiful raised garden is four feet wide by 24 feet long. Pictured is Tom Baldassarre getting ready to harvest mouthwatering basil for a Summer Cavatelli Verdura dish, a true culinary delight. The destination-worthy Stirling Hotel is located at 227 Main Avenue.

USDA to Measure Quarterly Colony Loss In July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be collecting information about colony loss in the honey industry throughout the United States. The Quarterly Colony Loss survey will be conducted over the period of June 2020 through July 2020. This survey collects information about colony inventory and loss from more than 400 producers with honey bee colonies in the Northeastern Region of the United States.

“The information from these surveys directly impacts our region’s beekeepers and honey producers,” said Kevin Pautler, deputy director of the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office. “Beekeepers and producers can use the survey results when making business plans and marketing decisions. Cooperative Extensions use the data to provide needed outreach and education and State Departments and Agencies of Agriculture use the information to set insurance values,” added Pautler.

In this survey, NASS asks participants to answer a variety of questions about their colonies.

To ensure all survey participants have an opportunity to respond, NASS interviewers will contact producers who do not respond by mail or online to conduct interviews.

NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

Survey results will be published in the Honey Bee Colonies report to be released on August 3, 2020.

APHIS Seeks Comments on Draft Pest Risk Assessment for Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Rhizomes from Peru for Consumption into the United States.

The government of Peru has asked USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to authorize importation of turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizomes for consumption into the United States. APHIS has drafted a pest risk assessment that describes potential pests associated with the commodity.

APHIS shares draft pest risk assessments to determine whether stakeholders have information that might lead us to revise the draft assessment before we identify pest mitigations and proceed with the commodity import approval process.

The draft pest risk assessment for turmeric rhizomes for consumption from Peru will be available for review and comment until July 29, 2020. To view the assessment or submit comments, go to https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/riskassessment-consultation

GardenerNews.com

July 2020 21

Butterfly Kisses and Tea

By Hubert Ling What native plant is used for butterfly kisses and for tea?

Why it’s purple wild bergamot, Monarda fistulosa, which is one of the most versatile plants in your garden.

To maximize your chances of getting butterfly kisses, plan ahead.

First make sure you have several small groups of flowers, preferably Monarda fistulosa, scattered around your yard to attract butterflies.

Second, grow one larger group of Monarda near the center of your yard with a narrow path leading to the center of the clump and a chair placed in the middle, preferably one that can swivel.

Then in July, when there are several butterflies around, occupy the seat, hold still, and wait. When butterflies arrive in the proximity of your face lean forward slowly and if you are lucky, get your butterfly Now that summer has officially started, it’s time to reflect a little and look back on our spring season.

I am sure that for many years to come, the spring of 2020 will be remembered for COVID 19. But I hardly think that I am qualified to write about that subject. Also, there have been thousands of other articles already written on that topic and our editor here at the Gardener News has forbidden me from writing about it anyway. With all of that having been said, as a fruit grower here in the Garden State, I will also remember the weather we had to contend with during the spring of 2020.

If you can remember back that far, this winter, was actually very mild. We had only one real snow event and the low temperatures that we experienced were nowhere near record breaking.

In years when we get very low temperatures, certain crops, such as strawberries, peaches, cherries and plums can be detrimentally affected by colder than normal temperatures. 2018 and 2019 were both colder than normal and we did have a little damage to some of our trees in both of those years. So, early this spring,

kisses. This has a chance of working because butterflies really love wild bergamot and may not perceive slow-moving, large objects as a threat.

Linnaeus used the plant’s genus name, Monarda, to commemorate the 16th century Spanish botanist, Nicolas Bautista Monardes.

The species name, fistulosa, comes from Latin fistula, or “tube,” which refers to the clustered, long tube-like violet flowers which make up wild bergamot’s flower heads; these showy flower heads are two to four inches in diameter. It really is a versatile mint and like most other mints has a prominent square stem.

Now about the tea. The Cherokee name for Monarda is gowugí, which means “it smells (fragrant).” Because of this property, two types of native New Jersey Monarda have been used by North American native people for tea for centuries.

M. fistulosa is still used today by the Oneidas, while M.

didyma (bee balm or Oswego tea) is used as a traditional tea by neighboring tribes living near Oswego, N.Y. Monarda fistulosa was also used by several American Native Tribes including the Menominee, the Ojibwa, and the Winnebago to treat colds; this tea, often taken with honey, is still a popular treatment for colds.

Commercially, Earl Gray tea can be purchased with low or high concentrations of Monarda which can be a bit overpowering.

It is generally thought that Monarda tea was used to replace English tea after the Boston Tea Party. Later, tea was replaced by coffee, which the colonists considered more patriotic.

Wild bergamot was also used by Native American tribes as an antibiotic poultice on pimples, skin infections, and minor wounds. They also used it to treat excessive flatulence and bergamot leaves were used to flavor meat and to scent hair pomade.

The plant was also used as incense in Native American saunas (sweat lodges); when used for your bath, it will make your whole house fragrant.

Bergamot oil has a number of active/aromatic ingredients; the best recognized of these is thymol, which is a strong antiseptic and is featured as the active ingredient in commercial mouthwash.

Purple wild bergamot is an easy-to-grow, showy, reliable garden perennial; although you should plan to restart plants about every five years to insure a vigorous perennial bed. Plants are easily started by a shallow sowing of the minute seeds or by dividing mature clumps.

The plant does well in slightly acidic, neutral or slightly basic soils in partial shade or in moist, well drained, sunny areas. The plants normally grow two to four feet tall and thus fit in almost anywhere in your garden.

Monardas are moderately deer and drought resistant

The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

What A Spring!

I thought that we were in great shape heading into the spring.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas. Late March and early April were unseasonably warm. This caused our fruit trees to start advancing much earlier than normal. This in itself, is not necessarily bad, however. As long as the weather does not get cold again, the trees should be fine, and will, in fact, just mature earlier in the season.

What usually happens, though, is that after a few weeks of abnormally warm temperatures, the weather will revert back to normal and seasonably cold temperatures will return. And this year, that is almost what happened, except that the weather actually became much colder than normal for April and May.

Here in central New Jersey, where our farms are located, our fruit trees usually bloom in late April and early May. And that is when they are the most susceptible to frost and freeze damage. Usually what happens is that on clear nights with calm winds, there is no cloud cover to help to hold the heat in. When this occurs, cold air settles and hot air rises. That means the temperature at ground level will usually be several degrees colder than it is at 40 to 50 feet above the ground.

Also, valleys will be colder than hilltops in these instances. If blooming fruit trees are subjected to temperature below freezing for any length of time, they will start to incur damage.

Fortunately, there are some measures that growers can take

to prevent or at least mitigate this damage. On one of our farms, we have a wind machine to help raise the temperature somewhat.

This wind machine looks like a windmill, but is actually a tower with a propeller run by an engine that takes the warmer air and forces it downward to where the trees are.

This covers a 10-acre area and can raise the temperature at ground level by five to six degrees. We also hire a helicopter service to travel back and forth above the trees. These helicopters function the same as the wind machine does. They force warmer air down to where the trees are and can hopefully raise the temperature enough to protect the blossoms.

This spring, we had to initiate

and are sought for by birds, bees, and of course butterflies.

The Xerces Society lists wild bergamot as one of the 18 top plants to attract pollinators in the Mid-Atlantic region and it is the larval host for several moths.

Wild bergamot is found in almost every U.S. state in the lower 48; in New Jersey, it is generally restricted to the northern half of the state. Use it in your yard for flower bouquets and to help the wildlife; if you reserve a few square feet for purple wild bergamot, you and your entire family will be amazed how the butterflies just “happen” to find your yard.

Also, keep an eye out for the day-flying, incredible hummingbird moth.

Editor’s Note: Hubert Ling is President of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. He can be reached at milhubling@verizon.net. frost prevention measures six different nights. There were also at least that many nights where the temperatures were low enough that we had to monitor them throughout the night. Also, there was one night when we had an advective freeze, where the wind stayed up all night, but the temperature still dropped.

This rendered most of our frost protection measures useless.

Fortunately, while we did have some damage here and there, for the most part, we have an excellent crop to look forward to in the summer and fall of 2020. I will also look forward to catching up on some sleep!

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is Mayor of Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, NJ. He also served as a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is a past president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Peter has also been featured on NJN, News 12 New Jersey and on the Fox Business Network.

22 July 2020

GardenerNews.com

William “Bill” Roberts, Inventor of the Air-inflated Greenhouse Covering System that Revolutionized Agriculture Worldwide, Passes Away William “Bill” Roberts, who had a distinguished 41-year career as an extension specialist in bioresource engineering at Rutgers, passed away on May 21, 2020. He was 88 years old. Roberts was among a small number of Extension faculty that achieved the level of Distinguished Professor, the highest professorial ranking at Rutgers.

He developed the first air-inflated, double-layer polyethylene greenhouse covering system, an innovation that, once developed for commercial applications, revolutionized the use of greenhouses worldwide and became a boon to the agricultural industry.

Today, approximately 65 percent of all commercial greenhouses in the United States and globally use this air-inflated, double-glazing system.

Roberts’ discovery began on Christmas Day 1964 when he used an aquarium air pump to separate two layers of plastic film in a model greenhouse he was building in his basement. He recalls his breakthrough this way: “Everyone needs at least one good idea in their career and mine came in 1964.

On Christmas morning when I was supposed to be doing something else I was in the basement building a model greenhouse. We had been installing two layers of plastic film on greenhouse structures to reduce the energy consumption by 35% and it was a tedious and labor consuming job; plus it was not very effective. After I had built my model and installed two layers of film on it, I took a small air pump used in fish tanks and rigged it so that air could be blown between the two layers of film. And as I saw it blowing up, I said, ‘Thank you Lord, this is the way to overcome many problems and reduce the tedious work of double glazing.’ The outer layer inflated outward and the inner layer was forced down over the rafter supports creating an air space and giving rigidity to the two layers so that under normal wind conditions the plastic would not flap and move in the wind like a sheet hanging on a clothesline. It all clicked in my head as the way to go.”

Roberts’ concept was successfully applied to a greenhouse on the Cook campus, the first such prototype structure, which in 2004 was designated a Historic Landmark by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). It was essentially a wooden frame structure designed for the width of polyethylene sheeting available at the time. A small commercial air blower was used in place of the fish tank pump. Researchers noted that not only was there a significant reduction in the required construction materials and labor, but the tension in the film from the slight air pressure reduced film flexing and flapping in the wind. This, in turn, reduced the likelihood of tearing, thereby increasing structural reliability and extending film life.

Roberts designed wooden greenhouse frames of several sizes to match the available widths of polyethylene film, as well as a pipe frame structure and a pipe bender to assist in the hand-bending of the hoops. He also developed greenhouse engineering plans and drawings, which were part of a USDA-supported service consisting of contributions by land-grant universities and their Extension personnel, thereby providing construction blueprints for growers.

The early popularity of Roberts’ designs and their rapid commercial acceptance were due primarily to their low cost relative to conventional greenhouses glazed with glass or fiberglass. The insulation properties of the inflated air space in the “double plastic” greenhouses reduced heat requirements by over a third, further reducing costs to growers. The commercial application of the air-inflated, double-layer polyethylene film system spread as several manufacturers developed steel and aluminum frame structures for multi-span and single-span greenhouses, which could effectively use the double-layer plastic film system.

Roberts’ innovation, along with the contributions of the commercial growers who took risks as early adaptors, helped the spread of this technology into commercial agriculture. Roberts and colleagues continued to work on further advances in greenhouse technology, including solar heating systems, movable thermal insulation screens and in-floor, root zone heating systems.

In 2007, Roberts received the “Lifetime Recognition of Distinguished Leadership” award from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. Among many other accolades, Roberts was honored in 2010 with the New Jersey Agricultural Society’s (NJAS) Gold Medallion, which is widely viewed as the highest honor in New Jersey agriculture. In making the presentation, then NJAS president, Brian Schilling, who is the current Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, noted that “Professor Roberts sets a high bar in Cooperative Extension, and one many of us aspire to reach.”

Schilling lauded Roberts’ contributions to Rutgers and to agriculture, in general. “As an Extension Specialist, Roberts devoted himself to innovative and practical research on greenhouse materials and designs, including solutions for better heating and environment control. His research was guided by the goal of developing cost-effective and energy efficient approaches for achieving optimal controlled environment agriculture.”

Roberts earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in agricultural engineering from Rutgers before joining the university as an assistant professor in 1958. He became an extension specialist in 1963, a position he held until his retirement in 1999. Roberts served as department chair for 23 years between 1971 and 1993.

The Premier Gardening Monthly Newspaper Number 207 Published Monthly Reserve Ad Space Website: www.GardenerNews.com E-Mail: Mail@GardenerNews.com Staff

Executive Editor/Publisher . . . . Tom Castronovo Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan F. Kessel Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Castronovo Tom Castronovo Todd Pretz Gail Woolcott Andrew Bunting

July 2020 Columnists

Brian Schilling Bob LaHoff Al Murray Douglas H. Fisher Peter Melick Eric J. Houghtaling Kenneth M. Karamichael

July 2020 Contributing Writers

Bruce Crawford

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Hubert Ling

Lesley Parness

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Full Moon July 5, 2020

Eastern Daylight TIP OF THE MONTH

Stop the Planthopper Spread in N.J.

Spotted lanternfly poses a significant threat to the U.S. economy and environment. To stop its spread, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and other neighboring states have issued quarantines for counties where the presence of this pest has been confirmed.

Businesses operating in the quarantine zone must have permits to move equipment and goods within and out of the zone.

Are you unsure if your business or organization is required to carry permits? Go to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture website at https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/ pi/prog/spottedlanternfly.html for more information about who is required to obtain a permit.

Penn State Extension and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture have developed a self-paced online course to train designated employees how to comply with the quarantine.

Through short educational videos and handouts, this course will teach the designated employees what they need to know about the spotted lanternfly: its lifecycle and how to identify each life stage; what it eats; and where lays its eggs. They will also learn how to find and destroy spotted lanternflies and their egg masses, and best practices for working in the quarantine zone.

There are three sections in the course. Each section has a quiz at the end. Students will need to achieve a score greater than 70% on the quizzes in order to pass this course.

The designated employee must train fellow employees to work in the quarantine zone without inadvertently spreading these insects and endangering agriculture and commerce.

Downloadable training materials in English and Spanish are available in the course; they include PowerPoint presentations and fact sheets.

Once a designated employee passes this course, his or her company will receive spotted lanternfly permits for company vehicles.

If you have questions about the permitting process, contact New Jersey Department of Agriculture at slf-plantindustry@ag.nj.gov or call 609-406-6939.

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