HORTICULTURE
Gifted Gardener
M A R C H
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
FEAR NOT SPRING WILL COME!
Planting Time
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Flower Garden
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Maintenance
Vegetable 6 gardening good Family Fun Farmers Market
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wants You Compost- 8 ing: The Creation of Black Gold comes in many forms! Activities & Ideas
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With that headline statement I can tell you that spring has already begun in our office. Questions are beginning to pour in as we arise from our winter hibernation and are anxious to see green grass and flowers again. Feel free to use whatever method of communication you are comfortable with to ask questions, learn more about a gardening subject, or share an idea. We will be here for you and as spring begins to blossom remember that when necessary we may be the only service left that still makes house calls. As I said earlier several things are already active around our office. We have begun a Master Gardener program so we have 17 new students going through the coursework. I have already learned from them that they are a talented set of artists. They have 7 more classes to go. The farmers market board has been actively planning for the upcoming season and have a goal of making 1
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our farmers market the best in the state. The Kentucky Home Extension Master Gardener Association is far along in the planning process for the 11th Blooming Bardstown Garden Tour and Market Place which will be held on Saturday June 7th The Nelson County Beekeepers Club has grown to 40 members in just one year. They have already conducted a Bee School this year and continue to offer educational opportunities every first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm at the Nelson County Extesnion office. I want to encourage you to view this newsletter on line. We are making it more dynamic and linked . This means that many of the articles have hot links within them that can take you to more information. The hard copy you receive in the mail can’t do that. Almost 1200 news letter are mailed each time and you know that can be expensive. We currently have about 200 email addresses and would like to see all 1200 hundred contacts with email addresses. As we move forward we will have to begin sending newsletters electronical(Continued on page 10)
WOODY PLANTS
“With a little planning you can save yourself lots of money and heartache and be a more productive gardener. “
Planting Time Over the next few weeks and month the garden centers will begin to fill up with truck loads of nursery stock and we will buy; as we always do. There is nothing wrong with purchasing plants, in fact as the local economy is concerned more of that money will stay with the local economy than many of your other purchases. However, let me put you to a challenge. I challenge you to go in with a plan rather than buying on impulse (it’ll save you a lot of money and heart ache in the long run). What do I mean? Well I visit lots of landscapes over the course of a season and all to often I see the same problems over and over again. Many times we buy to many plants for a given space or we simply buy a plant (because its beautiful in the store) only to have it out grow the locations in which it is planted in way to few of years. Sometimes the plant purchased is not at
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all suited to the site where it’s planted because it likes shade and you planted in direct sun. With a little planning you can save yourself lots of money and heartache and be a more productive gardener. For example knowing the dimensions of the planting area is a good start. Most plants have very good labels that provide spacing requirements and other care instructions. This can help you decide how many plants you need for a specific garden space. However, we should not rely on the label to tell us information we should already have learned before shopping. Go to the garden center with a list of plants for each area, have your beds already prepared before you begin shopping and know the conditions (like sun/ shade, wet/dry, etc.) of the site. The pictograph to the right should serve as a reminder of what to do once you get those new purchases home. However, before purchasing you should do your first inspections while in the (Continued on page 3)
nursery or garden center. Don’t be afraid to pull a few pots off plants to inspect the root systems. You’re looking for nice white roots to the edge of
the root ball all the way around the ball. Don’t buy wilted or distressed looking plants and make sure the canopy is in tack with now broken limbs. 3
FLOWERS
FLOWER GARDEN MAINTENANCE Regular, planned maintenance keeps plants healthy and a garden looking attractive. Fertilizing
“Do not allow herbaceous perennials to dry out in their first season. Many tolerate dry soils once established”
Annuals need regular fertilizing. Well-prepared soil and organic mulch help make nutrients available to plants, but annuals grow so rapidly that supplemental fertilizer helps. When planting, incorporate about 5 pounds per 100 square feet of 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 fertilizer. Then fertilize at regular intervals, about every three weeks. Don’t add fertilizer to dry soil; be sure to water before and after fertilizing. When planting a new perennial garden, add about 5 pounds of 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 per 100 square feet and dig it in thoroughly before planting. Fertilize established herbaceous perennials as they start growth each year. Perennial plants that bloom in late summer or fall, such as as-
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ters, need regular fertilization before bloom, so feed them monthly until September. Perennials such as peonies that complete their bloom and growth by June do not need fertilizer in midsummer. In general, two light applications of fertilizer per year are sufficient for supplying extra nutrients if soil conditions are good. Always water after applying fertilizer. Weeding Keep annuals and perennials free of weeds. A combination of hand weeding and mulch is effective. Weed regularly to prevent seeds from becoming established. Herbaceous plants shade out some weeds when mature but require extra vigilance while they are too small to compete. Use herbicides with great care in herbaceous plantings, if at all. Always read the label of any herbicide before using. The label will list plants that will not be damaged as well as list those plants that may be severely damaged by that particular chemical. Use them only around woody plants established in the landscape for more than six months. It’s best to remove annual weeds
at the seedling stage by hoeing lightly, avoiding the roots of desired plants. You can spot-treat persistent perennial weeds such as morningglory with a postemergent herbicide such as glyphosate (sold as Roundup and many other trade names), but take great care to keep herbicides off the leaves of all desirable plants. Watering Most annuals need regular water because they don’t make deep root systems. However, some annuals, such as cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), tolerate summer dry spells. Do not allow herbaceous perennials to dry out in their first season. Many tolerate dry soils once established, however. Interest in water conservation causes many gardeners to choose plants that need little supplemental water. Plants such as artemisia, echinacea, Jerusalem sage (Phlomis spp.), and santolina use only moderate amounts of water. To use water efficiently, group plants according to water needs. Till the soil deeply and amend it with compost or other organic material.
(commercial or homemade), composted sawdust, chopped or composted leaves, or other materials for mulching. Two applications of mulch each year are helpful. Apply 2 to 3 inches in spring after weeding and fertilizing to retain soil moisture, suppress annual weed seeds, and improve the bed’s appearance. Apply mulch again in late fall. As it breaks down over winter, this material will provide some winter protection and weed suppression. Do not cover a perennial plant’s crown (the central growing area above the roots) with winter mulch, but do bring it up to the edge of the crown. In cold locations, you can cover the entire plant after the soil freezes or after several freezing nights. If you cover plants too soon, they may begin to grow under the mulch and may be killed by severe cold. Evergreen boughs make a good mulch, particularly in cold winter areas. Pull mulch off plants in early spring when weather warms, allowing new growth to emerge. (adapted from the Kentucky Extension Master Gardener Manual Chapter 13)
When you water, use efficient methods such as soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems, and apply water slowly and deeply. Mulching Organic mulch is useful in perennial and annual flower beds. Use compost 5
VEGETABLE
Vegetable gardening good Family Fun
“The farmers market
All of us are basically a generation removed from there being no question about where at least a portion of your food come from. When I was growing up in the late 70's and early 80's we were going to have a garden it just was a matter of how big and what was to be grown. Now a days it seems we are wishy washy on whether we'll put out a couple of tomatoes. Our garden each year was lead and planned by my Grandmother and my aunt. It covered about a half acre and fed about three
organizational meeting will be held on March 6th at 6:30 pm. “
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good sized families. It was a given that we would all spend some time in the garden and grandma dictated when and what needed to be done. This community/family garden really shaped my future and set me on the path that led me to becoming a Horticulturist. But it was the social aspect that really formed my values and honed my belief in the strengths of an extended family. It was everything from the sowing of seed, cutting and gathering bean poles, finding the first
ripe tomato, and the inevitable dirt clod fight among cousins that cultivated both the love of family and gardening. Let it be known that my Uncle Herb just about always found the first tomato and always had a shaker of salt in his pocket for said event. Get your family involved and garden together the kids may fuss now but I guarantee they will have the good memories forever. If the thought of a vegetable garden intimidates you join forces with someone with all the experience of gardening but just can't do
garden work like they used to. You'll both benefit immensely from the experience and your food knowledge will greatly improve. The Home Vegetable Gardening In Kentucky you see pictured in this entry is a wonderful publication for all levels of gardening experience. if you would like a copy just send me an email at robsmith@uky.edu with your name and address and we will mail you one out, or you can simply stop by the Nelson County Extension office for your free copy.
Farmers Market wants You If growing your own fruits and veggies seems like a daunting task but you still desire the freshness of local produce the farmers market is the place you need to go. Right now a lot of planning is going into the Bardstown Farmers Market season to make it a place where we not only get fresh produce but also fresh ideas, and more knowledge about our community. We would love to have your input. If you have ideas that will help meet our goal of being the best farmers market in the state go to the Bardstown Farmers market Facebook page like us and send a message.
ket that make it unique to some surrounding markets is that it is a producer only market. Which means that the growers you buy from grow the product you purchase from them. This also means that the produce was generally still on the vine or plant just 24 hours prior to being at the market. This is the freshest it can be unless you follow the advice of the above article. The farmers market organizational meeting will be held on March 6th at 6:30 pm. At the Nelson County Extension Office. This would be an opportunity to learn more about how to become a vendor at the market if you or someone you knows has that inclination.
Features of the Bardstown Farmers Mar7
LEARNING
COMPOSTING: THE CREATION OF BLACK GOLD COMES IN MANY FORMS!
“Compost adds organic matter (which helps alleviate compaction), increases good bacteria, and supplies much appreciated nutrients.”
As far as the horticulture community goes there is probably nothing more prized than what we call “Black Gold” or compost. Compost is packed with all kinds of stuff that is good for the health of the soil and the health of the plant community it supports. Compost adds organic matter (which helps alleviate compaction), increases good bacteria, and supplies much appreciated nutrients. What you may not know is that there are numerous ways to make compost from waste around the home. For a more detailed review of these methods you can visit Composting for the Homeowner from the Illinois Extension Service. But here I will provide you with some of the highlights of the paper. Holding Units, Turning Units, Heaps, and Pit/Trench composting are four of the most common methods of composting. Holding units are simply some type of vessel that houses the compostable materials until the com8
posting process is complete. This method is generally considered passive and can take up to two years to get a final product. You simply continue to add material to the pile in an enclosed environment and remove finished product from the bottom or all at once when it is complete. Turning Units are physically turned (like a rolling barrel) or a series of bins that you move product from one to another. This system is less passive and will yield a finished product in a shorter time frame. The other advantage is that it will typically heat up better allowing for the eradication of disease and weed seeds. Heap method is just what it sounds like; creating a heap of compostable products and letting it work. This can be treated passively or turned to hasten the process. This is my preferred method for larger material because I can simply pile it and forget it. Pit of Trench Composting is the method I want to spend a little more time on in this article because of its benefits. To the right are more details of how this method works but I also want to pro-
vide you with the why it may work best for you. This method is especially beneficial for kitchen scraps as you can simply bury the waste in the garden and forget it. In this process Mother Nature will take care of the details. Year 1 – Dig a 1’ foot wide trench on the left hand 1/3 of the 3’ area (A). Add compostable materials in this trench and cover with soil when half an inch full. Leave the center 1’ section open for a path (B), and plant your crop in the remaining 1’ strip along the right side (C). Year 2 – Section A is a path for year 2 allowing time for the Materials to break down. Plant your crop in section B. Section C, where you planted last year, becomes the compost trench.
Year 3 – Section A is now ready for planting. Section B is your trench for composting. Section C is in the second year of composting is it will be the path.
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LEARNING
ly . The printing cost continues to increase and all other cost attributed to mailing a newsletter are going higher. To be responsible we will have to change how we do this part of our work.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bardstown-Farmers-Market/199299616780198
http://honeyofablog.blogspot.com/
http://kentuckyhomegardens.blogspot.com/
We encourage you to send us (or call us with) your email address. If you email us please provide your other contact information as you see it on the mailing label of this newsletter to nelsonces@uky.edu If we don’t receive your information we will begin to call later this year to update your information. We do not mind sending out a mailed newsletter to those that don’t have the technology to receive it otherwise but the more we can email the better off we are. I feel we can give you a better product more often digitally than we can currently; if we can change how we deliver the newsletter.
Upcoming Activities: March 5th @ 6:30 pm Nelson County Beekeepers Club will have their regular meeting at the Nelson County Extension Office March 6th @6:30 pm The Bardstown Farmers Market (Continued on page 11)
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Will hold their Organizational meeting for the upcoming market season at the Nelson County Extension Office.
THAT’S AN IDEA Seed starting indoors should be beginning this month Many fruits need
Peaches, grapes, and blueberries, should be
to be fertilized this month
pruned later.
Get your beds
can be divided just as soon as
measured and designed before you go the the garden center , it will save you money Snow peas or sugar snap peas can go in the garden now Onions can be planted shortly Remembers soil testing is free in Nelson County and should be done every few years. Apple and blackberries pruning should take place now.
March 13th @ 7:00pm. Dr. Tom Barnes will present Wildflowers of Kentucky in a webinar format. You may participate by joining the group at the Nelson County Extension Office.
Many perennials
March 19th @ 6:30 pm We will be conducting a Apple and Pear grafting workshop at the Nelson county Extension office. Please call or email to register as there will be limited space and supplies.
the ground thaws. Monkey grass should be cut back now to the ground for a cleaner look this spring.
March 25th @ 4:00 pm Container Gardening Class at the Bloomfield Library.
Remember if it blooms before June prune after bloom. If it blooms after June you can prune now if needed. Don’t work your
More to come in April look on line for
Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Horticulture
soil wet if you do it will work you to death the rest of the year.
Phone: 502-348-9204 Fax: 502-348-9270 email: robsmith@uky.edu Website: http://nelson.ca.uky.edu/ @hortagentrob NelsonCountyExtension
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