HAPPY BIRTHDAY U.S.A.!
for discerning weeders
The Foundation for the Gator Nation..... An equal opportunity institution.
BABY IT’S HOT OUTSIDE! It’s safe to say that summer weather is upon us! Hot and steamy with the occasional rain storms to make it steamier. Did we say occasional rain storms? At this point, several areas have surpassed the average yearly rainfall rate...and there are still months left to go. As gardeners, it’s important that we be aware of the weather, past and present. This issue we feature a product review that will help you answer those weather questions.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO K. Beck A. Foley S. Gerber J. Hays A. Ogle C. Strom
The hot weather also means taking the necessary precautions to avoid heat stress and heat related illnesses! Drink plenty of water and try to avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day. There are times we you don’t have any choice and have to work outside--be careful! Know what the symptoms are when it comes to heat illnesses and take all the necessary steps to make sure you stick around for next season. Same goes for the thunderstorms that we get around here. Lightning is the most frequently encountered and dangerous weather condition a person can experience. It is the second most frequent killer in the United States with 100 deaths and 500 injuries each year. Did you know…
Lightning may strike up to 10-15 miles away from the thunderstorm.
There are 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes each year in the United States.
The air within a lightning strike can reach 50,000° F.
If caught outside, NEVER lie flat on the ground. This increases your change of being injured by a ground strike and subsequent discharge.
Don’t forget to log your hours in the VMS system! VMS is your one-stop location for information, dates, events and more!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
You might consider having a weather radio around or at least have an app on your phone to alert you of approaching weather. There are many other articles in this edition for your edification and enjoyment! Don’t forget to send your articles and pictures in each month! We can’t produce a great newsletter without YOU! Happy Independence Day and ‘Keep a Weather Eye on the Horizon.’
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On the Trail
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Adieu
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Moon and Clouds Gardener Holidays In Our Yards
Plentiful Plantings Editor-in-Chief
On the Cover - Water tower as viewed from Veterans Park on Okaloosa Island. Photo courtesy of E. & L. Fabian
An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
Event Calendar
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4-5 5 6-7
Plants That Changed the World
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Wildlife Happenings
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July Chores
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Book Review
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Infographics
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News You Can Use
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Product Review
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Last Word
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For details on any of the upcoming events, go to www.ocmga.org/Calendar.html. Master Gardener members go to VMS to sign up for events and log in your hours.
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ON THE TRAIL
by B. Bayer
A fairly warm winter and an above average, wet spring have combined to produce an enormous amount of new growth on the trail. This growth was not limited to the plants, it also created an explosive increase in the number of insects. While producing a bumper crop to feed the birds and small animals, it had an annoying effect on us humans. Ticks and mosquitoes seem to present the greatest danger, since both are capable of transmitting disease.
for about two weeks before the leaves appear. The Fringetree belongs to the olive family Oleaceae and the female produces dark blue olive-like fruits that mature in late summer or early fall.
I always enjoy walking the trail and seeing the wonderful changes that Nature makes on a daily or even minute to minute occurrence. At times, the woodland is like a stage, the sunlight filtering through the trees casts a light on selected areas akin to spotlight highlighting a spot of new growth. Speaking of new growth, I’m proud to say that most of the plants that have been installed during the re-forestation program have done very well. The native azaleas that were rescued from the abandoned portion of the trail are prospering in their lightly shaded new home. The fourteen long leaf pines that were contributed by the Annex nursery are doing well. Eight of these seedling have been planted and six more are awaiting planting. Two Eastern Red Cedars and a Red Maple also have taken well to their new surroundings. At the present time, additional planting has been put on hold until the weather improves and the insects go back the hibernation. FEATURE TREE Chionanthus virginicus White Fringetree Some consider the White Fringetree in bloom to be the most beautiful of all flowering trees. The outstanding feature of this 15-30 ft. deciduous tree or shrub is the drooping clusters of fragrant, white blossoms. Also known as Grancy Greybeard or Old Man’s Beard the flowers burst into bloom in early spring. They are composed of narrow ribbon-like petals that are snowy white. The botanical name means, “snow flower.” This native tree is one of the last to leaf out in spring. Prior to flowering the tree appears dead, then makes a spectacular floral display We had to bid adieu to one of the mainstays of the Extension Office. Linda Boutwell retired after 14 years with Extension! She did A LOT for the Master Gardeners and she will be missed. The ‘tree’ has flowers that Master Gardeners wrote well wishes and sentiments on. We wish Linda all the best in her new status of RETIRED! and hope that she has many camping adventures in her future.
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MOON, CLOUDS AND PICKLED PEPPERS Farmers’ almanacs have been part of American history for a very long time. The best known currently are The Old Farmer’s Almanac and The Farmers’ Almanac. Both are available in print editions and/or online and both have Facebook pages (links provided below). But all were preceded by Poor Richard’s Almanac which debuted in 1792. And why would you need a farmers’ almanac anyway? Well, if you are anything like my dad and his parents and grandparents before him and my maternal grandparents, you wouldn’t dream of planting your vegetable garden without first consulting the almanac for weather forecasts and the proper phases of the moon during which to plant various crops. The basic principle as I recall it is to plant above-ground crops during waxing phases of the moon and root crops during the waning phases. So here’s what you should be doing for the remainder of June, July and the first half of August: https://farmersalmanac.com/calendar/gardening/. I remember very well that my dad and my maternal grandmother faithfully followed those recommendations and they both grew gardens like you wouldn’t believe. Of course, that may have been due in large part to that rich soil they had to work with, especially my grandmother in Iowa whose garden had the blackest loam, the likes of which we can only dream about here in Florida. But I digress, wistfully. Whether or not planting according to moon phases had anything at all to do with their success I can’t say but they certainly believed in it, along with many other Americans. In addition to weather and moon-phase information, farmers’ almanacs are known for being sturdy (and charming) bastions of anecdotes, articles and advice for all aspects of American farming and rural life and my dad always had a copy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac handy, hanging from its hole-punched cover.
by K. Harper
himself on his native town by saddling it with the Franklin stove, and that he discovered the almanac, and that a penny saved is a penny lost, or something of the kind.” ME-OWWW. Cattiness aside, Poor Richard’s Almanack set the standard for the many subsequent almanacs that were published and paved the way for the two that survive today and The Old Farmer’s Almanac honors Ben Franklin to this day with a picture of him on every cover.
Old Farmer’s Almanac. Founded in 1792 by Robert Thomas, the Old Farmer’s Almanac was called by that name and also sometimes just “Farmers Almanac” throughout the 19th century but from the 20th century on it has been known as “Old Farmer’s Almanac.” It includes weather forecasts, tide tables, those famous moon-phase planting charts, astronomical data, recipes, and articles about gardening and farming, among many other topics. It is available annually on the first Tuesday in September. The weather forecasts are based on 30-year statistical averages prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Nowadays the forecasts also include observations of sunspots and other solar activity and predict weather trends by comparing solar patterns and historical weather conditions with current solar activity. Not surprisingly, the accuracy of the predictions has been questioned and one review found them to be around 50% on target. This may be what Poor Richard's Almanack prompted the following It was Benjamin Franklin who statement in the almanac’s gave the country its first bicentennial edition: "Neither farmers’ almanac. In 1732 we nor anyone else has as yet using the pen name of "Poor gained sufficient insight into Richard" he began publishing the mysteries of the universe his ‘almanack’, full of weather to predict weather with forecasts, practical life advice anything resembling total and lots of puzzles and witty accuracy." For a humorous quotes, many of which you take on this subject see: http://tinyurl.com/jarv3hw (Wait a might well recognize! For moment for the video to load.) The Old Farmer’s Almanac some great examples see: publishing company (Yankee Publishing) also produces http://tinyurl.com/y7z4uodv numerous gardening reference books, a children’s almanac, (My favorite: “If you would calendars, and cookbooks among other publications. not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either The Farmers’ Almanac was founded in 1818 in Morristown, write things worth reading, or NJ by David Young and published by Jacob Mann. Currently it is do things worth writing.” published by Almanac Publishing Company and is Hmmm, gotta remember that headquartered in Lewiston, Maine. The Almanac emphasizes one and keep writing…) Ben’s conservation and sustainable, simple living. It is famous for its publication ran from 1732 to 1758 and reached a wide audience long-range weather predictions and astronomical data. Articles in the American colonies with publication runs of as many as about gardening, cooking, and fishing are featured in every 10,000 copies. The almanac often contained stories in serial edition. But about those weather predictions. They are made as form, which prompted readers to keep buying it year after year much as two years in advance and they use, according to the to see where the stories would lead. Alas, some of Ben’s Almanac, “a top secret mathematical and astronomical formula, contemporaries were less than kind in their criticisms of both that relies on sunspot activity, tidal action, planetary position the almanac and its author--downright snarky, you might even and many other factors." Also according to the publishers, the say. Here is what James Russel Lowell had to say when a statue true identity of the forecaster (who goes by the pseudonym Caleb of Franklin was unveiled in his honor in Boston: “... we shall Weatherbee) is kept secret to prevent him or her from being find out that Franklin was born in Boston, and invented being "badgered". Similar to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Farmers’ struck with lightning and printing and the Franklin medal, and Almanac claims many loyal long-term readers who rate the that he had to move to Philadelphia because great men were so forecasts as much as 85% accurate. Meanwhile professionals plenty in Boston that he had no chance, and that he revenged such as Penn State meteorologist Paul Knight say that: "The An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
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MOON
cont’d.
ability to predict events that far in advance is zero." Cynics! The Farmers’ Almanac also embarks on "human crusades," in which they push for a change in various established customs. One such crusade was "How Much Daylight Are We Really Saving?" Now there’s a crusade I could get behind! The company also publishes video and television, including "Farmers’ Almanac TV" which aired on public television, apparently from 2006 to 2009. According to Wikipedia: “Farmers' Almanac TV filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May 2009. The filing was in Chatham County, Georgia, with documents revealing that the company made no revenue in any of its years of operation. Over 50 investors have been cut out of any profits as the judge allowed the dissolving company's officers to value the assets at under $150,000, which would go to Turner Investments, an insider who loaned the company money one year earlier.” Hopefully you didn’t invest in it at the time. I never saw the show, sadly, but also according to Wikipedia, there are plans to re-launch it on RFD-TV, so stay tuned.
The Farmers’ Almanac: Website: https:// farmersalmanac.com/ Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/TheFarmersAlmanac Note: I am a stickler for punctuation and all of these variations on “farmers’” and “old farmer’s” almanacs that I encountered while writing this article have driven me batty. There are numerous discrepancies as to how they are written- is it a singular farmer’s almanac or is it a plural farmers’ almanac?? I finally settled on what the official website for each almanac uses. So we have the “Old Farmer’s Almanac” (singular possessive) and the “Farmers’ Almanac,” (plural possessive) just in case you were thinking that we here at The Compost Pile don’t know the difference.
The Jokester Everyone has a photographic memory.
Links: Poor Richard’s Almanack: Other collections of Poor Richards wit and witticisms: http://tinyurl.com/yc5pn6m2 http://tinyurl.com/ya3z3wgd
Some just don’t have film.
Old Farmer’s Almanac: Website: http://www.almanac.com/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ theoldfarmersalmanac
GARDENER HOLIDAYS
by Staff
July marks the beginning of the dog-days of summer. It is the Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day 27th fourth month to have 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honor of the Roman general, Julius Caesar, since it was July’s birth trees are: Apple, fir, elm, and cypress. Birth flower is the month of his birth. Prior to that, it was called Quintilis. larkspur, delphinium and/or water lily. Birth stone is Ruby. Colors are green, russet, and red. Monthly Observances Air Conditioning Appreciation Days 7-3 through 8-15 National Blueberries Month National Honey Month Stop the presses! National Ice Cream Month National Horseradish Month Too late, I know. S. Taylor has informed us that grass National Watermelon Month plugs are available at Crestview Nursery during the Wheat Month summer months. She has assured us the nursery has Weekly Observances Beans and Bacon Week 1 - 5 Nude Recreation Week 10 - 16 National Moth Week 22 - 30 Daily Holidays International Cherry Pitt Spitting Day 1st Take Your Web Master to Lunch Day 6th Chocolate Day 7th Grange Day 8th Strawberry Rhubarb Wine Day 15th An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
them usually from April til August and that they’re usually located in front of the parking lot. And she should know since she works there! Furthermore, they are just $6.99 for an 18-plug tray which is a phenomenal price. Editors
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IN OUR YARDS
by Staff
First ‘tater’ harvest and fresh pintos for supper. Photos courtesy of A. Ogle
Dendrobium unicum in bloom with a great tangerine/peach fragrance. Phalaenopsis in background. Photo courtesy of S. Berry
The Jokester Ever wonder why the sun lightens our hair but darkens our skin?
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From the Florida Memes website courtesy of D. Edmiston
The Jokester I didn’t make it to the gym today. That makes 5 years in a row.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Transporting your nursery purchases. Courtesy A. Ogle Note: We do not recommend
Orange dog caterpillar. Photo courtesy of M. Stewart
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PLANTS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD “Profit was the engine that drove European powers beyond their own shores, and crops such as tea, cotton, sugar, rubber and tobacco changed the destinies of regions where they were grown” (Musgrave, 2000). Food staples, textiles, recreational drugs, medicines and manufacturing products have directed trade between countries for centuries. The economic power of nations have grown or diminished as territorial claims were determined. The spice trade was one of the most lucrative of commodities until Europeans found the New World.
by L. Penry
from China and created in Indian plantations. Tea continues to be a major export for India.
Opium poppy, (Papaver somniferum) a member of the Papaveraceae family, is a herbaceous annual plant. It is native to Greece, southeastern Europe and western Asia. The illicit opium trade of 1700s and 1800s shows another dishonorable example of economic priorities. As supplies of silver bullion began to be inadequate to trade for Chinese tea and silk, opium from the fields of Bengal was used as an alternative. This product Britain became a global power, acquiring much of its wealth was an economic success for The East India Company but was through plant products. The seven plants Musgrave and one of human suffering. Opium smoking spread across China, Musgrave reviewed had a significant influence on social changes, causing an imperial edict banning the smoking of opium and the economic changes, importation of the drug. The East transportation changes, as India Company continued the well as building a new exportation which caused the Opium country. Britain’s view of the Wars. colonies subsisted only to The genus Cinchona is a member of provide raw materials and the Rubiaccae family which is markets for goods from indigenous to the Andean highlands of Europe. However, tax South America. Other members of this revenues imposed by Britain family are coffee and gardenia. was one of the reasons for the Quinine is found in the bark of these American Revolution. evergreen trees. Through an effective Tobacco is a member of the plant transfer, cinchona was Solanaccae family and established in plantations in southern includes tomatoes, potatoes India. The Peruvian Indians used and peppers. Tobacco is quinine as an herbal remedy for many indigenous to the Americas conditions. Jesuit missionaries and first arrived in Europe by discovered cinchona around 1630 and the crew of Columbus’s trips determined the bark was ground into in 1492. This industry created a fine powder and used to treat fever. smuggling, piracy and In Europe, there was no developed the slave trade. Yet, the gain of high profits obscured understanding of what caused malaria until the late 19th century even though the disease was widespread. The word ‘malaria’ is the darker qualities of this trade. derived from Italian meaning bad air. This is because they Sugar cane is a member of the tropical grass family, thought the disease was caused from swamp gas rather than the Saccharum. The European taste for sugar created an industry in mosquito transmitting malaria. In 1678, Robert Talbor, was the Caribbean. It became a staple crop for many of the colonies. named the physician for Charles II because he cured the king of Again, due to the labor intensive characteristic of this crop, the malaria using a “special” formula. Later, Louis XIV of France plantations incorporated slaves, changing the Caribbean’s way of purchased the formula to save his son. So these medical life and demography. accomplishments made cinchona an accepted treatment for malaria. Quinine enabled the settlement of parts of Africa and Cotton is a member of the Malvaceae family and includes okra southeast Asia, which were previously inhabitable for wives and and hibiscus. America became the primary source of raw cotton. families. This changed colonial life. This single crop sustained a whole way of life in the American South, embracing planters, merchants and riverboat men. The Para rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, is the superior rubber (Musgrave, 2000). Again, it fostered slavery on large plantations, producer. Rubber is essential for a multitude of common one of the causes of the American Civil War. The Industrial everyday items. Native Americans in Brazil tapped rubber from Revolution created social, economic and technological changes. trees as a traditional practice. European explorers and botanists In the textile realm, cotton processing was the primary quickly realized this limited production method could not satisfy revolution. The raw materials were cheaper than other textiles the commercial potential of rubber. The rapid growth of motor and the profit achieved from converting the raw material to cloth transport caused wild rubber collection to be replaced by was more. Before this industrialization, the process of weaving colonial plantations in British Malaya which was economically and spinning were, of course, achieved by individuals. The beneficial. However, this transfer impaired Brazil’s welfare. disadvantages of this technology changed the roles of these spinners and weavers and introduced child labor in dark, factory Plants have, indeed, changed the world. Their cultivation and environments. management have caused the creation of enormous wealth and incredible human desolation. Tea is a member of the Theaceae family which includes the species camellia. Early on, tea plants and the secret of processing Musgrave, T, & W. (2000). An Empire of Plants; People and Plants that of infusion made from the dried leaves was restricted only to Changed the World. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Co, Inc. China. China’s trading practices included dealing only in silver bullion. Tea’s popularity grew in Europe prompting the East Adapted from a presentation by Tina Tuttle with her permission. India Company to engage in piracy. Tea plants were smuggled An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
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WILDLIFE HAPPENINGS Summer is in full swing and so is the local wildlife! Here are things to look for in July. Birds •Shorebird migration starts in mid-July and peaks in August. Be on the lookout for nesting shorebirds and keep your vehicles and pets from disturbing them. •Swallow-tailed kites, purple martins, and tree swallows begin gathering in preparation for migrating south for the winter.
by Staff Insects •Mosquitoes and chiggers are abundant so take precautions while outdoors.
Mammals •Baby raccoons, foxes, armadillos, possums, and bobcats leave their dens and begin following their parents. Reptiles •Young alligators and crocodiles begin hatching later this month.
JULY GARDEN CHORES
by Staff
Annuals - Be sure to water your annuals regularly as the heat of Solarizing - Now is the time to solarize garden soil for fall planting. It takes 4 to 6 weeks to kill weeds, disease, and nemasummer continues. todes. Palms - Continue planting while the rainy season is in full swing. Large palms should be supported with braches for 6 to 8 months after planting. Trees - Consider planting peach and nectarine varieties that do well in our area. Photo credit: Tyler Jones, UF/IFAS
Vegetables - Tomato and pumpkin seeds should be started now. Cucumbers, peppers, and southern peas may also be planted. Bulbs - Butterfly lily, gladiolus, and society garlic may be planted now.
BOOK REVIEW
by M. Stewart Ferment Your Vegetables: A fun and flavorful guide to making your own pickles, kimchi, kraut, and more by Amanda Feifer ISBN 978-1-59233-682-1 If you are like me, you have a love/hate relationship with making pickles. Some of the products we used to use in order to have those nice, crisp pickles are no longer around. Then you have the cooking and stirring...it can be a time consuming and smelly proposition.
VERY nosey cat. So what to do? I saw a fermentation kit that had silicone relief valves (think baby bottle tops), weights designed to fit in mason jars as well as a ’kraut tamper. Like any kit, there were some suggestions on fermenting but they were, how shall I say this???? They were just plain boring! Onward! To seek out new fermenting bacteria, explore new and unique veggies, to boldly go where no fermenter has gone before! Well all that is good but I’d really prefer not to give someone botulism poisoning while I’m at it. So book hunting I did go and boy did I find it. Ferment Your Vegetables goes into enough detail about the nuts and bolts of fermentation without causing you to fall asleep. If you have never fermented before, you’ll feel well equipped to begin after reading Chapter 1. Then on to the recipes. Ms Feifer includes the standards like kimchi and sauerkraut but also such gems as curried cucumber pickles and many more. There is also a section on salt-less fermenting.
As with other things, fermented foods have gotten popular and if the ’organic’ label is on there as well….your pocketbook takes a Also, if you have been alive over the past few years you know that hit. Why not make your own healthy and tasty fermented foods? doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs are touting the health benefits This book will not only help you get started but will also be a go of eating fermented foods. I haven’t gotten brave enough for to when you just want to try something different. kombucha but I do like sauerkraut. That being said, I really don’t have a place for a fermentation crock. Besides, I also own a An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
by Staff
Cassava, also called yucca, tapioca, or manioc is a tropical root crop native to South America. Cassava roots are generally boiled like a potato, and the leaves are utilized in soups or stews. The root pulp is also pressed and baked to create a gluten free cracker. There are growers in the Panhandle that have successfully grown cassava. http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2017/06/09/cassava-a-cropfor-the-back-forty/
Beneficial parasitic wasps in peanuts http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2017/07/07/beneficialparasitic-wasps-in-peanuts/
Citrus greening has been confirmed in Alabama. Not the news we want to hear. For more information http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2017/06/30/citrus-greening -confirmed-in-alabama/
To calculate the runoff from any given rainfall: 1. Take the dimension of the footprint of your roof and convert them to inches. 2. Multiply the roof dimension by the number of inches of rainfall. 3. Divide by 231 to get the number of gallons (because 1 gallon = 231 cubic inches).
6-page fact sheet on nematode management in residential lawns http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ng039 Master Gardener State Conference Information http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/gardener/index.html In the need for plant photos? http://photos.ifas.ufl.edu/ As of July 1, 2017, webinars will be facilitated in Zoom. For help, see “Getting Started” on Zoom.com. Webinars that were recorded prior to this date were in Adobe Connect and must be converted for you to access them. Please be patient while the transition is made. Recorded webinars and schedule for future webinars may be found at http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/mastergardener/ volunteers/education/webinars.html
Do you know how much rain you can gather off your roof? http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/rain-barrel-for-rainwatercollection/5497.html
Fluorescent proteins and transparent plants http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/05/ explore-transparent-plants/ Have you heard about the solar eclipse next month? Here’s a handy guide https://www.space.com/33797-total-solar-eclipse-2017guide.html And going along the solar line, we are also coming up on the Grand Solar Minimum https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/news-articles/solarminimum-is-coming Video of presentation https://youtu.be/kBKJkU06ICQ
Organic certification cost share available for 2017 http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2017/07/07/organiccertification-cost-share-available-for-2017/
Phrase of the month: Educated to imbecility.
PRODUCT REVIEW
by M. Stewart
As gardeners, we tend to pay a bit more attention to the weather than some folks. We want to know how much rain we have gotten and how high the temperature is. We want to know what the low temperature was the night before and how much wind we are having. This time of year, it’s nice to know the heat index.
program. When you first install the weather station, it will be in learning mode for 14 days. After that you’ll get a forecast for your EXACT location. So far, it’s be spot on the money and we’ve had the staIf you’re like me, you either have or have had a rain gauge. These tion working for about 6 months. come in varying sizes, shapes, and prices. Problem is, most are difficult to read from the comfort of your house and they are also You can also purchase this system with a lightning detector but since not the most accurate form of measurement. most folks reviewed that items as Enter the AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Weather Station with Wind and being more irritating than helpful Rain. It has an auto-dimming illuminated color display that tells we decided on omitting that item. Additionally, you have the you everything from rainfall amounts to the heat index. You’ll be ability to set up the system to sync with your computer and sign able to view indoor and outdoor temperatures along with humid- in to a data collection site. ity. Wind speed and wind direction are provided and all the information is stored to give you the weekly, monthly, and all-time Now the ideal position for this station is 30 feet in the air. I was not inclined to be climbing on my roof and attaching a pole so we high and low records. have it mounted on a 4x4 post that is about 8-9 feet above the The sensor itself measures temperature, humidity, wind speed, ground. There, the station is free from most obstructions and has wind direction and rain. It has an automatic self-emptying rain proven to be quite accurate. We did purchase a separate battery collection cup. It also has a solar array that powers the battery replacement that will allow me to insert this new piece into the cooling fan. battery compartment and then I’ll be able to change batteries when needed from ground level. Definitely recommended for One of the really nifty features is a self-calibrating forecasting those who would prefer more ‘local’ weather data. An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
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M. Stewart —Editor S. Farrell , K. Harper, and S. Berry—co-editors
Have pictures or an idea for an article? Send it in! Articles and pictures are always welcome.
Mission To assist Extension Agents in providing research-based horticultural education to Florida residents. Vision To be the most trusted resource for horticultural education in Florida.
LAST WORD Anyone who knows me knows that I love my label maker. I also hate having a messy pantry. Well lately, I’ve been frustrated by the metal shelving and the fact you really can’t stack things efficiently. So, I ordered shelf liners and more can organizers. I love my can organizers. You always get the oldest one first. But I digress. Eventually the packages arrived (don’t you just love Amazon® delivery day?) and I was armed with the necessary equipment to tackle this project. Happy Hubby set me up with a table so I could off-load each shelf. Happily I envisioned skipping along and checking expiration dates and re-homing all the products. How naïve and trusting. First of all, I am convinced that there is a guy somewhere in each manufacturing plant whose sole purpose is to find the worst place to locate an expiration date. He must have a checklist that ensures it will be basically invisible without a magnifying lens and a high-intensity light. Next, he makes sure that it is surrounded by gibberish AND the ink utilized will not have withstood smearing. So the sorting was taking longer than I expected. Time for another cup of coffee, remove the cat from a garbage bag and continue. There were times when I had to resort to the “can I even remember buying this?” to determine if it stayed. I’m quite certain that the garbage men now have my house marked with a skull and crossbones after that job was done and the expired products were tossed. Okay, now it’s time to put the can organizers together. These come in pieces so you are able to customize to your various can sizes. Four sets of track (front/back and top/bottom) along with the ‘racks’ that allow the cans to roll. Coffee level needs refilling and retrieve track pieces that Master Walter has shoved under the floor mat. One rubber mallet in hand and the cans laid out...I’m ready. I was so eager in my quest for organized shelves that I didn’t hear the Universe laughing. I managed to get one set together and installed, loaded half the cans and………..the next set of cans did not fit. There is no way to easily correct the alignment while it’s on the shelf so…. Unload all the cans and start over. Lesson learned. Dry run with one can in each section to check fit BEFORE placing on shelf. Fortify oneself with more coffee, remove the cat from the shelf and try again. Let’s just leave our heroine at this point and say that it took several tries to get the cans to fit and many times of removing a helpful kitty from the area. During a coffee break, Happy Hubby
An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
by M. Stewart helpfully suggests that since I have all these shelf liners, the other set of shelves could really be helped by having them installed. These shelves are the cleaning supplies and such so it shouldn’t really be that difficult. (do you hear the Universe laughing again?) After clearing just one shelf and finding some things that I had previously thought lost in an alternate time/space continuum, I knew this project would take longer than the two days I had allotted. Remove everything from shelves, ignore cat climbing shelves like a tree. Switch out coffee with something with a bit more kick. Sort. Retrieve HH from his hiding place in his den because this was HIS genius idea in the first place so he can help. Now schlep items from the pantry to other locations where they really should be...discover that you really need to organize some of these other areas...you get the idea. I am happy to say that after a week of chaos, I have the house back in one piece. Three closets are organized, the pantry is organized, the plastic container cabinet is organized and the cat has been removed from all closets/boxes/shelves/bags/bins/ totes/cabinets that he could fit his kitty self into. HH is also out of the dog house (for now) and thankfully hasn’t had anymore helpful suggestions lately. On the upside, Walter slept very well every night...so many things for a cat to do! Oh so many lessons to take to the garden. #1 - Whatever project you intend to tackle plan on it taking longer than you anticipate. #2 - Stick to your original plan! Ignore helpful people who suggest you could do another project at the same time….it’s not going to work. #3 - While doing your main project and you notice something else that needs doing-unless it’s a hazard or an invasive--leave it alone! Keep a running list if you have to but stick to the plan! #4 - Stay hydrated. #5 - Know that if you have helpers they may not always be ‘helpful.’ Try and keep your sense of humor. #6 - When you have a big project, make sure that meals will be easy to make or order delivery. Don’t add more to your plate (no pun intended that you already have.) And finally, #6 Be like Walter. Decide that every box/tote/shelf/bag/closet/cabinet needs to be checked out. Keep that sense of wonder and curiosity that brought you to gardening in the first place. If you happen to get stuck in one of those spots, yell like the dickens--you’ll definitely freak out the neighbors. Plentiful Plantings July, 2017