Master Gardener

85 percent relative humidity, and store at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Properly cured sweet potatoes should keep the entire winter. One sweet potato plant will yield at least two pounds.

By Katie Markheim, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener

Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a strategy that uses a combination of methods to manage pests to avoid unacceptable damage while also protecting the health of humans, pets, other nontargets, and the environment. Here are a few IPM tips.

• Prevent insects, disease, and weeds by mulching, using protective netting, and selecting disease-resistant plants.

• Plant flowers and/or herbs in and around your garden to attract pollinators and beneficial bugs.

• Use organic or conventional treatment options to handle, slow or stop insect pests or disease issues.

• Know what to use and when to use it for best results.

• Contact your local extension agency for help in pest identification and expert tips and remedies.

Want your garden to live long and prosperous, even after harvest? It’s possible! Here are a few things to consider before and after that bountiful harvest.

• Food safety

• Pesticide application intervals to harvest

• Harvest methods, including handling methods and equipment use

• To wash or not to wash…that is the question.

• Storage requirements

• Temperature and humidity of storage area

• Shelf life or curing time.

• Home storage vs. garden storage

Even though the Panhandle’s been receiving its fair share of rainfall this year, keep an eye on that garden as temperatures rise this growing season. Here are a few quick tips about watering and fertilizing your growing garden plants.

• Veggie plants need about 1 inch of water per week, preferably applied in one application.

• Keep the water source close to the ground to keep it from splashing, which can spread disease.

• Use a water-soluble fertilizer, diluted according to label directions to give transplants a good start.

• Use compost or well-aged manure as a side-dressing for ongoing fertilization.

So, what’s the big deal about companion

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Ponds

When building a new pond, remember that siting it in full sun will encourage the growth of algae, so position it in a lightly shaded area.

When the hole has been dug for a pond, use whole newspapers soaked in water to line it instead of using sand. The papers can be molded around any contour. Or use old carpet. Both will protect the liner for many years.

Do not line a pond with normal polyethylene sheeting, as it will tear easily. Use purpose-made butyl rubber sheeting, which should carry a guarantee against leaking.

Install an overflow pipe in new pool, as heavy rainfall could cause the water to spill over the edge.

Take a pair of old tights cut the legs off, and place one leg inside the other. Fill the tights with aquatic compost and tie off the open end. To plant, burn a hole in the tights with a match at various points and plant your aquatic or marginal plants through the holes. Locate the bag around the edge of the pond to suit requirements. The plants will soon grow through the tights and the tights will soon be hidden. A ball left in a pond before an overnight freeze will help to stop the pond from completely freezing over. If the ball is removed in the morning it leaves an air hole for fish and a water hole for other animals.

Remove algae or blanket weed from a fish or garden pond by rotating a rough barked stick in it. To make it easier to remove the algae from the stick, cut a lengthways groove in it and the algae can be cut off with scissors. Use the algae as compost in the herb garden.

After placing plants in a garden pool, wait three weeks for the water and plants to settle before introducing fish.

To keep that green slime from collecting in the birdbath or fountain, add a few copper pieces or coins.

If potted plants are close to a pool, they should be moved away when applying liquid fertilizer, as it could harm fish in the pond and it also encourages algae growth.

Important dates August 8-9

August 8, 1945 - Soviet Russia declared war on Japan and sent troops into Japanese-held Manchuria.

August 9, 1945 - The second Atomic bombing of Japan occurred as an American B-29 bomber headed for the city of Kokura, but because of poor visibility then chose a secondary target, Nagasaki. About noon, the bomb detonated killing an estimated 70,000 persons and destroying about half the city.

August 9, 1974 - Effective at noon, Richard M. Nixon resigned the presidency as a result of the Watergate scandal. Nixon had appeared on television the night before and announced his decision to the American people. Facing possible impeachment by Congress, he became the only U.S. President ever to resign.

Mosquito Trivia

They transmit malaria. encephalitis, meningitis, and West Nile diseases.

Only the females bite.

The females lay their eggs in stagnant or standing water.

Actually, mosquitos do not bite. They suck.

Males live 10 days, while females live about 2 months.

Most mosquitoes stay within a few hundred feet of where they are hatched.

It would take 1.2 million mosquito bites to drain the blood from the average-sized person.

They have CO2 detectors that attract them to the breath birds and mammals exhale.

They are also drawn to heat.

Mosquito saliva causes an itchy bump on the skin. There are over 3,500 species. But, don’t worry. Only 175 species are in the United States.

Mosquitoes hibernate when temperatures fall below 50° F.

Sammie McCauley