Mason County 800 U.S Highway 68 Maysville, KY (606) Fax: (606) extension.ca.uky.edu

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1 Mason County Newsletter Cooperative Extension Service Mason County 800 U.S Highway 68 Maysville, KY (606) Fax: (606) extension.ca.uky.edu Letter from the Horticulture agent: Hello Gardeners, Its seems like winter may never end as January was a bitterly cold month. We have some great classes coming up at the Extension office and some that will be taking place in other locations. If have a class that you would like to see offered please call (606) or me at macy.fawns@uky.edu Macy Fawns, Horticulture Agent Inside this issue: Class Flyers.2 Veg Gardening 3 Housing for poultry 4 Class flyer...5&6 Class flyer/hort Classes..7

2 PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID MAYSVILLE, KY PERMIT #10 Mason County 800 US Highway 68 Maysville, Kentucky 41056

3 Upcoming Horticulture Events Feb 6th, 2:00: Learning to Graft Tomato's (hands on) Feb 8th, 7:00: Buffalo Trace Beekeeper Association meeting, Speaker: Todd Kirchhoff, How to prepare hives for Feb & March Feb 12th, 6:00: Mason County Master Gardener Association Meeting Feb 22nd, 6:00: Basic Greenhouse Management workshop Feb 24th: Beekeeping school (MCTC) March 3rd 8:30-3:30: Apple Orchard Field day, (FC Extension & Browning's Apple Orchard) March 5th: Farm Family Night (MCTC) March 7th, 2:00 & 6:00: Shiitake mushroom workshop

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6 Choosing housing for small poultry flocks Source: Jacquie Jacob, UK poultry extension associate Raising small poultry flocks on the farm or in the backyard has become very popular. The most important things to remember when choosing the type of housing are provisions for adequate shelter from weather, adequate ventilation and also protection from predators. You should choose housing that is easy to build from readily available materials. Housing should also have a low maintenance cost and support the changing needs of your flock. Over the years, a variety of designs for backyard flocks have hit the market, each with their own pros and cons. The best design for you depends on the number and types of birds you have and on One popular option for backyard flocks is a bottomless, moveable coop. The owner can move it at regular intervals, so the birds always have access to fresh grass. These housing units also protect birds from predators. This type of structure is also helpful for small production flocks. You can use the basic hoop design and amend it for the size of your flock. You can even make an easy and relatively inexpensive portable housing system with cattle panels. The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment compiled a series of videos from Kentucky State University showing step-by-step instructions for poultry housing construction on its website at smallflocks/housing.html. The site also provides links to other housing plans. how much you want to spend. It s a good idea to make the coop tall enough for you to stand inside; you ll clean it more often if you can get inside. If you need a lower coop for some reason, make sure you have easy access to make cleaning easier.

7 with the tasks required. You ll have to control Looking forward to the summer vegetable garden Source: Richard Durham, extension horticulture specialist Soon you ll be receiving seed catalogs for the 2017 vegetable-growing season. While listening to the cold wind blow outside, what a comfort it is to think about spring and summer and planning your garden. weeds and pests, apply water when needed and harvest on time. Vegetables harvested at their peak are tasty, but when left on the plants too long, the flavor is simply the best. Grow vegetables that will produce the maximum amount of food in the space available. Plant during the correct season for the crop. Choose varieties recommended for your area. To make the most of your garden, every aspiring gardener should follow seven steps to have a successful gardening season. Plan your garden on paper before you begin. Select a good gardening site that has full of sun for at least eight hours each day, relatively level, well-drained, close to a water source and not shaded. Prepare the soil properly and add fertilizer and lime according to soil-test recommendations. Plan only as large a garden as you can easily maintain. Beginning gardeners often overplant, and then they fail because they cannot keep up Harvest vegetables at their proper stage of maturity. Store them promptly and properly if you do not use them immediately. A well-planned and properly kept garden should produce 600 to 700 pounds of produce per 1,000 square feet and may include many different crops. Finally, the closer the vegetable garden is to your back door, the more you will use it. You can see when your crops are at their peaks and can take maximum advantage of their freshness. Also, keeping up with the planting, weeding, watering and pest control will be easier.

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