Alamance Gardener. Garbage In... Coming Events. Alamance County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Department. Workshops and Demonstrations*

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1 August 2012 Volume 3, Issue 8 Alamance Gardener Alamance County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Department Coming Events Workshops and Demonstrations* Wed., Aug 22, 10:00a DEMO Bonsai Wed., Aug 22, 1:00p HANDS-ON Bonsai - Create your own! - FEE $40 WW* Sat., Aug. 25, 9:00a WORKSHOP Fall (Cool Season) Lawn Care Wed, Sept 19, 11a-7p MASTER GARDENER PLANT SALE (see page 5) ( WW* Sat., Sept. 29, 9:00a WORKSHOP Planting Shrubs and Trees *WEEKEND WARRIORS Unless otherwise noted, all classes begin in the auditorium at the Agricultural Building and are free. Registration is required. Phone, visit or . Contact us : Alamance County Cooperative Extension Service 209-C N. Graham Hopedale Rd. Burlington, NC Phone: Mark Danieley Mark_danieley@ncsu.edu Chris Stecker Christine.stecker@alamance-nc.com Garbage In... A common problem gardeners face is what to do with the zucchini that have gotten too big or the tomatoes that look great from the front, but are rotten on the backside. If you live in the country, you can just throw the unwanted vegetables over the garden fence and let nature take care of it. However, if you live in a housing development like I do, that is not an option. For some reason most folks just don t care to have rotten vegetables thrown into their yard. I do feed some bird damaged tomatoes to my neighbor s Chihuahua, but I usually have more than she can eat. The rest have to go to the compost bin. There are many kinds of fancy (and expensive!) compost barrels and tumblers. They work well for gardeners with limited space, but they do need to be turned on a regular basis. I don t have as much time or energy as I used to so those composters don t work for me. I prefer a three-chambered bin which can be constructed out of wood or 2x4 welded wire fencing. An even less expensive option is to build three wire cylinders out of the same welded wire fencing. They are easy to build and have the advantage of being portable. The rate of decomposition of organic materials depends on several factors including aeration, moisture and particle size. Oxygen is necessary for the soil microbes to do their job of breaking down organic matter. A compost pile that lacks oxygen won t decompose efficiently and may have some unpleasant odors. Microbes also need adequate moisture and the compost may need to be watered if it gets too dry, but too much water can be as bad as too little. If you can squeeze a few drops of water from a handful of compost, the moisture content is about right. The size of the materials you put in the compost bin has a big influence on how fast it will decompose. I have put a large zucchini in the compost that was still recognizable after several weeks. Another zucchini of the same size that was chopped into smaller pieces was gone in less than a week. A square shovel is a good tool to use for the chopping process. *To see a complete listing of all public classes and workshops offered for 2012, go here:

2 Page 2 Black Gold Out.. The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of the organic materials in the compost bin will affect the rate of decomposition. The microbes that break down organic matter require nitrogen for their metabolism, so a lack of nitrogen will slow down the composting process. Trying to figure out the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of everything that goes into the compost bin can become a rather complicated process. I prefer to just categorize things as green or brown. Green stuff is my nitrogen source and brown stuff is the carbon. The best source of carbon is tree leaves. Unfortunately I don t have any shade trees in my yard, so I have to collect leaves from my neighbors for my compost bin. Release Your Inner Gardener Now what can go in the compost bin? Kitchen wastes like coffee grounds, raw vegetable scraps and eggshells are fine. Avoid cooked vegetables, meats, grease and dairy products that may attract rodents. Pet waste should never go in the compost because of the possibility of disease transmission. Most non-woody yard and garden plant material are good sources of nitrogen for the compost bin. I always use two buckets to pick my tomatoes. One bucket is for the tomatoes that go to the house; the other bucket is for the culls that go straight to the compost. It is best to leave grass clippings on the lawn as much as possible so their nutrients can go back into the lawn. Now that you have had the somewhat technical explanation of composting, let me tell you how it works in my garden. I start with a bottom layer of leaves that I collected the previous fall. Next is a layer of rotten produce or plants that were pulled out of the garden when they finished producing. That layer is then covered with another layer of leaves. This layering process continues until the bin is Master Gardener Class of 2013, which begins in January. full. You always want to have the compost pile covered with leaves unless you really like to have flies breeding on the rotten tomatoes. When the first bin is full, I start on the next section. By the time the third section is full, the first section is usually ready to go on the garden. I know that I should turn the piles from section to section, but that is just too much work. It does take a little longer for the materials to decompose without turning, but it works well for me. If you have any questions about composting or any other gardening topics, please give me or Chris a call. For more complete information on composting, see the following publication. Composting for Home Gardens If you are ready to take on the challenge of becoming a Master Gardener and join this exceptional group of volunteers, applications are now available for the Cost for the Master Gardener Manual, materials and the course is $ The 14-week course covers: Soils and fertilizers, plant ID and botany, landscape design, lawns, pruning, fruits and vegetables, woody plants, annual and perennial flowers, insects, plant diseases and integrated pest management. Initial training includes 42 hours of formal instruction from Extension horticulture agents and specialists, certified arborists and Extension Master Gardeners. Each EMGV Intern is required to complete 50 hours of education and 50 hours of volunteer service before achieving the full Extension Master Gardener Volunteer status. Recertifying EMGVs must complete 10 hours of advanced training and 40 hours of volunteer service annually. Find out more about what it means to be an NC Extension Master Gardener Volunteer here: Click here for an application:

3 Page 3 August Garden Tips ontinue to pinch back C annual flowers to encourage new bloom right up to frost. Stop fertilizing roses by the end of the month. iscard spent summer D vegetable plants, as they may harbor disease. Begin planting spinach, lettuce, leaf lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Between the 15th and the 30th, plant kale, turnips, mustard, head lettuce and radishes. eed basil with a liquid F fertilizer to keep it productive into fall. If you cut off the seed heads, the plant will put more energy into producing flavorful foliage. ill out Bermudagrass K with RoundUp or a generic equivalent (glyphosate) to prepare for fall seeding of cool-season lawns. A second application may be needed in two weeks to ensure a thorough job. ollect soil samples C from lawn and garden and take them to the Cooperative Extension for analysis. This service is still free and the turn-around time is relatively short this time of year. ry not to disturb the T soil in flower beds during hot, dry August days. Loosening the soil through cultivation can damage surface roots and increase water Tips for Pesticide Use loss. Instead, inspect mulch and replenish where needed ; 2 to 3 inches between the plants, but only about ½ around the base of each plant. As summer winds down, your garden may be looking a little ragged. Heat, humidity, insects and diseases may have taken their toll. Chances are your plants will be just fine and will perk up with just a little pinching back and judicious grooming. If you still feel that the use of pesticides is warranted, here are some tips for safe summer use of pesticides. 1. Many insecticides bear cautions against spraying when temperatures and humidity are high. Chemicals may volatilize or damage tender foliage. 2. Mix only as recommended on the label. Do not increase the concentration of the active ingredient. Too strong concentration of herbicides, for example, will simply burn plant leaves and not allow the plant to absorb the weed killer. 3. Try to mix only as much chemical as you will need that day. Materials lose their effectiveness if stored after mixing. 4. Use all of the solution you have mixed. Then rinse container with water and spray out rinse water in the same manner you sprayed the mix. Do not pour down the drain. 5. Call the Cooperative Extension Office for instructions on the home use of pesticides:

4 Arbor Gate Plant of the Month Page 4 Hardy Ginger Lily Hedychium spp Big, bold, beautiful..tropical - words that describe this surprising standout in the perennial border at Arbor Gate. Hedychiums are related to the culinary ginger, Zingiber officianalis. The Hardy Ginger Lilies go through a dormant period in which the plants die back to the rhizome. After cold winters here, they are slow to re-emerge in the spring but don t worry! The Orange Ginger Lily pictured above and at right is Hedychium coccineum, a robust plant that exceeds six feet by August and is topped by bright orange, lightly scented flower spikes. Butterfly Ginger, Hedychium coronarium grows to four feet tall and has honeysuckle-scented white flowers that come on at summer s end. Add Hedychium to the back of the border for bold texture and color. Give the rhizomes a well-drained but moisture-retentive soil and stand back. Here come the tropics! Click the link below to learn more:

5 2nd Annual Master Gardener Fall Plant Sale ONE DAY ONLY! Wednesday, September 19, :00 AM - 7:00 PM Alamance County Cooperative Extension Service Agricultural Building 209 N Graham-Hopedale Rd. Burlington, NC All plants $5.00 or less Even better selection of flowering perennials, ferns and succulents grown by Extension Master Gardeners. Enter to win a 2-hour private landscape consultation with Alamance County s own Rett Davis. $2 per entry, or 3 chances for $5. Get your tickets now from any Master Gardener. Comfortable, hard-working Atlas gardening gloves. Regularly $6/pair. Just $5/pair during this event. The Garden Plate Cookbook a collection of recipes by Alamance County Master Gardeners. Regularly $15. Just $12 for one day only! All proceeds will go toward the care and improvement of Arbor Gate Teaching Garden, a public demonstration garden maintained exclusively by Alamance County Master Gardener Volunteers. For information: Phone christine.stecker@alamance-nc.com