IN THE GARDEN NOW HELPING GARDENERS PUT KNOWLEDGE TO WORK. New Year Resolutions for Gardeners. January / February 2012

Transcription

1 IN THE GARDEN NOW HELPING GARDENERS PUT KNOWLEDGE TO WORK January / February 2012 New Year Resolutions for Gardeners The New Year is a time for looking back on the past, and even more importantly, forward to the coming year. It's a time to reflect on the changes we want or need to make and resolve to follow through on those changes. As gardeners, there are steps that we can take to improve the ecology and sustainability of our landscapes. Consider adopting one or more of these resolutions for your garden in the New Year: Lisa Rayburn Extension Agent, Horticulture Contact Us: NCCE-Onslow County 4024 Richlands Hwy. Jacksonville, NC (910) (910) Fax edu Plan your vegetable garden for year round production. In most coastal counties, you can grow some sort of vegetable. Careful planning will provide you with produce to harvest year round reducing your grocery bills and your carbon foot print. Incorporate fruit and vegetable crops into your landscape. Fruit trees can function as ornamental trees or shrubs in the landscape while small fruits and even vegetables can be integrated into your sunny flowerbeds to add beauty and providing food too. Choose plants and varieties that are low maintenance and easy to grow in our area. Figs, muscadine grapes, rabbiteye blueberries and persimmons grow well in Onslow county. If you must grow pears, choose a variety that is resistant to fire blight (a common disease in our area) such as Seckel, Moonglow, Kieffer or Magness. Avoid planting crops that will require a lot of pesticide sprays (like apples or many varieties of non- muscadine grapes) to produce a quality crop. North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. Commit to composting. Composting is a sustainable way of dealing with garden waste and household food scraps that provides you with a valuable soil amendment and can reduce your fertilizer and pesticide inputs in the garden. Use your compost to build your soil. Soils that are high in organic matter store water and nutrients better, improving plant growth and productivity. Minimize carbon- emitting inputs to the garden. Gasoline- powered tools like lawn mowers and leaf blowers are obvious sources of carbon dioxide emissions but synthetic fertilizers and pesticides require a lot of energy to manufacture, package and transport. Weed, prune and rake leaves by

2 to manufacture, package and transport. Weed, prune and rake leaves by hand when possible. Reduce pesticide and fertilizer use by choosing crops wisely and planting them in locations where they will thrive. Rotate vegetable crops annually to reduce insect and disease pressures. Test your soil and only apply nutrients that are needed. Harvest, store and use your rainwater. Use cisterns or rainbarrels to collect the water that runs off your roof use this water first to irrigate your lawn, garden and container plantings. Minimize your watering needs. Improve the water holding capacity of your soil by adding organic matter. Mulch exposed soil in gardens and flowerbeds to suppress weeds and maintain soil moisture. When designing new plantings, choose plants that will be drought tolerant after establishment (crape myrtles, Chinese and Japanese hollies, junipers, many bulbs, Mediterranean herbs such as sage, rosemary and thyme, and many ornamental grasses just to name a few). Consider adding chickens, bees or other small livestock to your yard. If you are up for the additional responsibility and commitment, chickens, ducks, guinea hens, rabbits or other small livestock help cycle nutrients in your garden. Carefully managed poultry can control insect pests and weeds while providing nitrogen and phosphorus to improve soil fertility. Bees pollinate many of our vegetable crops the loss of native pollinators makes the efforts of beekeepers even more important. Whichever resolution you choose, I want to wish you and your garden a Happy New Year! Add Winter Interest to your Garden Winter is often a forgotten season in the garden but it doesn t have to be. Take a look around your garden now and, if it seems a little boring, consider adding winter drama with an intriguing selection of blooms, bark, foliage and form. Winter Blooms We are lucky to be able to grow several winter flowering plants in our area. Consider the following options. Camellias bloom in winter and early spring in a variety of forms and colors. Sasanqua camellias bloom fall and winter while Japanese camellias bloom winter to early spring. With careful variety selection, you can have camellias blooming in your garden for much of the winter. Winter daphne (Daphne odora) produces fragrant flowers in late winter to early spring. Lenten rose (Helleborus x hybridus) is a low growing, evergreen perennial that blooms in late winter to early spring. Don t rely on blooms alone for winter cheer, bark, berries, foliage and unusual forms all add interest to the winter garden. Attractive Bark Many trees and shrubs have attractive bark that is most visible in winter. Crape myrtles grab attention in the summer with their massive flower displays, but many selections also sport exfoliating bark that peels off to reveal gorgeous patterns of brown, cream and cinnamon. There are many varieties of crape myrtle available in a wide range of colors, sizes and shapes. Look for a hybrid variety that has good disease resistance to powdery mildew and cercospora leaf spot. Some of the better known hybrids include Natchez, Miami and Osage. Remember to research the mature size of your variety and choose one that will not outgrow the space you have for it. River birch (Betula nigra) is a medium sized tree with creamy white bark that peels off in curly ribbons. Look for newer selections of this native tree such as Duraheat, which is more disease resistant. Some varieties of Japanese maple have interesting bark color, ranging from yellow and red to coral in color. 'Sango Kaku' has pink to coral colored bark. Japanese maples prefer moist but well-drained growing conditions, so make sure to select and prepare your planting site carefully. Other plants with interesting bark include oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), ninebark (Clethra acuminata), Chinese quince (Cydonia sinensis and Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia).

3 Colorful Berries Persistent berries add a shot of bright color to an otherwise dormant landscape. Hollies are the clear standouts in this category. While there are many species and cultivars of hollies available commercially, we have several native hollies that are outstanding landscape plants. Our native yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) is a tough little plant. The female plants bear bright red, orange or yellow berries that hold on well into winter. There are many varieties of yaupon holly available in garden center from shrubs to trees. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is another native holly that grows as a medium-sized deciduous shrub. Winterberry produces bright red berries along the stem. The berries persist long after the leaves drop in the fall. When purchasing hollies, make sure the form you choose is female if berries are your goal. Male plants will never set berries. Female plants will need a male nearby for pollination to produce fruit. Handsome Foliage Plants with evergreen foliage add a lot of interest to the winter garden. Look for shrubs with particularly dramatic foliage like fatsia (Fatsia japonica) and aucuba (Aucuba japonica). Fatsia has large, deeply lobed leaves that add a slightly tropical feel to the garden, while the leaves of aucuba (aka the gold dust plant) are splashed with gold. The flashy leaves of aucuba will brighten a shaded corner of the garden year round. Other plants with attractive foliage include nandina (Nandina domestica), loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), evergreen hollies, mahonia, junipers and loropetalum. Unusual Texture or Form There are many plants and cultivars available with unusual texture or form. Hinoki False Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) is an evergreen shrub with a unique, open texture that stands out in the garden. Look for upright columnar, weeping or prostrate forms of more common landscape plants, such as Hollywood juniper (Juniperus chinensis Kaizuk ) with its upright, twisting branches. There are many interesting varieties of holly available including weeping or dwarf forms of yaupon holly (examples include the varieties Folsum s Weeping or Schillings respectively). So if your garden is looking a little grey and drab right now, consider the wide variety of great plants that are available to liven up the winter landscape. Start Planning Your Spring Vegetable Garden It may be the middle of winter, but now is the time to plan your spring vegetable garden. Cool season crops need to be planted early enough to harvest before the heat of summer hits. Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, onion, garden peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips can all be planted in February. Whether you plant seeds or set out transplants will depend in part on your personal preference and also on the crop that you are growing. Certain vegetables grow best from seed. Direct sow root crops like beets, carrots, kohlrabi, radish, and turnips. Make sure to plant these in deep, loose soil for unrestricted root growth. Also direct sow garden peas including snow peas and sugar snap peas. Garden peas prefer cool weather and can be sown out as early as the middle of January. Don t wait too long though, if garden peas aren t in the ground by the beginning of March at the latest, they won t have time to grow and produce before hot weather sets in. Onions can be started from small plants or sets while green onions or scallions can be started from seeds or sets. Most people prefer to plant cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli from transplants. Leafy greens including lettuce, mustard, spinach, and turnip greens can be planted in February and March. Lettuce and spinach can be grown from seed or transplants but mustard and turnip greens do best from seed. Potatoes are a great spring crop. Make sure you purchase certified seed potatoes to prevent disease and assure a successful crop. Seed potatoes will be available at local garden centers. Kennebec and Pontiac Red are tried and true varieties for our area but Yukon Gold and Adirondack Blue will add color to your dinner plate. When planning your garden, remember that different varieties of the same crop may have

4 different maturation rates. For instance smaller varieties of carrots tend to mature more quickly than larger varieties. Plant a combination of faster and slower maturing varieties of a crop or seed successive plantings of the same variety 10 days to two weeks apart to extend your harvest season. Choosing Your Garden Site If you don t have a garden plot established, choosing the right garden location will be critical for success. Vegetables need full sun to be productive. A vegetable garden should receive a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight each day, but preferably 8 to 10 hours. Make sure your garden site will not be shaded by buildings, trees or shrubs. Some leafy vegetables like broccoli, collards, spinach and lettuce tolerate slightly shady conditions than other vegetables but if garden does not receive adequate sun, it will not be productive. Locating your garden close to the house will help you care for it regularly. Out of sight truly is out of mind and gardens located in the back corner of the yard tend to be overlooked. Daily monitoring ensures that produce is picked before it goes to waste, the soil doesn t dry out, and insect and disease problems are noticed quickly. Close proximity to the house will also make running a hose for irrigation easier. Most vegetables need about an inch of rainfall or irrigation per week. It is best to water slowly, so the moisture can penetrate deeply into the soil instead of running off. A soaker hose is an inexpensive, easy way to water effectively. The ideal garden soil is a loose, well-drained loam. Few of us are lucky enough to have perfect garden soil. If your soil is very sandy, work 3-4 inches of well-composted organic matter into the soil to improve its ability to hold on to water and nutrients. If your soil is poorly drained, consider building raised beds to elevate the plants 6-8 inches above the surrounding landscape. If you haven t sampled your soil, collect soil samples now so you will be aware of your fertility needs for the spring growing season. Fertilizer recommendations (what type, how much) are most accurate when you know what nutrients are available in the soil. Come by the Extension Office for sample boxes and directions. The lab gets busy in the spring so don t delay, get your sample sent off as early as possible. This service is free. The final consideration is good air drainage. Watch how the frost lays on your yard in the morning. Some areas collect frost readily especially low spots or the foot of a slope that borders up to a solid fence. This is because cool air pools and settles in these locations. The soil in these locations will be slower to warm up in the spring and these locations will be more susceptible to late spring and early fall frost damage. Locate your vegetable garden on a slight rise if possible to allow cool air to drain away. Want to learn more? Take our Spring H.E.L.P. Garden class This intensive class is for anyone who would like to become a successful vegetable gardener either for home use or for potential sale. This class will run from February 10 through June 28, Friday evenings from 5-7 at the Onslow County Cooperative Extension Office. Each session will include seated lectures and hands on activity in the garden. Topics will include: crop scheduling, seeds and transplants, soil sampling and fertility, insect and disease management, harvest and post-harvest handling, and more. At the end of the class, you will have the information and skills necessary to be a successful gardener. Cost for the class is $40. For more information or to enroll in this class, please call the Cooperative Extension Office at and ask for Larry Kent. Great Evergreens for Screens and Hedges Charlotte Glen, Horticulture Agent - Pender County 'Nellie Stevens' is one of several holly varieties that make an excellent long lived hedge. The 16' tall plants in this picture are 10 years old and were planted from 3 gallon size containers.

5 Need some privacy? Want to screen out the view into your neighbor s yard? Consider planting a living fence of evergreen shrubs, but look beyond the common disease plagued Leyland Cypress! Local garden centers carry many different evergreens suitable for screening --- and fall is the perfect time to plant! Fast Growers for Quick Cover One of the fastest growing evergreens for screening available is Green Giant Thuja, a variety of arborvitae that will eventually reach 40 or more in height, and grows wide. Green Giant is great for large landscapes where a tall screen is needed, but may be too large for smaller lots. It grows best in moist but well drained soil and full sun. Chindo Viburnum is another fast grower, reaching in height and 8-10 in width within several years. This evergreen viburnum has large, shiny, dark green leaves and occasionally produces clusters of red berries in the fall. Chindo Viburnum prefers to grow in moist, well drained soil, but has good drought tolerance once established. For fast screening in poor sandy soil, consider wax myrtle or glossy abelia. Wax Myrtle is a native evergreen with olive green foliage, growing 8-10 in height and width within a few years of planting. One drawback of this shrub is its tendency to break apart during hurricanes, but it rapidly recovers even when large limbs break out. Glossy abelia can easily reach 8 tall by 8 wide and grows best in sunny areas and acid soil. Its small glossy green leaves turn reddish purple in winter. Upright Varieties for Narrow Spaces Upright evergreens work well as screens in narrow spaces because they take up little horizontal space. Two of the narrowest evergreens available are Spartan Juniper and Emerald Arborvitae, both of which grow 15 tall and only 3-4 wide. The main difference between these two plants is the conditions in which they prefer to grow. Spartan Juniper is great for sandy sites because it is very drought tolerant, whereas Emerald Arborvitae prefers moist soil. Both grow best in full sun. Nellie Stevens, Oakleaf, Festive, Robin, Needlepoint, and Emily Bruner all produce dense, dark green foliage year round and red berries in fall that persist through winter. Each of these varieties grow at a moderate rate to 15 to 20 tall and 8 to 10 wide, growing best in sun or part shade and well drained soil, and are drought tolerant once established. Another relatively narrow evergreen with glossy dark green leaves that is great for hedges is Cleyera (Ternstroemia gymnanthera). This tough, adaptable shrub thrives in sun or shade, is drought tolerant, and will grow tall and 6-8 wide --- and deer don't eat it! Flowering Evergreens for Screening Evergreens with showy blooms provide a bonus feature for landscapes, giving both seasonal color as well as year round screening. Large evergreens with attractive flowers that can be used for screens in partly shaded sites include camellias and Viburnum tinus. Though slow growing, camellias make spectacular hedges, especially the fall blooming Sasanqua varieties like Kanjiro and Setsugekka, each of which will grow to 10 tall. For best results plant camellias in moist, well drained soil. Viburnum tinus is another shade tolerant evergreen for well drained sites, reaching 10 or more in height. Its pink flower buds open in winter to reveal flat clusters of white blossoms amid dark green leaves. Flowering evergreens that thrive in sandy soils and sunny sites include the 8-10 tall and wide pineapple guava, with silver green leaves and pink flowers in spring; Recurve Ligustrum, an 8-10 tall variety of privet with large glossy dark green leaves and white flowers in early summer; and Majestic Beauty Indian Hawthorn, a vigorous Indian Hawthorn variety with pink flowers in late spring. Like all Indian Hawthorns, Majestic Beauty is very tolerant of drought and salt spray but is unfortunately a favorite of deer and should not be planted in areas where deer frequently forage. Several varieties of hollies are available that work well for hedges and screening because of their upright or pyramidal growth habit. The varieties

6 Tips and Tasks Prune back ornamental grasses and ground covers. Add mulch to beds if needed. Scale can be a problem on hollies and other shrubbery outside and on house plants indoors. Scale are small, hardbodied insects that often look like bumps on the bark or leaves of the plant. Scale on landscape plants can be treated with horticultural oils. Follow the label directions and use the spray rate recommended for the time of year. Acephate (Orthene), carbaryl or insecticidal soap can also be used. Insecticidal soap is a good choice for scale on houseplants. A second treatment after two weeks is generally needed to control newly emerged scale insects. Plants naturally change color in the winter and even evergreens like azaleas, gardenias and camellias can experience yellowing. Older leaves naturally yellow and drop off. Dormant pruning of fruit trees and grapevines should be done in February as should heavy pruning and rejuvenation pruning of ornamental shrubs. Read the following article for more information about pruning ornamental shrubs. Amaryllis purchased now should be grown indoors. These bulbs can be placed outdoors after danger of frost is past in the spring. If using a preemergent herbicide to control summer annual weeds (including crabgrass) in your lawn, aim to apply it around Valentine s Day. If these chemicals are applied too late, you will not get adequate weed control. Read and follow all label directions. Avoid weed-and-feed formulations and wait until mid-may to June to fertilize warm season lawns. Remove leaves and debris from lawns. Do not burn St. Augustine, centipede, or zoysiagrass lawns. Irrigation is usually not necessary during the winter months. It is too early to lay sod due to the risk of cold damage. RECIPE CORNER Apple Pecan Salad with Honey Goat Cheese Dressing Servings: 4 Calories: oz dried cranberries 40 pecan halves 2 apples, sliced 4 cup mixed baby greens 4 tbsp honey goat cheese dressing Fill a bowl with mixed greens. Top with pecans, apples, and dried cranberries. Drizzle 1 tbsp honey goat cheese dressing over top of salad. Honey Goat Cheese Dressing Servings: 15 Serving Size: 1 tbsp Calories: 46 Dressing: 4 oz fresh creamy goat cheese, room temperature 1 1/2 tbsp honey 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2 tsp apple cider vinegar 1/2 lemon, juiced 1 tbsp water Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper In a small blender, combine goat cheese, honey, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, water and season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Mix until fully combined and creamy. CONTACT US If you have questions about lawn, landscape or garden problems, contact your local Cooperative Extension office. In Onslow County call , Mon Fri, 8 am and 5 pm, or visit us online anytime at While you are there, you can post your questions to be answered by using the Ask an Expert widget (in the upper left hand corner).

7 SPOTLIGHT Do I look forward to sharing my knowledge with people in my community? Do I have enough time to attend training and to serve as a volunteer? If you answered yes to these questions, the Master Gardener program could be for you. Become a Master Gardener Volunteer The Onslow County Master Gardener volunteers work with the Cooperative Extension staff to assist gardeners in our area. Master Gardener volunteers make it possible to reach out to a larger portion of our gardening community, by supporting a wide variety of gardening projects and programs in the County. Master Gardeners are gardeners who want to learn more about growing plants, while giving back to the community. Master Gardeners complete an initial training course, and then continue to learn while volunteering. The initial training course offers a minimum of 40 hours of instruction and covers topics including: lawns, ornamental trees and shrubs; insect, disease and weed management; soils and plant nutrition; vegetable gardening; home fruit production; garden flowers and water conservation. Members also receive a comprehensive Master Gardener manual that is theirs to keep. At the successful completion of the training program, members begin a volunteer internship. Master Gardeners volunteer 40 hours the first year and 20 hours each subsequent year to maintain their membership. This ongoing volunteering and training is where the Master Gardeners really learn more about plants and the people that grow them. If you think you might want to be a Master Gardener volunteer, ask yourself these questions: Do I want to learn more about growing and caring for many types of plants? Am I eager to participate in a practical and intense training program? Our Master Gardeners can choose from a wide range of volunteer opportunities. Master Gardener volunteers: Help diagnose plant, insect and disease problems. Answer gardening questions in the Plant Clinic, at the Onslow County Farmers Market and other events in the community. Design and install demonstration gardens in cooperation with Extension. Grow and sell plants suitable for Onslow County. Provide educational opportunities to other gardeners and the public. Our next Master Gardener Volunteer Class is scheduled from February 7 until April 3, Classes meet Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9 am until noon. Cost for the class is $100 (this includes the cost of the manual). For more information or to request an application, please call

8 NORTH CAROLINACOOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY ONSLOW COUNTY CENTER 4024 RICHLANDS HIGHWAY JACKSONVILLE, NC *********** NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION