NEWS FROM THE GARDEN

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Elfrieda Snow
5 years ago
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Contact Karen Andre at 517-256-0890 or sundukaren1@yahoo.

1 Issue 4 October 2018 NEWS FROM THE GARDEN Produced by: Extension Master Gardener SM Volunteers of Cabarrus County Welcome to the Cabarrus County Master Gardener Volunteer Newsletter. I hope everyone enjoys reading our publication. Please volunteer to write articles, make suggestions and contribute in anyway to the endeavor. We need pictures, ideas, and articles. Contact Karen Andre at or sundukaren1@yahoo.com PLANT A POLLINATOR GARDEN Choose plants that flower at different times of the year to provide nectar and pollen sources throughout the growing season and have a variety of shapes and colors to attract different pollinators. This includes bees, butterflies, wasps, flies, birds, etc. ANNUALS: Most annuals produce flowers that will attract pollinators. Plant for sequential blooming all THIS FALL season. Skip double flowered hybrids, they don t produce enough pollen. Mass several of each variety. A big clump is like a sit down buffet for pollinators. Butterflies and moths prefer landing on flat flowers while bees and birds like to investigate tubular flowers. Provide dishes or puddles of water for hydration. Butterflies like muddy water where they get needed salts and nutrients. Plant a variety of shapes and colors to attract more pollinators. Some of these are perennials that are sold as annuals- Bachelor buttons, Zinnias, Alyssum, Borage, Impatiens, Calendulas, Sunflowers, Bee Balm, Marigold, Herbs: let them flower, Cosmos, Lantana, Dianthus, Nasturtiums, Ageratum, Verbena, Lavender, Scabiosa, Gomphrena(Amaranth) Russian sage, Salvia, Fuchsia, Petunia and Lobelia. Continued pg 2 Cabarrus County Fair We had a wonderful booth this year at the Cabarrus County Fair and the theme was" Diggin' in the Dirt!" There were lots of things to entertain the kids and they had fun looking at the butterfly caterpillars, planting marigolds and doing the scavenger hunt. Adults were educated on types of soils and different soil amendments. In addition we had information on (Continued pg 4)

Continued from pg 1 -polinator PLANTS THAT ATTRACT BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS (host plants): See www.nwf.

2 Continued from pg 1 -polinator PLANTS THAT ATTRACT BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS (host plants): See Sassafras, Spicebush: Spicebush swallowtail -Water Hemlock, parsley, dill, carrot, fennel: Black swallowtail -Milkweed: Monarch butterfly -Willow, poplar, aspen,cherry, plum: Viceroy butterfly -Elm, poplar, willow: Mourning cloak butterfly -Clover, legumes, alfalfa, vetch: Sulfur butterfly -Blueberry, viburnum, dogwoods: Spring Azure butterfly COLOR PREFERENCES: Plant yellow, blue, and purple flowers for bees and flower flies, which resemble bees. Bees cannot see red, but are attracted to some flowers that reflect ultraviolet light. Butterflies favor orange, yellow, pink, and blue flowers with sweet scents. They need to land before feeding and prefer flat topped clusters or platform shaped flowers in sunny locations. To attract hummingbirds to your garden, provide tubular flowers with lots of nectar in red, orange, purple and fuschia colors. Species to consider include nasturtiums, fireweed, fuchsia, honeysuckle, bee balm, and sage. Many fly species are also important pollinators and prefer green, white, and cream colors. They have short tongues so require simple flowers. Plant night blooming flowers for moths. PERENNIALS: Try to plant native plants whenever possible. Native plants are 4 times more likely to attract bees. They are easier to grow because they are more drought tolerant, need less attention, less pesticides and fertilizers and we should try to save the species. Plants marked with an * are native plants. *Blue phlox, Clover, henbit, dandelions: (please don t call them a weed!) * Obedient Plant, Trumpet Vine, Poppies, *Cranesbill (geranium), Mahonia (winter grape), *Asters *, Blackberries *Carolina Jessamine,* Mountain Mint, *Milkweed ( butterfly weed), * Goldenrod Salvia (Sage), * Joe Pye Weed *Coreopsis, * Wild Indigo (Baptisia), *Spiderwort, * Sneezewood, *Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) * Ironweed (Veronia), *Stoke s Aster *Black eyed Susan, *Blanketflower (Gaillardia), *Passionflower, Catmint, * Anise hyssop ( a bee magnet), *Bee Balm (Monarda), *Stonecrop (Sedum), *Beardtongue (Penstemon), Daylily, *Green and Gold, Mallow( includes Hibiscus ), *Yarrow, Hollyhocks, *Lupines, *Sundrops, *Liatris (Blazing Star), Queen Anne s Lace (biennial). For a more complete list of perenials, shrubs, vines and trees see: content/uploads/2018/05/pollinator-garden- Plant-List-May-2018.pdf?fwd=no PLEASE DON T USE PESTICIDES WHEN FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING. PLEASE DO NOT USE NEONICOTINOIDS: when you see these on a label, please don t purchase as they are very harmful to pollinators: acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, nithiazine, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam. As an alternative, use Bacillus Thuringiensis(Bt), if you can find it or insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Pesticides should be a last resort. ALWAYS read label to see if they leave residue that are toxic to bees. (Exerpt of article by Cabarrus County Extension Master Gardeners Volunteer Association 4/3/16)

3 Discovery Garden Discovery Garden at Frank Liske Park started this year on April 4 th, during spring break week. It was too cold to set out most bedding plants at that time but the Master Gardeners got an early start by planting corn, kale and nasturtiums. Several Master Gardeners volunteered to water the crops until the summer camp started. Master Gardeners went early in May to weed and plant in several plots. They planted watermelons, cantaloupes, peppers, eggplants, okra, cucumbers, green beans and tomatoes to allow plants to be fully established before the start of summer camp on June 18. The campers enjoyed digging, weeding, planting, watering, and harvesting produce. Stacy Jones with the Extension office came and had them catch and identify an assortment of insects. They picked 25 pounds of corn, which was donated to Cooperative Christian Ministry for their food pantry. Renee Goodnight, with Cooperative Extension s EFNEP program, did her food group teaching with the campers four times during the summer. On many gardening days, the Master Gardeners had a program for the campers while they were resting in the shade. These including making a head that had grass seeds in it that would grow hair, showing them how to save seeds for next year s planting, and showing them cotton and how the cotton gin had saved time and made money by removing seeds from cotton quickly. The gardeners got to sample a good amount of produce from the garden, which included bell peppers, cucumbers, cantaloupes, and a watermelon they grew. The Master Gardeners always brought a cold watermelon for them to enjoy after they finished working in the garden. On one occasion, the Master Gardeners hosted a cookout at one of the shelters for the campers. They grilled peppers, corn, eggplant, okra and other vegetables, which they enjoyed. Plant garlic in November while the ground is still warm enough to encourage root growth but about one- two month prior to our coldest month. Well prepared and amended soil is key to getting large garlic heads. Doing a modified raised bed helps keep the cloves from being planted too deep and encouraging soil compaction and rotting issues. Working in compost, soil conditioners, sand, perlite or vermiculite will help loosen clay soils and improve drainage. When ready to plant, break the bulb into its component cloves. Each individual clove planted will result in a garlic bulb. Plant each clove, with the point up, in full sun at a depth of 1-2 inches, spaced 3-4 inches apart. Not unlike many other plants, garlic likes a fertile soil with lots of organic matter. Mulch over winter with the organic material of your choice to protect against the cold and weed competition. Straw or shredded leaves would work equally well. Top dress in early spring, then again in early May with compost or whatever organic fertilizer you typically use. Harvest when the leaves begin to dry and discolor, which is late May or early June. Soil moisture is key but as harvest nears, ideally moisture levels should be lessened to prevent bulb rot. As with all vegetable production, crop rotation is important to mitigate pest damage and soil pathogens. Don't forget to let your harvested garlic cure in a warm dry area for about two to four weeks before using. Happy garlic planting! Garlic Approximtely half of the 2018 group of new Master Gardeners Volunteers participated in assisting at the Discovery Garden. We would like to thank all who participated and especially James Polk and his apprentice Sid Rauch for organizing the event. Collaborative article with James Polk, Sid Rauch and Karen Andre

EVENTS Oct. 3. 2018 - Western NC Gardening Symposium at Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock, NC Oct.

edu/ppp December 16, 2018 - Master Gardener's Christmas Party at 73 and Main Restaurant Jan. 16- May1, 2019 Master Gardener Class Jan. 22 -March 26, 2019- Bee Keeping Series https://cabarrus.ces.ncsu.

4 EVENTS Oct Western NC Gardening Symposium at Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock, NC Oct. 5 & 6- UNC Charlotte plant sale 9 am - 3 pm Oct 23, am -Plants, Pest and Pathogens- a 2 hour online class: December 16, Master Gardener's Christmas Party at 73 and Main Restaurant Jan. 16- May1, 2019 Master Gardener Class Jan. 22 -March 26, Bee Keeping Series Tours Oct 17, am at Reedy Creek Speakers WHAT'S HAPPENING October 2- Sheri Neely - RCCC Agripreneur Academy and Network November 6- Clark Barlowe - Chef and owns Heirloom Restaurant Fair -continued from page 1- lawns, trees, Master Gardener program and soil testing. We were able to hand out many soil test kits. Unfortunately bad weather caused the fair to close on Thursday and the booths were taken down. Thanks to everyone who helped to organize, setup, staff and tear down the booth! From September 11 13, took place during the week of the Cabarrus County Fair, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Cabarrus Arena. All 6 th graders in Cabarrus County attended. There were three extra stations added this year due to a schedule change, and although it took four MGs to secure volunteers to maintain each station, they pulled it off! A time change was put in place this year also, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and ending at 12:30 p.m. All went well, programs were delivered according to guidelines, with independent, creative decisions made at each station. Students did hands-on planting, (which was also different for most stations). Two new posters were added that were made by a student at Stonewall Jackson Training School. - Marianne Scully Thanks much to all who organized the event and all who participated in the two days it lasted.

5 Tour at Living Decor- Charlotte Discovery Garden Watermelon Patch Discovery Garden - Donated Corn Tour at Terri Edward's Home

LEARNING, GROWING, SHARING "By Inviting Butterflies"

LEARNING, GROWING, SHARING By Inviting Butterflies LEARNING, GROWING, SHARING "By Inviting Butterflies" Mila Berhane Senior Research Associate Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center Email: milagro_berhane@suagcenter.com or greenhand@cox.net