CHRISTIAN COUNTY MASTER GARDENER JUNE 2018: IN THIS ISSUE: Our Newsletter Garden Pests Rain Chains Tips Sharing Your Garden Photos
Newsletter Name Calling all creative thinkers: we need a name for our e-newsletter! If you have a name you would like to share, please email me at aebeatty@yahoo.com and I will compile a list and then ask members to vote on their favorite choice. The newsletter name will be revealed in the September issue. Newsletter Schedule and Articles The plan is for the newsletter to be emailed on a quarterly basis (March, June, September and December) usually toward the end of those months. If you have any suggestions for a topic, articles you would like to share, or information you would like to impart to your fellow master gardeners in future newsletters, please let me know. I would love your input!
Garden Pests One of the most frustrating chores of growing a garden is keeping the pests and fungi from destroying flowers or vegetables. The most destructive pest we see frequently is the dreaded Japanese beetle. Additionally the cucumber beetle and the vine borer can quickly destroy your cucumber, beans, melon, squash or zucchini plants. The beetles can carry diseases like bacterial wilt and mosaic virus. Bacterial wilt is spread by the beetles through feces or contaminated mouthpart. The first sign is often droopy stems and wilting leaves and eventually the entire vine wilts. If you look closely, you will see small holes in the stem and droppings beneath the plant that look like sawdust. For more information check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jveeqtx2afi Vine borers resemble a wasp with an orange abdomen and are about a half an inch long. The eggs laid by the borer are done so at the base of the plant; larvae bore into the stem of the plant thus blocking the water flow. After they feed for approximately a month and a half, they exit the stem and burrow into the soil to pupate and will be there until the next summer. If you suspect you have a vine borer, look at the base of the plant for holes that are filled with moist greenish or orange sawdust like material called frass. A sign that you have a vine borer is the wilting of the plant. Prevention is difficulty as is management however an integrated pest management strategy is the best approach. For more information, check out the YouTube video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kxlh_c-uqa
Garden Pests (continued) Another pesky pest is the squash bug, which typically attack squash and pumpkins but also attach other cucurbits (i.e. cucumbers). The eggs are laid on the underside of the leaf between the veins and are a shiny orange/bronze, usually in clusters of twenty. When first hatched, the young nymphs have a light green abdomen and black heads and legs. As they grow, they turn a light gray and the adult itself is somewhat flat and dark gray or brown in color. These adults overwinter in sheltered places. The squash bug has pierce-sucking mouthparts that suck the sap from the leaves. The damage will result in yellow spots on the leaves that will then turn brown. Their feed can inhibit both water and nutrients to the plant, causing it to wilt. The squash bug does not transmit diseases. To treat, destroy the eggs and to kill the nymphs and adults, place them in a bucket of soapy water. For more information check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnnf6vj8u70 Squash bug eggs Adult squash bug Source: https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/squash-bugs/
Rain Chains I was perusing an old Franklin County Master Gardeners newsletter and discovered a unique use of chains that I would not have been creative enough to think of on my own. A rain chain is just what it sounds like: a chain that is used in place of a downspout. According to the article, the rain chain originated in Asia and is an effective method that is easy to install in your existing gutter system. After doing some research I learned more about these ornate and functional alternatives to a standard downspout. They have been in use for hundreds of years in Japan and the water was collected in barrels for household use. The material options today include cooper, aluminum, stainless steel, iron, or brass and some popular styles are the link style (left picture) and the cup style (right picture). Not only are these aesthetically pleasing to the eye, they also create a soothing sound.
Tips: What Can I Do With Those Excess Herbs? For those of you with herb gardens, you may find it challenging to use the herbs as quickly as you harvest them. One trick for long term storage is to place any extra herbs in a plastic ice cube tray and cover slightly with water and freeze them. You can also do this with your blueberries, strawberries, etc. This way you have herbs and fruit from your garden ready to use beyond the harvest months. This trick can also be used for extra chicken stock. Some recipes may call for a small amount of chicken stock and the rest may be wasted before it is used. By freezing the stock in the ice cube trays, and then placing them in a labeled freezer bag, you will have the stock readily available.
Garden Photos Debbie Clithero s garden house is ALL that!
She even has a chandelier (barely in the picture on the top left) and a wonderful seating area.
View of Debbie s garden
A second view of Debbie s garden. What a wonderful garden space!
Dayle Enderson s Flower Beds
Dayle s flower garden has the most exquisite pop of colors. A feast for all Master Gardener s eyes.
Pam Shaver s backyard It is evident Pam Shaver spends a lot of time nurturing her garden and beautifying her surroundings.
Pam Shiver s garden has just about everything you can think to grow, from potatoes, to garlic, to kale to blackberries!
A view of another section of Pam s garden.
A view of Pam s garden.
Annie Powers raised bed of zucchini.
A view of a rose in Annie s backyard.