Gardener News March 2015

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Gardener News Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities

March, 2015

GARDENERNEWS.COM

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NJ Agricultural Convention Celebrates 100 Years

Tom Castronovo/Photos

Richard A. Norz, President of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture, left; New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher, second from left; Robert A. Swanekamp, Sr., Vice President of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture, second from right; and New Jersey Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney in the Tropicana Casino & Resort’s Royal Ballroom in Atlantic City, N.J., during the State’s 100th Annual Agricultural Convention.

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor Agricultural leaders and State officials were on hand, along with hundreds of aquaculture, Christmas tree, fruit and vegetable farmers, nurserymen and women, and educators, to

celebrate the 100th New Jersey State Agricultural Convention, which was held February 4-5 at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City.

The New Jersey State Agricultural Convention is the most important gathering of the year for the agriculture community.

2015 marks the 100th time agricultural delegates have gathered to discuss ideas for moving their industry forward in New Jersey. While agriculture in the state has certainly changed from that first meeting to this year’s 100th Anniversary, what remains unchanged is the

unique opportunity for representatives from all sectors of agriculture to participate in creating their own future, through discussions of industry trends and the passage of resolutions that serve as the Department of Agriculture’s policy roadmap for the coming year. In 2016, the

New Jersey Department of Agriculture will celebrate its 100th Anniversary.

The convention included New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher’s annual State of the State of Agriculture address, presentations on the Farm to School program and pollinators, (Cont. on Page 22)

2 March, 2015

GARDEN CENTER DIRECTORY

Gardener News

Gardener News

March, 2015 3 Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Think Spring

Great roots and education To the best of my knowledge, the words “garden center” came about in California, in the mid-1950s, when a nursery owner began selling garden furniture and other hard goods. The main purpose of this diversification from nursery to hard goods was to fill the months when the plant business was very slow. As we all know, outdoor gardening and planting is highly seasonal. In my opinion, the owner of this nursery was a genius.

This might sound corny, but I love walking around friendly, family-owned garden centers.

Their offerings always have unique merchandise to casually peruse, unlike the big box stores.

The containers, garden tools, fountains and garden décor seem almost original to their individual location. Each garden center is different in its own way.

Along with the annual and perennial flowers, trees and shrubs, roses, container gardens, hanging baskets, houseplants, water gardening supplies, seeds and bulbs, potting mixes, soil amendments, mulch and fertilizers, like Jonathan Green, many also offer wild bird seed, floral, gifts, outdoor furniture and barbecue grills, home décor and pet supplies. They also offer landscape design and landscaping services. Most garden centers have a large Christmas department during the holiday season as well. And some even have café’s and coffee bars. I can spend hours in a garden center.

Greenhouses are also a common part of most garden centers. Greenhouses protect the plants from late cold snaps, allowing the garden centers to keep plants in prime condition. And to keep folks like me dry on rainy days.

Several of the family-owned garden centers that I visit on a regular basis employ horticulturists who can diagnose plant problems and make sound educational recommendations to gardeners like me. Some even offer educational, hands-on classes.

These family, independently owned garden centers constantly strive to make sure they offer the best quality plant material, the best advice, and the best service, so folks like me continue to always have the most successful landscape and garden possible. I also love seeing Jersey Grown plant material. I always look for the label.

I also enjoy the personalized service and free expert advice. I’m kind of spoiled. It’s always a pleasure speaking with someone on the same level. It is definitely reassuring.

Now for the root of my column.

Recently, I have learned that many of these family-owned independent garden centers across our great lands are closing up. Why? Well, I think there might be a few factors involved here.

The first might be age. The youth of today do not seem like they have an interest in the agricultural plant industry. I see this first-hand walking around flower and garden shows. I don’t see the teens, 20s and 30s folks. Classroom educators tell me enrollment is down as well. And, according to the latest Census of Agriculture that is conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, the average age of a farmer in the U.S. is 58.3 years old.

To me this is crazy. Youth is our future.

Plant material is a very important part of everyone’s life. Plants produce clean oxygen that we all need to survive. They also help increase property values. And in today’s economy, we all know how much that means. The first thing a real estate agent says is “curb appeal” when they pull up to a piece of property. The industry has great economic value. Floriculture and horticulture offer an increase in aesthetic pleasure that supports psychological well-being.

Youth can earn an associate’s, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degree in this field. And there are plenty of great lucrative jobs out there waiting for them.

Floriculture and horticulture are popular and important in all societies, both rich and poor.

Floriculture and horticulture include crops such as bedding and garden plants, foliage plants, potted flowering plants, cut flowers and cut cultivated greens.

According to the most recent Census of Horticultural Specialties study done by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service office, the wholesale value of all floricultural and horticultural crops rose slightly in 2012, reaching $4.1 billion for growers in the top-15 states of California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Washington. The next Census of Horticultural Specialties will be published in December 2015.

This is a very valuable industry. I think many of the youth today have no idea how valuable this industry is. Who wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time outdoors, breathing fresh air, instead of being cooped up indoors. I love healthy jobs…

To me, family-owned independent garden centers are a local floricultural and horticultural educational treasure that we can’t let go away. Please don’t let the lack of interest and the value of the land become more valuable than a garden center. And, if your child is thinking about a career, please steer them toward floriculture and horticulture. I hope my passion didn’t show too much here.

As always, I hope you find the information in the Gardener News informative and enjoyable.

Until next time…Keep the “garden” in the Garden State.

-Tom Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

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4 March, 2015

Gardener News

In November, Carl Schulze retired as Director of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Plant Industry. Carl had a distinguished career of 33 years with the state, culminating in him serving a two-year term in a national office as President of the National Plant Board.

While Carl will be missed, we are pleased to have selected Joseph W. Zoltowski as his successor. Joe has been with the Department for 28 years. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., and his Masters of Forestry degree from Duke University Graduate School of Forestry.

After working for the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority as a lab technician in their wastewater facilities unit, Joe began his career at the Department of Agriculture in 1987 as an entomologist in the Gypsy Moth Program.

During his career, he became a supervising entomologist for the Gypsy Moth, Nursery Inspection and CAPS survey programs, eventually being promoted to Chief for the Bureau of Plant Pest and Disease Control.

Since I’ve been Secretary, Joe has been the go-to guy for the Gypsy Moth Suppression program, which has seen

without the use of pesticides.

An example is a parasitic wasp released to control the Mexican bean beetle, which has resulted in soybean farmers not needing to use pesticides on the crops in recent years. The lab has been working on beneficials to tackle the brown marmorated stink bug issue and breeds copepods, tiny crustaceans that help keep mosquito populations down in small pools.

As Division Director, Joe Zoltowski supervises all of these functions. His expertise and experience is greatly appreciated and we look forward to his leadership.

If you have any questions for Joe or would like to reach the Division of Plant Industry, please call 609-406-6939.

NJ Dept. of Agriculture

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

NJDA’s Division of Plant Industry Has Big Mission a collapse in the gypsy moth population, thanks to the work he and his staff have put in between surveillance and spraying. Joe has filled in for Carl many times and has represented the Department at many meetings over the years.

Having him in this position is a great opportunity for us. Carl and Joe are just two examples of the outstanding staff we have in our Department and their division.

The Division of Plant Industry serves the horticulture and overall agriculture industries. It provides disease and pest protection for food and ornamental crops, forest and other plant resources through detection, control and eradication.

Many people are familiar with our efforts to suppress gypsy moth, but the division also was successful in eradicating the treekilling Asian longhorned beetle, which infested parts of Hudson, Middlesex and Union counties.

They are currently involved in

preparing for an infestation of the emerald ash borer, which has killed millions of Ash trees across our country and Canada.

It was found for the first time in New Jersey last spring in Mercer, Burlington and Somerset counties.

The division inspects nurseries and plant dealers for plant pests. This activity enables New Jersey growers to sell nursery stock in other states and countries and assures consumers that only pestfree and disease-free stock is offered for sale. There is a seed inspection program to ensure “truth in labeling” and prevent the introduction of noxious weeds. Ports of entry are also inspected and surveyed to detect the introduction of foreign and domestic pests before they become a significant threat to the state’s agricultural industry.

These inspections also enable farmers and plant growers to sell

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

It’s in the news

Tom Castronovo/Photo

George Oliphant, a home improvement specialist and the Emmy awardwinning host of George to The Rescue, a weekly national home improvement show on NBC, looks over the February Gardener News at the Garden State Home & Hot Tub Show in Somerset, N.J. At the show, Oliphant was the keynote speaker on both Saturday and Sunday. He discussed home improvement television and its effects on the industry. He also presented inside stories from television and construction, including the miracles and the nightmares he has seen traveling the country. His television episodes begin with the homeowner’s plea for help and the exciting moment when George and his team meet them for the first time to tell them they are about to be rescued. The makeover and renovation process is energetic and dramatic, as the team deals with time issues, budgets and overcoming the inevitable hiccups of home improvement projects.

and transport plant materials to other states and foreign countries.

The division also regulates importation of certain plants into New Jersey to prevent disease spread and has a blueberry exportation inspection program that allows blueberries to be shipped to Canada, where the Jersey fruit is extremely popular.

Honeybees are essential to pollination of millions of dollars worth of fruit, vegetable and nursery plants in our state. The division’s Apiarist inspects the state’s bee colonies for parasites and disease. Our Plant Industry laboratory, located at our stateof-the-art New Jersey Health, Environment and Agriculture Laboratory in Ewing, performs tests on plants, bees and seeds.

One of the division’s most amazing functions is the Phillip Alampi Beneficial Insect-rearing Laboratory. Also located in Ewing, this facility breeds insects to control pests and diseases

Editor’s Note: Douglas H. Fisher is New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture. He is the department’s executive officer, secretary to the State Board of Agriculture and a member of the Governor’s cabinet. Secretary Fisher fulfills executive, management and administrative duties prescribed by law, executive order or gubernatorial direction. He can be reached at 609.292.3976. For more info, please visit: http://www. state.nj.us/agriculture

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March, 2015 5

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6 March, 2015

RUTGERS NJAES/RCE

Research to fight pathogens that infect canola is taking root at Rutgers University–Camden (CAMDEN, NJ) — Research that will help to fight soil-borne pathogens that infect canola plants is taking root at Rutgers University–Camden.

Canola is oil produced from the seed of several varieties of plant known as Brassica rapa, which includes leafy vegetables like cabbage or broccoli.

These plants are very susceptible to a pathogen that causes clubroot, a common disease that cuts off the plant’s water and nutrient intake, can stunt growth and seed production, and can cause the plant to die.

Simeon Kotchoni, an assistant professor of biology at Rutgers–Camden, is part of a collaborative research team that has found an innovative way to combat clubroot. Kotchoni says canola breeders have attempted to genetically manipulate the plants to prevent the pathogen from spreading, but clubroot resistant genes are limited and the disease can evolve to override the resistance.

“We’re trying to find a way to manage this disease once and for all, and we came up with a very unusual method to help eradicate it,” Kotchoni says.

Instead of seeking a “cure” within the Brassica plants, Kotchoni and his fellow researchers are using common grass — a “non-host” to the clubroot pathogen — to pinpoint resistant genes.

“We inoculated the roots of the grass and just let it grow, then compared it to samples that were not infected,” Kotchoni explains. “The inoculated grass was not affected by the clubroot, and that was a major breakthrough. We’ll be able to understand how the grass was able to overcome the pathogen, and bring that gene over to the canola so that it can fend off the clubroot.”

The next step is to engineer canola with the resistant genes and then test the canola plants to see how they respond to the clubroot pathogen.

The research finding is like a similar discovery in tobacco, which is a non-host to a pathogen that infects rice and has been used to help rice build resistance to the pathogen. Kotchoni’s study is the first to look in a non-host species for clubroot resistance in canola.

“This project is the roadmap to efficiently tackle clubroot disease and other soil-borne pathogens that affect various plants,” Kotchoni says.

The research project is being done in collaboration with Tagnon Missihoun, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Saskatchewan who will come to Rutgers University–Camden to work with Kotchoni later this year.

Kotchoni and Missihoun are working in conjunction with Peta Bonham-Smith and Yangdou Wei, professors at the University of Saskatchewan. The research is being funded by Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund and the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission.

“Rutgers–Camden is a desirable and compelling place to do such research,” Kotchoni says. “We’re in a great situation in which state-of-the-art technology can be used for a collaborative research project of this magnitude. We don’t have to send out our samples to a lab in another location. We can analyze everything right here at Rutgers–Camden, and our students can do this research on their own, teaching them the skills they need upon graduation.”

A Marlton resident, Kotchoni earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Benin in Nigeria; master’s degrees from the University of Benin and Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria; and his doctoral degree from the University of Bonn in Germany.

Gardener News

From the Director’s Desk

Rutgers Outreach Provided by Larry S. Katz, Ph.D. Sr. Associate Director

My Deer Enemy????

White-tailed deer are arguably one of the best examples of the successful conservation of a North American wildlife species. By the late 1880s, deer in the northeastern U.S. were hunted to near extirpation. In fact, the New Jersey population was so low that deer were brought in from other states to help supplement existing herds. Restocking efforts, coupled with the enactment of protective regulations and the eradication of natural predators (wolves and cougars), allowed the deer population to quickly rebound.

Now, deer are considered an overabundant species in this region, and they are both loved and loathed for their many interactions with people.

As majestic as it is to watch the graceful prancing of a deer herd through one’s yard, there is no contesting the significant damage deer are capable of causing to home gardens and landscapes. Residential plantings offer a constant supply of high-quality food resources for deer in a safe environment where hunting is prohibited. While economic losses vary greatly by locations, studies estimate an average cost of $200-$800 in landscape damage per single-family household. Aside from the money, there is nothing more frustrating than watching the fruits (and vegetables, too) of your hard labor literally vanish overnight.

There are certainly tools to assist in the battle for the burbs. Taste- or odor-based repellents can be effective at discouraging deer in small gardens or beds. Only certain commercial products are approved for use on garden vegetables or fruit trees, and some chemicals have a time window in which food should not be harvested. Make certain to read the labels carefully and wash food well. More natural repellents include urine from a natural predator; hot sauce derived from capsaicin in pepper; and putrescent eggs.

Attractiveness and palatability of the plants, deer hunger, amount of rainfall and local food preference are among factors influencing repellent effectiveness. To maximize success, repellents should be used with additional deer management tactics in an integrated approach.

Exclusion methods can be effective as well. Individual plants can be protected with flexible netting or wire caging, and tree seedlings can be covered with plastic tubes (tree shelters). Although labor-intensive, protecting individual plants has been shown to be successful in many situations. However, use of tree shelters may inadvertently increase mortality of songbirds, such as bluebirds, which enter the tube chasing an insect and ultimately get caught inside. Flexible netting or some other device to block entrance to the tubes should be employed. Fencing larger areas is helpful, provided the fence is at least six feet in height. With enough clearance, deer can easily hurdle even an eight-foot fence.

Homeowners also have the option to plant a variety of alternative landscape plants that are unpalatable to deer. Unfortunately, many of these plants, such as Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) and burning bush (Euonymus alatus), disperse into natural areas and cause incredible negative impacts. Luckily, deer-resistant native plants are now available at several native plant nurseries and even at some of the larger garden centers.

For an extensive list of deer-resistant native plants, visit the Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve website (www.bhwp.org) and click on the Gardening with Natives link. Keep in mind that deer-resistant does not equal deer proof.

Despite these individual measures, reductions of negative deer-human interactions (landscape damage, vehicle collisions, tick-borne diseases, ecological impacts) over the long term involve restoring deer populations to manageable levels. Sport hunting is considered the most cost-effective, efficient method of deer management. Hunters have been successful in reducing deer densities where they have access to hunting lands.

However, the lack of hunter access continues to be a severe obstacle to successful deer management here in the most densely populated state in the nation. In deer management zones with more restrictive hunting regulations, communities may apply for a Deer Management Assistance Permit (DMAP), which allows for the take of additional antlerless deer in order to meet management goals. In areas where sport hunting is not practical, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife can issue a Community Based Deer Management Permit (CBDMP), which allows for lethal methods not permitted under sport hunting regulations. The CBDMP program allows sharp-shooting by specially trained professionals and, in some cases, euthanasia of individual deer. Overall, deer management in New Jersey requires an integrated strategy involving lethal and nonlethal measures on both the local and statewide scale.

The bulletin “Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance” (E271) is available along with other NJAES publications on our website at: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs.

Editor’s Note: Brooke Maslo, Ph.D. is an Assistant Extension Specialist in Wildlife Ecology for Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources. She can be reached at wildlife@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Gardener News

March, 2015 7 Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

Honey Hole Wikipedia defines a honey hole as “slang for a location that yields a valued commodity or resource.” In fishing, it could mean a particular spot in the water where conditions are perfect for catching fish. For a “plant junkie” like myself, it refers to a nursery or grower who has the unusual, the rare and or the remarkable plants that are head-and-shoulders above the rest.

During the winter months, I spend a large part of my time attending trade shows, researching new and exciting product lines and visiting nurseries. January is trade show month, and this year the MANTS show (Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show) in Baltimore, Md., proved very fruitful for our garden center. The MANTS show is one of the largest nursery/garden center trade shows in the country. Just about anything you could imagine in the green industry is represented here. And it was here that I was introduced to a grower with such high standards that I had to take a road trip and visit their organization.

My standards for accepting nursery stock are unyielding. Product must be healthy, true to name, well formed, free from any scars or holes, well rooted and represented better than what most put forth in the market. In a phrase, it must be as close to perfect as you can expect from a living, breathing plant. I have been told, over the years, that I am fussy and picky, but hey, that’s just my fastidious personality coming through. My expectations are what they are because I know it can be done.

Our new grower has done such an outstanding job with their plant material that I left the tour grinning. Product knowledge, techniques, inventory control, finished product and overall passion are second to none here. Touring nearly 450 acres on a John Deere Gator, in January’s cold, was a thrilling treat. And the goodies that we will receive come early April will impress even the most seasoned plants person.

For starters “Fox Valley” River Birch, Betula nigra “Fox Valley” had even my brother-in-law smirking and he shows little emotion outwardly. This dwarf river birch can easily be kept at just 15 to 20 feet tall and wide. Also known as “Little King,” “Fox Valley” has been around for over 30 years. Discovered in Illinois, this diminutive birch has gained popularity through the Chicagoland Grows program. An outstanding plant for hedging and even better where vertical space is limited, “Little King” will impress you as it did us, in the winter months, when its peeling bark is showcased.

Two viburnum which leaped out of the nursery fields to greet us were “Michael Dodge” and “Asian Beauty.” Viburnum dilatatum “Michael Dodge” is a wonderful linden viburnum that is rounded and compact in habit. Vivid yellow fruit is displayed from late-summer into the early-winter. Bright green summer foliage morphs into a reddish burgundy in the fall. Expect a six-foot by six-foot plant in a mature state here.

“Viburnum dilatatum” “Asian Beauty” was another linden viburnum that seemed to almost wave its arms up and call us over. This quick grower not only has white flower clusters in the spring with ruffled, dark green leaves, our immediate experience had it showing off its fruit display, too. In early-fall, the show begins with striking small, cherry red fruit persisting far longer than other dilatatum types. A bit larger than “Michael Dodge,” eight to10 feet tall and four to six feet wide at maturity. Remember to plant a compatible cultivar nearby to help promote cross-pollination and a heavier fruit set.

“Cristata” Japanese Cedar, Cryptomeria japonica “Cristata,” had by far the most descriptive reference of our tour. The Latin cultivar name describes the “crested” appearance of select foliage, however our tour guide, grower and owner likened it to “moose antlers.” Also described as “cock’s combs,” “Cristata’s” fasciated foliage is a consistent abnormality that “plant geeks” dream of. Deep green foliage clothes this sentinel, and its finished look towers at an impressive 30 to40 feet tall and 10 to15 feet wide. I have seen cuttings of this tree taken and implemented into holiday wreath making, showing another artistic use for this impressive conifer.

Finally it is difficult to make a Ginkgo tree look impressive at a young age.

The efforts of this grower have his Ginkgo biloba “Spring Grove” as chunky little pyramids. Named for the famous cemetery in Cincinnati where it was discovered, “Spring Grove” forms a densely branched upright pyramid maturing at about 15 to 20 feet tall. The reliable brilliant yellow fall color we have come to expect with Ginkgo is evident here too.

This spring, come visit the botanical wonders found in our new honey hole!

2015 NJ Flower and Garden Show Award Winning Water Display Garden

Editor’s Note: Bob LaHoff is co-owner of Hall’s Garden Center and Florist in Union County, a member of the Union County Board of Agriculture, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, Reeves-Reed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers. He can be reached at (908) 665-0331.

8 March, 2015

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March, 2015 9

National Ag (Agriculture) Day is celebrated on March 18 this year. Ag Day is designed to increase understanding of how our agricultural products are produced, the role of agriculture in providing safe, abundant and affordable products, the value of agriculture in our economy, and it encourages people to take up careers in agriculture, according to the Agricultural Council of America (ACA).

The theme this year is “Agriculture: Sustaining Future Generations” and it is very apropos as the industries that make up agriculture look to a new generation to continue the work of feeding America and the business of agriculture.

The ACA website lists ideas for events that can be held, such as adopt-a-legislator, farmer’s markets, ag day breakfast, adopt-a-classroom, school lunches, mall exhibits, library exhibits, and more.

Sustainability is a word that is flung around quite a bit in the industry. Ask anyone to define it and you may find several different answers and iterations on its meaning. To sustain something, one must keep up or keep going a process or action, according to dictionary.com.

expert in agriculture. They have done amazing work in product development and variety introductions, which help sustainability of industries such as cranberries.

Ag Day will be a great way to consider these things.

It is important to understand the role of agriculture and look at the process thoroughly.

Sustainability is a great way to look at each of the steps in agriculture. It helps us appreciate the hard work of growers and producers. Support agriculture on Ag Day. Have an Ag Day breakfast or just have a discussion with a friend about it. It is a truly amazing part of our lives. It is an important part of sustaining life itself.

Passionate About Produce

By Paul Kneeland The King of Produce

National Ag Day But it really means more than that.

When we want something to continue to be around for us to have and use, we need to look at all the steps in the process to make sure we are doing them all in a certain way. Let’s work backward.

If we fish all the cod in the ocean, there is none left and the species becomes extinct. If we study the species, understand the reproduction process and limit fishing in certain areas at certain times, and also put a limit on sizes, it will allow for more fish in the end.

Environmental issues are also making sustainability difficult. In the drought-torn regions of California, growers are not planting crops that require a lot of water. Avocado trees are being cut because of the stress of the drought. This

will force buyers to purchase imports that may raise the cost of product but puts into question the sustainability of the California avocado.

Food waste has also been lumped into the sustainability discussion. We throw out tons of food every year. Think about when you clean out your refrigerator. Supermarkets and food stores have much bigger refrigerators. The big question is, how do we grow enough to meet demand and not over supply on any particular item?

Generally, market forces take care of the oversupply of food. If there is an oversupply of cantaloupes, for example, costs to the retailer goes down, the retailer drops their price down, and more cantaloupes are purchased by consumers. This helps, but still doesn’t solve the problem. Growers will map the

spike in supply and cut back growing and production.

Food safety also could cause shortages in supply and reductions in consumption.

Spinach growers felt the brunt of it when they were targeted not long ago for E.coli. This basically made curly spinach non-existent. In the next few years, curly leaf spinach will no longer be grown. In this case, sustainability is not considered and in fact the opposite is happening.

In New Jersey, agriculture is very big economically.

Living here, we have access to great product grown locally.

New Jersey also provides fresh produce to many other states and has high rankings of sales in eggplant and blueberries, among others. Home to Rutgers and Cook College, New Jersey is considered an

Editor’s Note: Paul Kneeland is the Vice President of Floral, Meat, Produce and Seafood for Kings Food Markets, President of the Eastern Produce Council, and a board member of the Produce Marketing Association. He holds degrees in Business Management from Boston College as well as Northeastern University.

He can be reached at pkneeland@kingssm.com

Raising a Big Stink in the Gardens As the weather begins to warm, we will soon be reintroduced to many of the pestiferous invaders that visit our gardens.

One of the most recent additions to the cavalcade of the undesired is the brown marmorated stink bug.

The brown marmorated stink bug (occasionally referred to as the BMSB) is a relatively new pest to the United States.

The BMSB is believed to have made its way to the United States in Asian packing containers landing in Allentown, Pa., sometime around 1998.

Soon thereafter, BMSB managed to reproduce and slowly spread throughout the majority of the continental states.

The BMSB (Halyomorpha halys) received its common

name from its appearance (brown marble like dorsal view) and it capability to stink. BMSB can release a foul odor as a defense mechanism. This release can occur if you handle a stink bug. You will almost certainly notice the odor if you crush a living BMSB. The BMSB is causing a serious concern for agriculture.

These particular stink bugs are a true bug that is classified by their piercing, sucking mouthparts. The BMSB possesses a proboscis, a needle-like mouthpart used for piercing through plant tissue.

Once injected into the food source, the bug injects proteins through its saliva into the plant. These salivary proteins begin to digest the plant material making it easier to be sucked back through the proboscis and consumed by the bug. The repeated injections cause necrosis

to the partially digested plant material (which can be your tomatoes or other crops).

There are a few strategies that you can employ to get rid of BMSBs in your garden.

The first strategy should be to identify and physically remove the bugs from your plants.

Remember not to crush the bugs as doing so will cause them to release their odor. Drop your captures into a jar of soapy water. Insecticides can be used to kill and repel BMSBs in the garden.

Always follow the label for application timing, mixing instructions, and application rates. Traps can also be utilized, but care must be used when determining the location of the trap.

Commercially prepared BMSB traps are becoming more popular in recent years. Synthetic attractants have been

added to commercially prepared traps to increase the attractiveness of the traps. Many traps also have a light source, as BMSBs are attracted to light. Utilizing BMSB traps can be beneficial or can be disastrous based on your placement of the trap. Placing a BMSB trap directly near a crop that you desire to harvest can be a big mistake.

Remember, the traps are designed to attract the BMSBs to them, and placing them too close to your crops may increase BMSB activity in your garden. Keep your traps away from desired plants or place them near trap crops to further lure the stink bugs away from your main crops.

One last strategy that can greatly reduce the BMSB population for the backyard gardener is to attack the adult stink bugs where they hibernate. BMSBs are

overwintering pests, meaning that they spend the colder months hibernating (in diapause for insects). During the winter, the BMSB may very well be spending its diapause in your attic, soffits, sheds or barns.

Inspect attic insulation, rafters and roof lines for the presence of BMSBs. If found in a structure, spring is the optimal time to treat for BMSBs (insecticide or physically removing) before they head to the garden and start their destructive cycle.

Editor’s Note: Gregory Covello, ACE is an Associate Certified Entomologist and District Manager for Viking Pest Control based out of Warren, Somerset County.

He is a backyard gardener and hobbyist beekeeper.

He can be reached at 973-296-6523 or gcovello@vikingpest.com.

10 March, 2015

Gardener News

Greeting’s from the Jersey Shore!

Yay! I say, yay! Spring is just around the corner, followed by summer, yes summer.

My little daughters can’t wait to get back on the beach.

I can’t wait to be able to go outside and just do stuff around the house. Getting the outside of the house ready for the good weather is always a fun process at my house.

There’s a lot to do, but it’s well worth it when you’re sitting in your back yard with a cocktail in your hand and flipping some burgers on the grill.

The roads down here are improving every day, and for the most part they are nice and smooth. It seems like it’s been forever and that damn storm is still lingering at our backs after all this time. The nice thing is that we are nearing the finish of something that inevitably had to be done. Driving from my house in Point Pleasant down to Lavallette six days a week, I have seen so much change, a lot of it good and some just plain sad. It’s definitely looking a bit different down

1Tbsp. capers, drained and finely chopped 2 Tbsp. pepperoni, finely chopped 2 Tbsp. Genoa salami, finely chopped 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped 2 Tbsp. Italian flat leaf parsley 2 Tbsp. Peppadew peppers, finely chopped Method-mix all ingredients (except for mozz, lettuce, tomatoes) together and let sit for about half an hour -toss salad dressing and romaine lettuce together in a large bowl -place on a platter and garnish with the tomatoes and shredded mozzarella.

ENJOY!!!

From the Deep

By Craig Korb Executive Chef

Antipasto anyone? here from years past, but nice all the same. Better yet, the beaches still are as pristine as ever. That will never change.

This recipe is actually something I came up with recently at home while staring into my refrigerator for a salad dressing idea. It is basically an antipasto dressing. My wife was becoming a little sick of the same old garlic dressing that my oldest daughter can’t get enough of.

So I grabbed some salami, pepperoni, garlic, parsley, capers and a jar of Peppadew peppers (sometimes called piquanté peppers). At this point, I’m feeling like I’m on an episode of “Chopped.”

I grab a knife and cutting board and begin to finely chop all of the ingredients and toss it in a bowl with a pinch of salt and fresh ground

A fabulous display garden

black pepper. Next, I hit it with a nice splash of red wine vinegar, followed by a bit of extra virgin olive oil. I mix it all together and let it sit on the counter for a bit so all the flavors can kind of come together.

I chop my head of romaine, toss it together with the dressing, add a bunch of halved grape tomatoes and serve it on a platter with a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese. VOILA! It’s an instant hit with all my girls. My oldest daughter can’t eat it quickly enough.

So chalk one up for Dad that night, folks. I’m actually going to put it up at the restaurant in the near future, maybe with the addition of fresh buffalo mozzarella or maybe even a hunk of Burrata cheese (Burrata

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Bart Scott, left, a former New York Jets linebacker and now a panelist on the CBS Sports Network’s That Other Pregame Show, stopped by the 13th annual New Jersey Flower and Garden Show in Edison on February 14. He was visiting with Bob Belleck, owner of Lily Pad Ponds and Landscapes. Scott, holding a Tête-à-Tête daffodil, wanted to see what the over-all show looked like from inside the tent, in Belleck’s garden, which was themed The Call of the Wild. Jack London wrote and published this famous novel in 1903. London’s story is set in the Yukon during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. The 2015 flower and garden show theme was The Great American Novel.

meaning “buttery” in Italian).

This is a fresh cheese made from a mix of mozzarella and cream)…hmmmm!

So, the bottom line here is that this combo worked out well, will impress your friends, and best of all is easy to make and doesn’t take a long time. So good luck and get on down to the shore and check us out.

Antipasto dressing (serves 4) 2 heads of romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed, washed and roughly chopped 1/2 cup or more of shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 pint of halved grape tomatoes 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and black pepper to taste

Editor’s Note: Craig Korb is executive chef at The Crab’s Claw Inn, Lavallette, New Jersey. He has an Associates degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelors degree in Food Service Management from Johnson and Wales University. For more information visit www.TheCrabsClaw.com or phone (732) 793-4447.

Gardener News

March, 2015 11

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Luckily, I have the privilege of getting a taste of spring before the actual season arrives. And it officially arrives on March 20 this year. Yea! I have been prepping for spring since last fall. Being able to walk and work through a greenhouse full of plants growing this time of year is heavenly. I can’t wait for the weather outside to cooperate, so I can all open the doors and windows, letting that fresh spring air in.

Let’s talk about the everso-fragrant Easter Lily.

Easter Lily bulbs are harvested in the fall, packed and shipped to commercial greenhouses where they are planted in pots and forced under controlled conditions to bloom for the Easter holiday.

The cultivar most widely grown today for greenhouse potted Easter Lily production is called “Nellie White.” This selection was made by a lily grower named James White, and was named after his wife.

The cultivar “Nellie White” has large, white trumpet shaped flowers.

The Professional Grower

By Tim Hionis Greenhouse Specialist

A symbol for the season The Easter Lily, the traditional time-honored flower of Easter, is highly regarded as a joyful symbol of beauty, hope and life.

For the longest possible period of enjoyment in your home, look for plants with flowers in various stages of ripeness. For example, the best selection would be a plant with just one or two open or partly open blooms, and three or more puffy, unopened buds of different sizes. The ripe puffy buds will open up within a few days, while the tighter ones will bloom over the next several days.

As the flowers mature, remove the yellow anthers before the pollen starts to shed.

This gives longer flower life and prevents the pollen from staining the white flowers.

When a mature flower starts

to wither after its prime, cut it off to make the plant more attractive while you still enjoy the fresher, newly opened blooms.

When selecting plants, be sure to also check out the foliage: an abundance of dark, rich green foliage is not only attractive, but a vital sign of good plant health. The foliage should appear dense and plentiful, all the way down to the soil line, a good indicator of an active, healthy root system.

In the home, Easter Lilies prefer moderately cool temperatures. Recommended daytime temperatures are 60 to 65 degrees F, with slightly cooler night temperatures.

Avoid placing plants near drafts, and avoid exposure to excess heat or dry air from appliances, fireplaces or

heating ducts. The lily will thrive near a window in bright, indirect natural daylight, but avoid glaring, direct sunlight.

Easter Lilies prefer moderately moist, well-drained soil. Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry to a light touch, but avoid over-watering. If the pot is wrapped in decorative foil, be careful not to let the plant sit in trapped, standing water. For best results, remove the plant from decorative pots or covers, take it over the sink and water thoroughly until water seeps out of the pot’s drain holes to completely saturate the soil.

Allow the plant to air for a few minutes and discard the excess water before replacing it back into its decorative pot cover.

Do not throw away you Easter Lily after it is done blooming. You can save the

bulb and plant it outdoors.

Easter Lilies can be replanted outside after the blooms are gone. Plant the Easter Lily outdoors as soon as the ground can be worked. Select a sunny site with well-drained soil.

Set the top of the bulb sixinches below the soil surface.

Cut off the old flowers, but leave the stem and leaves. Do not cut back the stem until it dies down in the fall, then cut it off at the soil surface.

After the soil surface freezes in late-fall, mulch the soil and do not remove the mulch until new growth begins in the spring.

One last thing to mention, when you get out and about looking for plants, keep a look out for Jersey Grown plant material. This ensures the products you are purchasing are grown in New Jersey and are of the highest quality.

Editor’s Note: Tim Hionis has been growing plants for over 20 years, and is co-owner of Hionis Greenhouses and Garden Center in Whitehouse Station, NJ. He can be reached by calling (908) 534-7710.

12 March, 2015 Here we are, with the end of the winter season in our sights and we are thankful that our climate has not evolved into something different than what is normal. Of course, normal for New Jersey is anything from a 65-degree day to below zero. However, in the horticultural community, we have learned how to prepare and care, since through it all our landscape plants are the most adaptable parts of our environment.

Even if we see bulbs popping out of the ground and buds swelling to almost the breaking point, our plants have more insight into what the climate has in store for us than even our weatherman may say.

Which brings us to how we should handle these current weather patterns. I’m sure all of us are ready to begin spring cleanups as soon as the mid-March time period is upon us and the temperatures are close to 60. However, let’s avoid the rush to start our season before “Mother Nature” is on-board. Many times we have endured mild winters only to be blasted with bitter cold spells and snow anytime in March.

Simply said, we don’t want to rush the growing season when our plants have internal systems which control their survival. Going out and removing winter’s cover as well as “reviving” our lawns and shrubs before they are ready could leave them open for damage if a latewinter surge rears its head.

There are many things that we The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association 38th Annual Trade Show and Conference, on February 25th, 2015 at the Meadowlands Convention Center in Secaucus, New Jersey is one of the most popular green industry trade shows in New Jersey, focusing on the green industry professional, including landscape design/ build, landscape maintenance and landscape management.

We improve the show every year, which is why it continues to grow. Three years ago, we moved the NJLCA trade show booth into the main lobby. This has allowed us to welcome our attendees and answer any questions that they might have.

Two years ago, we reorganized our trade show floor, creating an open and more inviting floor plan, which our exhibitors love. Last year, based on our attendees’ requests for more in-depth educational classes, we added a full day of educational workshops the day before the show, or what we call our pre-con day. This allowed us to create a two-day show without adding any additional commitment from our exhibitors.

This year, we have a Mardi Gras theme for the trade show.

Mardi Gras falls in the same month as our trade show and is well known for its festive

Gardener News The Landscaper

By Evan Dickerson Landscape Professional

The Seasons May Change and We Are Thankful can do from now until spring really arrives. Pruning to help structure and future growth can be done now, especially the removal of water shoots and sucker branches. Getting rid of this type of growth while the plants are dormant will help ensure a better growth pattern when they come to life in the spring. Avoid too much pruning for size and shape, especially on flowering varieties as you will remove much of the buds, negatively impacting the plants’ flower show.

Another important task to do now while the weather is warm is that of soil testing. There are many sites available where tests can be done. A comprehensive test needs to show soil texture, pH, organic matter content, salinity and nutrient levels.

To get a representative sampling, you will need to use a soil probe, drill, or non-galvanized spade or trowel. When using a soil probe, you will pull a core of at least three to six inches out of the soil. This must be done at many points in the test area

and mixed in a clean bucket before being put in a sample container. This could be something as simple as a sealable plastic bag.

Lawns will need approximately one to four cores per 1,000 square feet, depending upon the terrain and the size of the lawn. Samples in bed and garden areas should be taken to the tillage depth (eight to 10 inches), throughout the entire planting area. After this clean mixed sample has been properly collected, it must be brought to a testing site in a timely manner. Letting the samples dry out too much will lead to an ineffective test. When the test results are received, a plan of action can be created. There will be many individual levels listed in the results and they need to be properly interpreted to be able to set up recommendations for the test areas.

Most soil test recommendations will mention the soil texture, referred to as the class of the soil. Sandy soils have lower water- and nutrientholding capacities, and soils with

high clay content tend to be poorly drained and subject to compaction.

The addition of organic matter will help to amend these soils. These practices will increase the availability of nutrients and oxygen to the plants as the root system’s density increases and overall health improves.

By definition, pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion content of a substance, and thus a means of expressing the acidity or alkalinity of soils. A pH below 7.0 is acidic and pH above 7.0 is alkaline. PH is a master variable that controls the availability of most plant nutrients.

Plants require different soil pH levels for best growth and optimum health.

Most landscape plants will thrive in a pH range of 5.5 to 6.8. Your location and soil texture will also affect the pH recommendation. In our area, the soils are predominantly acidic and therefore a limestone product would be recommended. Many times a high calcium limestone product is warranted.

Measuring organic matter

The NJLCA Today

By Jody Shilan, MLA Executive Director Trade Show Highlights and carnival-like atmosphere, attracting people from all over the world to New Orleans, La., or “NOLA.” Mardi Gras includes such festivities as parades, live music and street fairs. Visitors dine on authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine, including po’ boys, gumbo and jambalaya.

We have created a similar experience with Mardi Gras in the Meadowlands.

This includes trade show decorations in the traditional colors of Mardi Gras; purple, gold and green; traditional costumes featuring face masks, hats, glasses and ties; along with live entertainment.

The aisles are named after the streets in New Orleans, including Bourbon Street, Saint Charles Avenue, Magazine Street and Canal Street. And of course, there are plenty of colorful beads for everyone to wear. Exhibitors were encouraged to participate, competing for one of three prizes for having the best Mardi

Gras booth, as selected by the attendees. These prizes include four tickets to see the Blue Man Group in NYC; dinner for four at an authentic New Orleans style restaurant or a basket of Mardi Gras themed goodies.

The NJLCA Trade Show and Conference, or its new name, Landscape New Jersey, focuses on educating attendees so that they can stay up-to-date on their state mandated licenses and registrations, keeping them legal and compliant, as regulations become increasingly demanding.

We offer Department of Environmental Protection classes for those that need to maintain their pesticide licenses, along with certification and re-certification classes administered by Rutgers University, so that landscape maintenance contractors can legally apply fertilizer products.

NJLCA members are required to satisfy these classes and must

provide the appropriate license and registration numbers to be considered for membership at NJLCA. However, not all landscape contractors do fulfill these requirements, including having a state required HIC or Home Improvement Contractors registration number, which is required to perform capital improvement work in the state of New Jersey. These contractors are not eligible for NJLCA membership.

This year, classes and workshops include landscape design, wall and patio construction, landscape lighting, branding and hydroseeding. In addition, we continue to offer classes completely in Spanish.

These classes focus on bidding and estimating, and small engine maintenance and repair. As an organization, we strive to be inclusive of all landscape professionals, regardless of whether they are new to the

content gives another view of the soil tilth, or physical condition.

Usually, higher levels of organic matter are desirable. Organic matter will increase microbial activity and provide nutrients for plant growth, as well as amending the soil texture.

If any of this information seems overwhelming, using a systematic approach which details your every move will help with soil testing and the appropriate recommendations.

Doing what is necessary to amend the soil and create a living environment in the plant’s root zone will eliminate the broadcast applications and therefore create a program which will more prudently use the plant healthcare budget.

With the growing season almost here, now is the perfect time to set up a soil testing program for your landscape and make additional plans to implement how we will handle plant healthcare. Now is a great time to get started with these procedures, as long as we don’t jump ahead of “Mother Nature.” Your local landscape professional or garden center can be an invaluable resource in implementing this approach.

Editor’s Note: Evan Dickerson is owner of Dickerson Landscape Contractors and NaturesPro of North Plainfield.

He has been pioneering the organic approach to plant health since 1972. Evan can be reached at 908-753-1490 industry or are industry veterans.

The NJLCA, along with our educational partners at Rutgers University, Bergen Community College and the County College of Morris and our state association partners at the turfgrass, nursery, irrigation, pool and spa associations trade show Landscape New Jersey continue to strive to raise the bar for our members and for our industry. Our goal is to always protect the health, safety and welfare of the consumer, as well as the contractor, while helping to reduce unsafe practices that are detrimental to the Garden State of New Jersey.

Editors Note: Jody Shilan is the owner of Jody Shilan Designs in Wyckoff, where he provides landscape design and consulting services for homeowners and landscape contractors. He earned his bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture from Cook College, Rutgers University and his masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Currently, he is Executive Director of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA). He can be reached at 201-783-2844 or jshilan@gmail.com.

Gardener News

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Gardener News

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16 March, 2015

Gardener News

Gardener News A lot of people do not like them, but I think that is sad, because they are indigenous, smart, industrious, very agile, quick and funny. I would like to see any one of these naysayers climb down a tree upside down and stay there without falling while not holding onto a limb!

Huh? Think about it. I am talking about my backyard buddy, the American monkey, otherwise known as the Grey Squirrel. Well, Storm Casey dumped about eight inches of snow, Storm Juno three days later dumped over two feet on top of that and then two days after that we got another foot with Storm Linus! Plus, to make matters worse, the wind howled and it was bitter cold out due to wind chill.

And if that wasn’t a pain in the butt to shovel over and over, all my squirrels completely disappeared.

Five feeding stations; two with sunflower seeds, one with suet and one for corn cobs, that I set up and or built specifically to be

March, 2015 17 The Miscellaneous Gardener

By Richard W. Perkins Freelance Writer

“Blizzard & Bitter Cold = See Ya!” squirrel friendly, were all untouched.... for days! I wondered if they had food stuck away and if they were all snuggled down somewhere, so I went to my neighborhood Fish & Wildlife guy, who told me this: Grey squirrels do not hibernate, but instead rely on their fat reserves and cached stores of nuts to survive the long, cold winters. The squirrels will no doubt come back to my plentiful food source all winter as long as the temperatures are not below 30 degrees and as long as it is not raining or snowing.

Normally, wintertime food forages are calculated risks in which the use of energy (fat) reserves must yield a profit or the squirrel’s vital fat insulation

layer will be steadily lost and the individual will be unable to survive the winter. I asked the warden about winter predators.

The most significant ones are birds of prey, hawks and especially owls. They have to get the squirrel before it gets back to the den, but they will roost and wait. A squirrel has greater visual acuity than a human, making their field of vision expansive and them not an easy target because they will run for cover the second an owl comes within range. The Warden went on to say that they typically don’t see a lot of leaf nests in town, and due to the high population of woodpeckers, he believes that most of the squirrels have inside tree dens.

Squirrels will chew out a woodpecker den and expand it into their very own tree condo, lining it with shredded bark, grass and chewed leaves to make a very soft comfortable bed, not only for the adults but to cradle the delicate infants which weigh about half an ounce at birth and whose skin is almost transparent.

The den offers much better protection from wind, rain and snow then a leaf nest that is exposed to the elements.

Plus you don’t have to waste valuable energy fixing up the tree after a fierce snow and wind storm.

Another advantage to the more insulated, warmer tree condo is that the adult squirrels use less energy

in maintaining their core body temperature, thereby storing more fat for the long winter while saving on food stores.

I asked the Warden if there were baby squirrels in the den and he said, not yet, but, they mate in January to have their first litter in March. The second mating occurs in the latespring or early-summer and results in a summerborn litter that develops quickly to be fully weaned and independent by the winter.

Ahhhhhh-sooooooo, grasshoppah, and then it hit me. Snow, bitter cold, lots of stored energy from the copious amounts of delicious food I supply and... mating season.

Geeeee, I wonder if that has anything at all to do with why it’s been days, even warmer sunny ones, where there have been no squirrels in sight.

Thanks for reading and see ya next month.

Editors Note: Check out Richard’s photography at; rwperkinsphotography.com

Saving Viburnums

By Kathleen Salisbury New Jersey can claim 11 different species and varieties of Viburnum. Michael Dirr, in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, states that “a garden without a viburnum is akin to life without music and art.” I will go a step further and say a garden and the forests without a viburnum are akin to life without music and art.

As Dirr so eloquently states, these shrubs are vital in the landscape for the multiple seasons of interest they offer through spring flowers, summer berries and reliable fall color.

But more than necessities in our gardens, they are essential in New Jersey’s natural spaces.

In his exhaustive Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines for Urban and Rural America, Gary Hightshoe lists all viburnums as having high wildlife value. Upland gamebirds, songbirds, small mammals and ,yes, hoofed browsers all find Viburnums a valuable source of food and

shelter in our forests.

Those hoofed browsers are already giving the native Viburnums a run for their money. Deer are decimating native stands of these large shrubs, eating seedlings before theyhave a chance to get established and browsing the lower branches of every shrub they come across.

That’s why the Viburnum Leaf Beetle is even more devastating. This invasive, exotic beetle is attacking our native Viburnums and threatening their continued existence, not only in our forests but in our landscapes as well.

Cornell University has been doing a lot of research on this devastating pest. You can find out more information, and see photos of various stages of its lifecycle at http://www.hort. cornell.edu/vlb/.

This is an important site to visit right now. March is a terrific time to scope out the Viburnums in your landscape and those in any wild areas you visit. According to research

done by Cornell University, the most effective means of controlling the spread of this pest is pruning out the areas where eggs have been deposited. With the leaves off the shrubs, those egg-laying sites are easy to see this time of the year.

According to the Cornell University website, the adults lay their eggs on the “undersides of young branches, usually the current season’s growth.” You are looking for “rows of small bumps, 1-2mm in diameter (between the size of a pin and a match head).” In my experience scouting these, the bumps looks two-tone with both brown and black. These bumps are not the eggs, but the site of where the females have excavated a small cavity and deposited eggs then sealed her brood in with a combination of masticated plant material and feces to keep them safe and sound until they are ready to emerge. Their emergence coincides with the emergence of Viburnum leaves.

Which makes sense, because the emerging larva feed on

these leaves as they develop into beetles. Adult beetles also feed on the leaves.

In great quantities, the adult and larva stages of this pest can defoliate a shrub. If this happens two or three years, the shrubs have a greater chance of succumbing. Couple this with deer pressure and we have a chance of seeing the viburnums of our forests blink out of existence. Visit the website to learn about their lifecycle and how to identify them. Explore the landscapes you care for and make sure you do not have this pest lurking unchecked among the spring blooms and cheerful berries. Though not widely reported in New Jersey, it has been found in a few counties, and may be more widespread than we think.

If you think you have found this pest and need help with positive identification, reach out to the local Rutgers Extension agent in your county. This beetle seems to prefer our native Viburnums to the exotics so often found in New Jersey landscapes.

One of its favorites seems to be Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum). This doesn’t mean, however, that we should give up on our natives.

We need to continue planting them, protecting them and promoting their use to ensure the continuation of the systems they support.

So take a look in your landscape, in your nursery, your garden center and in your forests. Positively ID the pest if you think you have found it, and if you have, get those pruners out before the shiny spring leaves start emerging.

Editor’s Note: Kathy Salisbury is a Horticulture Educator and the President of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey (NPSNJ). The NPSNJ is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting the appreciation, protection and study of NJ’s native flora. To learn more about the Native Plant Society please visit www.npsnj.org or contact Kathy directly at president@npsnj.org.

18 March, 2015

Gardener News

Monarch Butterflies Current Status

By Jeannie Geremia Garden Club of New Jersey Monarch butterflies are at the top of the list of requests for more information on how to help grow their severely declining population.

In fact, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced on December 29, 2014, that it would conduct a year-long review on whether to list the monarch butterflies as â&#x20AC;&#x153;endangeredâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;threatenedâ&#x20AC;? under the Endangered Species Act after receiving a petition from The Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety, the Xerces Society and Dr. Lincoln Brower asking the agency to declare monarchs an endangered species with all the protections that designation would afford.

Twenty years ago, this designation would have been unthinkable, but in a few short years, the decline has been precipitous and downright alarming. The hard reality is the monarchs, whose yearly migration to the Oyamel fir forests in central Mexico is one of the wonders of the world, have suffered what some experts say is a 90-percent decline in the past two decades.

Specifically, the monarch butterflies covered an area of 44.94 acres in their winter quarters in Mexico in 1996.

By 2013, they covered the lowest total forest area ever recorded in Mexico of 1.65 acres. As of January 2015, the winter count in Mexico showed a slight increase in total area of overwintering monarch colonies to 2.79 acres, the second lowest figure ever reported.

Several factors figure into these alarming statistics, including logging in these precious fir forests in Mexico. But the largest single adverse impact on the monarch population is the loss of their caterpillarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; only food source, milkweed.

Most of the loss of their only food, all species of milkweed, is primarily linked to the widespread

planting of herbicide tolerant corn and soybeans, putting milkweed and other native plants at risk as more herbicides are used to eliminate weeds. Another factor implicated in the loss of milkweed and other native plants is the move to more intense farming, thus eliminating these plants from field perimeters.

This has an even more far reaching negative impact on pollinators across the board as not only are needed host plants eliminated, but also necessary nectar and pollen plants.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will conduct research and studies throughout the coming months, and at the end of the year when the review is completed, will make a determination as follows: 1. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Agency can decide the butterflies are fine and that the endangered species protections are unwarranted.

2.

The agency can list the monarch butterfly as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;threatenedâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;endangeredâ&#x20AC;? species under the Endangered Species Act. 3. The agency can put the butterfly on a waiting list for protection (known as warranted but precluded--if the agency agrees that the monarch butterfly is in trouble but lacks resources to act).

What can we do? We can continue to advocate for monarch butterflies and all our pollinators as they are critical to our health and well-being, by following current pollinator-friendly and environmentally sound legislation working its way through the New Jersey State Legislature, reaching out to our legislators on a continual basis so they are aware of the importance and necessity of passing these measures into law.

Education is the key and the continuing establishment of Monarch Waystations providing corridors of milkweed and native plants that are hosts and food sources for monarchs, other butterfly species,

bees and, by extension, wildlife in general, as theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all interconnected That interconnection, my gardening friends, extends to us humans, too, and it is imperative that each one of us does his or her part in providing habitat, food and host plants and to eschew herbicides and pesticides, with limited use only as a last resort.

The Garden Club of New Jerseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Butterflies & BeeGAP (Gardeners Adding Pollinators) project has many upcoming programs on growing our pollinator population including: Bridgewater Garden Club at the Somerset County Library on February 24 at 10:45 a.m.; Hunterdon Hills Garden Club at the High Bridge Rescue Squad on February 25 at 11 a.m.; Maplewood Garden Club at 7 p.m. on March 2; Point Pleasant Library at 7 p.m. on March 24; West Trenton Garden Club on April 6; Hunterdon Garden Guild Garden Club at 7 p.m. on April 9; Nottingham Garden Club at 7 p.m. in Yardville on April 15; and an Invitational Education exhibit in West Trenton Garden Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flower Show running May 1-2; Woodbridge Garden Club on May 12; Rake & Hoe Garden Club in Westfield on May 13; RFD Garden Club in Middletown on May 19; and the GCNJ Annual Meeting at the Bridgewater Marriott and Jumping Brook Garden Club on June 18. Join a garden club and make a difference!

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Jeannie Geremia is the Community Garden Chair and the Butterflies & BeeGAP Chair for the Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., and is a National Garden Clubs, Inc., Accredited Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie can be reached by emailing: jeannieg42@ earthlink.net Garden Club of New Jersey website is: www.gardenclubofnewjersey.com and phone number is 732-249-0947.

Sponsors sought for Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grow-a-Row Farm to Fork Fundraiser 3,77672:1 1- Ę&#x160; 2UJDQL]HUV RI $PHULFDÂśV Grow-a-Row 3rd annual Farm to Fork Fundraiser are seeking sponsors for the event that will take place Saturday, May 2, 2015 at Life Camp in Pottersville, New Jersey. Proceeds will benefit Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Growa-Row (AGAR), a non-profit organization that grows and gleans fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables that are donated to those suffering from hunger and those living in â&#x20AC;&#x153;food deserts,â&#x20AC;? or areas that lack access to fresh, affordable produce, throughout the state of New Jersey.

By becoming a sponsor or advertiser at this event, businesses will help to support local hunger relief, while gaining visibility through the publicity of the event.

In addition to brand awareness, the benefits of sponsorship include media coverage, promotional opportunities, an emotional connection with the community, and the opportunity to entertain clients and prospective customers by inviting them as VIPs to attend the dinner. The event, which last year was sold-out and was a resounding success, affords a good opportunity for sponsors to align with the issue of local hunger-relief.

Farm to Fork features local food artisans, a wine and craft beer tasting, a farm fresh dinner, and fine auctions.

AGAR is delighted to be honoring Bonnie Duncan, Executive Director of the United Way of Hunterdon County, for her extensive work in serving the local community.

Sponsorship opportunities range significantly in price and scope. Businesses can choose to place an advertisement in the official Farm to Fork program, to become a sponsor and receive recognition in both the print journal and onscreen during event, and have their logos featured on promotional materials. There are numerous combinations and options available to meet any goal or budget.

Proceeds will help AGAR reach their 2015 goals of donating over 1 million pounds of farm-fresh food to various hunger relief agencies in New Jersey while at the same time educating people of all ages about hunger, the importance of agriculture, and healthy eating. AGAR, supported by nearly 4,000 volunteers who harvest produce throughout the growing season, hosts 750 young people from low-income urban areas at their farm through the Growing Healthy Kids Farm Day, provides Free Farm Markets in Newark, Camden, and Jersey City and hosts Recipient Volunteering events for the recipients of the produce so that they can harvest fresh food for other communities in need.

This opportunity to participate in a volunteer capacity enables those served to give back to the program in a fulfilling and meaningful way. In 2014, AGARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s President and Founder, Chip Paillex, was honored with the recognition of CNN Hero and Ford Motor Company Go Further Everyday Hero.

The Farm to Fork Fundraiser is dedicated to celebrating the important work done by AGAR. AGAR thanks the following corporate sponsors who have already committed their support to the event: GreenmanPedersen, Inc., ExxonMobil, and PSE&G. To become a sponsor, please contact Heather Mulvey, at heather@ americasgrowarow.org.

Limited spaces are available for local food artisans to participate in the event. For more information, contact Juls Palmer at juls@americasgrowarow.org.

For more information, to buy tickets to the event, or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please visit www. americasgrowarow.org/2015-farm-fork.

Gardener News Snow, snow, go away!

It’s March, and yes, snow is a possibility, but let’s hope not!

We’ll look at your lawn situation if it snowed much in February or if it snows in March. We’ll also review lawn ideas for March if snow is not an issue.

Snow is good, since it provides much needed moisture to your lawn and landscaping plantings during winter months.

Snow and cold weather also help the lawn go through its natural winter dormancy so it grows vigorously each spring.

However, I’m sure we all hope there is no snow when you read this article.

We want spring to arrive!

How many times did you have to apply ice melters this winter? Was it five, 10, 20 times? Did any of the ice melt drift off into lawn areas? I’m sure some did. Depending on the type of ice melt you use, you may have different degrees of lawn damage. Rock salt and grass do not particularly like each other. Salts draw While the winter season is not as busy and hectic as the rest of the year, there is still plenty going on around our farm.

Yes, we do close our farm markets for a couple of months so we are not open to the public for retail sales, but we still keep busy in other areas. All of our fruit trees need to be pruned and we start this process in January. This task will usually be completed by the middle of April. We also cut, split and sell firewood during the winter months.

Although this is not a huge money-maker for us, it has developed into a significant part of our overall business.

While this is very labor intensive, it does allow us to keep some of our employees year-round. This enables us to keep a good, solid core group of employees right through the winter so they are still there in the spring when we start to get busy again.

Interestingly enough, firewood seems to sell better when the price of oil and natural gas is high. These high energy prices then

March, 2015 19 Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Does snow have you down? moisture out of plants, sometimes causing death.

Magnesium Chloride and Potassium Chloride are also common ice melt materials. The good news is they are also components used in lawn fertilizers.

Hopefully these did not cause as much or any lawn damage. Magnesium and Potassium can cause damage if you had to apply excessive amounts of these materials.

Salt damage on lawns can be neutralized with applications of Gypsum or Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate, which is found in our Love Your Lawn – Love Your Soil product. Aeration or loosening up the soil with a rake prior to applications of these products helps get to the root of the problem.

In the absence of enough moisture, heavy watering can also help to “wash-out” some of the residual salts in the soil. Salt damaged lawns will have to be re-seeded to avoid weeds invading these areas.

Snow mold may also be a problem on the lawn if there has been heavy snow cover for many weeks.

Snow mold may present itself once all snow has gone away. If the lawn has died you should re-seed these damaged areas.

If it did not snow much in February or March, do not read the first part of this article! Let’s get your lawn going now.

Rake up lawn areas to get rid of any leaves and debris. Determine where you need to re-seed bare

spots and pick the correct grass seed mixture for the area, whether it is sunny or shady or heavy traffic.

Apply a new seeding-type starter fertilizer and any other soil supplements you may need. How good is the quality of your soil?

Perhaps you need some calcium to raise the soil pH. Did you test your soil for its pH value? We have suggested this many times in prior articles. If you have too many weeds growing in your lawn over the years, your pH value is probably low. If you are not seeding, apply a traditional lawn fertilizer in early-spring to wake up your dormant lawn.

What about soil compaction, drainage problems or shade?

The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

Winter Happenings lead many consumers to utilize their wood stoves and fireplaces in the hopes of reducing their energy bills.

But when energy prices are low, as they are this winter, demand for firewood tends to drop off. One other note about firewood is that there is still a great deal of wood out there courtesy of Superstorm Sandy. And from the looks of things, it will take a couple more years to work out from under this glut.

Another endeavor that has been keeping us busy lately is the plowing of snow. Just as with firewood, the seasonal timing of this is a good fit for our business. Although, as the last few years have proven, we can get some surprise storms in the fall or in the

early-spring. But generally speaking, we are the busiest with snow when we are the slowest on the farm. Also, we need to take care of the snow removal on our own properties anyway, so doing a few more driveways is really not that big of a stretch.

We already have the trucks and tractors with loaders that are used for many other tasks on the farm, so this is really a pretty easy fit, equipment-wise. The main problem that does arise is when snow events coincide with planned vacations or industry conferences.

And as I just mentioned in the prior paragraph, there are quite a few meetings and trade shows to attend over the winter months. First of all, the organizers of these events schedule them at this

time of year because they know that their best chance for good attendance is at a time of year when farmers are not as busy on the farm.

But these conferences are beneficial to us in many different ways and are usually well worth attending.

It gives us a chance to meet face to face with many of our vendors and suppliers who we usually only get to talk to over the phone. And while yes, they are usually trying to sell us on something new, many of these new ideas which we have gleaned from these conferences have actually panned out quite well for us over the years.

Another benefit of attending these winter meetings is that it allows us to meet and interact with other growers from around

These problems should have been addressed last fall when the air and soil temperatures where more pleasing to work in your yard. You cannot grow a great lawn without the proper environment, one that favors grass growth and not one with various problems like we have discussed.

If you are not seeding, I would hold off on applying crabgrass preventers until April.

Let the newly seeded grass grow and be mowed a few times. By delaying crabgrass control, you will see less crabgrass this summer. Remember, crabgrass only really grows in sunny areas of your lawn. In New Jersey, you are allowed to apply lawn fertilizers after March 1, so let’s get going and grow the best lawn we can this year, I know you can do it!

Editor’s Note: Todd Pretz is Vice President of Jonathan Green, a leading supplier of lawn and garden products in the northeast. For more information, please visit: www.jonathangreen.com the region. It is always good to share stories of what went well last year (and what didn’t work so well) with other farmers who might have similar businesses to our own. I have to say that I have received a great deal of good advice from others in the industry over the years.

And I can only hope that I have been able to return the favor to other growers as well. So there you have it.

While it may look quiet and serene from a distance, there is still plenty of activity on our farm during the winter.

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is a current member of the Tewksbury Township Committee, and a former Mayor of Tewksbury Township. He also served as a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is a past president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Peter has also been featured on NJN, News 12 New Jersey and on the Fox Business Network.

20 March, 2015

Gardener News

Drypoteris â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Far From Marginal!

During my late-winter walks throughout the woodlands of New Jersey and New England, I have often enjoyed the Marginal Wood Fern, or Dryopteris marginalis, with its ability to defy the winter cold and remain evergreen.

Although these ferns typically fail to retain their upright summertime form, preferring to collapse and lie prostrate under winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s snow and cold, they still provide a wonderful touch of green. They also continue to provide the Garden with that wonderfully attractive lacy texture we so appreciate and need from ferns.

Dryopteris is a genus of over 250 species, including both evergreen and deciduous ferns, growing throughout North America and Asia. It is a member of the Dryopteridaceae family and was originally penned by the French naturalist Michael Adanson (1727-1806).

It is derived from the Greek Drys which means Oak or â&#x20AC;&#x153;A

Woodâ&#x20AC;? and Pteris meaning Fern, hence the common name of Wood Fern. The species epithet of marginalis refers to the location of the sori (singular sorus) or spore-releasing organs of a fern. The sori are located on the undersides of certain leaves known as sporophylls.

On some fern genera, these leaves appear totally different than the normal leaves, while on others, such as Dyopteris, they appear virtually identical.

The sori are located near the margin of the leaflet, providing not only the species epithet, but the complete common name as well. Carl Linnaeus originally named the fern Polypodium marginale in 1753, but it was the renowned American Botanist Asa Gray (18101888) who made the proper reclassification in 1848.

Marginal Wood Fern is a clump-forming plant, with its non-branching underground stem or rhizome mounding upward to form an erect crown.

The individual leaves or fronds are bluish-green above and light-green beneath. The fronds are twice compound,

Yes, You Can Be A Master Gardener %5,'*(:$7(5 1- Ę&#x160; 7KH 1HZ -HUVH\ Agricultural Experiment Station Rutgers Master Gardeners of Somerset County is currently accepting applications for the Fall. Classes will be held once a week on Thursdays from 9:30 to 12:30pm or from 6-9pm, depending upon the response, at the NJAES Rutgers Cooperative Extension offices 310 Milltown Road in Bridgewater. Residents with an interest in gardening and a commitment to volunteer service can become a Master Gardener. No previous education or training in horticulture is required. Call 908-526-6293 or pick up an application packet at the Milltown Road office.

Rutgers Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who assist Rutgers Cooperative Extension in its mission to deliver horticulture programs and information to the public. Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Contact the State Extension Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination 848-932-3584.

The Rutgers Master Gardeners receive in-depth, hands-on training in horticulture from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, faculty and professional staff.

Some topics include plant biology, propagation, soil science, disease and pest identification and control, and gardening and environmental principles.

Rutgers Master Gardeners are a unique group of volunteers who provide outreach programs to home gardeners in their community. Successful graduates of the extensive curriculum become Certified Master Gardeners after they complete their countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s required volunteer service hours.

meaning that the overall leaf splits into leaflets, and these leaflets split once again, giving the fronds a very lacy texture.

They grow from 18 to 30 inches tall, depending upon the cultural conditions, and they arch slightly outward, giving the overall plant an elegant vase-shaped outline. Marginal Wood Fern is certainly tough, enduring zone 3 winters and is easily grown in humus rich, well-drained to slightly moist soils in a shady site.

It is an ideal garden fern for both massing and for use as a single specimen, appearing best when paired with bolder leafed plants, such as Hosta, Tiarella (Foam Flower) and Calycanthus (Sweetshrub).

Another evergreen Wood Fern is Dryopteris erythrosora, which is native to moist wooded hillsides of Japan, China and Taiwan. A very garden-worthy plant, since not only is it evergreen, but the unfurling new foliage is colored an orange-red to a copper-pink before maturing to a deep, rich green. Since this plant produces new fronds from

spring through mid-summer, it provides the Garden with an extended colorful display.

These autumnal colors of the fronds yielded its common name of Autumn Wood Fern.

The fronds are a bit shorter than its North American cousin, only reaching 18 to 24 inches in height. However, its shorter stature is compensated by its ability to remain upright in winter, providing a more effective Garden presentation.

The species epithet stems from the Greek Erythros meaning red, while sora refers to the sori located beneath the sporophylls.

It refers not to the orange-red leaf coloration, but actually to the sori beneath the leaf.

On some ferns, a membrane flap called an indusium (plural indusia) covers and protects the sori until the spores are mature.

On Autumn Wood Fern, the indusium is red and gives the ripening sori a red coloration.

The rhizome of Dryopteris erythrosora is lightly branching and spreading, making it an ideal plant for massing in the Garden. It requires a bit more moisture or humus-enriched

soils than its American cousin for it to appear its best and it pairs well with the Golden Woodrush (Luzula sylvatica â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aureaâ&#x20AC;?), Evergold Golden Sedge (Carex oshimensis â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everilloâ&#x20AC;?) or any goldenfoliaged or flowered plant suitable for shade.

Lastly, both of these Wood Ferns are resistant to deer browse â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hopefully making gardeners realize that Dryopteris is anything but Marginal!

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth; is the managing director of the Rutgers Gardens, a 180-acre outdoor teaching classroom, horticultural research facility and arboretum; an adjunct professor in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; regularly participates in the Rutgers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Continuing Education Program; and the immediate pastpresident of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu

Toro Introduces Stand-On Spreader Sprayer %/220,1*721 0,11 Ę&#x160; 7KH 7RUR &RPSDQ\ KDV DGGHG D QHZ VWDQG RQ spreader/sprayer to its turf renovation product line. This innovative machine makes spreading and spraying turf properties easier with Lean to Steer technology, intuitive controls and large capacity hopper and spray tank in a compact design.

A productivity advantage, Toroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique Lean to Steer technology allows the operator to control forward/reverse and left/right steering with one hand. That means the operator can adjust spread and spray settings on the fly at any time during operation because one hand is always free.

With forward speeds of up to 5.5 mph, the Toro spreader sprayer is built for high productivity and precision application. The machine offers a large 175-lb. spreader hopper and a 20-gal. spray tank, so the operator can spend more time on the job and less time stopping to refill the machine. An additional 50-lb. dry fertilizer bag can also be carried on top of the spray tank to minimize refill downtime, and a standard handheld spray wand is included for precise spot treatments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We know capacity and productivity are important to our customers, and our new stand-on spreader/sprayer is designed with that in mind,â&#x20AC;? says Chris Hannan, marketing manager for The Toro Company. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s precise, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to use, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efficient for feeding and treating all kinds of turf â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from small jobs to larger commercial properties.â&#x20AC;?

Other features include an intuitive control layout with easy-to-use controls for convenient spread and spray setting adjustments. The compact design also provides excellent maneuverability for spraying and spreading in tight spaces.

In addition, Toroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spreader sprayer is designed for comfort with a suspended stand-on operator platform that helps reduce operator fatigue â&#x20AC;&#x201D; similar to the platform on Toroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GrandStand stand-on mower and 30â&#x20AC;? stand-on aerator. The stainless steel operator platform, isolation mounts and ergonomic padded knee bolster all work together for a more comfortable ride.

Designed for heavy-duty use, the Toro spreader sprayer is equipped with a commercial-grade 9-hp Subaru engine, a hydrostatic transmission and a rugged, corrosion-resistant stainless steel frame.

For more information about the new Toro stand-on spreader/sprayer, contact your Toro Landscape Contractor Equipment dealer, call Toro at 1-800-348-2424 or send an e-mail to LCEproducts@toro.com.

Gardener News

March, 2015 21

NEW TORO® SPREADER SPRAYER

ANOTHER

TORO INNOVATION

Feed and treat properties quickly and precisely with Toro’s new stand-on Spreader Sprayer.

Steer” technology lets you easily steer with one hand, leaving the other Groundbreaking “Lean Lean to Steer hand free to adjust spreading and spraying settings on the fly. The large larg ge hopper and spray tank also give you high capacity in a compact design so you can finish the job without stopping to refill. Toro’s innovations give you a spreader sprayer that increases your productivity y for more jobs and more profit.

AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL TORO DEALER | TORO.COM/DEALER | TORO.COM/SPREADER © 2015 The Toro Company

22 March, 2015

Gardener News

NJ Agricultural Convention Celebrates 100 Years soil disturbance standards, award presentations, updates from the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a discussion on Palmer amaranth Amaranthus palmeri weed and election of State Board of Agriculture members.

A few of the Garden State residents honored during the convention were: Richard W.VanVranken of Mays Landing, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Atlantic County Agricultural Agent, and John J. Kupcho of West Caldwell, retired Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Essex County Agricultural Agent were both honored with a Distinguished Service Citation to New Jersey Agriculture.

Henry R. Byma, a 36-yearold third-generation dairy, hay and grain farmer from Wantage was honored as the 2015 New Jersey Outstanding Young Farmer.

John Formisano Sr., part owner of Formisano Produce and Formisano Farms in Buena, was presented with the Phillip Alampi Industry Marketing Award by the New Jersey Agricultural Society on February 4 at the Convention in Atlantic City. Formisano was chosen to receive the award for being an outstanding farmer who promotes the New Jersey vegetable industry in many ways. He was a member of the Atlantic County Board of Agriculture for more than 50 years, a member,

director and current president of the Landisville Produce Cooperative Association, member and director of the New Jersey Vegetable Growers Association, member of the Eastern Produce Council and served six years on the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Board of Managers. Formisano Farms is known for its fennel, cilantro and many other specialty crops.

Greg Donaldson of Donaldson Farms in Hackettstown was presented with the New Jersey Agricultural Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tony Russo Farmers Marketing Award on February 4 at the Convention. The award honors members of the agricultural community for their innovative efforts to market New Jerseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agricultural products. Donaldson Farms has served its community since 1906, first as a dairy farm and now with hundreds of acres of fruits and vegetables, pumpkin and strawberry picking, farm education, group and private tours, birthday parties, corporate events and farm camp. Their farmers market offers their own produce, fresh baked pies, their own jams, sauces, salsa and soups, local honey and honey products, glutenfree products, local gift boxes and baskets. They also operate a CSA. Donaldson Farms was recently recognized by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protectionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Environmental Stewardship

(Continued from page 1) Initiative, applauding the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voluntary and proactive measures taken to go beyond compliance in an effort to improve the environment and ensure a sustainable future.

Greg is past-president and current director and Business Manager of the New Jersey State Horticultural Society, an alumnus of Class 5 of the New Jersey Agriculture Leadership Development Program, and past-president and current Director of the New Jersey Small Fruits Council.

Muzzarelli Farms of Vineland is this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recipient of the Patrick Mullen Quality Grading Award from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. Charlie Muzzarelli Jr., accepted the award for the family on February 4 at the Convention. The award honors the memory of the late Patrick Mullen, who had been a longtime marketing director for the Department. Muzzarelli Farms was established in 1937, growing sweet potatoes and pickles. Now, the fourthgeneration, family-owned business consists of 300 acres with a seasonal farm market, corn maze and greenhouse tours. They grow a variety of fruits and vegetables. The use of row cover has become an essential part of their operation and they use drip irrigation.

They use Jersey Fresh twist ties with the UPC code on all their leeks and in the year 2000 began offering grape tomatoes in one-pint containers, a new variety that was in demand.

Owners Charlie Sr. and Rita Muzzarelli took over the family farm in 1980, and now Charlie Jr. works full-time on the farm.

Donio Incorporated, Hammonton, a grower and shipper of Jersey Fresh produce, is the 2015 recipient of the Neil Robson Farmers Against Hunger Award.

George Campbell accepted the award for the company on February 4 at the Convention.

The award honors the memory of the late Burlington County Farmer Neil Robson, who was committed to the New Jersey Agricultural Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farmers Against Hunger program, donating large quantities of produce to the program each year. Donio Incorporated has been in business for 80 years, and for more than 10 years has been donating its excess produce to Farmers Against Hunger on a weekly basis.

They donate about 200,000 pounds each year, feeding countless families in need in our state.

Erling Berg was presented with the Garden State Commercial Fishing Industry Award by the Garden State Seafood Association on February 4 at the Convention.

Berg was a scallop fisherman from 1955 to 1993, starting in Cape May, then moving to Oregon, Alaska and back to Cape May. He served on the Coast Guard and has served on the Mid-Altantic Fishery Management Council and the New Jersey Marine Fisheries

Council. He and his wife now operate a gift and coffee shop in Cape May. He said he â&#x20AC;&#x153;always made a living, sometimes more, sometimes less,â&#x20AC;? and that the award â&#x20AC;&#x153;came as a surprise. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very honored.â&#x20AC;?

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture, established in 1916, is an agency which oversees programs that serve everyone in New Jersey. One of the Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major priorities is to promote, protect and serve the Garden Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diverse agricultural and agribusiness industries. The Department is made up of five divisions: Agricultural and Natural Resources, Animal Health, Food and Nutrition, Marketing and Development and Plant Industry. The State Agriculture Development Committee is an â&#x20AC;&#x153;in but not ofâ&#x20AC;? agency within the Department.

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

Landscape Ideas Flourish at Springfest Garden Show $8*867$ 1- Ę&#x160; +DQJ XS WKH VQRZ VKRYHO DQG EUHDN RXW WKH JDUGHQ JORYHV Âą LWÂśV WLPH IRU DOO WKLQJV 635,1* DW WKH WK DQQXDO 635,1*)(67 GARDEN SHOW, March 12-15th in the sun-drenched Conservatory at the Sussex County Fairgrounds.

The areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foremost landscape companies have been busy all winter designing their displays, forcing flowers from winter dormancy, and building the glorious gardens that will inspire you to imagine your own property improved by the latest outdoor- living trend or perhaps a new planting to enhance your homesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; curb appeal.

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re considering an outdoor project, visiting a local garden show is a great way to meet with various well-established, respected landscape companies and actually chat with the owners and peruse their portfolios. Springfest President and garden exhibitor David Wright says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Springfest was created to help showcase the horticultural community. Many of these landscape companies, chosen for their quality work and reputation, have been exhibiting at Springfest for up to 18 years.â&#x20AC;? In addition to David Wright Landscape Architect LLC, visitors will see diverse gardens created by Hautau Landscaping, Inc., Three Seasons, Inc., Garden State Koi and Aquatic Center, Farmside Landscape & Design, Erik Enterprises Landscaping LLC, Anthony Group Installers and Lakeview Landscaping.

It wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Garden Showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; without these displays, so each year these award-winning exhibitors invest in both time and materials to produce a beautiful venue and hope it inspires visitors to consider the vast options available in gardening and landscaping today. Visitors can get ideas, and find help in planning to get the most from their properties.

As you stroll through the gardens and pathways at Springfest, be sure to check out the more than 75 charming shops and horticultural services and even take in a lecture or two. Bring the kids to the Kids Plant Your Own Zone, and relax in the beautifully decorated CafĂŠ.

Springfest Garden Show bursts into bloom 10am-5pm Daily, at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, 37 Plains Rd. Augusta, NJ. Admissions: Adults $12, Seniors (65+) $9, Kids under 15 free. For more information visit: www.springfestgardenshow.org or call 973-948-9448.

Springfest is a fundraiser for a division of the non-profit New Jersey State Fair, a 501c (3) corporation.

Gardener News

March, 2015 23

Money to Help Fight Hunger in New Jersey 75(1721 1- Ę&#x160; 1HZ -HUVH\ 6HFUHWDU\ RI $JULFXOWXUH 'RXJODV + )LVKHU UHPLQGV New Jersey taxpayers about an opportunity to assist those in need in the Garden State through a fund that pays for food purchases at the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food banks. Contributions to the Community Food Pantry Fund can be made while filling out the 2014 New Jersey income tax forms this year.

Since the Community Food Pantry Fund check-off was created in 2010, more than $86,000 has been distributed to Community Foodbank of New Jersey, Hillside; Food Bank of South Jersey, Pennsauken; FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, Neptune; Southern Regional Food Distribution Center, Vineland; Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, Ewing; and NORWESCAP, Phillipsburg. The money was used to purchase healthy foods to distribute to the hungry through food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a growing need for emergency food in New Jersey and this fund directly helps the people who need it most,â&#x20AC;? said Secretary Fisher. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Using the Community Food Pantry Fund check-off is an easy, simple way to become involved and help fellow New Jerseyans.â&#x20AC;?

The check-off was first available on the 2010 tax year forms. It allows taxpayers to either contribute a portion of their tax refund or make a donation. Money collected for the fund administered by the Department of Agriculture must be used exclusively for food purchases. Those wishing to contribute should enter the code â&#x20AC;&#x153;09â&#x20AC;? on Line 64 to designate this check-off item on their NJ-1040 income tax form. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donating to the food banks is an investment in your community,â&#x20AC;? said Department of Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Food banks play an essential role in preventing food insecurity and they offer an invaluable support for the food pantries and communities in need.â&#x20AC;?

The fund was the result of recommendations from the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hunger Prevention Advisory Committee in an effort to create an on-going funding stream to assist with the acquisition of emergency food to enhance the emergency food provider system.

Governor Christie and the State Legislature allocated $6,818,000 for the current fiscal year for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture State Food Purchase Program (SFPP).

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture distributes United States Department of Agriculture-donated food to the six food banks through the Emergency Food Assistance Program, as well as distributes funds from the State Food Purchase Program.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Opportunities for Christmas tree members

Ben Caputo, left, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Baby Joeâ&#x20AC;? Caputo, second from left, and Stephanie Caputo, second from right, all from the Caputo Christmas Tree Farm in Chester, Morris County, are greeted by Donna Cole, right, the Executive Secretary and Treasurer of the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association, at the 65th Annual New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association Winter Meeting, which was held on January 31 at the Holiday Inn in Clinton, Hunterdon County. The meeting featured a small industry trade show, networking opportunities and educational speakers from Rutgers University, Penn State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The association strives every year to make this a fun-filled, educational family event. The New Jersey Christmas Tree Growersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association is a state organization of growers, professionals and allied industry leaders dedicated to the advancement of the latest information in the production, promotion and marketing of Christmas trees and related products.

The association organized on September 19, 1950, in Cranbury, Mercer County, N.J., and incorporated in 1967. It is composed of over 200 members throughout New Jersey and the United States.

24 March, 2015

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March, 2015 25

New Jersey Food Council Elects New Board 75(1721 1- Ę&#x160; -XGLWK 6SLUHV 3UHVLGHQW DQG &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2IILFHU of Kings Food Markets, was unanimously re-elected as the chairperson of the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC), at the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at the Forsgate Country Club, Monroe Township, N.J. Spires was sworn in by Donald T. DiFrancesco, New Jerseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 51st Governor. DiFrancesco was Governor from 2001 to 2002 by virtue of his status as President of the New Jersey Senate, the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature.

Joining Spires as association officers are Vice Chairman Richard Saker, Saker ShopRites; Associate Vice Chairman Joe McCarthy, Bimbo Bakeries USA; Treasurer Michael Rothwell, Pennington Quality Markets; Secretary Michael Murphy, Quick Chek Food Corporation; and President Linda Doherty, NJFC. At the annual meeting, the NJFC membership also elected the Board of Directors for 2015. Representing the Retail membership are: Dan Croce, Acme Markets; Rafael Cuellar, Cuellar, LLC/ShopRite of Passaic; David Maniaci, Nicholas Markets; Frank Mastrangelo, Supervalu, Eastern Division; James McCaffrey III, McCaffreyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Markets; Colleen Meares, Stop and Shop Supermarkets; Christina Minardi, Whole Foods Markets; Joseph F. Pagano, Inserra Supermarkets; Jason Ravitz, Ravitz Family Markets; Peter Rojek, Fairway Markets; Phil Scaduto, Food Circus Super Markets; Leonard Tom Castronovo/Photo J. Sitar, ShopRite of Carteret; Joe Sofia, Wegmans Food Markets; William New Jerseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 51st Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco, right, Sumas, Village Supermarkets; John Wachter, Murphyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Markets of South congratulates Judith Spires.

Jersey; and Rich Wood, Wawa.

Representing the Associate members are: Lisa Angeles, Kraft Foods North America; Jody Avallone, Nestle USA; Michael Biase, Mission Foods; Kelly Johnston, Campbell Soup Company; Mitch Klein, Krasdale Foods; Debbie Pregiato, Advantage Sales & Marketing; Kim Sines, Unilever; Michael Sullivan, Coca-Cola Refreshments USA; and Luis Tejada, GOYA Foods.

Independent retail supermarkets and the wholesalers that supply them play a vital role in the communities they serve and are a major contributor to the economy of New Jersey. Most are privately held, family-owned entrepreneurial businesses that are dedicated to their customers, associates and communities. Independents operate supermarkets of all formats and sizes that cater to a wide variety of consumer tastes, providing options for shoppers who want to support hometown and regional businesses.

According to the latest Economic Impact Report by the National Grocers Association, in New Jersey, independent grocers are responsible for creating 52,070 stable, reliable jobs and over $1.79 billion in wages paid. When factoring in the ripple effect of goods and services purchased but not resold (equipment, technology, transportation, etc.), that number of jobs jumps to 79,360, with total wages of $3.34 billion.

The New Jersey Food Council is the Garden Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food industry trade association with almost 400 members representing over 1,200 retail food stores, wholesalers, manufacturing and service companies that supply them.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

2015 officers of the New Jersey Food Council from left to right are: Linda Doherty, President, New Jersey Food Council; Michael Murphy, Quick Chek Food Corporation; Richard Saker, Saker ShopRites; Judith Spires, President and Chief Executive Officer, Kings Food Markets; Michael Rothwell, Pennington Quality Markets; Joe McCarthy, Bimbo Bakeries USA; and New Jerseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 51st Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco.

26 March, 2015

Gardener News RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PHONE DIRECTORY

New Jersey Horsepersons of the Year 75(1721 1- Ę&#x160; 7KH *RYHUQRUÂśV $ZDUG IRU +RUVHSHUVRQ RI WKH <HDU ZDV awarded to Jacque and Cyndee Roszel January 25 at the annual Breeders Luncheon by New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Alfred Murray.

The Roszels, former agricultural education teachers and FFA advisors at Allentown High School, have owned and shown horses for the last 45 years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jacque and Cyndee Roszel are tireless supporters of New Jerseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equine industry,â&#x20AC;? said Assistant Secretary Murray. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their love of horses has continued into retirement, with both involved in various equine organizations while still taking time to show their horses.â&#x20AC;?

Jacque Roszel got his first pony at age 6 and both he and Cyndee were 4-H members who showed their project horses, Jacque in Mercer County and Cyndee in Morris County.

They both were officers in their respective clubs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We actually met at a horse show where he mispronounced my horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name and I called him on it,â&#x20AC;? recalled Cyndee. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That October we really met on a blind date to the Harrisburg Horse Show.â&#x20AC;?

The Roszels purchased Jacqueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farm in New Egypt and have lived there for 35 years. Over the course of their long marriage, their show horses, mostly half-Arabians, have won various regional and local titles and placed in the top ten at national competitions.

They are both original members of the Eastern Half Arabian Horse Association, which later became NJHAHA and have served as the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s president and other officers.

They are members of the United States Equestrian Association and the Arabian Horse Association. Cyndee also is a member of the Pinto Horse Association and the Western Dressage Association of America.

A committee of past horsepersons of the year awarded the honor to the Roszels for their dedication to horses and many accomplishments with their show horses.

Gardener News The Premier Gardening Monthly Newspaper Number 143 Published Monthly Contact Information Phone: 908.604.4444 Website: www.GardenerNews.com E-Mail: Mail@GardenerNews.com Staff Executive Editor/ Publisher . . . .

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Todd Pretz Jody Shilan Bob LaHoff Peter Melick Richard Perkins Larry Katz

Atlantic County Phone: 609-625-0056 Bergen County Phone: 201-336-6780 Burlington County Phone: 609-265-5050 Camden County Phone: 856 216 7130 Cape May County Phone: 609-465-5115 Cumberland County Phone: 856-451-2800 Essex County Phone: 973-228-2210 Gloucester County Phone: 856-307-6450 Hudson County Phone: 201-915-1399 Hunterdon County Phone: 908-788-1339 Mercer County Phone: 609-989-6830

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16 Mount Bethel Road #123 Warren, NJ 07059 Subscription Information Subscription: One year by mail $26.00 The Gardener News invites correspondences on gardening subjects of interest. Gardener News, Inc, and its Publisher reserve the right to accept, refuse, or discontinue any editorial or copy, and shall not be liable to anyone for printing errors, misinformation or omissions in editorial or copy. The information contained in articles herein represents the opinions of the authors and, although believed to be accurate and complete, is not represented or warranted by Gardener News, Inc. to be accurate or complete.

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Gardener News

March, 2015 27

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Gardener News

inspiration strikes

Ribboned Zucchini Almond Salad with Citrus Basil Dressing Visit kingsfoodmarkets.com/uniquerecipes for delicious holiday recipes and more

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS START AT KINGS Every family has their secret recipes. At Kings, you’ll find the most delicious ingredients to bring those treasured recipes to life. Create or cater a beautiful meal to enjoy with friends and family this holiday season with our vast selection of organic produce, rare finds and chef-prepared favorites. Our fresh and absolutely inspirational ingredients are our family’s gift to you. And don’t worry…. your secret recipe is safe with us.

Get everything you need for a truly inspirational holiday at Kings today.

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