Gardener News November 2015

TAKE ONE

Gardener News Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities

November, 2015

GARDENERNEWS.COM

TAKE ONE No. 151

Snow Legislation Proposed to Nullify Hold-Harmless Agreements

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Vincent Ryan, left, owner and president of Bobcat of North Jersey; Jody Shilan, second from left, executive director of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, Nelson Lee, third from left, vice president of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association; New Jersey State Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R-16), third from right; Tom Canete, second from right, president of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association; and Patrick Barckett, director of sales and marketing for Bobcat of North Jersey.

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor There’s a call to action for Garden State snow and ice contractors to show their support for the adoption of Senate Bill 3121.

New Jersey State Sen.

Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R-16) joined the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) for their annual snow and ice management meeting at Bobcat of North Jersey in Totowa, Passaic County, on October 8 to discuss Bill S3121, which he recently

sponsored using NJLCA language.

The 160 snow contractors and ice managers that were in attendance are in support of the bill. This S3121 prohibits snowplow or de-icing service contracts from indemnifying promisees against liability for loss or damage in

certain instances, relieving contractors of some of the liability from slip-and-fall suits in the case of snow and ice management. This bill makes void and unenforceable any provision, clause, covenant, or agreement contained in, collateral to, or affecting a snowplow or de-icing service

contract that purports to indemnify, defend, or hold harmless, or has the effect of indemnifying, defending, or holding harmless, the promisee from or against any liability for loss or damage resulting from the negligent, intentional acts, or omissions of the promise.

2 November, 2015 G A R D E N C E N T E R D I R E C T O R Y GardenerNews.com

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November, 2015 3

Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Protection for Your Landscape and You!

First and foremost, after the leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees, please continue to thoroughly water trees, shrubs and planting beds until the ground freezes. And top them off with mulch to prevent water loss in the soil. Mulch is also insulation. It keeps the soil around your plants’ roots cooler on warm days and warmer on cold nights. This is especially important during rapid temperature shifts as we enter into the winter months.

Now here is a subject that is near and dear to me.

As a former volunteer firefighter for almost 25 years, and as a former landscape professional, I have a great respect for fire hydrants in the landscape.

Simply put, they can help save your life.

Back in my July 2015 column, I addressed this issue when I came across a fire hydrant pretty much encased by a block landscape wall. Since then, I have come across hydrants buried in shrubs and painted in a variety of colors. Several years ago, I also wrote about fire hydrants buried in snow banks.

Right now I am going to applaud New Jersey Assemblyman John McKeon, his Chiefof-Staff Lloyd Naideck, and New Jersey Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman for listening to my concerns.

Both legislators agreed to sponsor fire hydrant legislation this month to help protect everyone’s lives. I sincerely hope more legislators will follow by signing on to this great cause.

Several fire chiefs and fire marshals helped me craft the original text that was summited to them.

Here is a summary of the draft text that could become law in New Jersey if it passes in both the Senate and the Assembly. And if our Governor signs it into law.

AN ACT concerning identification of and access to fire hydrants, supplementing chapter 65 of Title 40 of the Revised Statutes, and amending P.L.2015, c.71.

Establishes uniform standard for identifying and accessing fire hydrants.

This bill would create uniform standards for identifying and locating fire hydrants to assist firefighters in the execution of their duties.

Under this bill, a utility would be required to test the rated flow capacity of each fire hydrant under its ownership or control in accordance with National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) standards. Upon determining the capacity of each fire hydrant, a utility would then color code each hydrant based on its flow capacity according to a Statewide, uniform color-coding standard. In addition, the body of fire hydrants would be painted either blue or violet based upon whether the hydrant’s water supply is from a potable or non-potable source.

This bill would require a utility to extract and remove fire hydrants that are permanently inoperable or unusable. The bill permits a utility to resell or repurpose an extracted fire hydrant, or its parts, to cover the costs of extraction.

This bill would also require municipalities to install, or cause to be installed, a reflective, springloaded pole, at least 60 inches in height, on, or adjacent to, a fire hydrant to enable firefighters to locate the hydrant. Furthermore, municipalities would be required to adopt an ordinance or resolution, as applicable, requiring the owner of any real property abutting a fire hydrant to maintain a minimum of five feet in diameter clearance of tall brush, snow, and other debris around each fire hydrant on the owner’s property. Currently, a unified, Statewide standard does not exist for marking fire hydrants.

Fire hydrants are connected to different sized water mains of varying water pressure. The best way to determine the available water supply from a fire hydrant is by identifying the hydrant’s water main size, static and residual water pressure, and flow capacity. In the absence of a uniform standard for identifying fire hydrants, firefighters may struggle to determine how much water a particular hydrant will provide, making it difficult for firefighters arriving at the scene of an active fire to quickly determine the tactics they should employ. Having accurate water supply information and the ability to quickly identify the location of hydrants will lead to more effective decision-making by firefighters in combating fires and help preserve life and property in the State.

Our landscape is very valuable in many ways. And it needs to be protected in many ways.

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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Gladly Accepting SNAP EBT Cards

4 November, 2015 My travels as Secretary of Agriculture take me to all sorts of settings and activities around the Garden State. Of course, it is natural and expected that I would stop at various New Jersey farms and nurseries to see and hear about the numerous issues that face our farmers and also the opportunities that they see on the horizon.

Our New Jersey agriculture is quite diverse. We grow 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables and hundreds of varieties of ornamentals. It is a privilege to be engaged with our growers, producers, packers and distributors.

On one recent day, I was at a school in Newark -- the Philips Academy Charter School -- to witness how they incorporate and highlight the growing of fruits and vegetables, food preparation and healthy eating. While there, the Department of Agriculture unveiled the New Jersey Farm to School website for all New Jersey schools at www.farmtoschool. nj.gov.

Now, Philips Academy is not in the heart of the farm belt. There are no big green fields of crops or orchards nearby that would point obviously to agriculture. But the educators want to impress upon the students the absolute value of eating healthier farm products and the benefit to their

GardenerNews.com NJ Dept. of Agriculture

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

Focus on School Gardens – Growing Healthy Children minds and bodies. They call this their unique, co-curricular “EcoSPACES” program, which is committed to providing students with the tools to lead healthy and environmentally productive lives through an interactive approach to learning.

Frank Mentesana is the director who developed this and he says, “Our focus on food literacy is taught through our various learning environments to enable students to understand where food comes from, the importance of seasonal, local and whole foods, in addition to wellness.”

So, what are some of the things they do to create this awareness and connectivity to these concepts?

Rooftop Garden – A 4,600-square-foot garden sits atop the school building, built to be a serene space where students can learn and adults can relax.

There are seating areas, paths, and

gardens growing four seasons of foods. Solar panels are affixed to a wall and there is a composting area.

School Cafeteria – At Philips Academy, the fromscratch cafeteria is called “the dining room” to create a more sophisticated atmosphere.

Students eat at round tables to encourage inclusion and equality.

Lunch is served family-style and each student at each table has a task they must perform, such as setting the table, serving the food and cleaning up. On the day we visited, the large and appealing salad bar offered fresh greens, tomatoes, carrot and celery sticks, sliced cucumber and various prepared salads. There was also a station with freshly-made soup.

The school partners with another Newark institution, Aerofarms, with a growing lab right in the dining room where sixth-graders are growing microgreens using aeroponics.

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

It’s in the news

Tom Castronovo/Photo

One of the Jersey shore’s most respected mayors, Walter G. LaCicero, looks over the October Gardener News at The Crab’s Claw Inn’s 6th annual Jersey Fresh /Jersey Seafood dinner. LaCicero is mayor of Lavallette in Ocean County. This beachside, family-friendly community is situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The borough was incorporated by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on December 21, 1887. Lavallette, with its 1.25 mile-long ocean boardwalk, has beautiful beaches for surfing, swimming and fishing. It also has spectacular playgrounds and crabbing docks on the bay.

Teaching Kitchen -- The lessons at Philips Academy extend beyond healthy eating and growing of food. Students use what is grown in the garden to cook dishes and all the educational aspects of that, such as learning about using fractions in recipes.

Here, they also are taught about the ecological aspects of food: composting, using fruit and vegetable rinds to dye wool. The school has a total concentration on being genuinely green.

Philips Academy is an absolute rock star and school Executive Director Miguel Brito is to be commended. Kudos also go to Senator Teresa Ruiz and Joseph Zarra, Interim County School Superintendent, for their support, Frank Mentesana for his innovations, and the Food Corps representatives for consistent help and assistance.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture is charged with administering food and nutrition

programs in schools and our great staff, under the direction of Rose Tricario, Director of the Division of Food and Nutrition. We are determined to help schools in every town, township, borough, or city in New Jersey to develop programs for their school tailored to the wants and needs of the community.

Philips Academy Charter School shows that it can be done.

Schools can grow a garden, use the produce and herbs in their school meals programs, cook healthy, tasty dishes from scratch and get buy-in from the students, teachers, administrators and parents. You can help in your locality. There are resources are all around. Please contact us at (609) 292-8747 if you would like to pursue this path.

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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November, 2015 5

Support NJ Agriculture JERSEY GROWN

Nursery Stock JERSEY GROWN

Sunflower Birdseed JERSEY GROWN

Firewood

JERSEY GROWN

When you’re shopping for JERSEY GROWN nursery stock, you know the trees, shrubs, plants and flowers are checked for quality, disease, are pest free, and accustomed to the Garden State’s climate and soil conditions.

Annuals & Perennials Made With JERSEY GROWN

Wood Birdhouses & Bird Feeders

Governor Chris Christie Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher

jerseygrown.nj.gov

6 November, 2015 As you may know, Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was confirmed in New Jersey in the summer of 2014. In response, representatives from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, New Jersey State Forestry Services, USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, and Rutgers University formed the NJ EAB Task Force to address this problem, and to help consolidate and disburse information and resources relevant to EAB. We are happy to have this opportunity to provide an update on some of the Task Force initiatives, as well as some general guidance for New Jersey’s response to EAB. In order to get a better idea of the extent and spread of EAB, shade tree program volunteers in municipalities within a 12-mile radius of the initial EAB confirmations in Bridgewater and Hillsborough Townships in Somerset County, Ewing Township in Mercer County, and Westampton Township in Burlington County were contacted and asked to take responsibility for hanging and monitoring an EAB trap through the 2015 growing season.

As a result, traps were deployed to 75 municipalities in nine counties surrounding the initial finds. Through this trapping program and actions taken by observant citizens, EAB has been identified in 10 additional municipalities spanning six counties – Franklin Township in Somerset County, Hopewell Borough, Hamilton Township, West Windsor Township, and Princeton in Mercer County, Edgewater Park in Burlington County, Hillsdale Borough in Bergen County, Monroe and South

RUTGERS NJAES/RCE

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From the Director’s Desk

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

New Jersey Emerald Ash Borer Update Brunswick Townships in Middlesex County, and Allentown Borough in Monmouth County. The task force would like to thank the municipalities and individuals that volunteered to help with this trapping program. Your efforts are much appreciated.

15 years). The combination gives us ash tree totals for almost 100 municipalities, which will be used to better understand the financial and environmental impact that EAB will have on New Jersey. Reports of findings and estimated management costs are in process now,

us. For example, we know that insecticide treatments are very effective if applied properly before the tree is showing signs of infestation.

We also know that almost all untreated trees in the landscape will die. EAB attacks all species of true ash trees (genus Fraxinus), and

In order to get a better idea of how extensive the municipally owned ash tree population is throughout New Jersey, a team of student interns from Rutgers University conducted a rapid survey of ash trees in 43 municipalities. The survey locations were selected to quickly fill gaps in the existing data (street tree inventories that 53 municipalities have shared with Rutgers over the past

and will be shared with the surveyed municipalities and posted on the NJ EAB Task Force website (www. emeraldashborer.nj.gov).

If you live in a community with a lot of ash trees, or have an important ash tree on your property, please don’t panic! One of the benefits of being 12 years behind the initial infestation is that we can learn from the experience of the states who have dealt with EAB before

once symptoms are visible the trees die very quickly.

We strongly recommend that you work with a professional urban forester, such as a New Jersey Certified Tree Expert or ISA Certified Arborist, to help you determine which trees are worth saving (through a long-term program of chemical treatments), and which should be removed.

If you do plan on treating ash trees, you may want to

begin this coming spring.

There are several treatment options available if you act begin prior to infestation; once your trees are showing signs of EAB your treatment options are fewer. It is generally agreed that spring is the most effective time to treat, and will yield the best results. Treatment and removal costs can be reduced significantly by contracting in bulk, so we encourage you to reach out to your neighbors and your municipal shade tree commission to coordinate efforts and take advantage of bulk rates.

Finally, we want to draw your attention to some of the information you can find on the NJ EAB Task Force website (www. emeraldashborer.nj.gov).

On the “Emerald Ash Borer Resources” page you can find a comprehensive EAB Insecticide Options Fact Sheet that can help you make decisions about treatment.

The site also contains information to help with EAB and ash tree identification, risk maps, management plan recommendations and templates, and information on How to Hire a Tree Care Professional. Updated infestation maps, reports from the Rutgers rapid ash survey, and an EAB Preparation Checklist will be added to the site over the next several months, so check the site often for new content.

Editor’s Note: This month’s column is written

by Rutgers Urban Forestry Program of NJAES Outreach Coordinator Pam Zipse, and Urban Forestry Coordinator Jason Grabosky, who is also Chairperson of the NJ EAB Task Force.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Garners $460,170 USDA Grant to Assist NJ Beginning Farmers Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) was awarded a significant grant of $460,170 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of $17 million in new federal funding announced on Oct. 8 to benefit beginning farmers and ranchers across the U.S. The three-year grant to Rutgers, awarded through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), will be used by RCE to educate new and beginning farmers in New Jersey on how to grow high value crops on small acreage.

Funding was secured through a collaborative Rutgers proposal, “Ultra-Niche Crops for the Progressive, New Farmer,” which was prepared by Jenny Carleo, agricultural agent, RCE of Cape May County. Among the collaborators are Robin Brumfield, specialist in farm management; Jeff Heckman, Rutgers Media Productions; Dan Kluchinski, chair of Department of Agricultural and Resource Management Agents; Meredith Melendez, agricultural agent, RCE of Mercer County; Pete Nitzsche, agricultural agent, RCE of Morris County; Nick Polanin, agricultural agent, RCE of Somerset County; Kenesha Reynolds-Allie, agricultural agent, RCE of Warren County; Rick VanVranken, agricultural agent, RCE of Atlantic County; and Andy Wyenandt, specialist in vegetable pathology, NJAES. According to the USDA, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program was first established by the 2008 Farm Bill and was continued in the 2014 Farm Bill. The program provides support to those who have farmed or ranched for less than 10 years. NIFA awards grants to organizations throughout the United States that implement programs to train beginning farmers and ranchers, which may take place through workshops, educational teams, training, or technical assistance.

GardenerNews.com Every year, we receive thousands of questions from customers concerning fruits and vegetables that they wish to purchase.

Most of these questions are honest and well-meaning, and to some extent, thought out.

And we always try our best to answer any of these questions in an honest and thoughtful manner so that our customers come away hopefully feeling satisfied with whatever answer we might give them. And I know, there is not supposed to be any such thing as a stupid question. But every once in a while, we get a question that really makes us scratch our head and wonder where some of these people actually come from.

My all-time favorite funny question actually happened during a live television broadcast from our farm. The television station, which shall remain nameless, decided that they wanted to do a live remote broadcast from the middle of a field of tomatoes in order to highlight the upcoming tomato season here in New Jersey. The broadcast date was in early-July, so we had just started harvesting

November, 2015 7 The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

Funny Questions a few tomatoes from that particular field. And as any backyard gardener worth their salt would know, while there were a few red tomatoes on the plants, the large majority of tomatoes that were present were still immature and green.

Anyway, we started the broadcast with the usual introductory questions about the crop conditions, the weather, etc…and then the broadcaster asked me, “What are you going to do with all of these green tomatoes?” I didn’t think too much of the question and kind of brushed it off and moved on to another topic, but the broadcaster would not let it go and decided to revisit the question again. I think this time, I just stated something like, “We will pick them when they are ready” and started talking about something else.

When she asked the same question a third time, it finally dawned on me that she did not know that the smaller immature green tomatoes would actually get bigger, ripen, and then turn red. She thought that the red tomatoes stayed red and the green tomatoes remained green.

As anyone who knows me can attest, I am not the most comfortable person in front of a camera. And fortunately, my nervousness in this situation was probably the only thing that kept me from bursting out laughing and saying something like, “What kind of dumb-a** comes out to do a television segment at a tomato farm and doesn’t know the first thing about tomatoes?!”

But I didn’t say that, and we finished our interview. I was then able to quietly explain

how tomatoes grew and were harvested. As a note, the producer and cameraman had a hard time keeping a straight face throughout the segment.

Most of the funny questions we get have to do with the seasonality of the crops that we grow. For example, every year, on the first day when the temperature rises above 80 degrees, someone will come into one of our markets and ask if we are picking sweet corn yet. We then have to explain that the corn might have been planted only a week or two ago and will not be ready for harvest for a couple of months. And don’t get me wrong, we see these questions as an opportunity to educate our consumers as to the ways in which fruits and vegetables are grown here in the Garden State.

But every once in a while, we get a question that really makes us chuckle. This year, there is a clear-cut favorite.

As many people know, the Honeycrisp apple has quickly become one of the most popular and sought-after apples that we grow. I always thought that its name made it sound like a breakfast cereal but I will save that for another column. Anyway, during our pick-your-own apple season this September, a woman came in and asked in all seriousness, how we actually put the honey in the Honeycrisp.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program can benefit New Jersey aquaculture producers USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now extending opportunities offered through its most popular conservation program to the aquaculture industry. Over the last few years, New Jersey NRCS has been working with shellfish and finfish producers, nonprofit organizations, and aquaculture support agencies, such as Rutgers Cooperative Extension and New Jersey Department of Agriculture, to explore needs and opportunities relating to this agricultural sector. The Aquaculture Initiative available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) will provide technical and financial assistance through the FY2016 Program to address excessive bank erosion from streams, shorelines, or water conveyance channels, excess nutrients in surface and groundwater, degraded plant conditions, fish and wildlife habitat degradation, and inefficient energy use from equipment and facilities.

Applications for the Initiative can be submitted at any local NRCS office located at USDA Service Centers. Those received by November 20, 2015, will be considered for funding in 2016. Applicants for the Aquaculture Initiative must meet all EQIP eligibility requirements, namely they must control (own or lease) eligible land and comply with adjusted gross income limitations. Shellfish aquaculture applicants must provide a one year renewable lease as proof of control of land for the length of the contract.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers conservation programs to help agricultural producers improve water and air quality, build healthier soil, improve grazing and forest lands, conserve energy, enhance organic operations, improve habitat for wildlife, and achieve other environmental benefits.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), 800877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866-367-8642 (Relay voice users).

8 November, 2015

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GardenerNews.com The NJLCA will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, which is quite an accomplishment for any business or organization. Among other things, we are having a formal dinner in April to celebrate this accomplishment. There will be speeches made, awards given out and a lot of reminiscing about the early days of the association.

As part of the planning process for this event, we have begun the arduous task of collecting letters, photos, newsletters and any other pertinent documents that we can find. Our goal is to scan this memorabilia and archive it to preserve the history of the association and also allow us to create a “first” 50-years yearbook. This yearbook will celebrate the colorful history of the NJLCA and its members from when it was first founded in 1966. Back then, we were known as the BCLCA, or Bergen County Landscape Contractors Association, had six original members and met in Van Saun Park in Paramus, N.J. These days, with some 550 member companies, representing well over 10,000 landscape professionals, the NJLCA continues to pursue its original mandate to professionalize the industry and help its members

November, 2015 9 The NJLCA Today

By Jody Shilan, MLA Executive Director

Yesterday and Today become successful business owners.

The strength of the NJLCA and its ability to not just sustain for five decades but continue to grow as an organization during that time period. This is reflected in the dedication and involvement of our founding fathers and past Presidents and their desire to raise the bar for the green industry here in New Jersey.

Our most recent past Presidents dinner, held at the River Palm in Fairlawn on September 29th, demonstrated this dedication as 17 past Presidents convened to socialize and discuss the history of the NJLCA, telling stories and reviewing photos of years gone by. From our very first President, Roger Dammer, who drove down from Freeport, Maine, to attend this event, to Bob Pedatella, our last past President, who had a slightly shorter drive from

Haskell, N.J., the room was filled with an impressive array of landscape professionals who have dedicated and continue to dedicate their lives to the original green industry.

As a past President myself, it was quite interesting to learn about the humble beginnings of the NJLCA (BCLCA) and how and why it was founded, directly from the men who started it all, with several past Presidents who are now well into their 80s. While many things have changed in the industry since 1966, many others have not. Like other industries, there are many more regulations regarding everything from employment hiring practices, insurance, licenses and registrations.

Some are beneficial, some not so. The landscape industry has matured significantly since the 1960s, from a bunch of guys who cut grass, had one truck and two employees, loved

New Disease Resistant Pea Now Available

By Jan Suszkiw Public Affairs Specialist U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in Pullman, Washington, developed Hampton, a new edible dry pea variety that resists multiple pathogens of this legume crop. Two pathogens of particular concern are the pea enation mosaic virus (PEMV) and bean leaf roll virus (BLRV). In severe cases, both of these aphid-borne pathogens can inflict crop losses of 80 to 90 percent, according to Rebecca McGee, a plant geneticist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Besides seed-yield losses, outbreaks of PEMV and BLRV also deprive growers of an important grainrotation crop that can cut down on synthetic fertilizer use—the result of the legume’s symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing root bacteria, adds McGee, at the ARS’s Grain Legume Genetics and Physiology Research Unit, Pullman.

Fortunately, Hampton resists both of these viral threats as well as a variety of fungal pathogens that cause Fusarium wilt and powdery mildew.

Hampton owes its broad disease resistance, high yield and other valued agronomic traits to a top-performing population of sixth-generation

offspring plants derived from crossing two ARS pea breeding lines, PS810090 and PS510718.

McGee developed, evaluated and released Hampton as part of a pea, lentil and chickpea germplasm-improvement program at Pullman together with collaborators from North Dakota State University, Washington State University, Montana State University and the University of Idaho.

During yield trials from 2008-2013 at 40 sites in Washington State, North Dakota, Idaho and Montana, Hampton produced seed yields that exceeded those of the commercial cultivars Aragorn, Ariel and Banner by 12, 13 and 5 percent, respectively. Hampton is intended for production in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains, but is particularly suited to the Palouse, a hilly, fertile region encompassing parts of southeastern Washington State, northeast Oregon and northwest Idaho.

The Washington State Crop Improvement Association is handling inquiries for certified seed of Hampton, which should be available to growers in spring 2016.

Editor’s Note: Jan Suszkiw works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. She can be reached at (301) 504-1630 or by emailing Jan.Suszkiw@ars.usda.gov

working outdoors and having winters off, into an industry that performs a multitude of services with fleets of trucks and a small army of employees.

The need and desire to spend more time outdoors and to work less and play more has also dramatically increased over the past 50 years, and indications are that this is not a fad or a trend but a new way of living, especially as “Gen-Xer’s” and “Millenials” become home dwellers in the cities and the suburbs. Most recently the trend of kitchen gardens, personal farming (growing one’s own food) and the desire to live and eat organically is creating newer but more sophisticated opportunities for landscape professionals that barely existed five to 10 years ago.

In addition to this, the appreciation and value of professionally landscaped properties has never been

higher, and the return on investment has never been greater. Add to this, the newer concept of the outdoor room coupled with people’s desire to have every possible amenity at their disposal has created a multi-billion dollar industry out of a mom-and-pop, or rather a father-and-son, industry that barely paid the bills.

The one thing that everybody agreed upon was that although the industry has become more sophisticated and that competition has never been tougher, the friendships developed and the desire to improve the industry have never wavered at the NJLCA since it was founded in 1966.

Editors Note: Jody Shilan, MLA provides landscape design services for landscape contractors and homeowners.

Jody is also a professional speaker, green industry consultant and host of radio talk show, Landscape Live!

He has a BSLA from Cook College, Rutgers University and an MLA from The University of Massachusetts and is currently the Executive Director of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA). He can be reached at 201-783-2844 or jshilan@NJLCA.org

10 November, 2015 Hey there, fellow Jerseyites!

It’s all good down here.

Roads are clear, houses are lifted or rebuilt (for the most part anyway), and spirits are high. We had a great summer and I am looking forward to a great winter season down here as well.

This month’s article and recipe are something that is near and dear to me. BEETS! I love beets. Pickled beets, roasted beets, beet juice, etc., they taste like the earth, they are from the earth, they are healthy as hell and they are one of my favorite veggies ever.

Although gaining popularity, but still not huge in the tween category. They are loaded with health benefits which include antioxidants, folic acid, potassium and fiber.

They come in a variety of colors, which include white to yellow, predominately red but also candy cane striped like the Chiogga variety. The leaves are also very edible and are similar to spinach when sautéed or steamed.

Beets are used as a food coloring as well as a medicinal plant. They are said to have been grown

GardenerNews.com From the Deep

By Craig Korb Executive Chef

Greetings from the “repaired” Jersey shore in the hanging gardens of Babylon, as well as being an aphrodisiac. Pickled beets are very common in many European countries. Borscht is a soup made from beets and even Thomas Jefferson was said to have had them growing at Monticello.

Enough of Beet Education 101. I roast my beets, pour hot vinegar with sugar over them and let them sit for a few days before I devour them like a pickle or put them in a salad. We have amazing fresh beets here in Jersey. Take advantage of that, home can, pickle, juice or whatever you want. My recipe is simple, but does have a few steps involved.

Easy, so don’t despair. The end result will “beet” any canned or jarred product you’ve ever had.

Have fun with this, I know I didn’t do a “Thanksgiving style recipe” this month, but you can always bring the beets!

Roasted/pickled beets!

Serves numerous!

6 each , large beets light olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed salt and fresh black pepper 2 cups white vinegar 1/2 cup sugar method-preheat oven to 450 degrees -cut off top and bottom of beets and rinse -place in a roasting pan -drizzle with oil, salt and pepper and cover with water by half way up -seal tightly with aluminum foil -roast for at least half an hour and check with a fork

until fork tender and fork comes out easily -once cooled, peel beets with a peeler and cut into quarters or eighths -bring vinegar and sugar to a boil with a touch of salt and pepper -pour over beets and let sit overnight in the refrigerator -serve over a salad or as a side dish!

Enjoy!

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.

GardenerNews.com

November, 2015 11 Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

A Surprise From My Wife & Daughter “Out there, there’s a world outside of Yonkers. Way out there beyond this hick town, Barnaby. There’s a slick town, Barnaby. Out there, full of shine and full of sparkle. Close your eyes and see it glisten, Barnaby. Listen, Barnaby…”

Famous words from the movie Hello, Dolly, when Cornelius decides that he and Barnaby need to find adventure outside of Yonkers. Perhaps they had already seen all there was to do in Yonkers… I wonder though, had they already visited Untermyer Park & Gardens?

Back in the middle of September, my wife had read her most recent copy of Martha Stewart Living. A publication steeped with interest for both my wife and me.

Speaking directly to our passions, cooking for her and gardening for me, my wife learned of Untermyer Park & Gardens in Yonkers, N.Y., situated on the Hudson River.

My wife and daughter convinced me to plug the address into our navigation system and not ask any questions. An hour later we arrived at one of the most magical gardens I have ever seen.

Samuel Untermyer, an immensely successful corporate lawyer who was reputed to be the first to earn a one million dollar fee in a single legal case, purchased the “Greystone” property in 1899. The third owner of this property, Untermyer was determined to build “the finest garden in the world” and employed Beaux-Arts architect, William Welles Bosworth, to help fulfill his vision. A prominent American architect with a host of accomplishments under his belt, Bosworth had just completed the expansion of the Rockefeller gardens at Kykuit, the famous Rockefeller Estate north of Tarrytown, N.Y. Although the gardens have fallen into disrepair, languishing for decades, there has been a resurgence led by the Untermyer Gardens Conservancy to make them one of the finest in the country again. For me, there are two prominent features that were so awe-inspiring, they held my attention for the better part of that afternoon. The Walled Garden and The Vista are just two magnificent features that remain intact on the 43 acres, not even a third of its original size, however.

The Walled Garden, based on the Garden of Eden, is perhaps the finest Persian garden in the Western Hemisphere. Crenellated walls and octagonal corner towers stand several stories tall. Upon entering the gardens you are greeted by two behemoth weeping beech. Said to represent two great trees (the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good And Evil), I spent a half hour enjoying the shade they provided on that warm, late-summer day. Fastigiate beech help punctuate the geometry of the gardens and there are several newly planted specimens at which to marvel at.

A stand of Katsura trees, Cercidiphyllum japonicum, towering over one of the octagonal corner towers, had me appreciating their apricot fall color. However, they left me wanting more as I had hoped to partake in the senescing fall leaf color, where I could smell the spicy cinnamon/brown sugar scent they give off. I did take comfort in the fact they these giants exposed their shaggy, rugged bark that you can only appreciate on older specimens. A stunning Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica “Gyokuryu,” represented itself well. A dense, broad pyramid with short, dark green needles, I had forgotten how much I love this cultivar. And the surprise plant of the day, that even my wife gawked at, was a Bushclover type, Lespedeza thunbergii “Gibraltar.” Eye catching, rosy-purple, pea-shaped flowers swarmed this plant that had its extremities bending to the ground. A reliable late-summer/early-fall bloomer, this Bushclover surely did not disappoint. A deciduous beauty that benefits from being cut back hard the end of winter, you can expect it to grow four to five feet tall and five to10 feet wide.

Appreciating the hot summer sun and near drought conditions as I write this article, Lespedeza I find to be an underused plant in our landscapes today. A shame because its hardiness, reliability to flower and with no serious insect or disease issues should suggest its usefulness in the landscape. Not to mention it’s a nearly carefree plant.

Much of what I learned about Untermyer came from an unexpected source. A delightful woman, Elizabeth “Betty” Morgan, was on the property that day representing the park. Her seemingly boundless knowledge has come from her nearly 60 years of living in Yonkers. Her kindness, willingness to teach and enthusiasm for the property were just so genuine. I wonder, if Cornelius and Barnaby had met “Betty,” perhaps they would not have been so quick to leave Yonkers and explore?

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.

NJ’s Great Pumpkin

Tom Castronovo/Photo

What is believed to be the largest pumpkin grown in the Garden State was on display at Wightman’s Farms in Morristown, Morris County, N.J., during October 2015.

The official weight of 1,415.50 pounds was documented by The Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pa., on Sept 26.

It was grown in Warren Township, Somerset County, N.J.,

by Doug Jamieson and Chuck Radcliffe.

The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth’s mission is to cultivate the hobby of growing giant pumpkins throughout the world by establishing standards and regulations that ensure quality of fruit, fairness of competition, recognition of achievement and fellowship and education for all participating growers and weight-off sites.

12 November, 2015 I have lived 33 of my years on the East Coast in the Snow Belt. For a while, I had a three-quarter ton GMC Pickup Truck that did the job for me when it came to the driveway, but obviously not the walkways.

For the past 12 years, I have gone from one fancy double gripped, ergonomically bent handle, formed bucket, stainless steel vs. injected silicone SHOVEL after another, and always felt that I needed the workout. Why go to the gym when you can shovel your driveway and all the walkways around the house?

Well, that was fine and dandy until last year when I awoke to three solid feet of snow and a five foot high driveway apron where the plows had socked the salt melted snow right to it. Yup, I thought to myself, should have read that Farmer’s Almanac with more intent.

After a good two and a half hours of shoveling and throwing snow waaaaay up and over the high snowbank, and completely sweating through two sets of gloves and clothes, I went in the Of course, when it’s a recently cut, live Christmas tree.

Now that we have just gotten finished with Halloween, it’s time to plan the turkey dinner as well as how we will decorate for the rest of the holidays. Wow, it seems that there just isn’t enough time to get everything done. So then we all should just get an artificial tree to save time and the hassle of putting up the real deal? I don’t think so.

Are more folks purchasing artificial trees and using them as Christmas trees in their homes?

They may say it’s because it saves time and you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home. Well, let’s debunk a few myths on the way to saving time and expense. The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) has also started a campaign to do this very thing.

Myth #1: Real Christmas Trees are cut down from forests.

Only a small percentage of trees are allowed to be cut from the wilderness. Most are farmed and grown as a crop.

Myth #2: You save a tree by using a fake tree. When trees are harvested, they are replaced by one to three seedlings.

GardenerNews.com The Miscellaneous Gardener

By Richard W. Perkins Freelance Writer

Just Bought My First One Ever! house and looked in the mirror and guess what I saw? I did not see a 19-year-old football star. I saw an old man whose hair is almost pure white.

But, did I cave in?

Nope. I did check the local hardware stores and every unit that was left was one of the BIG ones and very expensive, so I said I can wait until next sum-mah and get a better deal. That was a mistake. It snowed and snowed and snowed some more. I actually had to hire a guy with a plow to come hit my driveway and that sometimes was twice a day. Anyway, I am now the very happy, relieved and proud owner of an eight and one half horsepower, dual stage, electric start, halogen headlight, heated handles,

power steering, reverse, six forward speeds, bright orange snow-blowah that I am very much looking forward to firing up after the first big blizzard, which I have been assured is coming.

What I need to start thinking about, being a complete rookie at this, is what my safety concerns are.

Finger injuries, including amputations, accounted for about half of the more than 3,300 emergencyroom visits related to snow blowers reported in 2014.

Back and shoulder strain were also common.

Here’s how to protect against these and other injuries. Never wear loose pants, jackets, or scarves, which can get tangled in a snow blower’s moving parts and pull you in with

them. Wear earplugs or other hearing protection, especially with a gaspowered model, which typically runs above the 85 decibels at which hearing damage can occur. Before the snow gets too deep, remove doormats, sleds, boards, wires, newspapers, thick branches and anything else from the area you’ll clear to avoid clogs and damage to the machine.

Don’t let children operate a snow blower. And keep people and pets far away from the vicinity of where you’re clearing.

Protect yourself from carbonmonoxide poisoning by starting and running a gas-powered snow blower outside, never in a garage, shed, or other enclosed area, even if the door is

The Landscaper

By Evan Dickerson Landscape Professional

When Is a Tree a Christmas Tree?

Myth #3: Real Christmas Trees aggravate allergies. I guess there are people who are allergic to anything, but generally not evergreen trees, even those who are generally allergic to pollen and sap, which are not all that abundant in December.

Myth #4: It’s better to use a fake tree because you can re-use it each year. When it has worn out, it ends up in a landfill while a real tree is recycled.

Myth #5: Christmas Trees are a fire safety hazard and frequently catch on fire. While there tragically are some fires, almost all are related to lighting or wiring issues and there are as many with artificial trees.

Myth #6: Real Trees cost too much. You can spend from $25 to $200 on a real tree and in the hundreds for a fake one, so if you bought a $30 live tree

or a $300 fake tree, it would take 10 years and you’d have spent about the same amount of money.

Myth #7: Fake trees are fireproof. See #5 above.

MYTH #8: Real Christmas Trees have pesticides and chemicals on them. Tree farmers use chemicals in a prudent and careful manner following EPA, USDA and FDA regulations, and some even grow their trees without the use of chemicals.

MYTH #9: Real Christmas Trees end up in landfills. Real trees are recycled and have many uses, from mulch to erosion control. Fake trees, see #4.

MYTH #10: Real Christmas Trees are a hassle and a mess.

OK, but we all vacuum anyway and putting in a little water into the stand has been made easier by the way new stands are put

together and, well, it’s fun to go get and install your tree, in fact as much fun as putting together the artificial tree (you know, A-to-B, B-to-B and so forth.)

According to the NCTA, there are as many as 16 varieties of evergreens used as Christmas Trees. If you use your imagination, you can think of many ways to use an Arizona Cypress, Balsam Fir, Blue Spruce, Canaan Fir, Concolor Fir, Douglas Fir, Redcedar, White Pine, Fraser Fir, Grand Fir, Leyland Cypress, Noble Fir, Norway Spruce, Scotch Pine, Virginia Pine and White Spruce as a holiday decoration.

Of course, some of these varieties are more readily available in our area than others, but it’s fun to dream up other uses. I’m partial to the Fraser Fir, as it seems to hold its needles and has a nice scent

open. Turn off the engine before clearing a clog at the auger or discharge chute.

And use a clearing tool or a broom handle to clear the clog - never your hands or feet, even if you’re wearing gloves: A stationary auger and impeller are often under enough belt tension to harm hands and feet, even with the motor off. Wait until a gas model’s engine is cool before refueling to avoid igniting the gasoline.

Remember, heavy exertion and cold temperatures can be a dangerous combination.

Take frequent breaks to avoid overexertion.

Seniors and people with hypertension, heart disease, or diabetes should consult a doctor before using a snow blower. For all us semiseniors out there, if your driveway is especially long and two or more cars wide, you might want to consider having it plowed anyway.

Thanks for reading and see ya next month.

Editors Note: Check out Richard’s photography at; rwperkinsphotography.com that stays through the holidays.

Other folks have told me the same for any number of these varieties. It’s really a matter of personal preference.

All of our tree farms, nurseries and garden centers that deal with Christmas trees would be happy to assist you in finding the perfect tree for your holiday celebration. For more details visit the NCTA web site at www.christmastree.org. It has all you need to know about the history, specifications, safety and care of live Christmas trees.

I don’t have anything against the hundreds of different candles with the scent of the holidays, but I want a real live tree whose smell reminds me of the memories of Christmases past and all of the good times with family and friends associated with them.

Please have a safe and happy holiday season. Enjoy!

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

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November, 2015 13

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14 November, 2015

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Garden State Gardens Elects New Officers On October 20, the Garden State Gardens Consortium elected their new officers for 2016. They are: Charles Fischer, left, executive director at Van Vleck House and Garden, as Secretary; Diane Allen, horticultural program coordinator for Deep Cut Gardens, as President; Katy Weidel, second from right, supervisor of park planning and a landscape architect for NJSEA, as Vice President; and Pam Ruch, horticulturist at the Morven Museum and Garden, as Treasurer. Garden State Gardens is a Consortium of New Jersey’s public gardens that seeks to increase the public’s awareness of and appreciation for the beauty and horticultural, educational, artistic and historic value of New Jersey’s public gardens.

This is accomplished through the collaboration of allied public garden professionals as they work to promote public garden visitation, development, stewardship Tom Castronovo/Photo and support.

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November, 2015 15

A "FARM FOREVER" - 125 Acres - Since 1922

“Down on the Farm”

16 November, 2015

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November, 2015 17

The Eastern White Pine

By Hubert Ling Early English colonists from wood-starved Europe were amazed by majestic White Pines (Pinus strobus) an estimated 250-feet tall with base diameters of eight feet (our current record tree is over 188-feet tall).

Pines grew in groves named â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cathedralsâ&#x20AC;? because of the sound deadening mat of needles on the forest floor or perhaps because of the tall columns reaching to the sky and the open expanses under the trees. Even the wind only softly whispers when it blows through a pine cathedral.

There is good archeological evidence which suggests that white pine preferentially grow at sites of abandoned Indian fields. Unhappily, almost all these ancient pine groves were logged out by the 1800s.

The British navy quickly recognized the value of the white pine and the best pines

were reserved for the Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use by being marked with the Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Broad Arrow Slash. Any colonial brash enough to use a tree so marked was subject to severe punishment. Many colonists protested the fact that the Crown took all the best trees; violence ensued and considerable hatred against the Crown developed. Some historians consider these 1772 Pine Tree Riots to be a significant event leading to the American Revolution.

The original masts on the US Constitution (Old Ironsides) were constructed from single large pine trees in defiance of British rule.

The white pine became a symbol of American patriots; a pine tree was prominently displayed on the Continental flag, on the Bunker Hill flag, and on the flags of Vermont and the Massachusetts Navy.

The white pine also appeared on the first American coin, the Pine Tree Shilling of Massachusetts. Today, the white pine is the state tree of

both Maine and Michigan.

White pines are very easy to identify since they have five needles bundled together in one cluster, technically called a fascicle (although a few fascicles with three or four needles are sometimes found which exist to confuse amateur botanists). All other wild growing pines on the East Coast have two or three needles per fascicle.

Female cones are produced in the crown of trees. Male cones are produced in the lower regions and individual trees contain both types of cones. Eastern white pines grow naturally from Newfoundland to Alabama and west to Arkansas.

Pines grow rapidly; they are capable of adding a foot or more in height and a half-inch in diameter each year. Mature trees provide huge, knot-free, relatively strong boards. Since pine was common and easy to cut, many colonial homes featured pine. Pine was also a favorite tree of loggers, since

pine will cure reasonably well if left in the log stage for a year after being cut and then sawed into oneor two-inch-thick planks.

Most other large logs will crack into unusable sectors if not cut into one-inch-thick boards immediately and very carefully dried under controlled conditions.

Freshly cut White Pine is creamy white, but pine wood which has aged many years tends to darken to a deep, rich tan. Occasionally, one can find light-brown pine boards with unusual yellowishgolden or reddish-brown hues. This is the famous pumpkin pine. It is generally thought that slow-growing pines in virgin forests accumulate colored products in the heartwood but genetic factors and soil conditions may also play a role in rich color development.

Although white pine was frequently used for flooring before the Civil War, the wood is soft and consequently you will find

cup shaped depressions from normal wear on almost every old white pine floor. George Washington realized this would happen and wisely made his Mount Vernon floors out of yellow pine, which is much harder. Since the wood is soft, White Pine has generally been replaced by hardwoods such as black cherry or walnut in fine furniture. However, some companies which specialize in colonial and log furniture continue to make charming, distinctive, and hefty furniture using White Pine.

This is Part 1 of two parts.

Although a few readers may recognize some of these words from my Wikipedia and Native Plant Society articles, I felt the work deserved greater exposure.

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Hubert Ling is the Horticulture Chairman for the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. He can be reached at milhubling@verizon.net

Tractor Supply Company Agrees to Implement Company-Wide Compliance Program to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations :$6+,1*721 ' & Ę&#x160; 7KH 8 6 (QYLURQPHQWDO 3URWHFWLRQ $JHQF\ (3$ DQG WKH 8 6 'HSDUWPHQW RI -XVWLFH WRGD\ DQQRXQFHG D VHWWOHPHQW ZLWK 7UDFWRU 6XSSO\ Company Inc. and Tractor Supply Company of Texas L.P., that resolves allegations that the companies imported and sold more than 28,000 all-terrain vehicles, offhighway motorcycles and engines that did not comply with federal Clean Air Act certification and emission information labeling requirements. Under the settlement, Tractor Supply Company will implement a compliance plan to prevent future violations and mitigation projects to reduce air pollution. Tractor Supply Company will also pay a $775,000 civil penalty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Emissions from vehicles and engines can cause serious health and environmental problems, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imperative that importers and vendors ensure their products comply with federal clean air standards,â&#x20AC;? said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is also critical that we ensure a level playing field for companies that follow the law -- that is a cornerstone of our environmental enforcement programs.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will take strong action to ensure that foreign-made vehicles and engines that are imported and sold in the U.S. comply with the same Clean Air Act requirements that apply to domestically-made products,â&#x20AC;? said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden, for the Department of Justiceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Environment and Natural Resources Division. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under this settlement, Tractor Supply Company will not only pay a civil penalty and mitigate the potential adverse environmental effects of having sold noncompliant vehicles and engines, but will also take steps to ensure future imports and sales of its vehicles and engines meet Clean Air Act standards.â&#x20AC;?

The Clean Air Act requires that every vehicle and engine sold in the United States be covered by a valid, EPA-issued certificate of conformity, which manufacturers obtain by certifying that vehicles meet applicable federal emissions standards for various pollutants. EPA and the Justice Department alleged that from 2006 to 2009, Tractor Supply Company imported from China and sold in the U.S. over 28,000 vehicles and engines, representing at least 10 vehicle and engine models, that varied from the certificates of conformity that had been submitted to EPA. The vehicles had adjustable carburetors that were not described in the applications for certification, were produced by different manufacturers than the ones specified in the applications, were manufactured prior to the dates of the certificates of conformity, had model names that were not identified on the certificates of conformity, or were significantly more powerful than described. Some engines were incorrectly certified as non-road engines rather than as recreational vehicles and some, like certain of the vehicles, were significantly more powerful than described in the allegedly applicable certificate of conformity. The Department of Justice and EPA also alleged that the emission control information labels on certain vehicles did not comply with federal regulations, and that Tractor Supply Company provided an incomplete and inaccurate response to EPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s information request.

The settlement requires Tractor Supply Company to implement a rigorous corporate compliance plan that requires regular vehicle and engine inspections, emissions and catalyst testing, staff training and reporting for five years. Tractor Supply Company will also mitigate potential adverse environmental effects of equipment already sold to consumers, which is estimated by EPA to be up to 23.5 tons of excess hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions and 12.2 tons of excess carbon monoxide emissions.

Motorcycles, recreational vehicles and spark-ignited engines emit carbon monoxide, a gas that is poisonous at high levels in the air even to healthy people and is especially dangerous to people with heart disease. These machines also emit hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, which contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, commonly known as smog. Exposure to even low levels of ozone can cause respiratory problems and repeated exposure can aggravate pre-existing respiratory diseases.

This settlement is part of an ongoing effort by the EPA to ensure that importers of vehicles and engines comply with the requirements of the Clean Air Act and that retailers exercise due diligence in ensuring that their products comply fully with the regulations. In a similar case settled with The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack (Pep Boys) in 2010, EPA required implementation of a similarly extensive corporate compliance plan.

Tractor Supply Company is a national rural lifestyle retail supply chain. The company has stores in 49 states and its headquarters is in Tennessee.

The settlement, lodged Sept. 30, 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.

To read the consent decree, go to http://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees

18 November, 2015

Touching

GardenerNews.com

the

lives

of

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science and effective management.

With 29 agencies and offices and nearly 100,000 employees, they provide economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive; to promote agricultural production that better nourishes Americans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve our nation’s natural resources through conservation, restored forests, improved watersheds and healthy private working lands.

Edward Avalos, who is the USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, was in the Garden State October 16-18 to promote agriculture and to see how the famous Jersey Fresh, Jersey Grown and Jersey Seafood programs operate. The three-day tour covered five counties.

His USDA agency facilitates domestic and international marketing of U.S. agricultural products and ensures the health and care of animals and plants.

His agency is also active in setting national and international standards. According to the latest census, food and agriculture are New Jersey’s thirdlargest industry, with the state’s 9,071 farms generating a totaling $1.14 billion sales. Productive farmland covers 715,000 acres. And New Jersey ranks ninth in the nation in total agri-tourism dollars.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Stephen Barlow, left, spoke to USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos about using organic methods for his greenhouse crops, growing media, fertilizers and pest management techniques.

USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos, center, learned that the Garden State produced 1.5 million gallons of wine in 2014 and ranks fourth in the nation in per capita wine consumption at Beneduce Vineyards in Pittstown, Hunterdon County, N.J. This 16-acre, family-owned and operated winery operates sustainably so they can pass on their healthy land to future generations. From left to right are: Grape grower and wine maker Mike Beneduce, Jr., Justen Beneduce Hiles, USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos, Casey Beneduce, Mike Beneduce, Sr. and Kevin Beneduce.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Elizabeth Wightman, left, USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos, center, and Ken Wightman, at Wightman’s Farms in Morristown, Morris County, N.J. Under Secretary Avalos was treated to a scenic hayride and participated in a few agri-tourism activities.

USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos, center, Executive Chef Craig Korb, left, and Shannon Hammer Korb at The Crab’s Claw Inn in Lavallette, Ocean County, N.J. The Crab’s Claw Inn was the first restaurant and chef to partner with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Jersey Fresh and Jersey Seafood program by serving an annual all-Jersey Fresh and Jersey Seafood dinner.

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November, 2015 19

every American every day

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Pete Melick, right, co-owner of Melickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Town Farm in the Oldwick section of Tewksbury Township, Hunterdon County, N.J., explains to USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos how hard cider is made.

USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos, left, tells Pat Donavan, center, a member of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, and Jody Shilan, executive director of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, when the next Census of Horticulture will be released.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Keith Morrison, left, a produce manager for Kings Food Markets; USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos, center; and Arthur Goncalves, vice president of Floral and Produce for Kings Food Markets, at the Kings Food Markets Morristown, Morris County store. The trio discussed greattasting apples from New York.

Continued on page 20

20 November, 2015

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Touching the lives of every American every day Continued from page 18 and 19

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Ryck Suydam, right, president of the New Jersey Farm Bureau, discusses guest worker programs and wildlife issues with USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos.

USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture Edward Avalos, second from left, learned about fruit production and high-density apple orchards at the Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown, Hunterdon County, N.J. The farm is Rutgers Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Here he met with Rutgers County Extension Dept. Head and Agricultural Agent Pete Nitzsche, left, John Grande, second from right, the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director, and Jack Rabin, director of Farm Programs for Rutgers.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Edward Avalos, left, USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher, second from left; Guy Torsilieri, center, Chairman of the Far Hills Race Meeting Association and President of the National Steeplechase Association; Robert Bonnie, second from right, USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment; and New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Al Murray at the 95th running of the Far Hills Race Meeting in Far Hills, Somerset County, N.J. The secretaries learned that over 4,000 hay bales were used on the grounds, and that 72 thoroughbreds from around the country, as well as England and Ireland, participated in the event.

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November, 2015 21

22 November, 2015 Have you ever put on your jacket for the first time since the last season it got chilly only to reach in the pocket and find some money? It’s a great feeling isn’t it? It’s like the feeling of the first day of school when you were a child, or your first amusement park ride, or winning a prize that you didn’t expect.

When you pull out that money, the first thing that goes through your head is, Wow, what a bonus! That same feeling happens with plants and flowers when they come back for another season or last longer than they are expected to. I hear countless experiences when people come in and talk about their gardens and say that their plants came back up in the spring.

Why am I bringing up a topic like this now, just before the winter starts?

Well, for one reason, this one crop that is in my head as I am writing this is a great flower to put outside this time of year,

GardenerNews.com The Professional Grower

By Tim Hionis Greenhouse Specialist

Finding money in your jacket pocket the fall or winter pansy.

The fall or winter pansy are the same pansy, just some people prefer to call them the fall pansy and others the winter pansy.

Either way, this crop is great for this time of year.

Pansies can tolerate freezing cold temperatures very well. In fact, the temps can drop into the upper-20s for a brief period of time and they are known to perk back up once the temps rise again. They do a great job of providing color from now until the bitter cold; usually they can go into end of December or even into January, provided the ground is not blanketed by snow.

The nice thing about pansies is that they are

known to return in the spring. Although they are not guaranteed to return in the spring, many gardeners become pleasantly surprised if and when they do. It’s like finding money in your pocket!

Plants and flowers are meant to be enjoyed for a moment in time, anyway.

That is the gratification of them, to admire and appreciate them for the time that they offer their beauty. This is what goes with being a gardener, to enjoy it while it lasts.

Many times, people new to gardening do not understand this concept and walk into the doors of a home and garden centers and one of their first questions is, How

long will it last? Or, Does it bloom all year? Or, Will it come back next year?

This train-of-thought is a process that sets them up for disappointment, or worse, failure. Even if something is meant to bloom for just a day, that bloom should be enjoyed and not tossed to the side as something not good enough. There should be something said for that day, for that bloom.

It’s almost as if this question has become, What will this plant do for me tomorrow? Plants and flowers should be seen as something to look at now. If it happens to look great tomorrow, well, it’s a bonus, or if it lasts longer than it is expected, super.

What do you do with found money in pockets?

It gets spent faster than you can pull it out of the pocket. I’ve never heard anyone say, I found money in my pocket and I’m saving it for a later date. It usually goes like, I found some money and I’m buying the first round!

Other plants that can still be planted this time of year that will last for a while are Ornamental Cabbages and Kale and Violas, also known as Johnny Jump Ups, can still be planted outdoors. Also, now many indoor flowering plants become readily available to help spruce up the indoor environment. Items like Kalanchoe, Florist Mums, Amaryllis, Narcissus Paperwhites, Mini Roses, Reiger Begonias and more are available now.

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.

Mark Robson Named Distinguished Service Professor by Rutgers Board of Governors By: Rutgers Office of Communications Mark Robson, professor and chair of the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, has been named a Distinguished Service Professor by the Rutgers Board of Governors (BOG). Robson, who was presented with a resolution at the board meeting on Oct. 14 by BOG chair Greg Brown, was recognized for “sustained and exceptional service to the University, to the academic profession, to the state or nation, or to the broader community by a faculty member at the full professorial rank.” Executive Dean Bob Goodman introduced Robson at the meeting.

“I am so proud to be a professor at Rutgers and it is an honor to provide service to our students and the university, but especially serve the community beyond the university,” said Robson, upon getting the award.

Robson thanked Bonnie McCay, distinguished professor emerita of the Department of Human Ecology, for nominating him for this special recognition in a letter to Dean Goodman. “In addition to his university, state, and national service, Mark’s service also includes an impressive global component. He has made significant impacts globally with his NIH and USAID projects,” wrote McCay. In expressing his gratitude to the BOG and to Dean Goodman for the honor, Robson underscored his strong roots and support at Rutgers that have enabled him to reach into and serve the community, both here and abroad.

“Rutgers has been the path for all my adult life, first teaching me what it is to be a good servant and then allowing me to take that knowledge and share it with places like Aceh, Indonesia, or Rangsit, Thailand or Cuttington, Liberia.”

Robson has amassed a long and distinguished record of service to the university and beyond. Among his most recent recognition was being named a 2015 Loyal Son of Rutgers earlier this year. His service to the school and the university is significant, including the George H. Cook Honors committee; mentorship of ARESTY students and FirstYear Interest Groups (FIGs) instructors; and service on the SEBS Admissions and Scholastic Standing Committee, which he has chaired in the past.

He is active with the Rutgers Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs and currently co-chairs its Faculty Involvement Subcommittee. He’s an advisor to students in the Agriculture and Food Systems major; one of two advisors to Alpha Zeta, the agriculture honors and service fraternity; and a long-standing mentor and advisor to the Helyar House Cooperative on the Cook Campus. For his efforts on behalf of Rutgers students, he has been recognized at the undergraduate and graduate levels with numerous awards, including the SEBS Teaching Award, the Graduate School–New Brunswick Teaching Award, the Faculty Scholar Award, the Susman Award, and the UMDNJ Foundation Teaching Excellence Award. He was named the Alpha Zeta Professor of the Year in 2013 and was the recipient of the highly competitive Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) Pfizer Teaching Award.

Robson has made great contributions to his profession, serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Board of Public Health Examiners. He’s the recipient of the prestigious Mehlman Award from the International Society of Exposure Science, which recognizes science that changes public policy. He’s also been active working with Isles, Inc. of Trenton, The New Jersey Farm Bureau, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, and in particular, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on a number of important health related issues. For two terms, from 2004 to 2010, he chaired the New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute.

His international service has been long and significant, resulting in his 2013 election as a Fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini, a prestigious honor recognizing his global contributions to occupational health. The mission of the Collegium Ramazzini is to advance the study of occupational and environmental health issues and to be a bridge between science and public health. Other global recognition of Robson’s work includes an Honorary Doctorate in Public Health from Chulalongkorn University in 2010, making him one of only three U.S. citizens to receive this honor; the other two were both U.S. presidents.

Robson established the Environmental Health Program at the Chulalongkorn University College of Public Health Sciences. He has been instrumental through his grant funding to directly support 26 M.P.H. and Ph.D. students from seven Asian countries as well as establish a dedicated faculty position and a pilot research program. In 2001, he developed one of the first environmental risk assessment courses in South East Asia. This program was funded initially by the Asian Development Bank and continues now as a sustained part of the environmental management graduate program at Chulalongkorn. To date, over 600 M.S., M.P.H. and Ph.D. students have taken the course with Robson.

The international dimension of Robson’s work was also reflected strongly in his being presented the 2013 Malone International Leadership Award by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), in “national recognition for a career of outstanding contributions to further international education at state and land-grant institutions.”

GardenerNews.com

November, 2015 23

Pumpkin Fever & More

By Jeannie Geremia Garden Club of New Jersey As we head into late-fall and winter, my mind keeps going back to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;highs and lowsâ&#x20AC;? of this past summer.

Summer seems to always start out with great promise of our gardens overrun with glorious produce, and pictures of juicy sweet peaches, Jersey tomatoes, fat pumpkins, squashes, and just a super abundance of good things to eat.

We work hard to make this happen and hope that Mother Nature cooperates with just the right amount of sun, rain and moderate temperatures. Alas, stuff happens, and while one crop seems to flourish, another takes a hit as June gives way to July and August merges into September, along with endless sparkling blue skies and no rain to speak of. This is a fairly typical year here in New Jersey.

Peaches and tomatoes were fabulous, while pumpkins that were planted late because of early rainfall, languished with no rain when it was desperately needed.

Dave Everitt from Ringoes, who shares what I call â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pumpkin Feverâ&#x20AC;? with the malady setting in each September, told me of his pumpkin calamity.

Dave, who ordinarily exults in his 45 acres of pumpkins, was dejected at their under achievement. And so it goes, my gardening friends. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the prospect of next September wherein â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pumpkin Feverâ&#x20AC;? sets in again with glorious visions of pumpkins in all shapes and sizes and in so many colors.

I did, however, have an unexpected pumpkin surprise as seeds of pumpkins I had last fall on my patio germinated and produced an awesome amount of leaves, flowers and a goodsized pumpkin hanging from my fence as the vines made a mad dash over and beyond the fence. I was thrilled, as visions of exhibiting this pumpkin and maybe winning a blue ribbon in my garden clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Halloween

flower show entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ghosts of the Sourlandsâ&#x20AC;? danced in my head every time I beheld this green beauty.

Imagine my shock when I investigated the other side of the fence in late September to find a really huge, dark-green pumpkin with a striped bottom to boot laying there. Holy cow, this guy is heavy, but he just may win me that blue ribbon.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep you posted.

By the time youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re reading this article, our Neshanic Garden Club flower show will be history. We did have some exceptional displays as a prior workshop led by Barbara Devitt, had us planting a variety of succulents on top of pumpkins. Moss is glued onto a flat topped, uncut pumpkin and the succulents are then glued on top (they actually will develop roots and thrive). We then, inserted seed pods from Kousa Dogwood, acorns, hickory nuts and pods to create a wonderful centerpiece for autumn.

Our â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ghosts of the Sourlandsâ&#x20AC;? Standard Flower Show also included some wonderful Educational and Invitational Exhibits showcasing the environment.

The Sourland Conservancy had representatives at their table that laid out their mission to protect the ecological integrity, historic resources and special character of the Sourland Mountain Region. The Sourland Region includes a 4,000-acre mountain preserve owned and protected

by Somerset County Parks, with the range itself stretching southwest across Hillsborough and Montgomery Townships in Somerset County, through southern Hunterdon and northern Mercer Counties to the Delaware River. It is extremely rich in natural resources, and an area that boasts a variety of stream corridors, geologic outcrops, and an ecological preserve that provides a core habitat for a diversity of plant and animal species, including quite a few rare and threatened flora and fauna.

The Karen Nash Memorial Butterfly Garden Youth Garden Club also did an Invitational entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Got Milkweedâ&#x20AC;? that presented the importance of creating Monarch Waystations by planting milkweed corridors that monarch caterpillars exclusively feed on. This is an ongoing effort to save our beautiful monarch butterfly from certain extinction.

Planting milkweed is bringing monarch numbers back as I had about 15 caterpillars hatch out that I found on my swamp milkweed, butterfly weed (which is a milkweed) and tropical milkweed. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a thrill to see them and our other butterflies, including our black swallowtail butterflies (I had over 30 black swallowtails hatch out this summer).

The sad thing is that all butterfly numbers are way down from levels we saw just a few decades ago. We have a long journey ahead to get them back, and education is key, especially imploring our municipalities and state to stop spraying roadsides with herbicides and pesticides. It not only makes our roadsides ugly from July to frost, but is adversely impacting our pollinators and our own health. Be a positive voice!

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Jeannie Geremia is the Community Gardens Chair, the Butterflies & BeeGAP Chair, and the Backyard Wildlife Habitat Chair for the Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., and is a National Garden Clubs, Inc., Accredited Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is the GCNJ 2016 Flower Show Chair and 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.

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AVAILABLE AT Edgewood Pharmacy 62 B Mountain Blvd. Warren, NJ (Next to Kings Food Markets) 908-754-4400 www.EdgewoodPharmacy.com USDA Adds More Eligible Commodities for Farm Storage Facility Loans New Provisions Increase On-Farm Storage for Dairy, Flowers, Meats :$6+,1*721 ' & Ę&#x160; 8 6 'HSDUWPHQW RI $JULFXOWXUH (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini announced that the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program, which provides low-interest financing to producers to build or upgrade storage facilities, will now include dairy, flowers and meats as eligible commodities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For 15 years, this program has provided affordable financing, allowing American farmers and ranchers to construct or expand storage on the farm,â&#x20AC;? said Dolcini. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By adding eligible commodities, these low-interest loans will help even more family farmers and ranchers to expand on-site storage.â&#x20AC;?

The new commodities eligible for facility loans include floriculture, hops, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water).

Commodities already eligible for the loans include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, and fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities.

Since 2000, more than 35,000 facility loans have been approved totaling $2 billion in rural investments. On average, about 1,600 new loans are made each year. Producers do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products, and underserved producers.

To learn more about the FSA Farm Storage Facility Loan, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport or contact a local FSA county office. To find your local FSA county office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.

24 November, 2015 After a long summer drought, will we get a cold, wet, miserable winter again this year? Now that leaves are falling, what are you going to do this year with your last chance to have a great lawn next year?

Let’s follow the lawn trail and find out.

If you have not fertilized your lawn this fall, please do so now. In New Jersey, homeowners can fertilize their lawns until November 15, but not again until March 1 next spring. If you have fed your lawn once this fall, do it again with a “wintertype” fertilizer formula.

The fertilizer will promote a thick, healthy root system and green growth will continue into the cold winter weather. Your lawn will green up next spring, too, even before you get out and fertilize.

This late feeding will hopefully help you avoid snow mold damage, too.

Be sure to continue to mow your lawn until it stops growing. Each week you can gradually reduce the mowing height

GardenerNews.com Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Are you ready for winter? a half inch, but mow no lower than 1½ inches as your final cut. This helps to reduce any large amounts of green foliage that could make your lawn more susceptible to snow mold.

Once you are finished using your mower, be sure to properly “winterize” it before storing it in the shed or garage. Your mower will appreciate this extra effort and so will you next spring when you try to start it up again. Change the oil, sharpen the blade and clean the housing. Be careful and if you are not comfortable with working on your mower, hire a professional lawnmower repair shop for these tasks.

Clean off the leaves from lawn areas as quickly as possible in order to avoid

leaf cover killing the grass.

Removing leaves also allows sunlight to get to the grass plants continuing growth. Excessive leaf cover could also contribute to snow mold problems during winter months. If leaf cover is not too severe, you could mulch the leaves right into the ground. If you have had a history of snow mold damage, applying a lawn fungicide labeled to prevent snow mold at this time can be helpful too.

During colder months many times I am asked, “Is it too late to apply grass seed?” It is never too late to apply grass seed, what you need to have is realistic expectations if and when the grass seed will grow. I have seen a lot of successful late fall

seeding, but the limiting factor is the weather. I am not very good at predicting how cold it will get and when. While the soil is still somewhat warm, the air temperature may slow or stop grass seed growth if it is consistently less than 50 degrees. My real answer to this question is, “Why didn’t you seed in early fall?” What about snow seeding? Yes, this is a viable option, usually done in the middle of winter to insure that the seed does not germinate.

Using a mixture with a high content is Perennial Ryegrass is best. Take a hand crank spreader and seed right over the snow cover.

The seed will germinate in spring when weather permits.

So how did your lawn do this year after the severe summer drought?

Where you able to water enough, did you get tired of watering or paying the water bill? Did you burn your lawn this past summer because you tried to feed it to a green color when it was dormant or under stress?

Did fungus take your whole lawn out? Did your lawn come back this fall after the hot, dry weather went away and rainfall finally arrived?

Grub damage did not seem so severe since they need a certain amount of moisture to reproduce vigorously.

If your lawn survived this severe summer that is a good sign, a sign that you have been taking measures to keep your lawn it strong and healthy in order to face whatever Mother Nature sends our way. Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Yay for Yucca!

A key element in becoming good at any given craft or business is to listen to the opinion of others and then determine whether those opinions are really appropriate to your style or way of thinking.

Years back, I remember reading the commentary of “Yuk for Yucca.” Granted, I have seen this plant used in some poor designs, but the more I have studied how effective this plant can be for the garden, I am far more inclined to say “Yay for Yucca!”

Yucca is in the Asparagus, or Asparagaceae, family and has 49 species scattered throughout North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. The name was somewhat erroneously penned

by Carl Linnaeus (17071778) due to the confusion with another South American native, Manihot esculenta, whose starchy roots are the source of Tapioca. Taíno is an

old and now extinct language spoken by the Taíno Indians that was at one time common throughout the Caribbean. The word yuca, with one “c,” was Taíno for Manihot. Believing that this new plant in the Asparagus Family was in fact the source of the starchy roots, Linnaeus adapted the Taíno name for this plant. To this day, this confusion remains, since many people think that the roots of Yucca are edible.

In addition, Yucca is often mistaken to be an herbaceous plant, when in actuality, it is a woody group of plants, varying in height from three to 20-plus feet.

Yucca filamentosa was the species with which I first became acquainted on my grandfather’s farm.

Commonly called Adam’s Needle or Spanish Bayonet, the thick, dark green and evergreen leaves radiate from the base much like a whirl of swords. In fact, the sharp pointed leaves were actually used by Appalachian settlers much like a hook; they would puncture and hang slabs

of meat with the leaves in preparation for salting and curing. The species epithet was also penned by Linnaeus and refers to the long, white, filamentous threads that appear along the margins of the leaf.

Native to drier regions of the Southeastern U.S., it is hardy in zones 5-10 and has naturalized much further north of its native provenance. Once the plant is several years old, it will produce a branched floral stem in June that will stretch to heights of three to eight feet or even greater. These stems emerge from the center of the leafy rosette with the attractive, creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers dangling from short side branches. As a child, I was fascinated by the tall spires of flowers. Once the plant flowers, the “mother plant” typically dies and is replaced by a number of pups or offsets that appear around the original plant’s base.

Of the numerous selections available, “Golden Sword” sports attractive, bright-yellow leaves with green margins and

is ideal for use in the mixed border.

Another native to the Eastern half of North America is Yucca flaccida, which has the rather unappealing name of Weak-Leaf Yucca. Similar in height and floral display to its cousin, the older foliage of Yucca flaccida tend to droop downward, giving rise to the species epithet. This species was named and authored by Adrian Hardy Haworth (17671833), an English entomologist and botanist, who may be best known among gardeners for the succulent genus of Haworthia. The selection named “Bright Edge” is a very appealing selection to gardeners, since not only do the leaves fail to droop, but the margin of the leaf is yellow with a green to bronzy green center, allowing it to brighten a garden without appearing too brazen.

In general, Yucca appreciates full sun and welldrained to outright dry soil conditions. They look very lonely when planted singularly, yielding a far more effective

appearance when massed.

In fact, a massing of their quilled or skyward oriented leaves creates a bit of garden drama and attracts a person’s attention. This is useful where a designer is attempting to highlight a walkway entrance or some other focal element in the garden.

With eye-grabbing garden drama, along with colorful foliage and flowers, we should say, “Yay for Yucca!”

Editor’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 – 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

GardenerNews.com

November, 2015 25

USDA Seeks Applications for $16.8 Million in Grants to Empower SNAP Participants to Make Healthy Eating Choices U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability of up to $16.8 million in funding to help participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables. The funding is available to local, state and national organizations to test incentive strategies to help SNAP participants better afford healthy foods. This is the second round of awards to be made under the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program created by the 2014 Farm Bill. USDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will administer the grants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eating healthy foods makes a difference to an entire familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and ability to learn, work and enjoy life,â&#x20AC;? said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These investments are moving the dial for families in need and expanding the market for Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fruit and vegetable producers. The FINI program scales up public-private collaboration to develop innovative strategies that make healthy fruits and vegetables more accessible to families around the country, part of our strategy to improve the diet and health of all Americans.â&#x20AC;?

FINI connects stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system and fosters partnerships to improve the nutrition and health status of lower-income households. These resources will allow partnerships like these to help even more families.

Funded projects will test community based strategies that contribute to our understanding of how best to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables

by SNAP participants through incentives at the point of purchase, supported by efficient benefit redemption technologies, that inform future efforts.

Applications are due December 16, 2015.

Applications are sought in three categories: (1) FINI pilot projects (awards not to exceed $100,000 in one year); (2) multi-year, community-based FINI projects (awards not to exceed $500,000 over no more than four years); and (3) multi-year, FINI large-scale projects (awards of $500,000 or more over no more than four years).

Priority is given to projects that: Â&#x2021; 0D[LPL]H WKH VKDUH RI IXQGV XVHG IRU GLUHFW LQFHQWLYHV WR SDUWLFLSDQWV Â&#x2021; 3URYLGH LQFHQWLYHV WKDW DUH PRVW OLNHO\ WR GLUHFWO\ DQG HIILFLHQWO\ LQFUHDVH WKH SXUFKDVH DQG FRQVXPSWLRQ RI HOLJLEOH IUXLWV DQG YHJHWDEOHV E\ 61$3 SDUWLFLSDQWV Â&#x2021; 7HVW LQQRYDWLYH RU SURPLVLQJ VWUDWHJLHV WKDW ZRXOG FRQWULEXWH WR RXU XQGHUVWDQGLQJ RI KRZ EHVW WR LQFUHDVH WKH SXUFKDVH RI IUXLWV DQG YHJHWDEOHV E\ SNAP participants and inform future efforts Â&#x2021; ,PSURYH RU GHYHORS LQQRYDWLYH EHQHILW UHGHPSWLRQ V\VWHPV WKDW FDQ EH UHSOLFDWHG RU VFDOHG Â&#x2021; 8VH GLUHFW WR FRQVXPHU PDUNHWLQJ Â&#x2021; 'HPRQVWUDWH D WUDFN UHFRUG RI GHVLJQLQJ DQG LPSOHPHQWLQJ VXFFHVVIXO QXWULWLRQ LQFHQWLYH SURJUDPV WKDW FRQQHFW ORZ LQFRPH FRQVXPHUV DQG DJULFXOWXUDO producers Â&#x2021; 3URYLGH ORFDOO\ RU UHJLRQDOO\ SURGXFHG IUXLWV DQG YHJHWDEOHV HVSHFLDOO\ FXOWXUDOO\ DSSURSULDWH IUXLWV DQG YHJHWDEOHV IRU D WDUJHW JURXS RI FRQVXPHUV Â&#x2021; $UH ORFDWHG LQ XQGHUVHUYHG FRPPXQLWLHV SDUWLFXODUO\ 3URPLVH =RQHV DQG 6WULNH)RUFH FRPPXQLWLHV FINI is a joint effort between NIFA and USDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees SNAP and has responsibility for evaluating the impacts of the incentive projects.

Funding for the FINI program is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

SNAPâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first line of defense against hungerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;helps put food on the table for millions of families experiencing hardship. The program has never been more critical to the fight against hunger. Nearly half of SNAP participants are children, and 42 percent of participants live in households in which at least one adult is working but still cannot afford to put food on the table. SNAP benefits provided critical assistance to millions who lost their jobs during the Great Recession. For many, SNAP benefits provide temporary assistance, with the average new applicant remaining on the program 12 months.

Nearly 250 Attend Annual Good Government Breakfast On September 30, nearly 250 food industry leaders, legislators and government leaders joined the New Jersey Food Council Committee for Good Government (FCCfGG) to honor four policy leaders at the 42nd Annual Good Government Breakfast at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, NJ. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s honorees were Richard Saker of Saker ShopRites, Deputy Director Howard Pine, New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Sen. Christopher â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kipâ&#x20AC;? Bateman (R-16) and Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-29).

The annual Good Government Breakfast is a forum for leaders from New Jersey supermarkets, convenience stores and food companies to break bread with government officials, policymakers and legislators and discuss the issues that affect the food retail industry, one of New Jerseyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest business sectors.

The attendees also had the opportunity to hear Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick (R-21) and Democratic Leader Lou Greenwald (D-6) address good government and business growth in New Jersey, as well as provide their insights into this unique election year which sees the General Assembly at the top of the ticket.

Richard Saker, President and CEO of Saker Holdings Corporation, received the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Good Governmentâ&#x20AC;? Award, which is the most prestigious public policy recognition bestowed on a New Jersey food industry member. As a supermarket leader and innovator, Richard Saker leads Saker ShopRites, the largest member of the Wakefern Food Corporation family of supermarkets. Mr. Saker currently serves as Vice Chairman for the New Jersey Food Council and served as Chairman for the Food Council Committee for Good Government for seven years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As chair of the Food Council Committee for Good Government, Richard Saker has had a tremendous impact on the direction and success of the Food Council and we wholeheartedly thank Richard for all his perseverance and dedication to our mission by recognizing him with our most prestigious honor, the Good Government Award,â&#x20AC;? said FCCfGG Treasurer Linda Doherty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He has made Good Government a priority and continually challenges and encourages his fellow Food Council members to become engaged in the civic process.â&#x20AC;?

Along with the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Good Governmentâ&#x20AC;? Award, the FCCfGG presented New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs Deputy Director Howard Pine with the Thomas W. Kelly Government Service Award, and the Outstanding New Jersey Legislator Awards to State Senator Christopher â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kipâ&#x20AC;? Bateman and Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer.

One of the most impactful portions of the morning, however, was the graduation of the first class of the NJFC Leadership Development Program and the introduction of the second class. The Leadership Development Program was developed to help educate the future leaders of the food industry and is a model trade association program. This highly competitive invitation was offered to only eight applicants last year, and nine this year.

The FCCfGG was formed in 1973 with the support of the New Jersey Food Council to aid those responsible elected state officials and candidates who share a common objective for good government.

26 November, 2015

GardenerNews.com RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PHONE DIRECTORY

Mexican Tomato Plantlets in Approved Media: Final Rule Published USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published a final rule in the Federal Register which amends the regulations governing the importation of tomato plantlets from Mexico in approved growing media into greenhouses in the continental United States. The rule protects against the introduction of plant pests and allows growers to use the imported plantlets to produce tomato fruit for commercial sale within the United States.

This final rule is effective November 2, 2015.

For specific information about this rule, refer to the docket at the Web site http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2014-0099.

Fall Leaf Clean-Up Help Available to Elderly & Disabled Residents Do you know an elderly or disabled person in Somerset County, NJ who needs help getting his or her yard ready for the winter months?

The Somerset County Office of Volunteer Services will have volunteers available in November to rake leaves for elderly and disabled homeowners around the county who have no other means to do yard work.

If you need this service or know someone who does, contact Laurie Beckhorn in the Office of Volunteer Services by Nov. 2 at (908) 541-5715.

Additional volunteers are still needed as well. The annual leaf clean-up project will take place Saturday, Nov. 21. However, anyone who would like to help but cannot make it that day is welcome to schedule an alternative date by calling the Office of Volunteer Services at (908) 541-5715.

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

Middlesex County Phone: 732-398-5260 Monmouth County Phone: 732-431-7260 Morris County Phone: 973-285-8300 Ocean County Phone:732-349-1246 Passaic County Phone: 973-305-5740 Salem County Phone: 856-769-0090 Somerset County Phone: 908-526-6293 Sussex County Phone: 973-948-3040 Union County Phone: 908-654-9854 Warren County Phone: 908-475-6505

STANLEY OSUR The Premier Gardening Monthly Newspaper Number 151 Published Monthly Contact Information Phone: 908.604.4444 Website: www.GardenerNews.com E-Mail: Mail@GardenerNews.com Staff Executive Editor/ Publisher . . . .

Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tom Castronovo Justin Kukuc Tom Castronovo

November Columnists Tom Castronovo Tim Hionis Douglas H. Fisher Larry Katz Craig Korb Evan Dickerson

Todd Pretz Jody Shilan Bob LaHoff Peter Melick Richard Perkins

Contributing Writers Bruce Crawford Hubert Ling Jason Grabosky

Jeannie Geremia Pam Zipse Jan Suszkiw

Gardener News is published monthly by

Gardener News, Inc. 16 Mount Bethel Road #123 Warren, NJ 07059 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.

All advertising is subject to the Gardener News advertisement rates, and must be PAID IN FULL at time of submission. Publisher reserves the right at its absolute discretion, and at any time, to cancel any advertising order or reject any advertising copy whether or not the same has already been acknowledged and/or previously published. In the event of errors or omissions of any advertisement(s), the newspapers liability shall not exceed a refund of amounts paid for the advertisement.

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5($' 7+,6 3$3(5 21/,1( ::: *$5'(1(51(:6 &20 Full Moon, November 25th, 2015 Eastern Daylight

TIP OF THE MONTH

November is a great month for creativity. To break up a large portion of your yard, or if your yard is useless because the area always floods or the space is difficult to landscape, consider a dry creek bed for added visual interest. They are also great for redirecting rain water on a slope. And, they are very low-maintenance!

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November, 2015 27

28 November, 2015

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inspiration strikes

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Find your inspiration with the season’s best recipes at kingsfoodmarkets.com/holiday

Whether your Thanksgiving menu is steeped in the classics or on the culinary cutting edge, you’ll find the ingredients to make memories at Kings. Our exceptional fresh turkey selection includes organic, natural, brined and Kosher options, so there’s something for every taste.

Make your meal easier with our ready-made gourmet sides or chef-inspired catering.

However you celebrate, you’ll find inspiration at Kings.

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