Gardener News November 2016

TAKE ONE

Gardener News

November, 2016

Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities GARDENERNEWS.COM

TAKE ONE No. 163

New Jersey Assemblymen Tour Farms and Greenhouse Operations

Tom Castronovo/Photo

New Jersey Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak, left, and Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling, right, visit with Rich Norz on his Norz Hill Farm hay wagon during the October 11 Assembly ag tour. the five person Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled almost a dozen New Jersey Assemblyman agriculture tours across the Bob Andrzejczak, chair of great Garden State this year.

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor

On Tuesday, October 11, which was a bright, clear, sunny, blue sky day, Assemblyman Andrzejczak’s Ag tour made it to Somerset and Hunterdon Counties.

The first stop was Norz Hill Farm in Hillsborough, Somerset County. Rich Norz and his wife, Debbie, greeted the two committee members that made this tour

Assemblyman Andrzejczak and Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling.

Also on the tour was United States Department of Agriculture’s (Cont. on page 12)

2 November, 2016 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, 2016 3

4 November, 2016 I have always thought that the phrase “waste not, want not” came from the fabulous collection of original sayings uttered by Benjamin Franklin.

Checking it out on-line, however, it seems the saying pre-dated Franklin by about 200 years, coming from a proverb in 1576 in “The Paradise of Dainty Devices,” by Richard Edwards (sometimes spelled “Edwardes”), a playwright, poet and composer of the time. In that book, the saying is somewhat longer, and Edwards expresses it as, “For want is next to waste and shame doeth synne (sin) ensue.”

Regardless of who would count as the “original author,” or where the thought was first uttered, the central theme is that we should not tolerate waste and just accept it as an inevitable fact of life, because one never knows how much they could regret, at some point in the future, not having been more responsible.

We live in abundance in the United States, and here, in the Garden State, particularly. Food

GardenerNews.com NJ Dept. of Agriculture

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

Waste not, want not is everywhere, in extraordinary supply and year-round availability.

Most of us today, regardless of economic status, have grown up having access to supplies of food. Though there may be differences in the nutritional needs being met, there always seems to be something to eat.

In many parts of the world, though, people are literally starving, unable to gain enough nutrition to just exist and survive. We know this fact and we need to be a part of the solution to erasing hunger from our planet.

How do we do this? It must start, I think, with each and every person figuring out their place and the ways in which we each can contribute.

“Waste not, want not” supposes we have more than we need and that we must focus on what to do with the remainder. However, food waste is a complex problem, whether we are talking about pre-harvested produce left in the field, or post-harvested food lying in our refrigerators because we simply over-bought and had more than we could use.

Name the situation and there is usually a solution right before your eyes for helping others share our bounty.

For example, while our farmers try to match what they grow with market forces, it is almost impossible to bring production and demand into perfect alignment. Because of their generosity, many of our farmers allow organizations to “glean” what is extra

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

It’s in the news

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Bob Heitzman, president of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association (NJNLA), looks over the October Gardener News at Hall’s Garden Center in Berkeley Heights, Union County, N.J. The NJNLA is a statewide organization whose vision is to be a passionate advocate for the nursery and landscape industry in New Jersey. The association was first organized in 1915 as the New Jersey Association of Nurserymen (NJAN). In 1998, the name was changed to the NJNLA to accommodate the landscape industry. Today it is a go-to resource for high-value, relevant and timely information for industry professionals.

in their fields and use the products in soup kitchens or similar community feeding operations across the state.

Supermarkets, too, sometimes have the problem of ensuring there is enough on the shelves to satisfy customers without buying so much that it becomes waste.

These retailers are donating foodstuffs in record amounts, and they are to be applauded by the communities they serve.

And that brings us to you, the “end user” of food that started at the farmer, went through the market chain and wound up in your kitchen. Or perhaps it came directly from your own backyard gardens. You, too, can find an opportunity that affords you the peace of mind that you had plenty and

helped others, all at the same time. It’s just about finding a balance.

Wait a minute! This is the November edition of Gardener News. The time of Thanksgiving. I should be writing about all that is in abundant supply in this harvest season, like winter squash, pumpkins, greens, apples and much more.

So, as I encourage you to support your local farmers and buy all these homegrown products for your family, just also give a little thought to those who are less fortunate and how you can share our bounty with them.

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, 2016 5

Celebrating the Garden State’s Bounty The Crab’s Claw Inn in Lavallette, Ocean County, N.J., celebrated its 7th Annual Jersey Fresh/Jersey Seafood Wine Dinner on Thursday night, September 29. Chef Craig Korb, who is also a featured columnist for the Gardener News, insists each year that everything is locally grown, locally landed and locally sourced. He is very passionate about quality and great taste. And it must be in-season.

The five-course dinner was paired with a different wine from the Alba Estate Vineyard, which is nestled in the heart of New Jersey’s scenic Musconetcong River Valley and centered in the Warren Hills viticulture region. The poussin chicken came from Griggstown Farms, a preserved farm in Somerset County, N.J., where their poultry is grown naturally and processed in their own USDA processing plant. The featured seafood was Day Boat Scallops, landed that morning fresh from the Jersey coast. All the fixings were freshly harvested earlier in the day from Jersey Fresh farms throughout the Garden State.

The Jersey fall harvest decorations were provided by Hionis Greenhouses in Whitehouse Station, Hunterdon County, N.J., and Melick’s Town Farm, also in Hunterdon County, N.J.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Sam Hammer left, and Louise Hammer right, proprietors of The Crab’s Claw Inn, look toward the podium as New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher addresses the packed dining room with family members Joyce Hammer Gribble, second from left and Shannon Hammer Korb, second from right.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Tom Castronovo/Photo

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher unveils the Jersey Fresh cart that sits outside on the sidewalk near the front entrance of The Crab’s Claw Inn.

Lavallette Council President Anita F. Zalom, center, officially welcomes New Jersey Assemblyman John F. McKeon, left; New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Al Murray, second from left; New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher, second from right; and United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Paul Hlubik to Lavallette.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

New Jersey Assemblyman John F. McKeon presents a New Jersey Assembly and a New Jersey Senate Joint Resolution to New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Al Murray for a remarkable career at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, and to praise him as an individual of strong character and exceptional achievement, and who has established a model to emulate and set a standard of excellence toward which others might strive.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Fall harvest decorations in the dining room of The Crab’s Claw Inn, which were provided by Hionis Greenhouses in Whitehouse Station, Hunterdon County, N.J., and Melick’s Town Farm, also in Hunterdon County, N.J.

6 November, 2016

RUTGERS NJAES/RCE

Become a Master Gardener in Hunterdon County The Rutgers Master Gardener program of Hunterdon County is now accepting applications for review. No prior training or education in horticulture is needed. The upcoming Class of 2017 will begin on January 17, 2017.

Classes will be held at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office located in the Route 12 County Complex on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 am to 12:45 pm.

The Rutgers Master Gardener volunteers are individuals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, talents and skills who, after receiving horticultural training and certification

by Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension, share their knowledge with the community through many varied volunteer activities. These programs include a Garden Helpline to answer the public’s horticulture questions, providing horticulture opportunities for people with diverse experiences and abilities, school ‘Seed to Salad’ vegetable gardens, community speaking engagements, and much more!

For more information about the program, contact Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County at (908) 788-1338.

RCE Water Resources Program Awarded $500,000 Grant for Stormwater Management The Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) Water Resources Program was awarded a $500,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation to provide specialized technical assistance for municipalities in the Kirkwood-Cohansey and New Jersey Highlands subwatershed clusters. Within these clusters, the RCE Water Resources Program will be assessing impervious cover and managing stormwater.

Twenty municipalities have been selected within the cluster areas to promote the use of green infrastructure, including the development of impervious cover assessments (ICAs), impervious cover reduction action plans (RAPs), green infrastructure feasibility studies and the implementation of demonstration projects.

According to Christopher Obropta, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and extension specialist in water resources who leads the program, “This project will empower the cluster partners in their efforts to address the environmental issues of these two very important regions in New Jersey and will significantly assist the William Penn Foundation in meeting its target subwatershed protection goals and objectives.�

In 2015-2106, the RCE Water Resources Program, with support from the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, developed impervious cover assessments and impervious cover reduction action plans for coastal communities throughout New Jersey, including municipalities like Keyport, Long Branch City, West Long Branch Borough, Tinton Falls, Eatontown, Ocean Township and Lakewood.

Flooding, even from small storm events, has been damaging the quality of life of New Jersey’s residents. Based upon a preliminary land cover analysis of New Jersey, 12.1% of the state is covered with impervious surfaces. This translates into 1,055 square miles or 675,200 acres of impervious cover in the state.

It’s estimated that during a one-inch rainfall event, 18.3 billion gallons of stormwater drains from these surfaces.

Many of these impervious surfaces are directly connected to local waterways, meaning that every drop of rain that lands on these surfaces drains directly to a stream, river, lake, or bay without any treatment or having the opportunity to infiltrate into the soil. Pollutants accumulate on these impervious surfaces and are washed directly into waterways during storm events.

In addition, these impervious surfaces prevent rainfall from infiltrating into the ground to replenish the state’s aquifers.

Limited infiltration of rainwater results in reduced base flow to the local streams that rely on groundwater during the dry summer months.

The impact from impervious surfaces can be reduced through the use of green infrastructure, therefore understanding a municipality’s impervious cover is the foundation for green infrastructure implementation.

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From the Director’s Desk

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

Community Service and 4-H Youth Development As we approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season, we are reminded to be grateful for our many blessings.

Taking the time to count blessings often prompts people to give to others and organizations in need during the holidays. Soup kitchens have an uptick of volunteers this time of year and food pantries receive more donations than in other seasons. Seasonal, gratitude-based giving is a good thing, but giving of time, talent and resources is needed all year long.

For Rutgers Cooperative Extension, community service has always been a bedrock of our programs. If you have been around long enough, you’ll remember service was part of our original name, Cooperative Extension Service, and continues to be at the core of our mission. Many of our programs would simply not be possible without the thousands of adult 4-H leaders and Master Gardeners who graciously give their time and talent.

Many programs and organizations rely on generous people with a strong commitment to serving their communities. Research indicates adults are more likely to volunteer if they had positive volunteering experiences as a child. Many youth development organizations make community service a priority in their program design. Even many area high schools require their students to complete a number of service hours in order to graduate.

Community service has always been an important part of the 4-H learning experience.

In fact, when 4-H members recite the 4-H pledge, they pledge “their hands to larger service� to their “club, community, country and world.� All 4-H members are required to participate in a service project. Many clubs hold food or clothing drives, raise funds for cancer research and environmental programs, and other efforts.

Some 4-H groups take “larger service� as a challenge and have created remarkable, annual service projects that reach hundreds of people. For example, Middlesex County’s 4-H Project GIFT provides a free day of holiday shopping each December for 140 resourcelimited families in and around the New Brunswick area. Eighty 4-H teens donate time throughout the year to help raise funds (about $10,000 annually) and plan every aspect of this holiday event.

4-H members run a popular haunted house at their county fairgrounds every weekend in the fall to fund the purchase of the gifts and supplies for Project GIFT. Then, in December, they turn the Middlesex County 4-H Center into a holiday toy shop. Families facing difficult financial challenges are bused to the Center, where parents choose the perfect gifts for their kids while their children are entertained with games and activities orchestrated by the 4-H teens in a different part of the facility.

Other 4-H youth wrap the gifts the parents pick out for their children. Parents leave with wrapped gifts in bags so that their children can be thoroughly surprised on Christmas morning. Last year, Project GIFT provided Christmas gifts for more than 360 kids that might otherwise not have something under the Christmas tree.

Project GIFT has helped families in need and it has changed the lives of the 4-H teens who work all year to make it happen. Teens involved report they have increased their awareness of needs within their communities and their personal commitments to address those needs. It has helped them build skills like responsibility, resourcefulness, and a strong work ethic, that will help them personally and professionally. Many of these youth mention how Project GIFT gave them a purpose and the sense that they can do something to make a positive impact on their community.

Whether it is a simple canned food drive or a complex program like Project GIFT, serving one’s community fosters more than generosity in young people. Youth who feel like they have made a positive contribution to their community develop a stronger sense of belonging and a new or enhanced connection to others. Young volunteers also develop skills and developmental assets during their time of service.

Moreover, children who serve others are less likely to engage in at-risk behaviors.

Specifically, young people who volunteer are 50 percent less likely to consume alcohol or skip school. In fact, they are more likely to do well in school and to graduate. And not surprisingly, young people who volunteer are more likely to continue to be life-long volunteers.

I encourage you to help the young people in your life find a way they can serve their community. You can serve as a role model of service and have them tag along with you as you perform volunteer work.

Engage in a family volunteering opportunity together. Get them involved with a youth development organization like 4-H, with a strong focus on service. Youth volunteering is D ZLQ ZLQ IRU HYHU\RQH í WKH \RXQJ YROXQWHHU RUJDQL]DWLRQV DQG FRPPXQLWLHV ¹ DOO ZLQ Editor’s Note: This month’s column was written by Rachel Lyons, 4-H Youth Development Chair, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

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RUTGERS NJAES/RCE

November, 2016 7

A Jamming Plant

Autumn conjures up many visions. Naturally, there is the foliage color and the crunch of those colorful leaves under foot.

There is also the ripening and harvesting of fruits, although not all fruits are palatable fresh off the plant, since some are best consumed as jams or preserves.

This aptly describes the genus Aronia, or Chokeberry, that well embodies all these autumnal visions. Aronia is a member of the rosaceae or Rose Family and all three species within this genus are North American natives. Aronia was penned by the German physician and botanist Friedrich Kasimir Medikus (1738-1808).

The name stems from the Greek Aria, which was a species of Mountain Ash, or Sorbus, whose fruits resemble that of Chokeberry. The common name of Chokeberry developed from the very astringent taste of the fruit that often induces choking when eaten raw. However, when cooked with adequate

sugar, the fruit is ideal for jams and preserves.

The species that is best known in the gardening world is Aronia arbutifolia, the Red Chokeberry. Carl Linnaeus (1707-1758) first described the plant as a pear, naming it Pyrus arbutifolia, with the species epithet describing the similarity of the narrow, sharply pointed foliage to that of the tree Abutilon. Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (1761-1836), a mycologist and taxonomist, correctly altered the genus to Aronia in 1807. Native to both wet and dry thickets from Nova Scotia and Ontario, south to Texas and Florida, Red Chokeberry is a multi-stemmed shrub that reaches six to eight feet tall with a lightly rhizomatous root system, allowing it to slowly develop large colonies.

In late-April into May, plants produce copious quantities of 1½-inch-diameter panicles of white, quarter-inchdiameter, five-petaled flowers.

The ensuing clusters of quarterinch fruits, technically called pommes, develop a bright red color that incited the common

name.

Interestingly, unlike its apple tree cousins, Aronia will produce fruit without a genetically different partner. The fruit looks great in combination with its bright red fall color and it remains attractive through mid-winter. Unfortunately, the fruits are not beloved by birds, perhaps due to the relatively low protein levels. The selection “Brilliantissima� offers a more compact height of six feet, glossy foliage and larger, more abundant fruit.

The other commonly available species is Aronia melanocarpa or Black Chokeberry. Native to swamps, bogs, moist thickets and even dry upland regions throughout Newfoundland to Ontario, south to Georgia, this plant is extremely adaptable. This plant was first described by Andre Michaux (1746-1802), and published posthumously in 1803 by his son. Michaux described the plant as Mespilus arbutifolia var. melanocarpa.

Stephen Elliot (1771-1830) was a doctor and a botanist living in South Carolina. In 1821

Inaugural Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor’s Awards for Faculty Excellence Dear Rutgers University-New Brunswick Colleagues: I am pleased to announce the inaugural Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor’s Awards for Faculty Excellence. The awardees represent a range of Rutgers faculty members, at all stages of their careers, whose exceptional work in their particular areas has been recognized by their peers. Each award recipient will receive a certificate acknowledging their outstanding contribution and a gift to their research account.

Please join me in extending congratulations to the recipients of the 2016 Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor’s Awards for Faculty Excellence: Excellence in Teaching Awards Siobain Duffy, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Camilla Stevens, Latino and Caribbean Studies, School of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Research Awards Henryk Iwaniec, Mathematics, School of Arts and Sciences Shantenu Jha, Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering Excellence in Service Awards Emily Allen-Hornblower, Classics, School of Arts and Sciences Kathleen Scott, Cell Biology and Neuroscience, School of Arts and Sciences International Impact Award Mark Gregory Robson, Plant Biology School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Sincerely, Richard L. Edwards, Ph.D. &KDQFHOORU 5XWJHUV 8QLYHUVLW\¹1HZ %UXQVZLFN

he published “A Sketch of the Botany of South Carolina and Georgia,� in which the plant was properly named. The species epithet describes the fruit and once again is from the Greek, with Melas meaning black and Kapros fruit. Black Chokeberry is actually a more attractive plant than its cousin, since it is not as leggy, growing to a more compact three to four feet tall.

The fall color is an attractive purple red, but its true interest lies once again in the fruit. The dark purple, blueberry-like fruit are copiously produced to the extent that the branches will often arch over under the 15 to 20 pounds of fruit that is produced per plant. The fruit yields high levels of Vitamin C and is highly regarded in Russia and other parts of Europe where this species is commercially grown in vast quantities.

The fruit also possess the highest levels of antioxidants of any temperate fruit. Yet again, the fruit is rather insipid, although numerous European selections are noted for a less astringent taste. The cultivar “Viking� is one such selection

that bears larger fruit and is readily available in the U.S. I have always found the red-fruited Chokeberry to be a great asset for the garden.

However, of late I have found the subtle beauty of the Aronia melanocarpa with its more compact form to be a “Garden Jewel.� Regardless, both will add jamming seasonal colors and fruit to your garden and kitchen table!

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 past-president of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu

RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PHONE DIRECTORY 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

8 November, 2016

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NJLCA Snow and Ice Management Meeting The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) held their largest attended meeting of the year at Bobcat of North Jersey in Totowa, Passaic County, N.J., on Thursday, October 13.

117 attendees learned how to create an easy to understand, easy to implement, streamlined snow management process that every seasonal business can follow. These concepts are vital for business owners and snow and ice managers, who work in an environment that is completely unpredictable.

NJLCA representatives stressed the importance to pre-plan now, well before the first snowflake ever hits the pavement.

The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association is a group of professional landscape contractors dedicated to advancing the integrity, proficiency and continued growth of the landscape industry. The NJLCA is a proven resource to both the landscape professional and consumer.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

NJLCA members are waiting for the meeting to officially begin after eating a delicious Italian buffet dinner provided by the meeting sponsor Bobcat of North Jersey.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Pat Donovan, center, owner of Classic Landscaping, a forwardthinking landscaping company in Edison, Middlesex County, is joined by his son Brian Donavan, and Kevin Master, both employees of Classic Landscaping at the NJLCA Snow and Ice Management Meeting.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Bob Kaufman, manager of distribution sales for the Storr Tractor Company, promotes and answers questions on a Toro Power Broom that was featured at the NJLCA Snow and Ice Management Meeting.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Chris Ryan, Vice President of Operations for Bobcat of North Jersey, proudly serves up a healthy portion of eggplant parmesan to NJLCA member and Limone Farm and Gardens owner Aaron Kriegel.

Jon Straffin, left, and Gregg Straffin, of the family-owned and -operated York Trailers in Butler, Morris County, stopped by to listen in on the educational speakers and network with some of their customers.

GardenerNews.com

November, 2016 9

Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

November chores As November rolls in, I’m going to make sure I accomplish a few things at the beginning of the month, at the same time.

Right out of the gate, I’m going to bring my snow blower to my favorite power equipment dealer for a complete tune up. They will check the air in the tires, change the oil and air filter, replace the spark plug, grease all the fittings, check the ignition system, carburetor, throttle, and choke controls.

I’m also going to ask them to check the shear pins. Shear pins connect the auger to the gear case. And believe it or not, they are meant to break. I’m going to ask them for a few extras.

When it snows, I don’t want to get caught up in the scramble of everyone rushing to the power equipment dealers because their snow blowers won’t start. And, during the rush, waiting for backordered parts. When I was a Boy Scout as a kid, I was taught to be prepared. Now I’m a forward thinker. And I don’t want to shovel.

Here’s my favorite part, and I know I’ve written about this before. I’m also going to hit the kitchen cabinet to look for a can of outdated PAM non-stick cooking spray. My snow blower is well over 25 years old. After each use, when the motor has fully cooled down, I’ve been spraying the inside and shoot with PAM to prevent it from rusting up. In my opinion, it’s much better than using a harsh chemical lubricant spray. I usually have the original one or the olive oil. Both work very well. And it’s always a good reminder to be environmentally friendly. To date, my snow blower is rust-free.

Next up is removal of the leaves in a timely manner. I try to stay on top of the falling leaves every two to three days. My backpack leaf blower gets a workout in the fall. And here is the reason for my leaf-removal ritual.

Lawn grass needs air and light to thrive and grow. Leaves block both of these necessities and may suffocate the grass, causing brown, dead patches. Leaves can also promote the snow mold diseases.

And finally, damage from voles and mice can be more extensive in the spring.

Although lawn grass growth slows as the temperature drops, photosynthesis continues. The energy from this process is stored to be used the following spring. With leaves resting on your beautiful grass, however, this process is inhibited. Basically, the leaves act as shade, blocking light that would be used in the photosynthesis process.

Timing is everything. I want my lawn grass to breathe and get plenty of Mother Nature’s sunshine until it goes dormant. And just before my lawn grass goes dormant, I’m going to apply Jonathan Green’s MAG-I-CAL to it. Jonathan Green MAG-I-CAL contains 35-percent calcium in a completely soluble form that is immediately available to adjust soil pH upwards. Calcium is essential in raising soil pH and is vital to many grass plant functions. Some of which are: proper cell division and elongation; proper cell wall development; nitrate uptake and metabolism; enzyme activity; and starch metabolism.

Although lawn grass doesn’t benefit from leaf cover, many plant beds do appreciate the winter protection. Some mowers have a mulch option that will break down the leaves for use around trees, shrubs and perennials. The leaves will help keep moisture and warmth in the soil during the cold winter months. This added protection becomes very important after the ground has frozen. The leaves also add nutrients to the soil for eventual plant uptake.

Believe it or not, I move most of my leaves into the landscape beds in the fall and remove them in the spring. Go figure.

And while I’m on the subject of grass, I’m leaving my ornamental grass alone this year. I want them to sway in the breeze this winter and add additional sounds and character to my winter landscape.

Finally is the gutter-cleaning chore.

Putting the ladder up is not my favorite thing to do. Sometimes the ladder slides along the gutter giving me the creeps, causing me to shift my balance. I really wish I had someone to foot the ladder when I’m on it.

Last month, I attended a landscape industry meeting. Right there on the table was a pile of OSHA fact sheets that caught my eye. So I grabbed one.

This fact sheet told me to inspect the ladder for cracked, broken, or defective parts before each use; position my portable ladder so the side rails extend at least three feet above the landing; not to put more weight on it than it is designed to support (this tip goes out to a good friend of mine); not use the top step/rung of a ladder as a step/rung unless it was designed for that purpose; to be sure that all locks on an extension ladder are properly engaged; and most importantly to look for overhead power lines before handling a ladder.

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

10 November, 2016

GardenerNews.com

Thanksgiving

By Jeannie Geremia Garden Club of New Jersey Another gardening year is coming to an end as we rush to plant any remaining spring bulbs and we work to ensure our yards and gardens are winter-ready.

Anticipating the upcoming holidays, including Thanksgiving, I would just like to mention so many things that come to mind that we can be thankful for. Let me begin by mentioning our very first President, George Washington. Words cannot describe how fortunate we were to have this man of destiny at the birth of our great nation. I am currently reading “Washington, The Indispensable Man” by James Thomas Flexner, and in disbelief as to how heroic, courageous, patriotic, noble, and humble this great man, with extraordinary vision and love of fellow man, was.

It soothes my soul to immerse myself in his heroic deeds and abiding love for the land, Mount Vernon, agriculture, his gardens, and how he sacrificed so many years away from all that he held dear to do his duty as he saw it, to win liberty and unite the various states and factions that threatened to sabotage our Republic in its infancy.

Nowhere in this country are Washington’s exploits more tangible than in our great state of New Jersey.

We are the Crossroads of the American Revolution, and our battlefields, encampments and Revolutionary War monuments must be remembered, preserved, cherished and passed down to future generations.

Remember, too, Washington was our first “Community Gardener,” as he fed hundreds of people on a daily basis using the latest agricultural methods, keeping meticulous journals, experimenting with soils, rotating crops, and always with the love of nature and the pleasure derived in growing crops, trees, shrubs and plants.

So much has changed since we went from an

agricultural economy to our present day, where our young people are engrossed in technology, and nature seems to have taken a back seat. Here, too, we can give “thanks” to the many organizations and efforts to put nature and our environment once again in the public’s consciousness.

We owe this to ourselves, our children, and our children’s children so that they can enjoy the beauty, the adventure, the health derived from an environment where our wildlife and pollinators are thriving, with pure air and water and our lands rid of the dangerous chemicals we seemed to think were a necessary element in the pursuit of perfect lawns, roadsides, gardens, golf courses, sports fields, school yards, etc.

Planting for our pollinators, wildlife and our own health is our key to a future filled with species that are, at present, endangered and those whose numbers have been seriously depleted.

Using organic methods of pest control and/or beneficial insects will help us restore our environment and let us all survive for centuries more.

You can help by joining an environmental/gardening/ preservation organization as a volunteer. I want to give “thanks” to my aunt, Lorlyn Covert, who was unrelenting in her campaign to get me to join the Neshanic Garden Club back in 2003. It was one of the best things I ever did as it has led to my life’s work. Who knew?!

The people I’ve met since then are a blessing in itself. Best friends, optimists, heroes, mentors, doers, contributors and gardeners all. Wow! Deep and heartfelt thanks to The Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., National Garden Clubs, Inc., Gardener News, the New Jersey State Legislature, Rutgers Gardens, Garden Club of America, Garden State Consortium, New Jersey Audubon, Native Plant Society, Conserve Wildlife New Jersey, North Jersey Chapter of the North American Butterfly

Association, Karen Nash Memorial Butterfly Garden, Monmouth Museum, Master Gardeners, Somerset County Parks, Morris County Parks, Lewis Barton Arboretum, Great Swamp, Raptors Trust, Duke Farms, Sourland Conservancy, Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Willowwood, Colonial Park, Leonard Buck Gardens, Van Vleck House & Gardens, community gardens, public gardens, butterfly gardens, our New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and our great garden centers/ nurseries and the NJNLA. Special thanks to the New Jersey State Senate for passing Senate Bill S724, the “Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program Bill.” Kudos to the State Senators who are the Sponsors/Co-Sponsors of this Bill S724: Senator CruzPerez, Senator Allen, Senator Greenstein, and Senator Ruiz, women all. Bravo!

The identical bill in the Assembly is Bill A3604, sponsored by Assemblyman Eustace, Assemblyman Wolfe and Assemblywoman Muoio. Please ask your local Assembly person to sign onto this important environmental bill that will help grow our pollinator population, help the health of our environment and save taxpayer dollars.

Enjoy the holidays-- become a volunteer, join a garden club, invest in the health of the Garden State.

Editor’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 Life Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is a member of Neshanic Garden Club and her email address is: jeannieg42@earthlink.net The Garden Club of New Jersey website is: www. gardenclubofnewjersey.com and phone number is 732-249-0947.

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November, 2016 11

Arbor Vitae Is A NJ Native?

By Hubert Ling Arbor vitae (“tree of life” in Latin) has been in cultivation in Europe since 1540, and we know that it has been a horticultural favorite worldwide because we have over 300 cultivars of this plant in various shades of green and sizes from 6 feet to 60 feet.

It has been used so much as a landscape shrub that many people (myself included) didn’t realize that Thuja occidentalis, the scientific name for arbor vitae, is a North American native tree, but is rare in New Jersey outside of cultivation. This evergreen tree is covered with clusters of flattened, fan shaped, small branches which are often mistaken for highly dissected leaves.

The true leaves are small pointed scales about two millimeters long and one millimeter wide. The unripe female cones are

green oval structures about 12 millimeters long. These turn brown when ripe and open to release eight winged seeds.

Arbor vitae, or northern white cedar, is common in Canada and the northern United States and is also found in isolated pockets as far south as Tennessee.

It is very cold hardy (Zone 2 to -43.0°C). The plant is generally grown as a shrub in semi-shade or full sun, it will tolerate acidic or basic conditions, heavy pruning, grows in clay or sandy soils, and is moderately resistant to drought and air pollution.

In short, it is a great, reliable, urban shrub for a variety of habitats.

However, it grows best in cool, neutral to basic damp soil to a respectable tree height of about 60 feet (120 feet maximum) and a maximum diameter of 3.5 feet, and may live longer than 1,800 years.

This makes it one of the longest-lived plants in

eastern North America.

The name arbor vitae was given to it by the French explorer Jacques Cartier, who learned that it cured two native boys dying of scurvy; arbor vitae is rich in vitamin C. The amazed Cartier introduced this plant to Europe and it has been a very popular garden shrub ever since.

Thoreau in 1857 wrote that the native Americans had many uses for arbor vitae; the tree was known as “Grandmother Cedar” and was thought of as a gift to man: the bark was used for making rope, fiber bags and shingles, the boughs made a springy, fragrant mattress, and the rot-resistant wood was a favorite for construction and crafts. Arbor vitae was used for birch bark canoe frames, ribs and planking.

It is very fortunate that the natural ranges of arbor vitae and white birch overlap extensively. The light wood was also used for armor and helmets and

Fruit Fly’s Genetic Code Revealed

By Jan Suszkiw Public Affairs Specialist An international team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other research organizations have sequenced the complete genome of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata.

This pest attacks more than 260 fruit, vegetable and nut crops worldwide, causing billions of dollars annually in direct damage, export sanctions, lost markets, and other costs.

Reported in the September issue of Genome Biology, this advance is like finding the medfly’s playbook of life.

It gives researchers an edge in spotting weaknesses to exploit, particularly genes tied to the pest’s ability to reproduce, withstand pathogens, find host plants, and break down environmental toxins. The advance should also foster greater understanding of how the insect’s genetics make it such a successful invasive pest.

The researchers plan on “mining” the medfly’s genome for information that could improve the effectiveness of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). An approach used worldwide, SIT involves mass-rearing medflies in the lab and sterilizing the males for release into the wild to mate, resulting in eggs that won’t hatch.

Combining SIT releases with baits and other measures eventually eradicates medfly populations. It can also work as a preventative measure, notes Al Handler, a research geneticist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Center for Medical,

Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE) in Gainesville, Florida.

Handler, together with Marc Schetelig, a professor at Justus-Liebig-University Giessen in Germany, led a group of 64 scientists from 25 research organizations throughout the world who contributed to the “Mediterranean Fruit Fly Whole-Genome Sequencing Project.”

Handler’s work includes developing methods to genetically sort fruit flies by sex and genetically sterilize the males for SIT releases. Doing so should improve the costeffectiveness and efficacy of this important biobased pest-population control method.

Once a female medfly has mated, she’ll deposit one to ten eggs just below the skin of the host fruit or vegetable. Maggots then emerge, damaging the fruit or vegetable and exposing it to rotting. The maggots later pupate in the ground and emerge as adult flies, ready to mate in a few days and start the cycle again.

With the medfly’s genome sequence decoded, scientists can begin to explore new ways to break the reproductive cycle, as well as gain critical insight into how the pest invades and adapts to new habitats in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Importantly, this information should also help control other closely related insects, including the Oriental and Mexican fruit flies.

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

as the stationary base for an efficient fire starting kit.

Native Americans’ grandmother cedar was essential for a host of spiritual, medicinal and personal uses. The leaves and young branches were boiled and drunk for almost any ailments, including headaches, coughs, fevers, dysentery, typhus, as a diuretic, and even used for enemas. The fragrant branches were also used for saunas, incense, and pipes. The branches were ground to make a salve for joint and muscle pain and to prevent wound infection.

Cedar charcoal was also used for a host of purposes, including mouth rinse, toothpaste, and canker sores.

Currently, arbor vitae is an alternative treatment for warts of all types, including molluscum contagiosum, with mixed results reported on the Internet. As with all homeopathic remedies, standardization of the dosage is difficult and

side effects are not well documented. In addition, one of the oils in arbor vitae is a neurotoxic compound named thujone, and arbor vitae is listed as toxic by Foster and Duke, the most widely respected authorities on medicinal plants.

You may have seen drvrn-foot conical shrubs with only the last foot or so of foliage still left at the top. Yep, that’s arbor vitae.

The deer truly love it; they enjoy vitamin C in winter also.

If you are interested in keeping green in your garden in fall, winter and early spring, grow a wild type or a 12-foot or taller variety of arbor vitae and keep a fence around the plants until they reach eight feet or higher.

Editor’s Note: Hubert Ling is the Horticulture Chairman for the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. He can be reached at milhubling@verizon.net

12 November, 2016

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New Jersey Assemblymen Tour Farms and Greenhouse Operations (Continued from page 1)

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Ed Wengryn, center, a research associate for the New Jersey Farm Bureau, joins Spiros Hionis, left, and his wife, Angie Hionis, in the Hionis family greenhouse as they look over 18-inch potted poinsettia plants beginning to change color.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Peter Melick, left, farmer and co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm; United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Paul Hlubik, center; and Mitchell Jones, Vice President of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture, in the farm’s cidery.

Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Paul Hlubik, New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Al Murray, New Jersey State Board of Agriculture Vice President Mitchell Jones, representatives from the New Jersey Farm Bureau and the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association.

The ag tour group climbed aboard the Norz Hill Farm hay wagon and were driven around their property, learning about fall agri-tourism activities.

After disembarking from the hay wagon ride, Debbie Norz prepared and fed the attendees a good old-fashioned Jersey Fresh farm lunch. Everything they were treated to came from their farm.

The next stop was at Hionis Greenhouses in Hunterdon County to learn about the Jersey Grown part of agriculture. Attendees were walked through their six acres of state of the art glass facility on Coddington Road in Whitehouse Station. Mum season was well underway and poinsettias were growing strong and healthy for the Christmas season. Easter bulb planting was just getting underway.

The final stop of the day was at Melick’s Town Farm, also in Hunterdon County.

They are the largest apple

grower in the Garden State, with over 650 acres of land including 120 acres of fruit trees, 5,000 peach, nectarine and plum trees and 20,000 apple trees. Tour attendees got to see a traditional rack and cloth apple cider press in action and then they were guided through the hard cidery.

The legislators and their staff asked lots of questions at all three stops and learned much about agricultural, farming and horticultural activities in the northwest part of the state.

The Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee is responsible for monitoring issues that affect parks, farmland preservation, water resources and the growing agricultural industry.

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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November, 2016 13

“Spiders Bite”- “No Spider Bites” – “No Spiders Bite”

By William A. Kolbe B.C.E. This article is sure to get you scratching, get you thinking, get you wondering, or get you to educate others about spider bites.

Many years ago (the early ’70s) when I started in the pest control industry, we were just getting rid of bed bugs. For the next 20 years, WE DID NOT HAVE BED BUG jobs or treatments.

One of my customers had a skin eruption, went to her dermatologist and he called it a bed bug bite. The customer was very upset and I verified she had no bed bugs. I called the dermatologist to ask him why he said that. He emphatically stated “Because every house in American has bed bugs.” I asked him how he knew that and he said “20 years’ experience as a dermatologist.” I told him not one medical entomologist in the U.S. would agree with him. He hung up on me. She ended up getting Wow! I can hardly believe that November is again upon us. Time just seems to fly by anymore.

Now that it’s starting to get a bit cooler, it is time to get into comfort food mode. Crock pots, stews, long-cooked meals and all that good stuff.

Even more importantly is holiday cooking is just around the corner and we always do Thanksgiving at our house.

I have to say I always look forward to it and I always try something a little different each year with my turkey. This year I will be spatchcocking the turkey once again. For those not familiar with the term spatchcocking, it is a method in which you basically cut out the backbone of the bird and almost butterfly it.

It allows for more even cooking as well as cutting the cooking time down dramatically. You can look on the Internet for how-to instructions and videos on this technique, which is also good for cooking whole chickens.

another dermatologist (at my suggestion).

Fast forward to 2016, and now we do have bed bugs, but many (not all) dermatologists and physicians still diagnose skin eruptions on their patients as “spider bites.” Many of us gardeners may still be working our plots during November and may experience a skin eruption or contact dermatitis and think, “A spider bit me.”

That would more than likely be wrong. You see, spiders just don’t bite humans! I’m sure that got your attention.

Spider bites, as well as most other insect bites, are nearly impossible to diagnose especially if the insect or pest is not seen or killed.

When we identify spiders, we look at the position of the fangs. Tarantulas’ two fangs look like your two fingers (index and middle) flexed out and down by themselves.

All other spiders have two fangs that are positioned laterally and pinch their prey and hold it. A spider bite to a human would show two piercings to the skin.

Skin that has been pierced by a spider and other insect bites are rarely in the same condition when you get to the doctor. Most times the skin is scratched and the opening is now a sore or open wound from the mechanical irritation from scratching. Insects that have piercing, sucking mouthparts would only pierce the skin with a single opening. An excerpt from “Spiders Do Not Bite” says: “Biological constraints: For many species, the ‘fangs’ of spiders (which are located at the end of the Chelicerae) are just too weak and small to be able to break the skin. I have held many spiders and watched as they work away at trying to bite me, but they just can’t pull it off. Our skin is generally too tough for their little, wimpy fangs.”

To summarize this rather lengthy post: in general, and in this part of the world, venomous spiders are rare, and bites from venomous spiders are exceedingly rare, and I would argue that most

suspected spider bites are not actually caused by spiders.

The risk of a spider bite is very, very low.

I want to end this on a fact. Please help me disseminate this. We do not have brown recluse spiders in New Jersey. The only documented brown recluse spider was in Fort Dix, N.J., from a trainee who had come from the Midwest in the 1960s. There has never been a confirmed or documented brown recluse spider in New Jersey. What makes this difficult is that many in the medical community diagnose bites as brown recluse spiders, WITHOUT SEEING A SPECIMEN. This has been classified by spider experts as “medically unprofessional.” I happen to agree.

Plain and simple. The reason medical professionals do not know anything about brown recluse spiders is because we don’t have them in New Jersey. You can’t diagnose and treat for a condition that does not exist.

From the Deep

By Craig Korb Executive Chef

Spatchcocking the turkey I highly recommend trying this method for your bird this holiday, you won’t regret it.

Brining is also another good method for cooking a nicely seasoned bird.

There are all different types of brines. A basic brine contains a liquid, salt and herbs and spices.

The bird needs to sit in the brine fully submerged for at least 24 hours.

Good luck with your turkey and try something a little different this year.

This month’s recipe will be on stuffing. I do not stuff my turkey, I prefer to do it on the side, mainly because I feel the breast meat of the bird gets way too dried out by the time the stuffing reaches a

proper temperature.

This stuffing recipe is one I’ve been making for years. You can use either chorizo or andouille sausage, both work equally as well.

The chorizo sausage is generally a bit spicier, if you like spice. The rest is easy and some of the work can be done a day or two ahead of time. Good luck with the recipe and enjoy your holiday!

See you next month for a Christmas recipe I’ll be “stealing” from my mother-in-law.

Sausage and cornbread stuffing (serves 6-8) 1 lb. sausage (andouille or chorizo) diced small

4 stalks celery, diced small 1 medium Spanish onion, diced small 2 small cans of chicken stock 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix, made to instructions on box, make the day before and allow to sit out to get stale salt and pepper, to taste 2-3 bay leaves 1 tsp. dried thyme 3 Tbsp. butter Method-roughly chop or using hands to break apart the stale cornbread into small pieces -in a large skillet, heat butter until melted over medium heat and add the sausage, onions

Brown recluse spiders DO NOT EXIST in New Jersey.

Don’t believe me? Here are some URLs to go to for more on spiders and “No Spiders Bite.” https://arthropodecology. com/2012/02/15/spiders-donot-bite/ http://www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC2214648/ http://www.myrmecos. net/2010/09/09/taxonomyfail-index/ http://spiders.ucr.edu/ myth.html http://spiders.ucr.edu/ publications.html Editor’s Note: William A. Kolbe, BCE is a Board Certified Entomologist for Viking® Pest Control based out of Warren, NJ. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Entomology with a minor in Ecology from the University of Delaware (Class of 1974) Bill is a member of The Denville NJ Community Gardens.

He can be reached at 800-618-2847 or visit www.vikingpest.com and celery and sauté until vegetables are soft -add the dried thyme, bay leaves and salt and pepper -sauté for another minute -add the cornbread and toss together with the vegetables -slowly add the chicken stock until there is enough to moisten the cornbread to a stuffingtype consistency. You may not need all of the chicken stock, so be careful to add it slowly and adjust it to your liking.

-turn off heat and cover with a lid until ready to serve.

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.

14 November, 2016

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Happy Thanksgiving from the

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November, 2016 15

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16 November, 2016 Now that we are almost finished with our current presidential election cycle, I thought that it might be interesting to take a look at how agricultural policies have helped to impact presidential elections here in the United States and also how presidential politics have impacted agriculture.

Also, it might be worth taking a look at how our current campaigns might affect agriculture going forward.

In the early days of the United States, agricultural issues were some of the main topics that were debated by our Founding Fathers. These generally had to do with some of our trade policies and with issues concerning our currency.

Another area of disagreement had to do with certain tax policies and how they affected our country’s agricultural interests.

In fact, some might say that one of the first real tests of our government’s authority was the famous “Whiskey Rebellion,” which began in 1791. In this instance, farmers, who were distilling their corn into whiskey, did not think too highly of their new government’s plan to tax the proceeds from one of their main cash crops. In order to Late-fall is a great time of year. It’s not yet too cold to enjoy being outside and some trees still have great color.

We enjoy great food and celebrations and perhaps there still is some Halloween candy lying around your house.

Fantasy football is taking over many folks’ lives.

Watch a holiday movie, one of my favorites is “Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving,” or go see a show in New York.

Life is good!

But there still are things to be done when it comes to your lawn.

In New Jersey and most states, you still are able to apply lawn fertilizer until mid-November; check your county extension office for your cut-off date to fertilize your lawn. Even if you did feed your lawn once this fall, twice is better. The grass plants can build up some food reserves and roots can still develop late into the fall season.

These reserves help the lawn to stay green longer

GardenerNews.com The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

Agriculture and Politics quell this rebellion, George Washington himself led a militia out into Western Pennsylvania to assert the authority of our Federal government.

Another extremely divisive issue that greatly impacted the United States’ agricultural industry was slavery. Due to the fact that slavery’s largest proponents were Southern agricultural interests, this made it one of the most significant agricultural issues our country has ever faced. And while it is easy to look back now and realize how wrong it was to enslave an entire race of people for the benefit of certain special interests, at the time, it was beyond divisive and almost split apart our country.

Just prior to, and during the Great Depression, agricultural issues were once again at the forefront in the

political landscape. Low commodity prices, coupled with environmental issues such as the Dust Bowl, were all further compounded by the economic meltdown of our country.

At this time, there were competing interests who felt that they knew what was best for America’s farmers. On one side were the “New Deal” politicians, who felt that agriculture needed to be assisted and propped up through the use of government programs and spending. On the other side were those who felt that the free market should work on its own and that agriculture would be better off outside the realm of our Federal government.

But times were quite different 200 or 100 or even 50 years ago. Back then, a much larger percentage of our nation’s citizens were directly involved in some sort of agriculture.

Today, that figure has dropped to less than one half of one percent. That is probably why we don’t see agricultural issues dominating our political rhetoric like they once did. Why would a candidate waste his or her time formulating and then espousing a position on an issue that the large majority of the country could care less about?

Farm issues just don’t get the attention that they once did.

Today, farmers are generally forced to look at how they might be affected both directly and indirectly by the policies of a candidate. Because agricultural issues rarely make it into the mainstream political discussions anymore, farmers are forced to just try and gauge whether or not a candidate’s policies might be helpful or harmful to their overall wellbeing.

Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Is there frost on your pumpkin? into the fall, survive the winter, and green up your lawn early next spring.

You can still plant grass seed and have success. As long as the weather does not stay under 50 degrees for a week or more, grass seedlings can grow and develop. Remember, the soil still has warmth from the long summer heating it up. Grass seed that does not germinate will lay dormant until spring, but should still be viable.

The cold winter weather does not affect grass seed that has not germinated; it actually helps to break the seed’s dormancy.

Seed can be washed away or rot from sitting water if unfavorable conditions exist.

Did you test your soil pH this year? Soil pH testers are available at lawn and garden shops and hardware stores. Your pH should be in the range between 6.2 and 7.0 to grow grass properly. If you need to raise your pH, now is a great time to do so. Apply calcium products so they work their way into the soil as the soil freezes and thaws.

Continue mowing as needed. The growth of the lawn will start to slow down with cooler temperatures. You can lower your mowing height a little each week some to reduce the chance of having too much lushgreen growth through the winter months. Too much

leafy growth can lead to winter lawn diseases.

Keep your lawn clear of leaves building up on the lawn. If leaves are left, they can eventually kill the lawn. Some folks use a mulching mower or just run their regular mower over leaves to chop them up so they can be mulched into the soil.

This provides a good source of organic matter to build up your soil quality. Do not allow leaf mulch to build up too much or it may kill existing grass plants.

You change the oil in your car occasionally, right? Do you do the same for your lawn mower at the end of each season?

What about sharpening the blade? Do you have

For example, would a certain candidate’s tax policies dramatically affect the viability of the farm? Would their stance on immigration potentially tighten up the farm’s labor supply? Would their trade policies limit certain export markets? These are the type of questions that need to be asked when evaluating a candidate.

As a farmer, you really have to do your homework in listening to what the different candidates have to offer when they are talking about the issues that they will be confronted with when they are President. It is just too bad that they don’t seem to be talking about any issues anymore.

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is currently the 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. a buildup of grass debris sticking to you mower housing?

These basic maintenance steps should be taken before you put your mower in the shed for the last time this fall.

Remember, be safe, and disconnect the spark plug before working on your mower! If you do not feel comfortable doing these tasks yourself, use a reputable mower repair shop.

So if there is frost on your pumpkin, it’s a signal to do your final lawn tasks before winter arrives. By doing these tasks you will be laying the groundwork for a great lawn next spring. Now it is time to relax and enjoy a good book or a football game.

I can smell a pumpkin pie baking in the oven. I wish you all a happy and healthy 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

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November, 2016 17

18 November, 2016

GardenerNews.com Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

A Win-Lose Weekend The first week of professional football 2016 had my wife and me keeping a promise to our daughter Olivia. A split household, only during football season, my wife’s team is the Giants and ours is the Cowboys. We promised Olivia that we would take her to AT&T Stadium and see a Cowboys game there. And while the outcome was not what we as Cowboys fans had hoped for, I always can take solace in plants.

An exciting weekend all around, my wife and daughter graciously gave me a few hours to visit an exciting place in Dallas, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. A passion for preserving history and nature, this arboretum is one of the most spectacular and well thought out I have seen thus far, and it is relatively young by comparison to others. “In 1977 the City of Dallas Park Board recommended that the grounds of the DeGolyer Estate, which the city purchased from Southern Methodist University, be the official location of the botanical garden” (www.dallasarboretum.org). In 1982, contracts were signed creating an arboretum and botanical garden on 66 acres, and in 1984 the gardens were opened to the public.

Given that my family only afforded me two hours to appreciate some 66 acres, I did my best to cover it all. Some 300 pictures and a drenched t-shirt later (it was 90 degrees that day), here are my highlights.

A Woman’s Garden, a gift from the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden (DABG), featured a formal garden with terraced walkways and exceptional views. There were several small outdoor “garden rooms,” which included a Poetry Garden. There is also The Majestic Allée that affords stellar views of White Rock Lake beyond a reflecting pool. However, it was the Nude Bronze sculpture that captivated my attention the most here and yet again proved that art in the garden amplifies what nature does so instinctively. A Texas limestone bridge and towering Dawn Redwoods both help support and “celebrate the strength, courage, creativity and nurturing demeanor of women”(www.dallasarboretum.org).

Heading toward the Pecan Grove, I passed an exceptionally large, almost windswept, Osage Orange or Hedge Apple, Maclura pomifera. This particular tree trunk can be measured in feet! Native to our country, this Hedge Apple showed off its orange-brown bark, shiny green leaves and thorny twigs. However, I was deprived on that day, of its large, wrinkled, grapefruit-sized green fruit.

The Pecan Grove serves as the centerpiece for their famous fall festival, Autumn at the Arboretum. I counted over 200 bins of assorted pumpkins and gourds, affirming their claim that they have over 50,000. YES THEY DO! Their nationally acclaimed Pumpkin Village was complete with several homes that had their walls stacked with pumpkins and a life size Cinderella horse and carriage. The largest Pecan, however, Carya illinoinensis resides outside the grove and has been recognized as living there since the time of the signing of our Constitution.

The pièce de résistance for me was their Crape Myrtle Allée. Two powerful lines of Crape Myrtle line, arch and enclose a beautiful stone pathway creating an ardent experience.

This “natural tunnel” leads visitors to the popular Polliwogs, “frog fountain” that my daughter was smitten with. Four huge bronze frogs spew water from all four corners into a small plaza. Opened in 1994, the current Allée replaced the one initially installed by the DeGolyer family.

Despite the fact that our Cowboys lost opening weekend, visiting the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden was a huge win for me. A thoughtful and engaging experience that has outstanding plant combinations. Plants like Loropetalum, dwarf Mondo grass and Celosia “Intenz” were used in immense sweeps and proved themselves as useful, colorful groundcovers. Proving yet again that our dedicated public spaces, including public squares, parks, beaches and arboretums, to name a few, are an excellent escape, culturally rich and often prove to be an educational experience.

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.

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USDA Issues Safety-Net Payments to Farmers in Response to 2015 Market Downturn (WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on October 4, that many of the 1.7 million farms that enrolled in either the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs will receive safety-net payments due to market downturns during the 2015 crop year.

“This fall, USDA will be making more than $7 billion in payments under the ARC-County and PLC programs to assist participating producers, which will account for over 10 percent of USDA’s projected 2016 net farm income. These payments will help provide reassurance to America’s farm families, who are standing strong against low commodity prices compounded by unfavorable growing conditions in many parts of the country,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“At USDA, we are standing strong behind them, tapping in to every resource that we have to help,” Vilsack added. “So far in 2016, this has included creating a one-time cost share program for cotton ginning; purchasing about $800 million in excess commodities to be redirected to food banks and those in need; making $11 million in payments to America’s dairy farmers through the Dairy Margin Protection Program; and reprogramming Farm Service Agency funds to expand credit options for farmers and ranchers in need of extra capital. As always, we continue to watch market conditions and will explore opportunities for further assistance in the coming months. For producers challenged by weather, disease and falling prices, we will continue to ensure the availability of a strong safety net to keep them farming or ranching.”

Unlike the old direct-payment program, which issued payments during both weak and strong market conditions, the 2014 Farm Bill authorized the ARC-PLC safety net to trigger and provide financial assistance only when decreases in revenues or crop prices, respectively, occur. The ARC and PLC programs primarily allow producers to continue to produce for the market by making payments on a percentage of historical base production, limiting the impact on production decisions.

Nationwide, producers enrolled 96 percent of soybean base acres, 91 percent of corn base acres and 66 percent of wheat base acres in the ARC-County coverage option. Producers enrolled 99 percent of long grain rice and peanut base acres and 94 percent of medium grain rice base acres in the PLC option. Overall, 76 percent of participating farm base acres are enrolled in ARC-County, 23 percent in PLC, and 1 percent in ARC-Individual. For other program information, including frequently asked questions, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc.

Payments are made to producers who enrolled base acres of barley, corn, grain sorghum, lentils, oats, peanuts, dry peas, soybeans, wheat and canola. In the upcoming months, payments will be announced after marketing year average prices are published by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service for the remaining covered commodities.

These include long and medium grain rice (except for temperate Japonica rice), which will be announced in November, remaining oilseeds and chickpeas, which will be announced in December, and temperate Japonica rice, which will be announced in early February 2017. Upland cotton is no longer a covered commodity.

The Budget Control Act of 2011, passed by Congress, requires USDA to reduce 2015 ARC and PLC payments by 6.8 percent. For more information, producers are encouraged to visit their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. To find a local FSA office, visit http:// offices.usda.gov.

USDA works to strengthen and support American agriculture, an industry that supports one in 11 American jobs, provides American consumers with more than 80 percent of the food we consume, ensures that Americans spend less of their paychecks at the grocery store than most people in other countries, and supports markets for homegrown renewable energy and materials.

Since 2009, USDA has provided $5.6 billion in disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; expanded risk management tools with products like Whole Farm Revenue Protection; and helped farm businesses grow with $36 billion in farm credit. The Department has engaged its resources to support a strong next generation of farmers and ranchers by improving access to land and capital; building new markets and market opportunities; and extending new conservation opportunities.

USDA has developed new markets for rural-made products, including more than 2,500 biobased products through USDA’s BioPreferred program; and invested $64 billion in infrastructure and community facilities to help improve the quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/results.

GardenerNews.com The old English nursery rhyme asks Mary, “How does your garden grow?” Well, of course she answers, “With silver bells and cockle shells, and maidens all in a row.”

Simple enough. Wishful thinking in our gardening world, to say the least. But plants, including trees, are truly living beings, requiring water, nutrients, oxygen and sunlight.

We take all this for granted, but have you ever wondered…

How does my tree grow?

There are three very important tissues in trees.

These are the meristems, tissues composed of living cells that are undifferentiated; in other words, they are not really anything yet. The apical meristem is found in dormant buds, and upon growth produces leaves and stems. The vascular cambium is a microscopic layer of living tissue just under the bark and produces vascular or conducting tissue, and cork cambium, which is just outside the vascular cambium, produces bark.

Trees are woody plants, meaning they produce a tissue we call wood that provides support, and water and chemical ion transport. Wood I was talking to my 86-year-old mother the other day and we got on this subject because our neighbors were getting ready to harvest their “neighbor garden.”

Mom was looking forward to her investment share of the tomatoes, turnips and potatoes. Then she said what a shame it was that she didn’t have a root cellar like her Dad had where the turnips and potatoes were kept fresh by leaving them buried in the ground. I looked at my mother and said, “Huh? They are kept fresher in the ground than in the refrigerator?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Mom responded. That is when I said to myself, I need to check this out. Well, boom, right off the bat I discovered: Don’t store potatoes in the fridge. The cold, dry temperatures inside a fridge will cause the potato’s starches to convert to sugar, giving it an unappealingly sweet taste.

And yes, one old time Maine farmer I spoke with said, “Dig a shallow hole in your root cel-lah, line it with straw, lay the potatoes

November, 2016 19 Tree Notes

By Steve Schuckman Certified Arborist

How Does Your Tree Grow? Part I consists primarily of xylem tissue, microscopic tubes that extend from root to the very tip of the tree. Some xylem radiates laterally to transport water horizontally. It may make up nearly 90 percent of a tree’s volume. What you probably don’t know…it is all dead.

That’s right, most of a woody plant is dead tissue.

During growth, the vascular cambium produces xylem to the inside, and phloem to the outside. Phloem is a living tissue that actively conducts sugars and other nutrients throughout the plant, and it dies at the end of the season. The xylem, being dead basically from the start, remains as wood.

Also during the growing season, the cork cambium is producing bark tissue, also dead. Bark is like our epidermis, a protective dead layer of tissue

preventing entry of pathogens, unless damaged.

Since each season of growth produces a new layer of xylem that remains, each year a new “ring” of wood is produced, resulting in growth in girth. Those same rings also allow us to approximate the age of a tree simply by counting them.

So let’s take a simple look at a tree’s growing season.

In early-spring, the vascular cambium awakens and starts producing new phloem and xylem, and nutrients rise from the roots to the dormant (but alive!) buds. The apical meristems begin activity and shoots and leaves start to form; the tree begins to grow. Other buds produce flowers. As leaves expand, sugars are produced through photosynthesis and transported

down and out through the tree, and water rises from the roots to the leaves. All the while, phloem, xylem and bark are being produced, and the tree rises and expands.

With colder weather and shorter days, growth slows and ceases, new buds are formed for next year, and a new tissue forms. The abscission layer forms at the junction of leaf petiole and stem, the leaf is released and the tree goes dormant.

This is a VERY simplified description of tree growth, but I believe you get the idea.

Though a relatively simple being, a tree is as alive as you and I…just different. Because it is mostly dead tissue, and because there is no pumping organ, this helps us dispel some myths. Trees do not bleed, and trees do not heal.

The Miscellaneous Gardener

By Richard W. Perkins Freelance Writer

“My Grandpa and Grandma Had One!” an inch a-paht from one another and cover with two to three inches of loose dirt.

Get six to seven months out of them that way. Yes-suh, works well with all root vegetables.”

Another source at the Farmer’s Market told me, ‘I store my carrots right in the dirt. I use a 50/50 mix of sand with mulch for better ventilation. I harvest some to use through the winter and bury the rest in the cellar. I pile mulch on top to keep them protected and when I’m out of carrots, I dig some up for use. They are the sweetest carrots ever by spring. I mostly plant Nantes carrots.”

OK, then I checked the Old Farmer’s Almanac to see what they had to say: “If you have winter conditions,

this time-tested storage method still makes sense today whether you stock a root cellar with your own homegrown produce or the bounty from local farmers’ markets.”

Technically, a root cellar is a storage location that uses natural cooling, insulating and humidifying properties of the earth.

To work properly, a root cellar must be able to hold a temperature of 32 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity level of 85 to 95 percent.

The cool temperature slows the release of ethylene gas and stops microorganisms from growing that cause decomposition.

The humidity level prevents loss of moisture through

evaporation and the wrinkling that goes along with it. Today, most modern homes are built on four inch thick concrete slabs that you really do not want to cut a hole in, but if you have an older home with a partial dirt floor, you can make a root cellar.

The best place is on the northeast corner. Build your two walls with stud, plywood and clapboard.

Insulate the interior walls, ceiling, door and any pipes or ducts to keep the heat out.

Ensure there is a ventilation system that allows cool, fresh air from the outside to be brought in and the stale air to be exhausted out. Very important to keep it cool.

To create the best atmosphere in your root cellar and for storing

More on that later.

It also tells us how easy it is to kill a tree, especially a small tree. Simply gouge a deep wound all the way around the trunk. By doing so, you cut off the living vascular and cork cambium, and no sugars from the leaves can be dispersed, and the tree dies. This so-called “girdling” is one of the most destructive injuries to young trees, and sadly landscape contractors are the biggest culprits. String trimmers are not gentle tools.

So treat your tree with respect. It’s looking at you… in its own way.

NEXT MONTH: The Mysterious Roots Editor’s Note: Steve Schuckman is owner of First Mountain Aboriculture, which provides horticultural consulting and community forestry services. He is currently the consulting forester for Bloomfield, Hawthorne, Maplewood, and Montclair, in New Jersey. He is a New Jersey Certified Tree Expert and an ISA Certified Arborist. He can be reached at smschuckman@verizon.net your home-canned fruits and vegetables, wooden shelving, bins and platforms are the norm, as wood does not conduct heat and cold as rapidly as metal does.

Air circulation is critical for minimizing airborne mold, so shelves should stand one to three inches away from the walls. Every root cellar needs a thermometer and a hygrometer to measure temperature and humidity, respectively, which should be checked daily, if possible.

Don’t forget, heat, light and dryness are your root vegetables’ enemies. My suggestion, depending on where you live, is to find an old time farmer and ask them how they store their root vegetables. Asking this question at my Farmer’s Market netted me a lot of good information and was really fun at the same time.

Being asked about a root cellar is not something they hear on a regular basis.

Thanks for reading and see ya next month.

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

20 November, 2016 It seems like 90-degree weather was only a few days ago and the Northeast had experienced one of the hottest and driest summers on record. We now have to brace ourselves for a long, snowy winter.

Paul Pastelok, Accuweather’s Long-Range Forcaster, said, “I think the Northeast is going to see more than just a few, but maybe several, systems in the course of the season.”

Unlike last season, in which most of the winter’s snowfall came from a few large storms, this winter will last into the early or middle part of spring and will feature frequent events, as published

by Accweather.

So, for all of you who transition from the green side of the business to the white side of the business, start getting your equipment serviced, ice melt ordered and labor on track. We may be in for a long, snowy winter.

The holidays will be here before you know it. For those of you who are going to be finishing the landscape season, there is a way to extend your income stream. Many clients, be they residential or commercial, like to have their properties decorated for the

This holiday season will soon be here and with a little planning we can use our containers and accent plants as sources of color and interest, not only for the holidays but all through the winter.

The old standards such as Alberta spruce and fir wreaths can be supplemented with boxwood in many shapes and sizes, as well as miniature cedars and fir trees. Since these are grown for this purpose, they may not survive long term, but they make stunning accents in containers which will add interest through the winter.

Many options for containers exist as well. Cut evergreens such as pine, fir, spruce, as well as boxwood, can be inserted in your containers with holly and certain plants with bark interest, like red twig dogwood. Adding bows and ribbon will pique interest and even artificial berries and colorful branches add to the overall look.

One hint to make the work easier would be to remove your summer annuals which are finished, leaving certain plants such as the grasses, dusty miller and others, which

GardenerNews.com The NJLCA Today

By Nelson Lee Association President

Transitioning from green to white holidays.

Here are a couple ways to add this service to your existing business.

Purchase a franchise or use your own resources which you already have with your existing clients. Purchasing a franchise may help add clients a little quicker, since they will offer you a territory and give you leads to follow up on which are called into them.

Using your existing client list and informing them that you now offer a holiday decorating service will prevent your client from hiring another vendor that offers this service. Add-on services benefit the contractor with additional income that you may not have had, and also prevents your clients from looking elsewhere and possibly hiring a competitor for the work you provide for them.

On September 13, 2016, the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, along with the Irrigation Association of New Jersey, held the annual golf outing at Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune, N.J., where 110 golfers from both associations attended. There was lots of fun to be had by all and the opportunity to win $1,000,000.00 and $5,000.00 for a hole in one. The weather cooperated and the golfers were able to enjoy camaraderie, friendly competition and some networking.

The winners of the golf outing are: 1st Place: RainBird- Paul Anderson, Walter Mugavin and David Antunes 2nd Place: Meadowlands Exposition Center- Frank Dominici, Mark Smolinsky, Robin Cuneo and Robert Kelley Longest Drive (Women): Meadowlands Exposition

Center: Robin Cuneo Longest Drive (Men): NJ Deer Control- Chris Markham Closest to the Pin: Paige Electric- Al Sehringer The next big event for the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association will be on December 5, 2016 at Seasons in Washington Township, N.J. This is our Annual Landscape Achievement Awards and Holiday Gala.

This event will host over 100 members and guests. We will announce those members who are chosen through a committee for the landscape maintenance and construction projects that are exceptional.

We will also find out who the Contractor, Associate Member and Budding Award recipients of the year will be.

For the first time, these awards will be chosen by New Jersey Landscape Contractors

The Landscaper

By Evan Dickerson Landscape Professional

Decorating Can Brighten Winter look good even as dried plants. Loosening the soil at this time will make it easier to insert your plants and cut greens as well.

As we are getting our decorating organized, we would be prudent to give our tender and shallow-rooted plants such as skip laurel, rhododendrons or some azaleas, cypress and laurel, more protection.

A light application of mulch may even be more appropriate, as it will assist in winter protection and will help our plants in the spring by holding more consistent moisture through the winter.

Even though your plants may be in the best health that they can be, winter winds can still take their toll. Extreme temperature swings, which are common in New Jersey,

can also be detrimental. On some landscape plants the only way to prevent this desiccation is to install a wind break of burlap or similar woven materials.

North- and west-facing plants are more susceptible to wind burn and may need staked burlap to completely surround the planting area.

South- and east-facing plants are more susceptible to sun damage, and a burlap screen, as well as wrapping the bark of newly planted trees, can help prevent this type of occurrence.

The use of anti-desiccant sprays can be helpful in the prevention of winter leaf injury as well. There are many products that, when sprayed on the full leaf and needle surface, will provide protection from the drying

effects of winter winds, particularly on sunny days.

These products will most likely need to be reapplied on a warm mid-winter day to provide better protection until spring. Follow the label instructions to be sure you are applying properly.

Another decorating option to create interest would be to use cut or live trees to create a feature in an open area within your landscape. These areas can be spots which, while not planted during the growing season, can show off decorated areas and can even be used to feed birds through the use of edible garlands and hanging feeders. Using cut greens as a cover blanket for our annual and certain perennial beds can add interest as well.

Of course a cut or live Christmas tree can be used

Association members. They will each be nominated by another member based on the reasons given to the committee as to why they are worthy of receiving the award.

Another first is the Budding Contractor Award. This award will be presented to a company who is in business five years or less and will be nominated by a New Jersey Landscape Contractor Association member or members who feel they had made a contribution to the landscape community within the short amount of time they have been in business.

All nominees will be reviewed by a committee and announced at the awards ceremony. Good luck to all the participating contractors and all the members who were nominated for these awards.

Have a safe, wonderful winter and holiday season!

Editor’s Note: Nelson Lee is president of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA). He is also Founder and President of Landscapeworks, Inc., Advanced Mulch Services, Inc. and Advanced Hauling.

Lee can be reached at nlee@landscapeworks.net or by calling the NJLCA at 201-703-3600.

indoors and 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 is always fun to dream up other uses.

Many landscape contractors, tree farms, nurseries and garden centers would be happy to assist you in caring for the protection of your landscape plants, as well as increasing your enjoyment of your holiday and winter decorating.

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, 2016 21

United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service 2014 Census of Horticultural Specialties – New Jersey Horticultural Specialties Highlights The 2014 Census of Horticultural Specialties provides detailed production and sales data for floriculture, nursery, and other specialty products. This special study is part of the larger census of agriculture program. All operations that reported producing and selling $10,000 or more of horticultural specialty products were included in the 2014 Census of Horticultural Specialties.

In 2014, the United States had 23,221 horticultural operations that produced and sold $13.8 billion in floriculture, nursery, and other horticultural specialty products.

New Jersey had 630 horticultural operations that sold $355.7 million in horticultural products in 2014, compared to 623 horticultural operations that sold $347.6 million in horticultural products in 2009. Horticulture producers in New Jersey had $265.7 million in total production expenses in 2014. Hired labor expenses in New Jersey accounted for 35 percent of the total production expenses. Of the 5,728 hired workers in New Jersey, 2,324 worked less than 150 days compared to 3,404 who worked 150 days or more.

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26 November, 2016

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Horticultural Display Foreman Wanted MORRIS COUNTY (NJ) PARK COMMISSION is seeking a fulltime Horticultural Display Foreman. Employees in this position are responsible for the design, installation, maintenance and care of plant displays throughout the Horticulture Sites operated by the Morris County Park Commission. Duties include maintaining assigned garden areas to the highest degree of horticultural standards as well as supervising subordinate staff with activities related to the design, installation and maintenance of seasonal and permanent plant displays. Individuals should have a strong demonstrated ability in landscape design and aesthetics, as well as a strong working knowledge of a variety of annual, perennial, herbaceous, woody, bulb, and tropical plants. The Horticultural Display Foreman works under the general supervision of the Manager of Horticulture and reports to the Assistant/Superintendent of Horticulture or designee for the coordination of daily activities, attendance and other operational procedures. ‡ 0LQLPXP $ WZR \HDU $VVRFLDWHœV GHJUHH LQ +RUWLFXOWXUH /DQGVFDSH Design or a related field. ‡ 7KUHH \HDUVœ H[SHULHQFH DV D SURIHVVLRQDO JDUGHQHU RU JURXQGVNHHSHU ‡ 2QH \HDUVœ H[SHULHQFH VXSHUYLVLQJ VWDII PDNLQJ ODQGVFDSH SODQWLQJV in a public garden, landscape contracting, or related horticultural industry. ‡ $ GRFXPHQWHG SRUWIROLR RI RULJLQDO JDUGHQ GHVLJQV DQG LQVWDOODWLRQV ‡ :RUNLQJ NQRZOHGJH RI DQG GHPRQVWUDWHG DELOLW\ DQG H[SHULHQFH WR utilize appropriate landscape design software is a plus. ‡ $ WKRURXJK NQRZOHGJH RI WKH KRUWLFXOWXUDO UHTXLUHPHQWV RI D ZLGH variety of annual, perennial, woody and herbaceous landscape plants. ‡ 9DOLG 1HZ -HUVH\ 'ULYHUœV OLFHQVH ‡ 6DODU\ SOXV %HQHILWV Please visit http://morrisparks.net/index.php/commission/employment/ for full job description and additional information regarding the Park Commission. Please download the employment application and submit with cover letter and resume to employment@morrisparks.net. The Morris County Park Commission is an equal opportunity employer.

Deadline: until filled.

The Premier Gardening Monthly Newspaper Number 163 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 Evan Dickerson Douglas H. Fisher Larry Katz Craig Korb Steve Schuckman

Two New Berries for You from ARS

By Sharon Durham Public Affairs Specialist Agricultural Research Service (ARS) geneticist Chad Finn and his colleagues at the Horticultural Crops Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon, developed two new berry varieties—a blueberry and a blackberry—and recently released them to the public.

Baby Blues, a blueberry cultivar, is a vigorous, high-yielding, smallfruited, machine-harvestable highbush blueberry with outstanding fruit quality. It is well suited for processing markets that require a small fruit size. Baby Blues should offer growers and processors an alternative to the low-yielding Rubel highbush blueberry, and it should thrive in milder areas where northern highbush blueberries are grown, according to Finn.

Baby Blues made its debut during the 100th anniversary of the first cultivated blueberry crop to go to market. This new blueberry was released in cooperation with the Oregon State University’s Agricultural Experiment Station and the Washington State University’s Agricultural Research Center.

Up until the early 1900s, blueberries were picked from the wild, and the

bushes often did not survive when transplanted. True domestication was beyond reach until 1910. That was when U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) botanist Frederick Coville discovered that blueberry bushes require moist, acidic soil to thrive.

In 1916, exactly a century ago, the first commercially cultivated crop of highbush blueberries was harvested.

Finn also developed a new blackberry named Columbia Giant.

This thornless, trailing blackberry cultivar is a high-quality, highyielding, machine-harvestable blackberry with firm, sweet fruit. The fruit quality is similar to or better than that of the industry standards Marion and Black Diamond. Due to its extremely large size, Columbia Giant will mostly be sold in the fresh market. It also is adaptable to areas where other trailing blackberries thrive.

Columbia Giant came from the same breeding program as Baby Blues and was also released in cooperation with the Oregon State University’s Agricultural Experiment Station.

Editor’s Note: Sharon Durham works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. She can be reached at 301-504-1651 or by emailing Sharon.Durham@ars.usda.gov

TO RESERVE AD SPACE IN GARDENER NEWS CALL: 908.604.4444

Todd Pretz Nelson Lee Bob LaHoff Peter Melick Richard Perkins

Contributing Writers Bruce Crawford Rachel Lyons Hubert Ling Jan Suszkiw

Jeannie Geremia William A. Kolbe B.C.E. Sharon Durham

Gardener News is published monthly by

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Full Moon, November 14, 2016 Eastern Daylight

TIP OF THE MONTH

Raccoons, skunks and squirrels are particularly attracted to newly planted bulbs — when the diggin’ is easy! Plant the bulbs and then place chicken wire over the top and down the sides before covering the beds over with soil. The animals will have a hard time digging through the wire mesh but the bulbs can easily grow through the holes. Also, avoid sprinkling ground hot pepper around planting beds. The powder can get into the eyes of animals and cause them excruciating pain. And, avoid using mothballs; they’re toxic when ingested and may add unnecessary toxins to your soil.

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INSPIRING 80 YEARS OF

giving thanks

Apple, Fennel and Walnut Stuffing Find Inspiring Turkey & Stuffing recipes Kingsfoodmarkets.com/thanksgiving.

Whether your Thanksgiving menu is steeped in the classics or has a more modern flair, you’ll find all the ingredients for your holiday meal at Kings. Our exceptional fresh turkey selection has something for every taste, while our Chef Prepared sides and Catering can fill out the rest of your menu, from potatoes to pies.

Follow us for fresh updates | kingsfoodmarkets.com | #80YearsofKings

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