2018 2 gifted gardner

Gifted Gardener F E B R U A R Y & M A R C H

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Planning a Vegetable Garden

2

Health Benefits

4

Keeping Bees Safe in the Garden

6

Consider 8 Using Your Acreage for Market Gardening All American Selection Winners

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Fruit Growing is Easier With The Right Varieties That’s An Idea

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Calendar of 11 Events

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GOOD PRACTICES = GOOD STEWARDS This is a little bit of a soap box time when I tell you testing prevents guessing and good practices make good neighbors.

If you or someone else is spreading fertilize on your property a soil test should be the first step. The test is merely $5 and will supply you with knowledge and not guesses. From a test we know whether you need Phosphorous, Potassium, or Lime (plus other stuff). We know what the pH is and whether that is a contributing factor to decline of plants or not. So many better decisions can be made from the results of these simple tests. With the knowledge you gain there is also the opportunity to keep money in your wallet. You wouldn't get the buffet when an appetizer will fill you up.

Plant care should be looked at the same way. Put on what is needed and save your money by not putting on what is not.

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Over fertilization has some really bad side effects for the environment. If it is over applied or allowed to spread onto hard surfaces (driveway or sidewalk) it can very easily make it to the water supply where it takes much more effort and money to make clean enough to consume. Again that is money out of your pocket because as we know prices go up when cost to produce goes up.

Soil testing is a simple task that is taken care of through our office.

You simply randomly sample to a depth of 4”-6” from several spots within the area of concern. The soil that is collected is mixed up thoroughly and from that you bring us about a pint.

Facts: 

The numbers on the front of the Fertilize bag indicates the percentage of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K) in the bag. 1010-10 is a total of 30% fertilizer and the rest is filler and 19-19-19 is 57% fertilizer and the rest is filler.

VEGETABLE

Planning a Vegetable Garden

garden, it is best

While it may seem like spring is a long way off, one way to ward off those winter blues is to starting planning for this year’s vegetable garden.

There are many items to consider when planning a garden. The decisions made can directly impact the potential for disease and other pest issues, in addition to overall yields. Here are few areas that should be considered when planning for your 2018 vegetable garden.

to select a sunny

Planting Site

location with

When selecting a site for the garden, it is best to select a sunny location with adequate moisture and fertile, fairly well-drained soil. Avoid low spots and shady locations.

Prior to planting it is advisable to draw out a map of where each type of plant will be planted. This method allows for considerations into site limitations and planning for succession planting. Begin by drawing a scale model of the garden space using graph paper, or simple maps may be made in Microsoft Excel (Figure 1). Plan to plant

“When selecting a site for the

adequate moisture and fertile...�

perennials along one side of the garden to facilitate ease of tilling. Taller crops, such as sweet corn or tomatoes, should be planted on the north or west side of the garden to avoid shading smaller vegetable plants. Retain these maps from year to year as a record of crop locations in the garden.

Crop Rotation If using the same garden site each year, avoid planting the same or closely related crops in an identical place each year.

A three-year rotation is recommended; however, even a year or two out of a certain plant family can confer benefits. Crop rotation prevents diseasecausing pathogens and some insect pests from building up in soil.

Multiple vegetable crops are closely related and are prone to many of the same disease issues.

Closely related crops are listed together below.

Tomatoes, Peppers,

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Potatoes, and Eggplant Cucumbers, Pumpkins, Squash, Watermelons, and Muskmelons Peas, Broad beans, Snap beans, and Lima beans Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Collards, Brussels sprouts, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Turnips, Rutabaga, Chinese cabbage, and Mustard

compost piles at turning to facilitate thorough decomposition.

Gardening Apps Gardening has now moved into the 21st century. Many mobile applications are available for both Android and Apple platforms. These apps can be

Lettuce, Endive, and Salsify Chives, Garlic, Leeks, Onions, and Shallots Beets, Swiss chard, and Spinach Carrots, Parsley, Celery, Celeriac, and Parsnip

Compost Piles Existing compost piles should be turned. Avoid adding fresh material to current compost piles as this new material is unlikely to break down in time for 2018 garden planting. All new material should be used to start a new pile, which can be used for the 2019 garden. Avoid composting diseased plant material, since home compost piles typically do not reach temperatures high enough to kill these pathogens.

Water should be added to very dry

used to map out vegetable gardens and maintain records from year to year.

Several apps allow the user to enter information about cultivar, planting date, and plant growth. Some apps will provide an estimated date for harvest from this information. A few apps have been designed to diagnose common disease and insect issues. However, diagnosis of plant problems can be a challenging task, even with the assistance of an app. Thus, if plant problems arise in the garden, local County Extension Agents are available to assist.

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HEALTH “Every food choice has a healthier alternative.”

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The pictographs on these two pages come from a twitter account I follow called Daily Health Tips : Ask a Doctor. I find these pictures easy to understand and help me make better decisions in my food choices. Every food choice has a healthier alternative.

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ENTOMOLOGY

KEEPING BEES SAFE IN THE GARDEN BY RIC BESSIN I received an email from a backyard beekeeper asking how they can avoid problems to bees when using pesticides in the yard.

Overwintering losses of honey bee colonies increased in 2006 and

“Different insecticides vary widely in their toxicity to honey bees ....�

remain at unacceptable levels, but at the same time, there has been a huge increase in beekeeping by hobbyists. This article addresses a few steps which can be taken to minimize hazards to bee when using insecticides to manage other insect pests in the garden.

There are two main potential ways that 6

the bees could be harmed when you spray your trees, vegetables, flowers, and lawn in your yard.

Avoid Spray Drift The first way bees can be harmed is through spray drift when the application moves toward and over the colonies themselves.

Many of our documented bee kills with pesticides have been due to pesticide drift where bee colonies were located in proximity to areas being treated. So as a long term strategy, try to locate bee colonies in areas that are less likely to be treated with insecticides, or plant vegetation around them to serve as a buffer to reduce spray drift reaching the colonies. Avoid spraying pesticides on windy days, especially on days where the winds may carry spray drift in the direction of the colonies. Many pesticide

labels provide guidance on avoiding spray drift. In addition, spraying after 6:00 pm or when the temperature is below 55˚F also helps because the foraging of bees is greatly reduced.

Limit Pesticide Use The final way to limit damage to the bees, is to only spray if you need to and to use materials that are effective, but also least toxic among your choices. Pesticides are just one strategy to prevent pest damage and should only be used after we have exhausted cultural, physical, and biological control options. When pesticides are used, they need to be timed such that they are applied when most effective, which can reduce the number of applications, and when pests are at a level to warrant the need for control. Different insecticides vary widely in their toxicity to honey bees and other pollinators and there is often several different types to choose from to control a particular

Avoid Contaminating Bee Food & Water Supplies The second main route to injuring honey bee colonies with pesticide sprays is: by contaminating their food or water supplies. As a general rule of thumb, you shouldn’t spray plants in bloom with an insecticide (in fact, many pesticide labels expressly prohibit this) or in areas where pollinators are foraging. “Plants in bloom” covers more plants than just the ones you planted or may be interested in. This includes weeds that may be flowering. An example may be dandelions or flowering clover under fruit trees in the yard. The easiest way to deal with flowering weeds, is to mow or pull them before you spray.

Bees need a constant source of water to survive; you must be very cautious to avoid contaminating these sources with pesticide sprays or other applications. Beekeepers may locate their watering stations for bees away from areas that are likely to be sprayed with pesticides.

pest. Products containing Bt or Bacillus thuringiensis are among the insecticides least toxic to honey bees.

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GARDENING

CONSIDER USING YOUR ACRERAGE FOR MARKET GARDENING

Interested in selling at a Farmers Market Contact the Extension office for the steps to become involved.

Opportunities exist in food production (farming) at all levels.

Perhaps the least crop affected by fluctuating prices are locally grown fruits and vegetables.

There are lots of ways to sell your product but that should always bee your first step, figure out where you are going to sell. Direct to restaurants, CSA, roadside stand, wholesale, produce auctions and farmers Markets are valid and reliable ways to sell your goods. In this article we are going to focus on Farmers Markets, since they are the easiest to begin with. This article is adapted from “Selling Farm Products at a Farmers Market by Matt Ernst” and is abbreviated because of space but the full article can be viewed by clicking on the link in our digital form or by going to http://www.uky.edu/ccd/ sites/www.uky.edu.ccd/ files/farmmarket.pdf 8

Farmers markets are used by Kentucky growers of all farm sizes and scales. “Market gardeners” often tend less than an acre of land for selling strictly at the local farmers market. On the other hand, some of Kentucky’s largest orchards use local farmers markets as a retail outlet during the fall to command a premium price for their crop. The number of farmers markets in the United States increased from 1,755 to more than 3,700 (111% increase) from 1994 to 2004.

Since 2004, the number of markets has more than doubled, to 8,144 in 2013.1 The number of markets in Kentucky more than tripled between 1994 and 2004 (from 30 to more than 90 markets) as more producers and consumers became interested in locally grown food. The upwards trend in farmers markets has also continued in Kentucky, where there were more than 145 farmers markets registered with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) in 2013, representing over 2,500 vendors This publication is intended as an introductory marketing reference for producers

considering new involvement in a local farmers market. The subject matter is divided below into the “Three P’s” of retail marketing: Product, Price, and Promotion.

sell. Clearly understanding your market’s rules will help you plan your product offerings. Knowing and abiding by these rules will help you plan and market your product successfully. Finally, farmers markets are the market of choice for new and different produce items to be tested in the marketplace. Successful farmers market vendors are often experimenting with produce variety, packaging, and presentation. Some noticeable trends in the diversity of plant product selections at Kentucky farmers markets include: • Non-edibles, such as cut flowers and

PRODUCT: The most common reason that customers give for shopping at community farmers markets is the quality of produce.

Consumers are more frequently looking for tastes that can only be grown locally — produce that is picked at its peak and sold at its most desirable stage. The potential farmers market vendor must carefully plan to offer a range of products. Growers should have a core product offering of reliable varieties that produce well in their area. These should include varieties with which local consumers are familiar and prefer.

Suitable varieties can be determined by consulting with local Extension agents, area growers, and potential customers.

Production concerns are critical to maintaining product quality. Soil fertility, pest management, and post-harvest handling all greatly affect a farmers market vendor’s ability to sell their product.

Production and marketing go hand in hand — good production requires good marketing to be successful, and good marketing skills require good production for success. Most markets have rules guiding how they are operated. These rules may restrict the types of product offerings. Some farmers markets allow vendors to re-sell a certain amount of produce that they have not grown themselves, while other markets require the seller to grow all the produce they

gourds • Sheltered/greenhouse production, including flowers, bedding plants, vegetable plants, greenhouse vegetables, and early/late vegetables grown using season extension techniques • Heirloom varieties • Jams, jellies, sorghum syrups, baked goods, and other value-added items • Ethnic vegetables, especially Asian and Latin American • Dried herbs, nuts, fruits, and vegetables • Organic products • Forest products, for example, wood, greens, ornamentals, and mushrooms • Lettuce mixes (as opposed to single lettuce varieties and single heads) 9

GREENERY IN THE HOLIDAY HOME Barbara H. Smith ©2016 HGIC, Clemson University

“All American Selection winners is a time tested evaluation method.”

All American Selection winners is a time tested evaluation method for the best edibles and flowers being introduced each year. The link below will take you to the web page and each variety is hyper linked in our digital newsletter so you can browse information on each variety. Past winners include Celebrity and Big Beef Tomato, Purple wave Petunia, and Janie Gold Marigold just to name a few of the more than 800 winners since 1932.

All-America Selections, the 85year-young non-profit plant trialing organization, announces eleven new and exciting AAS Winners. Each of the following varieties was trialed throughout North America by professional, independent, volunteer judges who grew them next to comparisons that are considered best-in-class.

https://allamericaselections.org/ eleven-new-varietiesearn-exclusive-aaswinner-designation-after2017-trial-session/

Gypsophila Gypsy White Improved (National)

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This group of additional AAS Winners for the 2018 garden season includes: Canna South Pacific Orange F1 (National) Cuphea FloriGlory Diana (National)

Marigold Super Hero™ Spry (National) Pak Choi Asian Delight F1 (National)

Pepper cayenne Red Ember F1 (National)

Publications detailing healthy lawns from the University of Kentucky

Pepper habanero Roulette F1 (National) Pepper Hungarian Mexican Sunset F1 (Regional) Tomato Chef’s Choice Red F1 (Regional)

Fertilizing Your Lawn

Tomato Valentine F1 (National)

(AGR-212) at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/ agcomm/pubs/AGR/AGR212/AGR212.pdf

Zinnia Queeny Lime Orange (National) Previously announced 2018 AAS Winners from July are featured on the AAS website and are readily available for purchase:

Turf Care Calendar for Kentucky Bluegrass, Tall Fescue, and Perennial Ryegrass Turf (AGR-55) at http://www.ca.uky.edu/ agc/pubs/agr/agr55/agr55.pdf.

Corn, sweet American Dream (National)

Low-Maintenance Lawn Care, Stressing Pest Avoidance and Organic Inputs (ID154) at http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ id/id154/id154.pdf.

Ornamental Pepper Onyx Red (National) Tomato, cocktail Red Racer F1 (National) Each breeding company has these winners available for immediate order and delivery.

Retailers and consumers will find these AAS Winners for sale as supply becomes

Weed Control for Kentucky Home Lawns (AGR-208) at https:// knox.ca.uky.edu/files/ weed_control_for_home_lawns.pdf Aerifying and Dethatching Lawns (AGR54) at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/ pubs/agr/agr54/agr54.pdf Mowing your Kentucky Lawn (AGR-209) at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ AGR/AGR209/AGR209.pdf Managing Mole Problems in Kentucky (For-42) http://www2.ca.uky.edu/ agcomm/pubs/for/for42/for42.pdf Disease Management in the Home Lawn http://plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfsor-t-11.pdf

available through the distribution chain.

Each AAS Winner will be marketed through an extensive Social Media and public relations campaign.

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FRUIT

FRUIT GROWING IS EASIER WITH THE RIGHT VARIETIES

“Fruit growing is both rewarding

Fruit growing is both rewarding and frustrating for homeowners.

Happiness comes from the expectation of healthy homegrown fruit for the family and frustration ensues when that fruit begins to rot or is eaten by insects before it can be consumed. Below is a list of the best varieties to give you a fighting chance for a crop. These varieties are resistant or tolerant to some diseases and insects or simply perform better for our area.

and frustrating

Apples

for



Pristine

homeowners.”



Liberty



Jonafree



Pixie Crunch



Enterprise



Sundance

Blueberry

Grapes 

Reliance



Moore's Diamond



Mars

Paw Paw 

Atwood



Potomac



Susquehanna

Peach 

Flaming Fury



White Lady



Red Haven



Coral Star



Blushing Star

European Pear 

Summercrisp



Potomac



Honeysweet



Blake's Pride

European Plum 

Stanley

Red Raspberry



Duke



Patriot



Chandler



Earliglow



Nelson



Redchief

Tart Cherry



Allstar



Jewell



Lauren

Strawberry



Montmorency



North Star 12

Blackberry 

Triple Crown



Apache



Ouachita

Fruit and Nut Spacing Guidelines

Fruit Fertilizer Guidelines (1/2 lb granular fertilizer is equal to approximately 1 cup)

Fruit

Rate (Distributed in dripline area)

Time

Tart Cherry 1/6 lb 33-0-0 or ½ lb Feb. 10-10-10 per tree per yr of age Pear

1/8 lb 33-0-0 or 3/8 lb Feb. 10-10-10 per tree per yr of age Apple ¼ lb 33-0-0 or ¾ lb 10- Feb. 10-10 per tree per yr of age Peach, 1/6 lb 33-0-0 or ½ lb Feb. Plum 10-10-10 per tree per yr of age Strawberry 5 lb 10-10-10 per 100 After ft of row 2 fruiting (June-July) Blackberry, 3.5-10 lb 33-0-0 or Raspberry 10.5-30 lb 10-10-10 per 100 ft of row

Feb.

Grape

April 1 Fruit set

0.2 lb 33-0-0 or 0.7 lb 10-10-10 per vine 0.2 lb 33-0-0 or 0.7 lb 10-10-10 per vine Blueberry 1 lb ammonium sulfate per 100 ft of row ¾ lb 10-10-10 per 100 (new) ft of row

6 weeks after planting 6 weeks later Blueberry- 5 lb 10-10-10 per 100 February ft of row Bloom (established) 2½ lb ammonium sul- 6 weeks fate / 100 ft of row 2 later lb ammonium sulfate per 100 ft of row 13

Food Chain Under Survey (FoCUS) This program is designed for 10th and 11th grade students who are interested in learning more about agriculture and how our food is produced. This is a hands on opportunity that meets a total of four times in a year with a culminating trip to Chicago. The cost is $100 and an application can be obtained from your school or our office. Encourage your children to participate in this wonderful opportunity. Meeting dates are March 27th, May 16th, August 30th and November 1 -3. Application must be completed by February 27th

Farmers Market Fair “Fresh produce is missing from many peoples diets and with

On April 6th at 9:00 am the Farmers Market Vendors will have scales tested, update their Produce Best Practices (formerly GAP) training, receive updates from KDA and be trained on the acceptance of WIC and Senior Vouchers.

your kindness we can close that gap.�

Marketing for all Marketing for all will help you understand and develop effective marketing skills to promote your farm and sell more products. Join us on April 6th at 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm for Marketing Basics, Social Media Basics, and Hands on Visual Merchandising. Please RSVP

Neighborly Nutrition Join in the effort to combat hunger by growing healthy produce for the Bread For Life Foodbank. Fresh produce is missing from many peoples diets and with your kindness we can close that gap. Call me for more details.

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THAT’S AN IDEA 









certain you get what you want





Fruit plantings should be fertilized and pruned this time of year You can transplant trees now



Change the oil and sharpen the blades now



Remove mummified fruit, and other diseased plant material from the garden

Keep track of the different types of birds that visit your feeders with your camera  If you didn't get your grass seed sown this fall the next best time will be from Mid February to Mid March Sticky traps in the home  placed around the baseboard of a room is an effective method to monitor insect activity in the home Order seeds now to make

Make sure water remains ice free for wildlife and domestic animals

Apply manures and compost to gardens and landscapes now in order for the nutrients to be available for plant uptake this spring

Calendar of Events 

Every Friday in February— Join us for Gardens of the World Virtual garden tour beginning at 10:00 am



February 17th — The Nelson County Beekeepers will conduct a Beekeeping School for beginners. It will be free and more details can be provided at registration.



February 19th — Farmers Market Organizational Meeting at 6:00 pm. Come learn what it takes to become a vendor



February 27th —Private Pesticide Applicators license renewal. 10 am or 6 pm (your choice)

Mulching now can be an effective tool for reducing spring weeds.

Robbie Smith County Extension Agent for Agriculture Phone: 502-348-9204 Fax: 502-348-9270 email: robsmith@uky.edu

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University of Kentucky Nelson County 317 South Third Street Bardstown, KY 40004

Cooperative Extension Service

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