The Compost Pile March 2022

SPRING IS IN THE AIR!

for discerning weeders

MARCH 2022

Events

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From the Editor

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Updated Publications

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Wildlife Happenings

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Give Something Up

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The Man, The Myth, The Legend

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Riddles

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Caterpillars

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Holidays and Birthdays

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Field Trip

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Moving Day

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Landscaping to the Oldies

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Recipes

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Blast from the Past

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Last Word

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Ilex x attenuate ‘Savannah’ is loaded with berries.

On the cover of this issue, spring blooms in the form of Prunus angustifolia (Chickasaw plum) Both photos courtesy of M. Stewart

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

March 2022

Come enjoy some southern hospitality at the “Southern Charm” Flower Show to be held at St. Sylvester’s Catholic Church, March 22-23.

6464 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze Tuesday 3 pm to 8 pm (March 22nd) Wednesday 9 am to 4 pm (March 23rd) Open to the public at no charge. Handicap accessible

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

FROM THE EDITOR This edition of The Compost Pile is not as complete as we’d like to have it. I’m sure the next issue will have more information, updates, and great stories. Remember that this publication is only as good as YOU make it. Considering the fantastic talent, we already have—we challenge each Master Gardener on our team to contribute something to upcoming issues.

It’s soon to be that time of year. Don’t forget to

In the meantime, remember the wealth of

set your clocks forward on the 13th. It’s an

knowledge and abilities we have as a group. YOU

excellent time to change those smoke detector

are phenomenal, and don’t ever forget that.

batteries as well.

There have been a lot of changes going on with

our group. We have a new Master Gardener class that will soon be progressing from Interns into

Plentiful Plantings

full-fledged Master Gardeners. We’re moving into The Editors a new, albeit temporary, home until the new Extension Annex building is completed.

There are changes in general living as well. We’re

facing higher prices at the pumps and the grocery stores. We’re transitioning from pandemic status to living with COVID. Another hurricane season will soon be upon us, and while we always hope not to have a visit from

one of these storms, we always should be prepared and pay attention. Mother Nature doesn’t mess around.

Even as the world grapples with significant problems, we still have a job to do. We signed up to assist residents in providing research-based solutions to their gardening/landscape problems.

Remember that our vision is to be the most

Please submit articles, photos, recipes, etc. no later than May 25th to be included in the next issue of The Compost Pile which is due out June 2022 Please remember when submitting photos to let us know who took the picture and provide us some information as to content.

trusted resource for horticultural education in Florida.

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

UPDATED PUBLICATIONS Fact Sheets Melaleuca quinquenervia https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR319

Cycas revoluta https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR316 Pests associated with mulch and moisture https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN030 Common Florida Spiders https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN017

Bottling, Labeling, and Selling Honey in Florida https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN918 How scientists obtain approval to release organisms for classical biological control of invasive plants https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN607

Continuing Education

Velvet Ants Mutillidae https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN717

As Wendy Wilber promised, here is the link to the State Master Gardener Volunteer State Conference recordings for each session. The 2021 Conference was held virtually back in October. I think you'll enjoy and learn from these presentations.

Rice Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne graminicola https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1350

Each presentation is indexed for ease of viewing. You can count viewing these sessions as Continuing Education in Better Impact.

Bean Flower Thrips Megalurothrips usitatus https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1352

https://www.youtube.com/playlist? list=PLqH2HUQ07DzIJxEmHgoeZLeVxTHi0H uqj

Featured Creatures

Little Fire Ant Wasmannia auropunctata https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1351 General Efficient Irrigation for Florida-Friendly Edible Landscapes – This new 7-page publication is written for Florida gardeners, homesteaders and other horticulturalists interested in planting and establishing edible landscapes and improving those landscapes by conserving water. This publication will provide guidance for choosing the ideal irrigation system for edible cropping systems as well as general tips for conserving water in edible landscapes. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP617

Changes to the Air Potato Beetle Program According to FDACS, the air potato beetle biocontrol agents are officially established in the state of Florida. Due to the success of the program, the FDACS Division of Plant Industry (DPI), Bureau of Methods Development and Biological Control in Gainesville is now the sole beetle provider. Due to the popularity of the beetles and the number of requests, the requestor link was closed in May 2020. The beetle request link has been replaced with a link to report the air potato vine. Air Potato Vine Biological Control / Biological Control / Plant Pests and Diseases / Pests and Diseases / Agriculture Industry / Home - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (fdacs.gov)

Waterleaf, a potential leafy vegetable for Florida – This new 6-page article will give an overview of this emerging vegetable in Florida. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1434 An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

WILDLIFE HAPPENINGS

courtesy of https://wec.ifas.ufl.edu

Spring is in the air and during the months of March, April, and May there is a lot of wildlife activity going on!

Birds • Migrating birds begin to arrive.

• Mourning doves and Carolina wrens are nesting • Wild turkey and quail begin breeding • If you haven’t done so, get those hummingbird feeders going • Grosbeaks, warblers, tanagers, orioles, and thrashers begin to return • Least terns and snowy plovers nest on Panhandle beaches Mammals • Red foxes emerge from remote beaches • Striped skunks are active • Black bears become more active • Gray bats return to Florida caves

Amphibians and Reptiles • Male frogs and toads move to ponds, streams, and ditches • Snakes become active and move to feeding areas • Pine barrens treefrogs begin calling • Sea turtle nesting season begins • Alligators are on the move • Soft-shell and alligator snapping turtles complete egg laying

Adult female eastern black swallowtail, photograph by Donald Hall of University of Florida

GIVE SOMETHING UP Easter is fast approaching. During the Lenten season (the period before Easter) it is a common practice to ‘give something up for Lent.’ Maybe you already decided what to forego during this time or perhaps you don’t generally observe the ritual. How about making a change this year?

How about choosing this period to give up plastic for Lent!

By Mary Grace Evors tonnage of plastics in our oceans, even giving up single-use plastic for 40 days seems to be a drop in the bucket. But with enough drops, every bucket becomes full!

Take the challenge and ‘give up’ plastic for Lent (and always!)

The average American uses and throws away 110 pounds of single-use plastic every year.

According to research from the University of Victoria, the average American adult consumes between 126 and 142 tiny particles of plastic every day.

Considering the amount of micro-plastics that are littering our environment and the growing An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND Not a great deal is known about Patrick's early life. He was born into a wealthy family in Britain in the fourth century when it was part of the Roman Empire.

His father and grandfather were deacons in the Church. At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped

by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. It is believed he was held on the west coast of Ireland, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and regain his freedom.

Upon returning to Britain, he joined the Church and studied to be a priest. In 432, he returned to Ireland as a Bishop, to bring Christianity to the Irish. Local Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people.

After nearly thirty years of evangelism, he died on 17 March 461 and was buried at Downpatrick. Although there were other more successful missions to Ireland from Rome, Patrick endured as a national symbol of Irish Christianity and is held in high esteem in the Irish Church.

What about those snakes that St. Patrick drove from Ireland? This is one of the most persistent (and inaccurate) myths about Patrick. He supposedly drove all the snakes from Ireland into the Irish Sea, where the serpents drowned.

(Some still say that is why the sea is so rough.)

One minor problem with that. Snakes have never been native to Ireland. Ancient snake fossils are found only on southern continents, suggesting that snakes first radiated from the super-continent comprised of modern-day Antarctica, South America, Africa, India, and Australia. Migrating to Ireland wasn't an option at that time, as the area was completely underwater. The serpents that were cast out by An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

By Karen Harper

St. Patrick were more likely a metaphor for the Druidic religions, which steadily disappeared from Ireland in the centuries after St. Patrick brought Christianity to its shores.

So why do we wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Originally, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the color green and its association with Saint Patrick’s Day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St. Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century.

As noted above, St. Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, as a prop to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have remained an important feature of the day.

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March 2022

LEGEND, cont’d.

In the 1798 Irish Rebellion, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March to make a political statement, in hopes of capturing public attention. The actual phrase "the wearing of the green", means to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, and derived from the song of the same name. “The Wearin' O' the Green” is an anonymous street ballad that dates to the 1798 rebel-lion.

Wearing a shamrock on the “caubeen” (hat) was a sign of rebellion and green was the color of the Society of the United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary organization.

During the period, displaying revolutionary insignia was made punishable by hanging.

And whose idea was corned beef and cabbage? To "corn" something means to preserve it in a salty brine. Prior to the use of refrigeration in Ireland, corning was essential for storing meat, especially from large animals like cows. Beef that

was slaughtered and corned before the winter was traditionally served with the first fresh spring cabbage to break the Lenten fast on Easter. Corned beef has become less popular among younger Irish-Americans. They don't share the memories of the older generations who fled famine-stricken Ireland during the heyday of corned beef and brought their fondness for the dish with them to the new country. But drinking that green beer will probably go on forever!

Riddle me this! (a) What kind of garden does a baker have? (b) Why is the letter A like a flower? (c) What flowers grow on faces?

(a) A flour garden. (b) A bee (B) comes after it! (c) Tulips (two-lips)

ANSWERS:

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

CATERPILLARS

by Dave Gordon

The photographs are showing caterpillars of the Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly. This butterfly is found throughout much of North America. Some of the host plants are dill, parsley, fennel (green and bronze) and cultivated carrots.

Last summer I could not keep enough fennel for the caterpillars.

Also, parsley was a popular host plants. Please remember to have enough host plants when they begin arriving.

Images to the left and above, courtesy of Dave Gordon.

What is blooming in your garden?

Do you have unique yard art? A plant that you are just so proud of?

Maybe you even have a gardening disaster you’d like to share.

Send your photos and short description to The Compost Pile

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

J. Black V. Dougherty M. Evors E. Fabian D. Gordon D. Green J. Hittle P. Kildow L. Kulaw S. Light K. McMackin C. Mitchell S. Olsen

R. Porter B. Sellers D. Sewell E. Smith D. Stuart L. Vanderpool

HOLIDAYS March 2022 International Ideas Month National Kite Month National Noodle Month National Umbrella Month National Procrastination Week 6th-12th National Fix a Leak Week 14th-20th American Chocolate Week 20th-26th National Agriculture Week 20th-26th Organize Your Home Office Day 9th International Bagpipe Day 10th Save a Spider Day 14th World Frog Day 20th April 2022 Fresh Florida Tomatoes Month Grange Month National Card and Letter Writing Month National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month

Interstate Mullet Toss 29th-5/1 National Hand Made Day 2nd Teflon Day 6th National Licorice Day 12th Rubber Eraser Day 15th May 2022 America’s Wetlands Month Clean Air Month Gardening for Wildlife Month National Bar-B-Q Month National Wildflower Week 2nd-8th National Public Gardens Week 6th-15th Hurricane Preparedness Week 8th-14th Mudbug Madness Days 27th-30th Herb Day 7th World Naked Gardening Day 7th Limerick Day 12th Straw Hat Day 15th

National Library Week 3rd-9th National Park Week 16th-23rd National Volunteer Week 17th-23rd An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

FIELD TRIP—PANHANDLE GROWERS

Master Gardeners and Interns attended the recent field trip to Panhandle Growers , a wholesale plant nursery in Milton, Florida.

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

MOVING DAY! John Heywood’s quote of many hands make light work could be paraphrased for moving day… many hands make QUICK work! On February 4th, Hollywood nursery parking lot was filled with vehicles and volunteers to move plants to the new temporary site at Okaloosa Technical School on Lewis Turner Blvd. And Bill Drake’s humongous trailer, along with numerous trucks and cars, allowed us to accomplish the plant move in one trip. Extension Agent Larry Williams met us at the new site and helped unload.

Thank you to Bill & Marlin Drake, Lynn & Ed Fabian, Lee Vanderpool, Alene Ogle, Steve & Karen Blurton, Ada Bower, Donna Edmiston, Greg & Jo Black, Noel Brown, Pat Collins, Ron Porter, Velda Dougherty, Karen Sanders, Katy McMackin, and Kathy Foster.

On February 11 the move continued with office equipment and items from the shed. Thanks to Melissa Comelek, Jennifer Yelverton, Ed & Lynn Fabian, Donna Edmiston, Ron Porter, Ginny Hess, Sheila Dunning, Karen Sanders, Kathy Foster, and Lee Vanderpool.

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

Master Gardeners found their thrill….on blueberry hill! The Extension teaching landscape is coming along.

Not only do we have the beginnings of signage but thanks to some willing workers, we have blueberries planted!

Now, if we can keep the office staff from filching all the yummy berries that will be produced…….

LANDSCAPING TO THE OLDIES!

OR THEY FOUND THEIR THRILL ON BLUEBERRY HILL

OPAL BASIL BEVERAGES Black Opal Basil Cocktail 2 oz. gin (or favorite liquor) or soda water 1 oz. simple syrup 1 plum, cut up 2 black opal basil leaves

By Melissa Comelek & Marg Stewart basil steep for 15 minutes then add the lemon juice and a few pieces of the peel. Add sugar to taste and let the liquid cool completely. Strain and chill.

Muddle all ingredients very well with ice. Strain while pouring into a glass.

Opal Basil Sherbet

1 bunch of black opal basil Juice of one lemon 6 cups water Sugar to taste Bring water to a boil and pour over basil. Let the An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

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March 2022

BLAST FROM THE PAST We’re going to start a new section, “Blast from the Past.” We’ll feature articles from past issues as we delve into the archives. Enjoy!

Below is an article by Bill Buckellew, “Good Advice Gone Bad.”

At the Office desks, we meet all kinds of clients.

Recently, a couple brought in a sample of their “Zoysia” which they said had some sparse places. When I told them it was St. Augustine, they didn’t believe me, and it went downhill from there. Some folks have their minds made up, and all we can do is be nice. A recent incident at the Annex illustrates another situation that bears some thought. A very nice lady brought in a soil sample from her lawn where she had bare spots. It tested to a pH of 5.3. She was given detailed instructions on lime application, including how much per 1000 square feet and when and how to apply it. She was asked to return in a few months for another soil test. She returned in one month with her soil; it tested 8.0. After some questioning, she admitted that she wasn’t sure about how much lime she actually put down over how large an area. All we could do was to tell her not to use any more lime, water the area heavily, and hope she didn’t kill her grass for good.

On the good side, a home visit showed me how resourceful some folks can be. A Hawaiian couple near Mooney Road had an apple tree problem. The answer was pretty easy (their tree was dead), but, while looking over the rest of their yard, I noticed a strange plant. They said it was a Banyan tree they had imported. How they got it into Florida, I don’t want to know, but how they keep it alive is another story: They planted it next to their dryer vent. No telling An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

what their light bill is in winter, but these folks impressed me.

Which brings me to my point: We are Master Gardeners, not psychologists or mind-readers.

We cannot ever be sure we got our point across, even when the client is taking notes (as is the case with the lady who used to come to the Annex at least once a month with the same questions over and over about her pecan tree.)

Perhaps we should consider the clients in the advice we give. Are they physically capable of doing what we suggest? Do we think the customers really understand what we said? Are the clients’ minds already made up, and they won’t take our advice, anyway, or do they have innovative ideas of their own, where they can kill an apple tree, but grow a Banyan? When do we just tell them not to do anything, let nature take its course, or maybe even hire a professional service?

These are things we need to think about when giving advice to the public. When in doubt, tell them what IFAS says to do, but just remember that they won’t always do it, and they’ll be back.

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LAST WORD

by Marg Stewart

Our rescue kitty, Eva (short for Eva Destruction) likes to snooze near my desk. This allows for full bird watching and lizard staring while still maintaining a level of comfort. Note that the rear foot must be outside of the bed boundaries.

Eva also spends time watching the television. No, she doesn’t care for the cat TV that they put on YouTube. She’s partial to the restoration channels, especially if they use a lot of hand tools.

Lately, she’s kept me company watching some Chinese historical drama. They didn’t post the episodes in order and since I can’t read Chinese—we just go with the flow. Granted some times that means a person who made the emperor mad in one episode and faced those consequences suddenly appears again—yeah, we probably are watching it out of sequence. The sets are gorgeous and the costumes are amazing so it doesn’t matter much. Sort of like watching the news anymore.

It’s the same stuff over and over, just a different day with different costumes.

There’s another show on YouTube, ‘Billie Speaks.’ Evidently there is a company who makes a product with push buttons so you can train your pet to actually speak to you via buttons. They remind me of the buttons you used to get from Staples. Anyway, the person has trained her cat to use the buttons and it does appear the cat fully understands quite a few words and can express itself linguistically. I think the company that makes the button system is called Fluent Pet or something like that. The videos are short but cute. I look over at Eva, who has decided she’s bored with the current programming and is presently scoping out the line of attack to my sandwich. I wouldn’t mind if she just begged but this monster will

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteer Publication

step right on you, lean in, and take a bite. All while you are holding the sandwich. She has no concept of personal space. Actually she does, she just doesn’t give a hoot about it.

I thought it might be a cool project to get some buttons and see if we could communicate on a new level. Then again, I’ve seen the look on her face when I get out of the shower and I’m not sure that I want to really know what she is thinking. She’s witnessed me replacing faucets and doing other jobs that have involved various stages of disasters so I think I would much rather have her communicate the way she currently does via dirty looks and meows. I don’t want to think what she’d utter to folks coming to the house. “Let me tell you the dumb thing mom did last week!” Yeah, that would be Eva. I’d much rather keep some of my more nefarious escapades secret.

Plentiful Plantings

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March 2022

The Foundation for the Gator Nation.....

An equal opportunity institution.

Mission To assist Extension Agents in providing research-based horticultural education to Florida residents.

Vision To be the most trusted resource for horticultural education in Florida.

The Compost Pile is a quarterly publication created by the Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteers.

Marg Stewart—Editor Karen Harper, Debbie Sewell, Katy McMackin Co-Editors