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April, 2018

Your Gateway to Horticultural Education, Resources, and Solutions

Cooperative Extension Service

Scott County

1130 Cincinnati Road

Georgetown, KY 40324

(502) 863-0984

Fax: (502) 863-2392

scott.ca.uky.edu

sflynt@uky.edu

“Saving seeds to plant for next year's crop has been key to

survival around the globe for millennia. . . farmers and home

gardeners who have been quietly persisting in the age-old

habit of conserving heirloom plants are... preserving both

good taste and the world's rich food heritage.” From Ken-

tucky Heirloom Seeds: Growing, Eating, Saving. On Tues-

day, April 24th at 6:00 p.m., Scott County Cooperative

Extension Horticulture Program will present AN EVEN-

ING WITH BILL BEST, co-author of Kentucky Heirloom

Seeds: Growing Eating, Saving.

Best, an Heirloom Seed Saver extraordinaire, will share tips

for planting and growing beans and describe his family fa-

vorites.

Approximately 55 years ago, after telling his mother, Mar-

garet Best about some tasteless beans he had bought and

grown, she gave him some seeds she had saved from her

garden in North Carolina's Upper Crabtree community. They

were delicious, and Best’s quest to save and pass along

seeds began.

The beans, which are kept and handed down generation to

generation, carry familial or descriptive names such as Fox

Family greasy bean (dating to late 1700) from North Caroli-

na, and the Frank Barnett cut-short, a mutant first grown by

Barnett in Georgetown. Other beans have names that de-

scribe physical or historical elements, like the Goose bean,

said to have been found in the craw of a goose shot by a

hunter in the distant past.

Along with “bean talk”, Mr. Best will also share information

from his book that connects heirloom beans with a 700-year

-old Native American farming village in north central Ken-

tucky. This promises to be an evening of learning in Best’s

story telling style. Make plans to attend!

Inside this issue: ● Wet Feet in Ornamentals

● Spring Planted Bulbs

● April Gardening Tips

● Growing Gardeners Series of Classes

AN EVENING WITH

BILL BEST—HEIRLOOM SEED SAVER

Heirloom beans come in many sizes and colors

Greasy Beans are named because of the “greasy” looking

sheen to the pods)

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‘WET FEET’OF ORNAMENTALS

“Wet feet” is the common term for a condition

that affects plant species intolerant of wet

growing conditions. This problem occurs

when soils become saturated in water,

which ultimately causes roots to suffocate.

Once root damage occurs, plants decline

and may eventually die. While “wet feet” is

an abiotic disorder, declining root health

and wet soil conditions can provide the

ideal environment for infection by many

root and collar rot pathogens.

Excess soil moisture may result from high

clay content, poor drainage, lack of top-

soil, drainage from other locations collect-

ing at site, low areas in the landscape

(Figure 1), or overwatering (Figure 2)

Obvious indicators of “wet feet” are the

presences of wet, soggy soils or puddles on

the soil surface after heavy rains. Algae or

moss may also be present on soil surfaces at

wet sites. Plant symptoms that can result from

“wet feet” include wilting, yellowing, and/or

browning (Figure 2); twig or branch dieback;

and browning and death of deeper roots, while

surface roots remain healthy. Knowledge of a

growing site, drainage, and irrigation practices

are helpful in diagnosing “wet feet.”

For more information on “wet feet” and relat-

ed disease problems, including symptoms,

causes, prevention, and treatment, review the

publication “Wet Feet” of Ornamentals (PPFS-

OR-W-04) found at https://scott.ca.uky.edu

By Nicole Ward Gauthier, Extension Associate Professor, Plant Pathology

Figure 1: Low-lying areas may hold surface water after excessive irriga-

tion or heavy rain. (Photo: Julie Beale, UK)

Figure 2: Root damage from wet conditions can cause “drought”

symptoms due to reduced uptake of water and nutrients, resulting in

symptoms such as wilting, yellowing, and/or browning. (Photo:

Nicole Ward Gauthier, UK)

The average straw-

berry has 200 seeds.

It's the only fruit that

bears its seeds on

the outside.

DID YOU KNOW...

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If you haven’t trimmed back ornamental grasses and perennials, do so now.

Study your landscape for gaps that could be nicely filled with bulbs. Mark these spots carefully and make a note to order bulbs next August.

Remove flower stalks from bulbs, but make

sure to leave the foliage to die back natural-

ly. The leaves provide food for next year’s

flowers.

Continue planting trees and shrubs.

Examine shrubs for winter injury. Prune all dead and weakened wood.

You can begin trimming evergreens now

through late summer. Pruning after the

spring flush of growth will result in less re-

growth.

Add organic matter to flower beds and gar-

den plots. Incorporate into the soil where

possible.

Start cucumber, cantaloupe, summer

squash, and watermelon seeds indoors

If you start seedlings indoors, gradually

toughen them up with brief trips outdoors on

nice days. Start with short times in a shady

spot at first. They sunburn easily.

Apply new mulch to beds as needed. Total

mulch depth should not exceed 3-4” and a 2”

layer is usually sufficient. Keep mulch away

from tree trunks and bases of shrubs.

Sharpen mower blades. Clean cuts make

for a healthier, more attractive lawn.

Edge beds for a crisp, clean look. This will also keep creeping weeds from encroaching as rapidly.

Crabgrass preventer should be applied by

the middle of the month (April 15).

In the vegetable garden you can plant pota-

toes now. You still have time for peas, let-

tuce and onions if you didn’t plant in March.

In late April you can begin planting beans

If you have a spray program for fruit trees,

begin spraying after flower petals drop. As

always, follow label directions very careful-

ly. Better yet, plant fruit trees with natural

disease r e s i s t a n c e .

QUICK TIPS FOR APRIL

In the fall, Leave orna-

ment al grass for winter

interest in your land-

scape, but cut it back in

spring before new sprouts

begin to grown

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Registration Form

(MUST BE PRE-REGISTERED and PRE-PAY)

Name: _____________________________________________________ Phone: _________________________

Address:__________________________________________________ City:_____________________________

State:________________ Zip:________________ E-mail: __________________________________________

Class by Code Number: __________, __________, __________, __________, __________, __________

TOTAL Number of Classes signing up for _______________ Amount Enclosed $________________

PLEASE RETURN TO: SCOTT CO. EXTENSION, 1130 CINCINNATI RD, GEORGETOWN, KY 40324

Attention: Growing Gardeners Class Series

2018 GROWING GARDENERS CLASS SERIES

MAKE SURE TO MARK YOU CALENDAR; A REMINDER NOTICE WILL NOT BE SENT

ALL CLASSES ARE HELD AT THE SCOTT CO. EXTENSION OFFICE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

CODE DATE CLASS TIME COST

18apr9 April 9 Garden Club (field trip to Humming-bird Garden Nursery—Grant Co.)

9:00 am - meet at extension of-fice

No cost, but may want to bring mon-ey for purchases & lunch

18apr24 April 24 An Evening with Bill Best, Seed Saver 6:00—8:00

Free, but will have auto-graphed books & seeds for sale

From the Desk of the Horticulture Agent

I do not know about you, but I am tired of rain AND I have done my fair share of complaining

about it this year BUT it hasn’t done a bit of good. So, for now, I have resigned myself to this quote by Henry

Wadsworth Longfellow:

For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain. Hoping for warmer, drier days ahead,

Sharon P. Flynt Agent for Horticulture Scott Co. Cooperative Extension