Barren County

Horticulture Newsletter

Garden Gazette Issue #3 January 2020

In this Issue:

Starting Seeds

Indoors

pg. 1-2

Lawn Care

Simplified

pg. 2-3

Agent Greeting

pg. 3

Master Gardener

Feature: UK

Flower Trial

pg. 4

Upcoming Events

pg. 5

Featured Recipe:

Smashed Potatoes

pg. 6

Seedlings grown indoors will need warm temperatures, a well-drained media with correct pH to grow the plants, strong light (supplemented artificially), proper nutrients, correct water amounts. Steps to do this are, first, select disease-resistant varieties of seed. Such seeds are more likely to lead to successful harvest.

To determine the date on the calendar to start the seed indoors, for growing transplants for the outdoor garden, find out when the last frost date is in your area. Transplants started indoors should be able to be planted outdoors about the middle of the month of May.

1.) Choose the last frost date

2.) See the number of days on the seed packet from seed to

germination

3.) Add this number to days to flower on the seed packet

4) Count back from the last-frost date

on a calendar

5.) See the date that coincides with this

on the calendar. This activity should

give the gardener the date to start

seeds indoors.

For gardeners anxious to start flowers from seeds, help can come from constant-warmth for the growing medium by adding bottom heat. A heat mat uses electricity to warm the soil or growing medium of shallow containers, such as starter flats. To do this, the flats are placed on the functioning heat mat and left until seeds are sprouted to the first true leaves. This bottom heat is frequently beneficial even when seeds are started indoors in a warm room.

As for supplemental light, successful gardening can use a plain, cool-white fluorescent bulbs in a shop-light fixture, located 5 to 10 inches above the foliage. Grow-light bulbs can be beneficial if budget allows. Hang the shop light by chains to allow lifting of the fixture as the foliage grows taller.

Starting Seeds Indoors

B Continued...

C

Thinning seedlings is best if they are crowded. Over-crowded stands produce weak plants. Scissors can cut off extra seedlings at the soil line, without disturbing the stand of desired seedlings. Or, it may be possible to save some of the seedlings instead of cutting them back by gently pulling the seedling out. If seedlings can be lifted out of the soil so that most all roots remain intact and the rest remain in good shape, those lifted may be transplanted.

Once the desired size and outdoor temperatures allow, take plants outdoors to harden off. Seedlings will need to go through a toughing period called “hardening off” before planting outdoors. About two weeks before planting, take the seedlings outdoors in the daytime. Bring them in at night to strengthen them, so plants may be able to withstand the new environment. Remember to cut back on water and fertilizer during the last week of hardening off.

After this, gardeners may transplant to a suitable site. To transplant, handle transplants by the leaves. Plants can grow new leaves, but cannot grow a new stem. Use a pointed object to poke a hole in the growing medium and gently direct the roots of the seedling into that hole. Holding by a leaf, carefully firm the soil around the stem, keeping the soil line the same. Water in. Gently firm the soil around the root zone. Be mindful of fertilizer application and water as needed. Submitted by Kathryn Wimberley McCracken County Agent for Horticulture/covering ANR

Priorities for spring should be:

1) weed control 2) mowing 3) watering 4) aerating 5) insect control 6) fertilizing

Spring is the perfect time for crabgrass and other weed controls. Please read instructions carefully on your choice of weed control. To legally use and lawn chemicals, you must follow all directions on the bag. The chemicals work at certain concentrations, so a little more only allows a chemical to run off desired treatment area & pollution occurs. For actively growing weeds, it is especially critical that you apply when there is moisture on the plants for broad leaf control. Chemicals must stick to leaves to be effective. This is easiest to achieve by applying in early morning when there is a heavy coat of dew. If the grass is not wet, you have most likely wasted your time and money.

For those weeds, such as crabgrass, that you are using a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent germination, early spring is the perfect time to apply. As a general rule of thumb when the forsythia blooms drop, it is the perfect time to apply pre-emergent herbicides to control crabgrass/etc.

Mowing is critical to establishing an attractive lawn. As soon as some of the grass reaches a height of approximately 2 to 2.5 inches mow. If you have an adjustable height to your mower, the first time or two mowing in the spring, you should set the height to 1.5 to 2 inches. This will help remove winter burned leaves and get you started on a good healthy lawn. During summer and periods of drought, mowing height raises to 3-3.5 inches. Then during the fall, mowing heights lowered to 2.5. This prevents matting down & fungus problems. Remove no more than 1/3 to 1/2 of the leaf at any one time. Do not scalp the lawn with uneven mowing. The problem, with most people is that they mow every Saturday from spring until fall and do not consider the growth rate or weather. You have to mow when you have time. Just try to remember no more than 1/3 to 1/2 cut off at any time.

Another item that most people overlook in mowing is failing to sharpen their mower blades. Sharpen your mower blades multiple times during the year. A raggedy appearance to the leaf

Lawn Care Simplified

blade is an indication that your mower blades need sharpening. A rough appearance allows more surface to be exposed and the possibility of disease to appear.

Watering will be a necessity only “occasionally”. When necessary, plan for once or twice a week with a deep watering several inches deep to encourage root growth.

Aerating is something almost unheard of several years ago & not every lawn needs it. Most home lawns will benefit from it. It is the process of removing a small core at set intervals to aerate and allow for addition of organic matter, treatments, loosening soil, & minor renovations. Do when soil is moist and grass is actively growing. It works best in spring or fall for cool season grasses.

For Kentucky, the most common insect problem is White Grubs. Do not worry about this until summer. Preventative controls should be used in June/early July. Curative controls should be used in Aug/early Sept. when grubs are causing damage.

In spite of all the ads you see, spring is the wrong time of year to fertilize. Apply in the fall. Excessive Nitrogen fertilizer causes the plant to put on leaf or top growth. By adding fertilizer in the spring, you are condemning yourself to mowing, mowing, & more mowing. It causes so much top growth that the roots cannot support the plant during periods of heat and drought.

Submitted by Suzanne Stumbo, ANR Agent, Pike Co. Cooperative Extension

Seed catalogs are

hitting my

mailbox in mass. I

have started

planning my

garden for the

coming season. If

I don’t make a

plan I always end

up spending too

much & buying

way more than I

have room for or

time to take care

of. If you need

help making a

plan get in

touch with me.

I will work with

you to figure out

what might be more successful in

your garden.

We have fun events coming up in the near

future. The Barren River Area Extension

Master Gardener Association members will

be at the Bounty of the Barrens Farmers

Market presenting a variety of topics at

9:30 AM: February 1 will be, “Planning Your

Garden”, March 7 will be, “Attracting Birds

to Your Garden”, and April 4 they will wrap

up the series with, “Seed Starting”.

Barren County will be hosting the, “Getting

to Know Your Woodlands: Next Steps” webinar

series on February 6, 13, 20, 27 and March 5

all sessions will begin at 6 PM and conclude

by 7:30 PM. The webinars will cover a variety

of woodland topics for details call (270) 651-

3818 for more information.

On March 3 at 6 PM we will be teaching a

Beginner Gardening class. Call ahead to

RSVP so we can make everyone a nice starter

kit for their growing season.

We will be getting down and dirty on March

19 at 6 PM talking about worm composting

with the opportunity to make your own

vermicomposting bin for only $10. Pre-

registration is required.

For the latest information on the classes

and events we are hosting follow us on

Facebook by searching for Barren County

Cooperative Extension Service.

Our program assistant Leslie Langley will

be teaching a, “Herb Wreaths” class on April

2 at 6 PM. There is a preregistration fee of

$15. For more information call (270) 651-3818.

The planning process has started for the

Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

Training Class this fall. If you are

interested call to get put on the waiting

list so you will be the first to receive the

registration information.

I wish everyone a wonderful growing season

this year. If you have questions or issues

during the year you can always give us a

call at (270) 651-3818.

If you have classes or topics you would like

to see offered in the future please reach

out with your ideas.

D

Agent Greeting

University of Kentucky

Flower Trial:

In 2019, 19 varieties from

several genera of bedding

plants were grown as

trial gardens in several

counties across the

Commonwealth.

In Barren County, these

were planted in beds

around the extension service building and

rated all through the growing season. These

plants were planted after the last danger of

frost had passed, in early May of 2019.

The flowers were planted and minimal

watering and maintenance were done weekly.

The Barren River Area Extension Master

Gardener Association members were involved

in the planting, mulching, watering, weeding,

and rating throughout the season.

The volunteers rate the flowers based on

foliage color, bloom number, disease impact,

insect damage, as well as the number of

plants in each variety still living. We were

very pleased with this trial and plan to do

this project again in the 2020 growing season.

Here are some of our

favorite plants from the

2019 trial here in Barren

County.

'Ruby Road' Main Street

Coleus was one of three

varieties of Coleus in our

trial during 2019. It kept

it’s color nicely and was actively growing

the whole season.

Portulaca ColorBlast™

Double Guava was one

of two Portulaca

varieties. The bright

colored flowers were

nice to see when the

sun was out but they

tuck away when the sun

goes down. It is a fun one for

kids to see and

learn about.

Tidal Wave® Red

Velour Petunia was one

of several Petunia varieties

in the 2019 trial. We had great growth out

of this one and the red color was vibrant

throughout the season.

Petchoa 'SuperCal

Premium Caramel Yellow'

combines the best of petunia

and calibrachoa. This was a

crowd favorite of our

Extension Master Gardeners

due to the unique color. It

received a high rating all

season in our garden.

Supertunia Vista® Paradise Petunia hybrid

was another of our best performers. The

vibrant pink caught the eye of many from our

group. We loved that it kept

its bright pink color

throughout the whole

season.

It was our first year

participating in this trial

in Barren County and it

would not have been possible

without the support of the

Barren River Area Extension Master

Gardener Association volunteers. They work

hard on all of their projects throughout the

year. If you see any of them around give them

a shout out and tell them thank you for all

they do for our community.

We are looking forward to trying new plants

this year. Watch our social media pages this

spring to see some of the 2020 varieties and

to find out when we will have our “Walk and

Talk” event. This event will be later in the

season so that our Extension Master

Gardeners can walk you through the garden

and talk about the varieties and how they

perform.

You can find the Extension Master Gardeners

on Facebook by searching for the Barren

River Area Extension Master Gardener

Association. They post about their projects

throughout the year. Give them a like and a

follow to see what all they get into this

year. From flowers to vegetables they are a

wealth of knowledge for this community.

Master Gardener

Feature Project

E

Upcoming Events

F

Smashed Potatoes

Directions:

6 large baking potatoes

Cooking spray

1 1/2 cups of sliced mushrooms

4 thinly slice green onions

6 ounces of fresh spinach

1 tablespoon of canola oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3/4 cup of light sour cream

1 cup of 2% shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Wash and dry potato skins. Spray the skins with the cooking spray and pierce

several holes in them with a fork

3. Place on a 13” x 18” baking sheet and bake about one hour or until tender

4. Wash mushrooms, green onions, and spinach

5. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms and sauté for 6

minutes. Add green onions and spinach and sauté for an additional minute.

6. Slice of the top inch of each potato, leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edge

7. Scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl and mash.

8. Add mushroom mixture, Dijon mustard, sour cream, and 1/2 cup of cheese. Mix well

and season with salt and pepper.

9. Scoop mixture into potato shells and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

10. Return the potatoes to the baking sheet and bake until heated through and golden

brown on top, about 20-25 min.

Yield: 6, servings

Nutritional Analysis: 410 Calories, 9 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 400

mg sodium, 70 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 4 g sugars, 15 g protein

Seasonal Tips Make a wish list of all the things you would like to grow and then go back

and narrow down your choices based on the space that you actually have to

utilize.

Lawn mower maintenance can be done now to save you time when the grass

gets started growing. Starting with sharpened blades can make all the

difference during the season.

Chart out when you need to be starting which seeds and have a calendar for

when you plan to get things planted in the ground. Keep yourself on track so

you have a successful growing year.

G