Spring has Sprung

It is finally April and that means we get to start our gardens. This might look different for everyone since some will start seeds in a greenhouse, in the house, or maybe even in a float bed. Maybe some have already tilled the garden and have plants in the ground. For those like me, you haven’t bought the first seed or plant yet but we’ll get there. No matter what your gardening situation looks like, spring has brought warm weather and sunshine for us to enjoy so let’s get our garden started! Ashton Hilton, Extension Program Assistant

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Volunteer Opportunities Kentucky Butterflies Volunteer Opportunity

I am working on a virtual program on butterflies, potentially to be held in June. I will present a brief overview of common Kentucky butterflies. Thank you to the Master Gardeners that sent in photos to help with the presentation! I hope to include a virtual butterfly garden tour as well as a virtual container butterfly garden demo. Anyone interested in showing off their gardens or building butterfly containers should contact the Program Assistant Lauren via lauren.state@uky.edu or (502) 222-9453. Written By: Lauren Fernandez, Extension Program Assistant

Creasy Mahan Nature Preserve Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve hosts a beautiful Woodland Garden (https://www.creaseymahannaturepreserve.org/woodland-garden/) that includes many wildflowers and ferns. Several Master Gardeners help maintain this garden, and this is a great opportunity to learn while you work. The group work time is Tuesday mornings at 10:00AM (until about 11:30 or 12:00PM). No advance sign-up is required. Director Tavia Cathcart Brown will be there most Tuesdays, and if not another leader will be there to provide some direction if needed. Not all volunteers are available on Tuesday mornings, so everyone is welcome to come when it is convenient. All help is very much appreciated! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tavia at 502-523-9005(cell) or Tavia@NaturePreserve.org. Traci Missun, Extension Agriculture Agent

Yew Dell Yew Dell is in the process of hiring a new volunteer coordinator. In the meantime, Lindsay Duncan is overseeing the volunteer program. Master gardeners who are interested in joining their volunteer community can fill out a volunteer application through the website: yewdellgardens.org/volunteer. Lindsay will reach out with the link to sign up for orientation. Currently, the orientations are held on the second Saturday of every month. Due to COVID, the orientations are capped at 10 people. The next orientation date is Saturday, June 12th from 9 am-10 am. Their most favorite way to get MGs involved is through our Garden Adoption Program. In order to adopt a garden, new volunteers must participate in at least 5 Garden Workdays to be eligible. The Garden Workdays are every Wednesday and Thursday. Volunteers work alongside Yew Dell’s horticulture staff on various projects. They also have Second Saturday Workdays that also count as garden workdays.

Michael Boice, Extension Horticulture Assistant

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What Do I Do With This? As gardeners, we are constantly learning. There may be things happening that you are unfamiliar with. These could include diseases, pests, and weather conditions that can easily devastate a garden. It is important to catch signs of disease and pests in the garden as soon as possible. By catching it early, you have the opportunity to bring in plant samples or pictures to the Extension Office for help in determining the problem. In many cases, the mystery can be solved without sending in the sample to the Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at UK. When bringing a sample to the Extension Office, be prepared to provide some information. Here are some of the questions you need to be prepared to answer:

■ What type of plant is it? ■ What is the age of the plant or the planting date? ■ What is the weather history? (flood, hail, drought, etc.) ■ What are the symptoms? (Discoloration) ■ When did symptoms first appear? ■ Where the affected plants? (In one section or row) ■ How much of the crop/plant is affected?

Answering these questions will help the agent and staff to determine what the issue might be. If we cannot determine the problem, we will submit a sample to the Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at UK. Here are some key guidelines to use when collecting samples for the plant lab:

■ Collect the while plant including the roots and soil in the root ball. If you are only sending part of the plant, describe the symptoms and location of the affected parts.

■ Always dig the plant out instead of pulling it to ensure you get the whole plant. ■ If possible, choose a plant that is not completely dead. It may not be possible to get answers if the plant is

already dead. ■ Include pictures of the problem area. ■ Do not expose the samples to extreme temperatures. Do not leave samples in a car for long periods of

time before sending them off. Bring in the sample as early in the week as possible so that samples do not sit in the office over the weekend.

■ Wrap roots and soil in plastic bag so the rest of the plant does not become contaminated with the soil. Keep moisture in the sample as low as possible.

■ Place forms in a plastic bag to keep them clean and dry. Below are images from Submitting Plant Specimens for Disease Diagnostic:

Ashton Hilton, Extension Program Assistant

Example of how to package fruit and vegetable samples.

Bring in specimen that have early signs of

disease.

This is a shrub with its root ball. Bring as much of the affected plant as possible.

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Our Garden Buddies! If you would like to share pictures of your pets, send them to Ashton Hilton at ashton.hilton@uky.edu and make the

subject line “Our Garden Buddies.” Inside or outside, goofy or majestic we want to see them all!

Kelly Woods

Lauren Fernandez

Ashton Hilton

Sherry Ragsdale

Kelly Woods

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Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Myths

There are many myths and old wives tales concerning fruit and vegetable crops that have become part of Kentucky lore. Several myths that still exist today involve grape coloration and fall frosts. A number of grape growers believe that it is necessary to pick the leaves off the vine to expose the grape clusters to the sun so the grapes will color. This myth probably originated from growers removing leaves to improve air-circulation and reduce fruit rot. The truth is grapes—with the exception of the seedless Reliance variety—do not need sunlight to color. In fact, the fruit will color just fine when covered. Home grape growers can staple a bag over each cluster which keeps off birds, insects and diseases and reduces their spray program. Frost has a tendency to concern many producers. Some people believe greens become poisonous after a frost. Greens like mustard, kale and collards actually develop a more enhanced flavor after a frost. Cool temperatures slow the internal respiration of the greens, allowing more sugars to accumulate, making them slightly sweeter. One exception, however, is rhubarb, which becomes toxic after exposure to a hard freeze. Myths involving frosted sweet potato roots also exist. Many producers believe that sweet potato roots become poisonous after a frost, but they actually just rot. Sweet potatoes are warm season crops and will not tolerate a vine-killing frost. Producers should worry about frost injuring the sweet potatoes where they attach to the vine. This injury prevents healing after the sweet potato is harvested leading to decay in storage. Source: John Strang, Extension Horticulturist