Barren County

Horticulture Newsletter

Garden Gazette Issue #8 August 2020

In this Issue:

Autumn Vegetable

Gardening

pg. 1-2

What’s that Goo?

pg. 2-3

Helping Trees

Survive Planting

pg. 3-4

Unsolicited Gifts

of Seeds

pg. 4-5

Agent Greeting

pg. 5

Upcoming Events

pg. 5

Featured Recipe:

Tomato Zucchini

Herb Bake

pg. 6

B Continued...

Did your plans for a summer vegetable garden not work out?

Did you lose track of time and never got around to planting a

summer garden? Did you go on vacation to come back to a

weedy mess that you just didn’t have the energy to correct

before it was too late? If

you answered yes to any of

these questions it’s not too

late to get homegrown

vegetables from your own

backyard this season!

Early August is the time to

start planting and

planning for your fall

garden. Many people don’t

even think about vegetable

gardening in the fall but

it is actually the best time to grow many of our cool season

vegetables. Taste and quality of most cool season vegetables

is better in the fall because the weather is getting cooler

when harvest and ripening time nears instead of hotter like

it does in the spring. Vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli,

cabbage, cauliflowers, and turnips develop bitter compounds

in hot weather; however in cooler weather such as in late

September and October these plants store sugars and starches

which greatly improve their taste.

Now is the time to plant broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower

transplants into the garden. Keep in mind; these are cool

season crops that will need extra water in hot dry weather

to get established.

You can also seed crops such as beets, bush beans, kale,

collards, Bibb lettuce, and radishes in early August. Radish

can even be planted all the way to mid September. With beans,

keep in mind that generally bush beans can be planted until

August 15 in West Kentucky and late July and early August

Autumn Vegetable Gardening

Broccoli, Brassica oleracea var. italica, - Gerald Holmes,

Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org

C

for East

and Central

Kentucky and still make

before frost, however be sure to

pick early maturing varieties. The

other crops mentioned can be

planted anytime in August.

Many people in our area don’t plant

spinach because it tends to bolt (go to

seed) and doesn’t have a mild flavor. This

is because they plant it too late in the

spring and

hot dry

weather

causes the

flavor to

deteriorate

as well as

stresses

the plant

which tells

it to

reproduce

or

bolt. Fall planted spinach in September

won’t go to seed because of the cool

weather and short day length. Individual

leaves can be harvested to cook or add to

a salad. These smaller spinach plants

will generally over winter and give you

early great tasting spinach next spring.

After your fall crop is up and actively

growing side dress it with nitrogen

fertilizer such as urea. Apply 3

tablespoons of urea per 10 feet of row

four to six inches away from the plants.

If it doesn’t rain water the plants soon

to activate the fertilizer.

Submitted by Dennis Morgeson, Agent for

Horticulture, Washington County Cooperative

Extension Service

You may have noticed greenish/brown

jelly like blobs appearing in your drive

way or lawn. That is called Nostoc. It is

a type of bacteria that gets its energy

from photosynthesis like plants do.

Following a period of rain, it may appear

suddenly in lawns, pastures, paved

surfaces, roofs or stones. Nostoc has

many colorful names including witches’

butter, mare’s eggs and meadow ears,

among others. In fact, one of the earliest

names for it was star jelly, based on the

belief that it was a remnant of shooting

stars fallen to earth.

It can be hazardous on paved surfaces as

it is very slippery when wet. From its

gelatinous, green state, it dries to a

black crust that comes back to life when

there is sufficient rain. When found in

lawns, it is generally on a site where

the grass is growing poorly due to severe

compaction, overwatering or both. It has

not caused the lawn’s decline; it has

simply colonized an area where it has

favorable conditions to grow. Poor

drainage, compacted soils and fertilizers

containing phosphorus create a

favorable environment for colonies of

Nostoc.

To discourage its growth, improve

drainage and eliminate phosphorus

fertilizers. Products that contain

potassium salts of fatty acids may be

used to kill it in lawns. Core

aerating the lawn to reduce

compaction may help, but

tilling the

will merely

What’s that Goo?

Cauliflower, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, -

Rebecca A. Melanson, Mississippi State

University Extension, Bugwood.org

Nostoc, -Amanda Sears, UK Extension Agent

D

break it into more pieces and encourage

its spread. For paved surfaces and small

patches in lawns, shoveling it up and

discarding it in a landfill may be an

option. Another option would be to choose

a lawn chemical designed to control

algea and moss.

The good news is that although they are

a bit alarming looking, they do not

cause any harm. Although we may not

appreciate it growing in our lawns or on

our pavement, Nostoc possesses many

redeeming properties. Several Nostoc

species have been used as both a food and

medicine for centuries, and have more

recently been evaluated for their

pharmaceutical properties, including

antibacterial metabolites, cholesterol

regulation and control of certain

cancers.

Submitted by Amanda Sears, Agent for

Horticulture, Madison County Cooperative

Extension Service

Trees and shrubs add beauty and value

to a home’s landscape. But as few as 50%

of planted trees do not survive beyond

one or two years. Why? Improper

installation is the leading cause of

failure of newly planted trees. You can

grow trees successfully if you are

aware of a few important planting

guidelines.

Planting the biggest tree you can

afford is not always the best

option. Though it is true 2” to 4”

caliper trees give an instantly-

landscaped look to homes, these

trees are more prone to transplant

shock and water stress.

Transplant

shock occurs

from the loss

of root system

when the tree is

dug from the nursery. As much as

95% of the plant’s roots may be removed

during the digging process. This means

fewer roots are available to provide

water to the many branches and

leaves. Symptoms range from scorch on

the edges of leaves,

dieback in the

crown, increased

vulnerability to

diseases, insects,

and drought, or

tree death.

Transplant shock,

more or less,

continues until the

tree canopy and

tree roots come into

balance.

Planting too deeply

can kill trees. This

problem may occur

from three causes.

First, overambitious

hole diggers can dig the planting hole

too deep for the root ball. Backfill

placed in the bottom of the hole that is

not re-compacted will allow the root

ball to sink as the soil settles. Avoid

this situation by measuring the height

of your root ball and leaving about 10%

of the ball aboveground. Another common

mistake is excessive mulching. Excessive

mulch reduces the amount of oxygen

reaching the roots, causing them to grow

into the mulch. During a drought the

mulch will dry out as will the roots,

thus causing root loss. Never apply more

than 2 to 3 inches of mulch. Finally,

sometimes trees may be shipped from the

nursery already at a disadvantage.

Container stock that has been

transplanted into larger pots could

have its roots buried in the process.

Helping Trees

Survive Planting

Circling roots in container-grown tree

stock can sometimes be corrected by

“shaving” the outer inch of the root

ball on all sides and the bottom -

Alison O’Connor, Larimer County

Extension, Bugwood.org

E

Balled and burlapped trees may have

extra soil on the top of the ball due to

cultivation and digging. As a result, the

roots become too deep in the ball or

container. Inspect trees at the time of

purchase to see if the root flair (the

place where the trunk becomes the roots)

is near the surface. Ones that are 2 or

more inches below the surface should be

avoided or at the very least remove the

soil until you can see the root flair

when planting. Remember to use only the

existing soil on site when filling in

your planting hole, no amendments should

be added.

It’s okay to loosen or even cut the roots.

When planting container grown trees be

sure to remove the container and inspect

for circling roots. You may be able to

tease these roots loose from the media

and spread them out in the planting hole.

If a plant is severely pot-bound, use a

knife or pruners to make vertical slices

through the roots in several places to

divide compacted roots. Leaving circling

roots will eventually lead to girdling of

other roots or the tree trunk itself.

Girdling restricts the movement of water

to the tree’s canopy and can lead to

decline. Also, be sure to remove tags,

wires, or ropes from the

stems or trunk of plants.

Submitted by Kelly Jackson, Agent for

Horticulture, Christian Co. Cooperative Extension

Service

Recently, the Kentucky Department

of Agriculture was notified of

several Kentucky residents

receiving unsolicited seed packets

through the mail. The packets

appear to

have

originated

in China. The

types of seeds are unknown and

may pose a threat to Kentucky

agriculture and the environment

through the introduction of invasive

plants or diseases.

Anyone who receives an unsolicited

package of seeds should not plant

them or throw them away. Instead, they

should immediately contact the Kentucky

Department of Agriculture for

instructions.

“The purpose of these seed shipments is

unclear at this time, but we need to get

the message out that it’s important that

people not plant them,” said Ric Bessin,

extension entomologist in the University

of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food

and Environment. “These packets could

potentially contain invasive species or

plant diseases, so do not throw them in

the trash either. Instead, seal them

tightly and send them to the U.S.

Department of Agriculture’s office in

Northern Kentucky.”

Residents of other states have received

the seed packets as well. The USDA’s

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service, APHIS, is working closely with

the Department of Homeland Security’s

Customs and Border Protection, other

federal agencies and state departments

of agriculture to investigate the

situation.

“At this point in time, we don’t have

enough information to know if this is a

hoax, a prank, an internet scam, or an

act of agricultural bio-terrorism,”

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan

Quarles said in a press release issued by

his office. “I want to reiterate; do not

plant the seeds. We don’t know what they

are, and we cannot risk any harm

whatsoever to agricultural production in

the United States. We have the safest,

Unsolicited Gifts

of Seeds

most abundant food supply in the world,

and we need to keep it that way.”

Individuals who have received the

suspicious packages should put them in

an airtight bag and ship them and the

packaging in which they arrived to the

USDA APHIS division of Plant

Protection Quarantine at USDA-APHIS

PPQ, P.O. Box 475, Hebron, Kentucky

41048. Include this form.

People can contact the Kentucky

Department of Agriculture at

502-573-0282 or email ag.web@ky.gov.

Joe Collins, senior nursery inspector

in the UK Department of Entomology, is

available to answer questions. Contact

him at 859-257-5838.

Submitted by Ric Bessin, extension entomologist

in the University of Kentucky College of

Agriculture, Food and Environment.

As we near the end of

the summer months more

challenges face us

during this difficult

time in the world.

We at the extension

office are still here to

help you in the best way

we can while keeping

our staff and clients safe.

If you have questions of concerns

please reach out to us via phone (270)

651-3818 or email at

andrea.stith@uky.edu. Due to current

guidelines we are not all in the office

daily but are still working to serve

our clients remotely to the best of our

abilities.

We have been offering online programs

and continue to add more as we adapt

previous teaching methods to fit online

platforms.

Agent Greeting

Upcoming Events

F

Tomato Zucchini

Herb Bake

Directions:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced

1 ½ pounds zucchini, cubed

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup cooked long grain brown

rice

2 cups shredded mozzarella

cheese, divided

Ingredients:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a shallow 1½-quart casserole dish.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat.

4. Sauté onion for 3 minutes until slightly softened.

5. Add the zucchini and garlic and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until slightly tender.

6. Add tomatoes and allow to heat through, about 2 minutes.

7. Add basil, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and rice and stir to combine.

8. Turn off heat, and fold in 1 cup of cheese.

9. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with the remaining cheese.

10. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Yield: 6, 1 ½ cup servings

Nutritional Analysis: 220 calories, 12g fat, Sg saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 20mg

cholesterol, 450mg sodium, 17g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 4g total sugars, 0g added

sugars, 12g protein

G

Seasonal Tips: Harvest winter squash and pumpkins by cutting and leaving 2-3 inches of stem; they will

store better with stems.

Remove old plants that have stopped producing to eliminate shelters for insects and

disease organisms.

Start selecting your favorite bulb varieties now by searching out bulb catalogs. It is

time to order so bulbs can be planted this fall.