Master Gardener Association of Grayson County

The Gardening Thymes Spring 2018

Coming Soon!

We have been working with Twin Lakes

Regional Medical Center on the planning

and designing of a Community Garden

adjacent to the hospital. We are pleased to

announce that we are ready to start taking

registrations this month.

If you lack the space, a Community Garden

is not just a place to grow vegetables,

flowers and herbs. It is also a place to

connect with other people, connect with

nature or to be physically active. Each

gardener will be assigned a raised bed or

small plot to use throughout the gardening

season for a nominal fee.

If you love to garden and would like to join

us, please call the Grayson County

Extension Office at 270-259-3492 to get

your name on the list for an information

meeting on January 24th at noon.

Please share this news with someone

that might be interested.

Greetings!

It’s hard to believe that this issue marks the

beginning of the 5th year of our newsletter!

Our circulation has more than doubled since

the first year, and we have received many

wonderful comments about our newsletter,

which makes us extremely proud!

Thanks to all of our readers for making our

newsletter a success!

The color of springtime is in the flowers; the

color of winter is in the imagination.

~Terri Guillemets

Congratulations To Our Interns!

Carol, Elois, Heather and Luke

They have successfully completed their

Internships and have already shown that

they are major assets to our organization.

We are honored to have them join us!

University of Kentucky

College of Agriculture,

Food and Environment

Cooperative Extension Service

January:

Pinch back indoor herbs regularly for culinary use and to encourage bushier growth.

Clean and sharpen pruners, hoes, and other garden tools.

Go through garden catalogs, plan your garden and start your garden journal.

Be sure to keep bird feeders filled.

Prepare your “Winter Sown” containers and set outdoors.

Start Petunia, Impatiens and Coleus seeds indoors.

Start broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peppers, mint and oregano seeds indoors.

February:

Fertilize spring-flowering bulbs, if not done in the fall, when the green shoots are 1” tall.

Do not prune any spring flowering shrubs until after they have bloomed.

Prune brambles, grapevines, and late summer–blooming shrubs.

Take inventory and organize seeds packs. Arranging by planting date works well.

Prune fruit trees and apply dormant oil before buds swell.

Start Swiss chard, spinach and basil seed indoors, as well as more broccoli, cabbage and

cauliflower and Brussels sprouts seeds.

Black-eyed Susans, Canterbury Bells, Daisies, Forget-Me-Nots, Heuchera and Snapdragons

are good choices of flower seeds to start indoors.

March: Start pepper and tomato seeds indoors.

Outdoors, put out transplants of broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, plus onion sets.

Plant seeds of beets, carrots, peas, radish, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips outdoors.

Plant asparagus roots in a prepared bed.

Begin dividing houseplants and start a fertilizing schedule.

Patch bare spots in the lawn and begin fertilizing lawns mid-month.

Prune any winter damaged trees and shrubs.

Plant blueberries, strawberries and grapes.

Divide hostas as shoots start appearing.

Plant trees, shrubs, and roses.

When garden soil is workable, plant peas and potatoes.

Fill in low spots in the lawn and reseed. Top dress lawns with compost, or apply fertilizer.

We are on Facebook! Keep up to date with the latest local gardening news plus

upcoming workshops and seminars by “liking” us on Facebook. Master Gardener Association of Grayson County Kentucky

Monthly Garden Tips !

These tips are based on our average frost dates. Please use them as a general guideline. Our weather can

vary greatly in Kentucky, not only from year to year, but also within the various zones. Check weather

forecasting sources regularly for extended outlooks.

Preventing Plant Diseases In Your Garden

By Robin Mundy, KY Master Gardener

I wanted to write about the importance of keeping diseases under control in the home garden after

hearing of someone losing a small greenhouse full of plants last spring due to disease. There was a lot

of wasted time and effort in raising those plants, followed by a lot of work to make the greenhouse safe

to use again. The plants had to be removed and burned, the potting soil was unusable and all of the

interior surfaces of the greenhouse had to be sanitized, as well as all of the pots. What a

disappointment for the gardener!

The following tips should help keep your garden healthy:

Buy disease-resistant seeds. Check to make sure any plants you bring home from the garden center

don’t show any signs of disease or pests. Make sure the soil is warm enough for the plants before planting, to avoid

stressing the plant. Wash and sanitize hands and/or tools after handling infected plants. When fertilizing, follow directions on packaging to insure using the proper amount to keep plants

healthy. Remove diseased plants from the garden. If the plant is just beginning to show signs of disease,

remove the infected foliage and you might possibly be able to save the plant. Keep weeds pulled to eliminate competition for nutrients for your garden plants. Put weeds and

plant trimmings in the compost pile. Keep pests under control, as they can also spread diseases to other plants. Water plants in the morning and avoid touching wet plants to lessen chance of spreading

diseases from one plant to another. Allow for proper air circulation to guard against fungal diseases developing. Mulching not only helps maintain soil moisture and helps keep weed growth down, it also

prevents diseases in the soil from being splashed onto the plants. Practice crop rotation to break the cycle of diseases and pests in the soil that affects different plant families.

Have you ever wondered if a sick plant could make people sick?

The short answer is no, probably not in most healthy people. People cannot contract the plant disease

handling a diseased garden plant.

Although extremely rare, there are two diseases of concern in humans. A person with a weakened

immune system could possibly be affected by “P. aeruginosa” , which causes a type of soft rot in

plants, and can invade the weakened tissues in humans. The other is “Sporothrix schenckii”, which is a

fungus that can live on dead rose thorns, and the fungus could enter the body through skin scratches

or by inhaling the spores.

The produce from diseased plants is probably safe to eat, although the taste and texture may be

undesirable. Avoid eating produce with mold or mildew.

Sources:

https://www.thespruce.com/prevent-plant-diseases-in-your-

garden-2539511

https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2007/4-11/sick.html

Interesting Facts About Beans

By Willis Willoughby, KY Master Gardener

Beans are the second most popular plant in the home garden. They are easy to

grow and extremely healthy. Common garden beans (phaseolus vulgaris) may

be used for dry beans or green beans. Depending on variety, they may grow as

bush beans or pole beans.

Pole beans can climb wooden supports easily because of the texture, either sawed-out or poles

harvested from thickets. A 7' bean stick is long enough to drive one foot into the ground if needed. I

pinch the vines off at 6' to put strength into the productive part of the bean vine.

Four sticks may be tied together at the top and the tepee will stand for a bean trellis.

Varieties of beans may cross, depending on distance apart, the number of insects present, and the

kinds of insects. The flowers are fertilized before they open, but a flower could be torn open and allow

cross-pollination.

One may grow varieties of beans together for years before a cross occurs, in which case one should go

back two years to get pure seeds. I write this with seed savers in mind.

Seeds have been saved since mankind thought to grow food. Until recently, a wedding gift of seeds or

chickens was most fitting and proper. To some givers and receivers, they still are.

Miscellaneous Thoughts: Leather britches beans are green beans split part way open to dry for later

use. Greasy beans have pods that have an oiled look, but are not.

Beans are legumes. Peas, peanuts, cow peas, alfalfa, clover, redbud trees,

and black locust trees are legumes; in association with bacteria, they put

nitrogen into the ground.

Oscar H. Will had a seed business in North Dakota long ago. A Hidatsa Indian gave him

a bag of bean seed. They were the Northern Beans we use

today. 'Great Northern' was a railroad.

Grayson County Extension Service (270) 259-3492

123 Commerce Dr. Fax: (270) 259-0291

Leitchfield KY 42754 graysonext.org

Whitney Carman

Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent Grayson County Cooperative Extension Service

To file a complaint of discrimination, contact Tim West, UK College of Agriculture, 859-257-3879; Terry Allen or Patty Bender, UK Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity, 859-257-8927;

or the USDA, Director Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Bldg. 14th & Independence Ave. SW Washington, DC 20250-9410 (202-720-5964).

Terrariums By Luke Jacobs, KY Master Gardener

Terrariums: low-maintenance, space-saving and simply beautiful. These are just a few of the reasons why terrariums are great for people living in small spaces or for those who just love to garden. Just by doing a Google search, you will get inspired by the variety of plants, rocks, and other decorative items you can add to your mini-garden. While they are easy to make, there are tips and other pieces of important information you should know so you can get the most out of your terrarium. What are terrariums? They are a small, enclosed environment for certain plants. Think of it as a mini-greenhouse. The containers for terrarium gardens are typically transparent, such as glass or plastic. The best material for a terrarium is glass. There are two types of terrariums, sealed and open. Sealed terrariums have a removable lid while the open terrarium does not. How terrariums work: They are indoor gardens in a sealed container. The plants and the soil in the terrarium release water vapor – essentially recycling water. The vapor is then collected onto the walls of the vessel and trickles down to the soil. Terrariums are self-nourishing, which is why they require little maintenance if sealed. How to Plant: Add enough soil to make a 1½-2 inch layer in the bottom of the container. The soil should be porous to allow good drainage. The soil should be slightly moist for planting. It should not be too fertile so that the plants will not outgrow the container. Adding gravel in the bottom is needed to prevent the soil from becoming too wet. To keep the terrarium from smelling bad, add crushed charcoal. Woodland plants and houseplants may be used but not in the same terrarium. Use small plants that grow slowly. The plants should fill the container but not crowd it. If possible, collect plants from a nearby woods or see what a local greenhouse or garden center has to offer. When removing plants from the woods, do not mutilate the area. Only take plants that are plentiful in the area. Never completely strip an area of any plant.

Additional Tips: - Water the terrarium only if the soil seems dry. Usually, only a few teaspoonfuls of water once a month is needed. - Rotate the terrarium occasionally to give a balanced form to the plants. - If the sides of the container become foggy, remove the lid until they clear. - Remove dead leaves and overgrown plants. Additional Sources:

www.ambius.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-terrariums/

U.K. Publication: 4BE-15PO

Save the Date !!!

Watch for announcements of upcoming workshops and seminars as they are scheduled

via flyers around town, in the newspapers and on our Facebook page.

Be sure to ‘like” us to see announcements posted in your newsfeed.

January 24, 2018 - Noon. Community Garden Registration & Information Meeting

Please call 270-259-3492 to pre-register to attend the meeting. Meeting held at the Grayson County

Extension Office, 123 Commerce Drive, Leitchfield, KY. Please use the West entrance in the back of

the building.

Saturday, May 5, 2018- Master Gardener’s 9th Annual PLANT FAIR, Leitchfield

______________________________________

For more information on all these events please contact the Grayson County Extension Office at

270-259-3492 and check out “Master Gardener Association of Grayson County Kentucky” on Facebook.

Horticulture or horticulture-related field Scholarship!

It’s that time of year again…

The Master Gardener Association of Grayson County

is pleased to announce we will be offering a scholarship

to a Grayson County higher education student

studying horticulture or a horticulture-related field

for the 2018/2019 school year.

We will start accepting applications after January 1, 2018.

Deadline for submission: Monday, April 16, 2018 by 3:00 p.m.

Contact the Grayson County Extension Office at 270-259-3492 for more information.