Hunt County Master Gardeners

If you have cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, or melons, you have likely encountered squash bugs on your plants.  These flat, large insects are about 5/8 inch long and 1/3 inch wide.  They are usually dark brown to dark gray and have a diamond shaped shield on their shoulders.  Their abdomens protrude and are typically orange and brown striped.

The eggs of the squash bug are oval, small, and yellowish to bronze.  The nymphs, or babies, go through five stages of growth, or instars, and are green when born.  They gradually get darker as they mature.

Squash bugs pierce the leaves of your plants and suck the juice out of them.  This causes yellow spots that eventually die and turn brown.  It also deprives the plant of some of its water and nutrients, which can cause the plant to wilt.  Young plants may die from a heavy infestation of squash bugs.  Older plants are better able to tolerate the damage, but can also die if the infestation is very heavy.

Squash bugs can be controlled with cultural, physical, and insecticidal methods.  Cultural methods refer to keeping your plants as healthy as possible so that they can repel or survive an attack by squash bugs.   Physical refers to removing the nymphs and adults and dropping them in a pan of soapy water.  This kills the bugs.   This is particularly effective if only a few plants are effected or you have only a light infestation.

Placing a piece of cardboard in the rows between squash plants can act as a trap for the squash bugs.  They will hide under the cardboard at night and can be destroyed early in the morning.  Removing plant debris and other items squash bugs can hid in at night will help keep them to a minimum, as well.

Finally, if you cannot get rid of the squash bugs and they are inflicting significant damage on the plants, you can spray to control the bugs.  Squash bugs found early in the spring or summer need to be managed if there are a lot of them.  Squash bugs found late in the summer or fall have finished feeding and do not need to be controlled.

The best time to apply the insecticide is early in the morning or late in the evening, when bees and other beneficial insects are not active.  It is important to cover the undersides of the leaves with the insecticide, as that is where the bugs congregate.

Effective sprays for squash bugs are ones that contain the ingredients carbaryl, permethrin, bifenthrin, or esfenvalerate.  Be sure you read all package labels and only use the insecticide on plants mentioned on the label.

The Master Gardener’s annual Garden Tour is coming up June 2nd. This year, the garden tour is free in honor of its tenth year.  For details and a map, click on the brochures below.

Garden Tour 2012

June 2012 Garden Tour Map

Square Foot Gardening by Pat Abramson

Don’t like getting your hands dirty, but love those homegrown veggies?  Don’t like bending or kneeling to tend your garden?  Don’t like to sweat much?  Hate having to be out in the sun longer than you have to?  You can order or build a waist-high garden bed  put on legs with wheels so your back and knees won’t complain.  The “square foot gardening” method allows you to plant 16 different vegetables or annuals in a small plot a little bigger than a card table!  The method is billed as “planting 5x as much in 1/5 the space, cutting watering at least in half, and eliminating weeding.

Square foot gardening requires no tilling.  No need to even use your own (disappointing!) soil.  If you don’t want to build or order the waist-high garden bed, you can create a bed ON TOP OF your own soil in an area no bigger than 4’ x 4’.  You only plant what you want to eat (or can, or give away).

An engineer and efficiency expert, Mel Bartholomew’s book “All New Square Foot Gardening” book explains why you may want to rethink planting in long rows that create too many weeds that produce more than you can eat, and where you thin or throw away 90% of what you plant.

Mel’s only tool need is a trowel.   “Mel’s (soil) mix” is equal parts of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite.  (In our area, NK Lawn & Garden Seeding Mix will work better).

Preferably close to the house, your garden “box” plot will be 4’ x 4’ on each side,  6” deep.  Want to plant more than 16 varieties of veggies or annuals?  If so, space each additional box 3’ apart from each other.  Wet 5 – 6 layers of newspaper on the bottom of your box, then fill it with the modified Mel’s mix described above.  (If you’re installing a waist-high box to eliminate bending or kneeling, make sure to drill holes in the bottom of the box for drainage.)

Place on top of each box frame a permanent “grid” that divides the box into one-foot squares.  This grid is what makes the whole system work.  (Use wood, string, or even Venetian blinds.)  Secure your grid to the sides & bolt them where they cross.)  You now have 16 squares for up to 16 different vegetables.  In each 1-ft. square you can plant:  16 carrots, 9 spinach, 9 beets, 4 lettuce, 1 cabbage, 1 broccoli, 1 pepper, 1 tomato, 2 cucumbers, 8 pole beans.  On one side of your box you will trellis plants like tomatoes vertically.

No room for weeds, and your plot is so small, watering is now manageable.  Each time you harvest a plant, add a cup of compost and plant something new.

A manageable, square-foot garden is ideal for schools.  (Utah approved installing one in every elementary school in the state!)

“Square Foot Gardening” is available at bookstores and at the Harrison Library.  The waist-high box as well as other information and products are available at www.squarefootgardening.com.

Herbs by Pat Abramson

An herb is any plant that has more than one use, according to the Herb Society of America.  The list includes, surprisingly, certain trees, shrubs, ferns, mosses and fungi!   Many gardeners are delighted to learn they have more herbs in their landscape than they ever thought.  Salvias, hackberry and pine trees, garlic, altheas, hibiscus and daylilies are all considered herbs.

Herbs add flavor and zest to creative cooking.  Herbs enhance flower beds and are useful in rock gardens as borders or accent plants.  Because some herbs are annuals (like nasturtium, dill, and calendula) and some are perennials (like oregano and rosemary), plant the annuals in flower gardens or your vegetable beds.  Locate the perennials at the side of the garden where they won’t interfere with next year’s soil preparation.  Plant the lovely mints away from the garden so their underground runners won’t travel to all other parts of your garden beds!

A small herb garden, on the other hand, should be planted preferably near the kitchen.

Give herbs a generous half day of light, preferably morning light with some afternoon protection.  Many herbs will tolerate light shade; only a few thrive in deep shade.  More important is a well-drained location.  Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers that induce quick, lanky growth more susceptible to insects and diseases.  Many of our favorite culinary herbs don’t need as much watering as other plants.  Group herbs together according to their watering needs.   Mulch conserves moisture, reduces weeds, looks better, and adds nutrients as it decomposes.  Be sure to pull the mulch away from the base and stem of your plants so the mulch doesn’t work on decomposing your plant.

Save seeds for next year’s crop by harvesting the entire seed-head after it has dried on the plant.  Dry seeds in a cool, dry, dark place.   Many perennials (like rosemary, sage, winter savory, and thyme) can be propagated by cuttings or by division.  Divide plants (like chives, lovage, and tarragon) every 3 or 4 years in early spring.

The leaves of most herbs are the parts used for cooking (like parsley, chives, oregano), though sometimes the seeds (like flax, dill, anise, caraway, and coriander) and roots (like dandelion) can be used.   Basil, fennel, mint, and sage are harvested just before they start to bloom, but keep all your established herbs pruned regularly (no more than 1/3 of the plant) so they will grow fuller, and to prevent the herb from beginning to flower, which will make the herb taste more bitter.

In our area we can plant garlic year-round, though mid-November is ideal.  Plant garlic in your rose beds and around fruit trees for better pest protection for those plants.  Oregano planted around the base of a tree makes a nice ground-cover and will tolerate some shade.  Add chocolate mint leaves (fresh or dried) to the coffee that you brew.  Add lemon verbena, pineapple sage, and rose geranium leaves to cakes and cookies.   At holiday time, bay leaves and rosemary make lovely large wreaths; you can use thyme and dried basil seed stalks on tiny wreaths, or add fronds and stalks like these on gift-wrapped boxes and bags, too.

Be sure and check out our website at http://huntcountymastergardeners.org for more gardening tips.  Happy planting, crafting and cooking with herbs!

Square Foot Gardening by Pat Abramson

Don’t like getting your hands dirty, but love those homegrown veggies?  Don’t like bending or kneeling to tend your garden?  Don’t like to sweat much?  Hate having to be out in the sun longer than you have to?  You can order or build a waist-high garden bed  put on legs with wheels so your back and knees won’t complain.  The “square foot gardening” method allows you to plant 16 different vegetables or annuals in a small plot a little bigger than a card table!  The method is billed as “planting 5x as much in 1/5 the space, cutting watering at least in half, and eliminating weeding.

Square foot gardening requires no tilling.  No need to even use your own (disappointing!) soil.  If you don’t want to build or order the waist-high garden bed, you can create a bed ON TOP OF your own soil in an area no bigger than 4’ x 4’.  You only plant what you want to eat (or can, or give away).

An engineer and efficiency expert, Mel Bartholomew’s book “All New Square Foot Gardening” book explains why you may want to rethink planting in long rows that create too many weeds that produce more than you can eat, and where you thin or throw away 90% of what you plant.

Mel’s only tool need is a trowel.   “Mel’s (soil) mix” is equal parts of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite.  (In our area, NK Lawn & Garden Seeding Mix will work better).

Preferably close to the house, your garden “box” plot will be 4’ x 4’ on each side,  6” deep.  Want to plant more than 16 varieties of veggies or annuals?  If so, space each additional box 3’ apart from each other.  Wet 5 – 6 layers of newspaper on the bottom of your box, then fill it with the modified Mel’s mix described above.  (If you’re installing a waist-high box to eliminate bending or kneeling, make sure to drill holes in the bottom of the box for drainage.)

Place on top of each box frame a permanent “grid” that divides the box into one-foot squares.  This grid is what makes the whole system work.  (Use wood, string, or even Venetian blinds.)  Secure your grid to the sides & bolt them where they cross.)  You now have 16 squares for up to 16 different vegetables.  In each 1-ft. square you can plant:  16 carrots, 9 spinach, 9 beets, 4 lettuce, 1 cabbage, 1 broccoli, 1 pepper, 1 tomato, 2 cucumbers, 8 pole beans.  On one side of your box you will trellis plants like tomatoes vertically.

No room for weeds, and your plot is so small, watering is now manageable.  Each time you harvest a plant, add a cup of compost and plant something new.

A manageable, square-foot garden is ideal for schools.  (Utah approved installing one in every elementary school in the state!)

“Square Foot Gardening” is available at bookstores and at the Harrison Library.  The waist-high box as well as other information and products are available at www.squarefootgardening.com.  Also, for more information on gardening, check out our master gardener website at http://huntcountymastergardeners.com

Pruning Roses by PJ LaRue Smith

The goal in pruning rose bushes is to improve the health and vigor of the bush.  Removal of dead, diseased, damaged, unproductive, or crossed canes, also assists in disease prevention.

Of particular note – a once blooming rose should NOT be pruned until AFTER it blooms in the spring.  Roses that bloom from spring until frost can be pruned before they leaf out completely.  Green canes should be pruned back to healthy, creamy white, wood.  Old garden roses (OGR’s) shrub roses, and climbers should be pruned lightly.

As with any garden chore, assembling the necessary equipment prior to beginning makes this yearly task much simpler to complete.  Standard rose pruning equipment includes the following:  (a) a sharp pair of BY-PASS pruners; (b) solid leather thorn-proof gloves (no part of which should be cloth); (c) a pruning saw, or sharp pair of long-handled, BY-PASS loppers (to trim away large diameter canes); (d) a trash can for debris (both what has been cut off and what may be lying below the plant); (e) a good whet stone to keep the pruners/loppers sharp (dull blades damage canes and tend to be a hazard for the operator); (f) appropriate footwear for working in the garden (sandals and flip-flops don’t protect from thorns, ants, or the accidentally dropped pair of pruners); (g) long-sleeved shirt and jeans; and (h) stocked first-aid kit (complete with tweezers for picking out the “thorn in the flesh”).

“Opening up the bush” to allow for greater air flow, requires the cutting out of interior crossed canes, and cutting above an outward facing bud eye.  A “bud eye” looks like a little smile with a nose above it and is where a leaf was attached last year.  New growth will originate from the “nose” of the bud eye and grow in the direction that it is pointing.  The strongest new growth on a cane originates at the cut end, therefore, cutting to the outside facing bud eye directs the new growth outward and upward.  This increases airflow through the bush and deters fungal growth.  Pruning cuts should be made approximately 1/4” above the bud eye at a 45° angle with the peak directly above the bud eye.

When to prune?  In the Hunt County area, the optimum time to prune is the first two weeks of March.  However, late freezes or mild winters can shift the timeline a week or so in either direction.  If you had a problem with disease in your rose garden last year, particularly blackspot, then you must remove and dispose of ALL trimmed material and any leaves that may be on the ground.

If your roses were free of disease, then cuttings can be made from the rose material that has been pruned off – provided what’s been pruned is healthy material (no brown in the middle).  The fast and easy way of taking advantage of this plant material is to take a large nail, poke a hole in the ground (on the shadow side of the bush), slide an 8” rose piece in (leave one-half to one-third exposed above-ground), gently pack the soil down, replace the mulch around it, and lightly water in.  (Cuttings should be “stuck” IMMEDIATELY after they are cut.)  Keep the area around the cutting moist, but not wet.  When new growth is strong and healthy, the cutting can be removed and potted for later placement in a new location.  If the cutting turns brown, it is dead.  Simply remove and dispose of it.  There are other, more precise, methods for making rose cuttings, but that is a topic for another day.  Enjoy the spring weather and watch out for those thorns!

Plant Warm Season Crops Now by Byron Chitwood

Maybe not right now, depending on when this article appears in your local newspaper but from March 17 through the last of April is the time to plant the last vegetables for the spring season.  If you started early, broccoli, cabbages, onions, potatoes, garlic, beets, etc. should be sprouted and starting to look like you didn’t have a crop failure after all.  You still have a few days left to plant the really early crops such as beets, chard and collards and if you don’t have the first six vegetables mentioned above planted, get them into the ground as soon as possible.

One of the favorites to plant is green beans.  The master gardeners ran a test a few years ago to determine which variety produced the best in our soil.  The winner was the Contender variety.  As a matter of fact it wasn’t even a contest.  If you have a fairly large garden, plant about a third of your planned green beans about March 17^th .Then, plant another third when the first planting sprouts in about ten days. Make the final planting in another ten days.  Even a few plants per planting will produce enough green beans to satisfy your craving for garden fresh green beans.

Set up a trellis for cucumbers and be ready to plant them from March 20 through May 1.  Trellises are a great way to grow cucumbers when space is limited.  It also keeps most of the fruits off the ground and away from some insects and soil borne diseases.  If you are one who likes to make pickles, plant some variety that is recommended for pickling and another for table fare.  Be sure and have some dill planted for making dill pickles.  The varieties for table fare are ones such as straight 8 and some of the long English cucumbers.  Nothing beats sliced cucumbers and fresh garden onions in a bath of vinegar, cold water seasoned with salt, pepper and chopped fresh dill.

Squash can be safely planted between March 20 and April 15.  Plant a few “hills” each of zucchini, yellow and white squash. Any one of these is delicious when steamed or stir fried along with sweet basil or chopped dill for seasoning.

About the first of April, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants can be safely planted.  Plant a large variety of tomatoes since some will do better than others.  The small and medium varieties are recommended for our area.  There are thirty five or more diseases that attack tomatoes so more varieties planted will insure production from these various diseases.

For a copy of “PLANTING BY SOIL TEMPERATURE, DEPTH AND DATES” visit the AgriLife Extension office at 2217 Washington Street in Greenville or email me at: Chitwood@geusnet.com.   And for more gardening information and events, see our website at http://huntcountymastergardeners.org

Gardening with Native Plants by PJ LaRue Smith

This time of year, if you look closely while driving in your local area, many trees and small shrubs are in bloom in the woods or along fence rows.  Native crabapples, plums, redbuds, and blackhaws are the first to display their blooms in spring and are quite spectacular when used in the landscape.  Native trees that bloom later in the spring are magnolias, sophoras, and privets.  Wild rose bushes (five-petal, pink, once-blooming), and honeysuckle, can be found blooming along fence rows in early summer.

The Texas native tree/shrub list is quite extensive.  To illustrate, some of the tree species that can be found in various wooded areas of Hunt County include varieties of:  Ash, Cedar, Elm, Cottonwood, Crabapple, Oak, Hackberry, Hawthorn, Hickory, Holly, Juniper, Locust, Maple, Mesquite, Mulberry, Pecan, Persimmon, Redbud, Sophora (Eve’s Necklace), Walnut, and Willow!  While all of these trees or shrub species are not necessarily desirable for use in the home landscape (for assorted reasons), many of these can and do make wonderful additions to the landscape.

How do you acquire these native plants?  This author enjoys hiking through the woods, identifying the various plants and harvesting seeds to grow at home.  For those who would rather “cut-to-the-chase” there are several Texas nurseries that specialize in native plants.

It is important to note at this juncture a criteria that must be remembered when looking for native plants to grow in the home landscape – soil type and pH.  Hunt County has many types of soil – sand, loam, silt, and clay or some combination of these.  Just as there are various types of soil, there is also a wide range of pH levels that are associated with those soils.  If you do not know the type of soil, or its pH, it is recommended that you perform a soil test.  Testing information and bags are available from the AgriLife Extension located at 2217 Washington St., in Greenville.

If you would like to know more about the above listed tree/shrub species and what might be suitable for your landscape, visit the http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/ website.  Listed there you will find detailed descriptions, photos, soil type preferences, water needs, and other caveats for native Texas trees and shrubs.  Explore and enjoy!

Gardeners routinely include perennials of many kinds in yard and garden.  Flowers, grapes, berries, and fruit and nut trees are valued for their return year after year. Several advantages, besides only having to plant once for many years of enjoyment, are that they can make garden planning easier, with a dependable color and size to expand upon with annuals, and that some can thrive in spots that are difficult to fill, coming back again and again to improve and decorate problem areas.

          Until recently, however, the myriad variety of perennial vegetables that can also be included in any area of the garden or yard have been almost totally overlooked. These year-in year-out producers have varieties that will perform as well as an annual garden, with the unique ability to easily provide foods that can enhance or even replace common types of ‘plant every year’ vegetables. Imagine the satisfaction and relief of knowing that all these delicious vegetables will be ready for harvest for years to come, even if we can’t or don’t want to spend every spring weekend tilling or mulching, planting or weeding. Care must be taken, however, to be sure to use the specific variety that provides these unique types of foods. Some varieties with a similar name are not suitable for human consumption.

          North Texas is suitable for varieties in every class…whether we want edible shoots or stalks, tender greens, delicate buds, seeds, pods and beans, flowers or fruit, plus numerous types of edible roots, bulbs and edible underground as well as aerial tubers. There are even types of fully formed leaves on trees and shrubs that can provide significant landscape features as well.  The biggest problem with a number of them is that they need to be grown in a separate area of the garden because some can become invasive.

                   Asparagus is one of very few familiar examples of a perennial vegetable.  An incomplete list of annual vegetables with a perennial substitute includes broccoli, cabbage, yams, potatoes, onions, garlic, squash, cucumbers, beans, sweet potatoes, beets, turnips, carrots, eggplant, globe artichoke, winter squash and zucchini. Even the most commonly grown vegetables in any annual garden, the peppers and tomatoes, have delicious, easy to grow perennial counterparts. Some perennials will reliably produce all year round.

PERENNIAL VEGETABLES – Pat Newell

       The decorative value of Hibiscus, Day Lily, Cannas, Hyacinth and Lotus are hard to pass up since they can also provide shoots, flowers and tubers to enjoy as well.  Any gardener can enjoy perennial vegetables that will bring a bountiful harvest with almost no work and allow us to effortlessly watch our garden grow.

          There are several internet sources that explain the uses and list suppliers of  perennial vegetables. My main source of this information is a book called “Perennial Vegetables” by Eric Toensmeier. It also has a list of providers and references.

PLANTING BARE-ROOT TREES – Madeline Sullivan                                                                                                                  

When you are thinking about planting a tree you need to consider how big your tree will grow. Avoid planting under or near overhead utility lines, and check for underground utilities, too. Then, make your decision to plant a nice tree that will grow healthy and vigorous for the length of its natural life.

If you have a bare-root tree it is best to plant it immediately to keep the fragile roots from drying out.  If for some reason you cannot plant the tree quickly because of the soil conditions or the weather, put the tree in a sheltered, cool place and keep the roots moist. Once you start to plant your tree, take off the packing and get rid of all the packing materials that are around the roots. Soak the roots in water three to six hours. Most important, do not let the roots get dry.

Now you can start digging the hole to plant the tree. Make the hole much bigger around than seems necessary, so the roots will have plenty of room to spread-out and grow. Get rid of all the grasses in a 3 foot circular area. Then, turn the soil in an area up to three feet in diameter.  This is to aid in root growth. Hold up the tree and position it in the center of the hole. Make sure that the tree is at the same depth it stood in the nursery. After planting, the root flare must be above the ground level. Again not crowding the roots, partially fill with the soil that was dug from the hole. Firm it around the lower roots. Do not add anything, such as peat moss or bark. Put in the remaining soil, firm the soil, but not tight. Make a water holding basin around the tree. Give the tree plenty of water. Let it soak in. Then, mulch to a depth of 2-4 inches with organic material such as wood chips or bark pieces. Put the mulch in an area three feet in diameter around the tree, but do not let it touch the trunk.  Generously water the tree every week or ten days, in dry weather, for the first year. Water slowly and do it at the drip line of the trees canopy.

A young tree’s best friend is mulch. It retains moisture, prevents grasses from getting around the tree, insulates the soil, prevents soil compaction, keeps down lawnmower damage, and makes an aesthetic look to a yard or street. In the spring, remove some of the mulch that may be three to four inches deep. Two inches is good around the tree until it is well established. One of the main errors in planting that cause bare rooted trees to die is planting too deeply.   As mentioned before in this article the root flare must be above the level of the soil after the soil has had time to settle.