by Linda Heideman, Somervell County Master Gardener

 

Sometimes the bounty from our gardens is way too much!!  Got Too Many Tomatoes??  You know you can easily freeze tomatoes without the fuss of canning, and they will also taste fresher than canned.  Simply wash, pat dry, place whole tomatoes in freezer zip-lok bags, suck out the air with a straw, seal, and freeze. When you thaw them, the skins will slip right off, and they are ready to go into  a hot tomato bisque, tomato soup,  homemade spaghetti sauce, or your very own hot salsa (yum, yum) .  So on a dreary, cold winter day, put another log on the fire and enjoy your creations.

Children’s Herb Workshop
(K-6^th grade)
3 Saturdays, June 10, 17, 24
9:00-10:00 a.m.

 June 10 – Lavender
June 17 – Mint
June 24 – Basil & Oregano

 Paint a pot, then join The Master Gardeners and learn to plant and grow the herb of the week, and, finally, taste the herb in a dish at Sweet Magnolia Market!

$10 per class
limit 10 per class

Reserve your spot in advance at Sweet Magnolia Market!
603 Austin St., Glen Rose, TX 76043

Juniper and cypress varieties hit hard by blight                  

May 10, 2017

• Writer: Adam Russell, 903-834-6191, adam.russell@ag.tamu.edu
• Contact: Dr. Kevin Ong, 979-845-8000, kevo@tamu.edu, Zach A Davis, 254-897-2809

Reprinted from AgriLife Today

COLLEGE STATION – It’s been a tough 2017 so far for juniper and cypress varieties used in landscapes, as pests and diseases make the rounds, causing blight and tree die-offs.

A line of Leyland Cypress trees in Dallas shows signs of blight. Dr. Kevin Ong, director of the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, suspects their decline is due to abiotic stress. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photo by Dr. Kevin Ong)

Kevin Ong, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service plant pathologist and director of the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, said there are several different possible disease or pest issues plaguing juniper and cypress varieties around the state, from the Gulf Coast to Central, North and East Texas.

Complaints and questions have surrounded symptoms including brown dying trees, foliage that looks grayish brown, one side of the tree is dead, brown patches in the tree and many more, Ong said.

Ong said weather has played a significant role in pest and disease problems that have progressed over the past two months.

“We’re seeing a lot of funky symptoms,” he said. “Diagnosis have ranged from specific fungal diseases to pests or a combination of things.”

The warm winter may have allowed spider mites to emerge much earlier than normal, he said. In a typical year, spider mites can become a summertime issue, but this year there were reports of infestations in early March.

Spider mites feed on trees, weaken them and expose them  to pathogens, causing the dead brown patch appearance on trees, Ong said.

Two freeze events following warm conditions also may have damaged the actively growing trees, he said. The freezes may have opened spots for pathogens, such as various fungal canker pathogens, to enter and infect trees.

Significant rain events may also have drowned trees after root systems became waterlogged, Ong said.  Wet soils can also predispose the tree to Phytophthora root rot, which can lead to dead trees.

Ong suspects Seiridium canker is one of the main culprits, though he did say multiple fungal diseases have been identified in trees. This canker causes branch dieback, resulting in an unsightly tree. Another common fungal disease that is observed is Botryosphaeria canker, which causes somewhat similar symptoms to seiridium canker.

There are no effective chemical controls available for these fungal canker diseases, Ong said. The best way to avoid canker is to help the tree avoid stresses. Prune out infected twigs and branches. Be sure to sterilize the pruning equipment with bleach following each cut. If the canker occurs on the trunk, consider removing the tree.

“We’re getting a lot of questions, mostly from people utilizing these varieties for landscaping, because they are seeing changes in their plants,” he said. “It’s hard to explain when so many things are happening, but it hasn’t slowed down and I don’t expect it to slow down.”

For more information, go to the https://www.facebook.com/TXPlantClinic.

-30-

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups finely chopped zucchini, not necessary to peel

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Add oil to beaten eggs. Beat in sugar. Stir in zucchini, pineapple and vanilla.

Measure the dry ingredients together, and add gradually to first mixture, mixing well.

Add the pecans last, stirring in gently.

Prepare loaf pans with cooking spray.

Pour batter into loaf pans, filling slightly over half full.

Bake at 350 degrees.  9 x 5 loaf pans require 60-70 minutes.

by  MaryAnn Steele, Somervell County Master Gardener

The average cow produces 27,000 pounds of manure a year, a horse 18,000 pounds.  Eighty percent of nutrients fed to a milk cow ends up in excrement, while as much as 90% of the nutrients used to fatten hogs and cattle ends up on the ground.  Urine from most farm animals contains more nitrogen than does their manure.

A ton of cow manure has NPK values equal to 100 pounds of 12-3-9 chemical fertilizer, horse manure 14-5-11 and chicken manure 20-16-9.  There is much more value in manure than the relative amounts nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potash (K) it contains.  Garden soil needs organic matter to be healthy and manure, unlike chemical fertilizers, provides organic matter and trace elements to the soil.

Horse manure is considered to be more valuable than other manures.  It is higher in nitrogen than cow or hog.  Sheep manure is high in nitrogen.  Rabbit manure compost is thought to be one of the best amendments to garden soil.  Cow manure is plentiful and readily available.

Have your soil tested and use the manure that makes the most sense based on availability, cost, and convenience.  “Free” manure from the horse stable or dairy barn makes good sense.  Poultry and rabbit manure can be recycled on location if raised next to a garden.

There are many commercial products made from or containing manures that are widely available, come in bags, and are very user-friendly.

 

 

 

by Linda Heideman, Somervell County Master Gardener

The Texas State Master Gardener Annual Convention was partially held on Galveston Island last week, and I am in love again!  I walked around Moody Gardens, gazed at lawns as we drove through neighborhoods, and marveled at the official city flower in bloom everywhere.

Ah! The Oleander!!  Thousands of blooms on hundreds of shrubs used in all sizes, some small enough to be borders on beds, ranging to others as tall as a house and as big around as a car!  The colors of the blossoms were breathtaking in shades of red, pink, yellow, white, coral, or fuchsia.

Native to the Mediterranean region, this shrub has so much going for it. It’s evergreen. It’s easy. It’s tough. It offers weeks of beautiful single or double flowers in a huge range of colors, and it prefers our alkaline soil.  The only thing that holds it back is tenderness to cold.  But especially hardy selections, such as ‘Hardy Pink’ and ‘Hardy Red,’ can be successfully planted and enjoyed for years to come as far north as Glen Rose, Texas.  If shrubs are protected, planted on the south side of the house, for instance, and heavily mulched, they should withstand a limited duration of temps below 20 degrees.  If all the branches die to the ground, the roots are probably still alive, and the fast-growing shrub will come back and bloom again in spring.  There will be some unsightly dead limbs to cut back, but it doesn’t happen every year and it’s worth the effort to enjoy the oleander.

It’s poisonous!  What?  No!  Yes, it is.  It will make you sick if you eat it, so don’t eat it!  Wear gloves when you trim it, and don’t burn the trimmings.  The fumes are poisonous, too.  Don’t worry.  Apparently animals know.  Deer won’t touch it.  The leaves are tough and leathery – not a bit appetizing!  Looking at it won’t hurt at all.  Enjoy!

Jalapeno Jelly

The sweetness of the sugar and the tang of the cider vinegar are the perfect complement to the heat of the peppers.  This is very tasty on hot biscuits or cornbread or poured over cream cheese for a festive dip.  Also good served with chicken, pork roast or lamb.

12 ounces Jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and deveined
2 cups apple cider vinegar, divided
6 cups granulated sugar
2 pouches (3oz. each) liquid pectin
Green food coloring (optional)

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids as directed.
2. In a blender or food processor puree peppers and one cup of vinegar until smooth.
3. In a large deep stainless steel pan combine pepper puree, remaining vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly for 10 minutes. Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for one minute. Remove from heat, stir in food color, if using, and skim off foam.
4. Pour hot jelly into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rim, center lid on jar and place band on jar, finger tight only.
5. Place jars in canner and bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, wait 5 minutes and remove jars. Allow to cool and store.

Wear gloves when working with peppers!

For a hotter jelly:  save the seeds and pepper veins and place them in a cheesecloth bag.  Cook with the peppers.  Discard before adding the pectin.

For Red Pepper Jelly:  substitute coarsely chopped red bell peppers for the jalapenos.  Add red or yellow food coloring, if desired.