Workshops Continue

Master Gardeners in Kent Co. will sponsor two more workshops this fall. All workshops will be held in the Paradee Center. Call Jan Unflat at 302-730-4000 to register. Offered are:

Hollies for Delaware Gardens – Dr. Susan Yost Thursday Nov 12 6-7pm

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Make a Holiday Wreath – Pat Renfrow – Thursday, Dec. 3 from 1-3 p.m. Class limited to 15.

To register for Sussex Co. Master Gardener Workshops, contact Karen Adams at 302-856-2585 ext. 540/adams@udel.edu. The workshops are free. On the list are:

Gourds and Pumpkins – Ingrid Hetfield – Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. at the Carvel Center.

Holiday Decorating Tips and Techniques – Lisa Arni & Virginia Wright – Thursday, Nov.12 1pm

Fall Basket

I have been enjoying working around the gardens cutting back perennials and annuals that soon will be gone with a hard frost. I gathered these colorful stems from millet, crepe myrtle, burning bush, fire bush and dill and to make this arrangement in one of my favorite baskets. The gourd was dried several years ago. Together they make a colorful fall arrangement and will be a nice welcome to friends and trick or treaters (well, maybe their parents!).

Marilyn McFarlin, Master Gardener

Gardening Calender Final Week of September

Keep strawberry beds weed free. Every weed pulled now will make weeding
much easier next spring.

¨ When planting spring bulbs, the depth of planting varies with the size of the bulb; for example, tulips are about five to six inches, four to seven inches for daffodils, three to four inches for hyacinths and one and one-half to three inches for small bulbs. A good rule of thumb when planting bulbs is to set them three times as deep as the bulbs’ greatest width.

¨ Bring poinsettia inside. It is best to repot into a similar but slightly larger container, using a regular commercial potting soil. Then, place in a warm, sunny window.

¨ Don’t wait for frost warnings to bring houseplants indoors. For many tropical houseplants, night temperatures of 50^oF or lower, can cause damage. Check all houseplants for pests and diseases and repot if needed.

Gardening Calender Second Week of September

Plant evergreens. To transplant needle-leaf or cone-bearing evergreens, be sure
plants have adequate rootballs.

Clean up garden debris and add to compost pile or turn under vegetation. To
improve soil structure and decrease erosion during the winter, plant a cover crop. These wintercover crops can be planted from September 1 through November 1.¨ Bring in Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus and place on a cool porch or cool part of the house. Do not water for four weeks so that buds can set. After that time, fertilize well and resume weekly watering.

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Gardening Calender First Week of September

Start a compost pile using any disease-free plant material from flower and vegetable gardens (do not use weeds that have gone to seed), grass clippings, and pruned pieces from trees and shrubs (keep in mind, the smaller the piece of material, the faster the decomposition or breakdown).

¨ Have soil tested to determine the amount of lime and fertilizer required and apply to lawn area.

¨ Space strawberry runner plants about six inches apart. Pull out extra plants.

Harvest vine-ripened vegetables from plants that continue to produce.

¨ Start tomato plant indoors in a peat pot. Select a short-day variety like “Pixie”. When large enough, transplant into three and one-half inch or larger pot and place in the sunniest window. Water and feed it regularly and tomatoes will be ready for Christmas dinner.

Maggie Moor Orth

Delaware Cooperative Extension, Delaware State University¨

These pictures are of the spittlebug hidden inside the foam on goldenrod in my yard.

The spittlebug is a tiny green bug with black eyes. Juvenile bugs produce foam on plant leaves and stems as they feed. A nymph excretes this foam-like substance from its anus. The foam protects it from predators and extreme temperatures. Adults do not produce spittle.

No control is really necessary. Wash the plant off with the garden hose. For heavy infestations, chemicals can be used, one of them being malathion. Read the label on the bottle and follow instructions.

Sharon Cohee

Kent County Demonstration Garden Open House

The Kent County Demonstration Gardens will be open to the public on Wednesday August 12
from 6-8 pm. They are located at the Delaware State University's Smyrna Outreach and Research Center on Smyrna Leipsic Rd. Come and get some ideas for your garden