Three more workshops are slated on the Sussex Co. Master Gardener summer/fall schedule. All are free, except where noted, and will be in the Carvel Center building, except where noted. Register by contacting Karen Adams at 302-856-2585 ext. 540/ adams@udel.edu or online at http://ag.udel.edu/rec/Extension/MasterGardeners/ workshopreg.html. On the workshop list are:
Color for All Seasons – Lisa Arni – Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m.
Beauty and the Beets – Tracy Mulveny – Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
Hands-On Holiday Arrangement – Mary Noel – Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. –
Cost is $8. Class size is limited to 30.
Monday, October 11, 2010
MASTER GARDENER CLASS
Applications are now being accepted−for the next Master Gardener class that will begin in September 2011. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2011. The application form can be downloaded from the website http://ag.udel.edu/rec/Extension/MasterGardeners/MGTraining.html.
KENT COUNTY FALL WORKSHOPS
All workshops in Kent Co. are free, excepted where noted, and are held at the Paradee Center, except where noted. Please call the Paradee Center to register at 302-730-4000.
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Growing Bulbs – Ellen Scheel and Eileen Wells – Friday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Corn Husk Wreaths – Marilyn McFarlin – Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. – Class size limited to 15. Cost: $7.
Feeding the Birds – presenter to be announced – Thursday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.
Making a Christmas Centerpiece – Pat Renfrow – Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 6:30 p.m. Cost: $10.
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Growing Bulbs – Ellen Scheel and Eileen Wells – Friday, Oct. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Corn Husk Wreaths – Marilyn McFarlin – Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. – Class size limited to 15. Cost: $7.
Feeding the Birds – presenter to be announced – Thursday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m.
Making a Christmas Centerpiece – Pat Renfrow – Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 6:30 p.m. Cost: $10.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
SEPTEMBER GARDENING CALENDER
First week in September:
• 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.
• Start tomato plant indoors in a peat pot. Select a short-day variety such as ‘Pixie.’ When large enough, transplant into 3 ½ -inch or larger pot and place in the sunniest window. Water and feed it regularly, and tomatoes will be ready for Christmas dinner.
Second Week:
• Collect and dry herb blossoms, grasses and seed pods to decorate holiday wreaths.
• Start cuttings from geraniums and begonias.
• Start new begonias by digging and dividing roots. Use a sharp knife to slice through the root system. When dividing, each division should have three or four buds (the small pinkish-colored buds at the crown of the roots). When planting new roots and buds, do not place the tops deeper than two inches below the soil surface; otherwise, the plant will produce foliage but may seldom bloom. Provide moisture to promote new root growth.
Third Week:
• 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 winter cover crops can be planted from Sept. 1 through Nov. 1.
• Take 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.
Final Week:
• 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 5-6 inches; for daffodils, 5-7 inches; 3-4 inches for hyacinths; and 1 ½ -3 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.
• Take poinsettia inside. It is best to repot into a similar but slightly larger container, using a regular commercial potting soil. Place in a warm sunny window.
• Don’t wait for frost warnings to take houseplants indoors. For many tropical houseplants, night temperatures of 50 deg. or lower can cause damage. Check all houseplants for pests and diseases and repot if needed.
• 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.
• Start tomato plant indoors in a peat pot. Select a short-day variety such as ‘Pixie.’ When large enough, transplant into 3 ½ -inch or larger pot and place in the sunniest window. Water and feed it regularly, and tomatoes will be ready for Christmas dinner.
Second Week:
• Collect and dry herb blossoms, grasses and seed pods to decorate holiday wreaths.
• Start cuttings from geraniums and begonias.
• Start new begonias by digging and dividing roots. Use a sharp knife to slice through the root system. When dividing, each division should have three or four buds (the small pinkish-colored buds at the crown of the roots). When planting new roots and buds, do not place the tops deeper than two inches below the soil surface; otherwise, the plant will produce foliage but may seldom bloom. Provide moisture to promote new root growth.
Third Week:
• 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 winter cover crops can be planted from Sept. 1 through Nov. 1.
• Take 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.
Final Week:
• 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 5-6 inches; for daffodils, 5-7 inches; 3-4 inches for hyacinths; and 1 ½ -3 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.
• Take poinsettia inside. It is best to repot into a similar but slightly larger container, using a regular commercial potting soil. Place in a warm sunny window.
• Don’t wait for frost warnings to take houseplants indoors. For many tropical houseplants, night temperatures of 50 deg. or lower can cause damage. Check all houseplants for pests and diseases and repot if needed.
Friday, July 30, 2010
AUGUST GARDENING
First Week in August:
Now is the ideal time to take pictures and plan for next year’s vegetable and flower gardens.
Order your spring flowering bulbs.
Check your garden plants, shrubs, flowers and trees for diseases and insect pests.
Begin planning and planting your fall vegetables, such as lettuce, radishes, kale, spinach, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and peas.
Pinch back to remove dead heads from annuals.
Mid-August:
Collect materials for dried flower arrangements, including weeds, flowers, marsh grasses and foliage.
Prepare lawn or lawn areas that are going to be seeded.
Harvest ripened vegetables. Sweet corn is ready when ears feel full and firm and the silks have turned brown and dry; cantaloupes are ready to eat when stems slip or separate easily from the fruit.
Feed roses for the last time.
Check azaleas, if they are beginning to look pale green to yellow. This is called chloritic. Check soil pH. These acid-loving plants may need to be fed.
Late August:
Grapes that are ripening now perish easily, so keep refrigerated after harvesting.
Inspect trunks and branches of dogwoods and other trees for injured bark or fine dust pushed from burrows in trunk by borers.
Plant new lawns or reseed bare spots in old lawns. This can be done until Sept. 30 in Delaware. If it’s dry, be sure to water newly seeded lawns daily.
Now is the ideal time to take pictures and plan for next year’s vegetable and flower gardens.
Order your spring flowering bulbs.
Check your garden plants, shrubs, flowers and trees for diseases and insect pests.
Begin planning and planting your fall vegetables, such as lettuce, radishes, kale, spinach, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and peas.
Pinch back to remove dead heads from annuals.
Mid-August:
Collect materials for dried flower arrangements, including weeds, flowers, marsh grasses and foliage.
Prepare lawn or lawn areas that are going to be seeded.
Harvest ripened vegetables. Sweet corn is ready when ears feel full and firm and the silks have turned brown and dry; cantaloupes are ready to eat when stems slip or separate easily from the fruit.
Feed roses for the last time.
Check azaleas, if they are beginning to look pale green to yellow. This is called chloritic. Check soil pH. These acid-loving plants may need to be fed.
Late August:
Grapes that are ripening now perish easily, so keep refrigerated after harvesting.
Inspect trunks and branches of dogwoods and other trees for injured bark or fine dust pushed from burrows in trunk by borers.
Plant new lawns or reseed bare spots in old lawns. This can be done until Sept. 30 in Delaware. If it’s dry, be sure to water newly seeded lawns daily.
Kent Co. Master Gardeners Award Scholarships
Three students have each received a $1,000 scholarship from the Kent Co. Master Gardeners. The scholarships, funded solely from profits from the annual Plant Sale in April, were awarded at a dinner meeting at the Paradee Center. Earning the scholarships were: Nathan Adamson from Dover, who will be a junior at the University of Delaware, studying plant science with a minor in biology and landscape horticulture; Lindsey Bethard from Magnolia, who will be a sophomore at the University of Delaware, studying Agriculture Education; and Amanda Fabi from Felton, who will enter the University of Delaware in the fall planning to major in Animal Biotechnology/Wildlife Biology. According to Kathleen Berhalter, chair of the scholarship committee, these students were chosen from “an impressive field of applicants.” They all came with high grade point averages and excellent recommendations.
Applications for Class of 2011 Kent/Sussex Co.
Applications are now being accepted−and some have already been submitted−for the next Master Gardener class that will begin in September 2011. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2011. The application form can be downloaded from the website http://ag.udel.edu/rec/Extension/MasterGardeners/MGTraining.html
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