GARDEN PEST CALENDER

Garden Pest scouting calendar to help you know when to look for common pests before they become a problem. Keep in mind the times are approximate. Pest emergence also depends on weather temperatures and conditions.

GENERAL PESTS, APPROXIMATE TIME TO CHECK FOR TREATMENT

Bagworm	Late May – Early June
Scale	Early March – April Female eggs (Adult)	May – Early June (Crawler
Borer	Mid-May to Mid-June (Larvae)
Aphid	Early May to September Adult and Nymph
Whitefly	Early May to September (Adult)
Spider Mites	March – April (Egg)	May to September (Adult)
Thrips	May to June (Adult)
White Grubs	Mid-April – Mid-June (Larvae)	Late June – Mid-August (Adult)	Mid-August – Late September (Larvae)
Tent Caterpillars	Early-April and Mid-May (Larvae)
Japanese Beetle	Mid-April – Mid-June (Larvae)	Late-June – Mid-August (Adult)	Mid-August – Late September (Larvae)
Leafhoppers	Mid-April – Early June (Adult and Nymph)
Cutworm	Mid-April – Early June (Larvae)
Lacebug	Early May – September (Adult)
Caterpillars	May to September (Larvae)
Leafminer	Early Spring (Egg)	April – June (Larvae)	Autumn (Egg)
Nantucket Pine Tip Moth	Early April – August (Larvae)
European Pine Shoot Moth	April (Larvae)	Mid-June (Larvae)

For more information on any of these pest call your local Extension Office. 302 730 4000

Maggie L. Moor-Orth, Delaware Cooperative Extension,Delaware State University

KENT COUNTY SUMMER WORKSHOPS

The summer series of Kent Co. Master Gardener workshops will be at the Paradee Center

and will be free, unless otherwise noted. On the schedule:

Pesky Critters and Insects – Thursday, June 30 at 6:30 p.m.

Make Your Own Garden Art – Learn to make hypertufa leaves.Monday, July 11 at 12 noon at Wendy Aycoth’s home at 3651 Killens Pond Rd., Harrington, DE.Rain date: Tuesday, July 12. Cost: $10.Upon registration, you will be mailed a list of supplies to bring with you. Wear old clothes.

The Fall Garden – Thursday, Aug. 4 at 6:30 p.m.

More Than a Pressed Flower – Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 6:30 p.m.

Canning 101 – Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 6:30 p.m. Cost: $5.

Mail your payments toUniversity of Delaware, Kent Co. Cooperative Extension,Master Gardener Workshops,

69 Transportation Circle, Dover, DE 19901

During the month of May and early June, many of the Farmers Markets and on Farm markets throughout the state of Delaware will be opening, and farmers will be bringing their fresh produce for many of us to purchase. How lucky we are, because meeting and getting to know our farmers means we know our food. Buying local ensures we have really fresh food and a great way to keep our small farmers in business. It is important to remember that vegetables are usually at their best quality and price at the peak of their season. Purchasing produce when in season also ensures its freshness. Always check the characteristic signs of freshness: crispness, uniform color, firmness, blemish free and dryness. The difference in these qualities means the difference in price and quality grades furnished by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). Equally important to remember is that vegetables grow in a great variety and provide vitamins and minerals.

Because fresh vegetables have individual characteristics and values, there are no set rules for buying them. Personal experience is probably the best teacher. However, the following list is designed as a handy reference when purchasing certain vegetables:

Beans (Snap): Look for fresh, bright appearance with good color. Purchase young, tender beans with pods that are firm and crisp. Thick, tough fibrous pods indicate over-maturity.

Beets: Should be firm with a deep red color, and have a round taproot. In most cases beets are sold in a bunch with tops attached. The condition of the tops is a good judge of their freshness. Avoid wilted and flabby beets.

Broccoli: Look for a compact cluster of flowers that is firm, green and sometimes has a purplish cast. Avoid yellow-opened buds or wilted clusters.

Carrots: Should be well-colored, firm, well-formed and smooth. The tops if attached, should be fresh and have a good green color.

Corn: Pick ears that are well covered with plump, but not too mature kernels. Husks should be green and the silk-ends should be free of decay or worm damage.

Cucumbers: Look for a completely firm, well-developed good green-colored fruit. Avoid overgrown, large-in-diameter, withered and dull green-colored cucumbers.

Peppers: Look for peppers with a deep characteristic color (peppers come in a variety of colors like: purple, green, yellow, white, orange and red), glossy sheen, firm-walled, and relatively heavy weight. Avoid a pepper that is wilted or soft.

Potatoes: Potatoes should be firm, smooth, free of blemishes and sprouts, free of the green discoloration under the skin . Avoid potatoes with large cuts, or that are shriveled, bruised and/or decayed.

Squash (summer): Look for somewhat young, small, firm, glossy , blemish and pit-free skin, and tender fruit.

Tomatoes: Look for a smooth, firm (but not hard), well ripened fruit, with a deep color, and reasonably blemish free.

Remember, Delaware vegetable producers will be harvesting freshly grown products soon. Therefore, buy when vegetables are in season; the prices will be more reasonable.

Buy only what you can eat or store for two to five days (root vegetables can be stored longer). Handle produce carefully because vegetables bruise easily. At the point of sale, you are the best judge of vegetable quality.

Enjoy Delaware’s best and remember: Know your farm; you’ll know your food. You can find a list of local Delaware Farmers Markets on the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s website at http://dda.delaware.gov/marketing/DE_FRMVENS.shtml.

BUTTERFLY/MOTH FACTS

I thought you may want to know more about butterflies and moths that visit your landscapes. The following are some butterfly and/or moth facts:

{ They both belong to the Lepidoptera (Scale winged) family

{ There are 20,000 different butterfly families and more than 240,000 moth families. Most live in the tropical rainforest

{ Both have a complete or 4-stage metamorphosis (when they move through a life stage change they look different than when they become an adult)

{ Adults have sucking mouth parts

{ They have compound eyes (hundreds of lenses that each focuses on a small area of the surrounding environment)

{ The proboscis is a long, straw-like tube that unrolls from the head when the butterfly’s feet land on the flower surface to eat or that sits on water for drinking

{ The antennae extend out of the front side of the head between the eyes. The insect uses these as a nose, for mating and for balancing while flying

{ In the immature or larval stage, they have chewing mouth parts (they do not bite, but hairs on some may sting)

{ They have six segmented legs

{ They have four wings which are composed of two membrane layers supported by tubular veins and covered by thousands of colorful scales (moth’s are thicker, making them look furry)

{ Colors are for attracting mates (males are usually brighter), warning predators or providing camouflage. Birds, bats, spiders, dragonflies, praying mantis, and mice love to eat butterflies and moths

{ The bright yellow and black, orange, or red colors tell other predators that they may bite, sting or taste bad. Their colors look like colors on less edible species

{ Butterflies usually lay one egg at a time on the specific host plant leaves and/or stems (coating them with an adhesive that fastens them to the leaf) – they hatch about five days later

{ Eggs from different butterflies have their own unique shape and color

{ At hatching, caterpillars eat their egg shell and then eat lots and lots of leaves from the host plant

{ After weeks of eating and growing, the caterpillar leaves the host plant and searches for a hiding place (bush, tall grass, piles of leaves or sticks, under siding on homes)

{ Inside the chrysalis, the larva changes into a butterfly – which takes only a few weeks

{ After the adult butterfly emerges, it looks for another butterfly to mate with

{ After mating, the female lays her eggs

{ Adult butterflies only live for about two weeks

{ When cold weather arrives some butterflies migrate to warmer areas (the Monarch migrates to only 12 mountaintop sites in Mexico)

I hope you find these facts as interesting as I did. And the next time you have butterflies and moths visiting your flowers, you may want to pay closer attention to these very interesting insects.

JUNE GARDENING CALENDER

For the first week of June:

• Check your bedding plants; remove old flower heads to prolong the blooming period. Also, pinch mums for bushier plants.
• Make another planting of vegetables, such as sweet corn and snap beans.
• Thin out vegetable plantings, for instance, beets and lettuce.
• Feed your roses every month until early August with ¼ cup of 10-10-10 per plant.
• A second pruning of new growth on your evergreens may be made to maintain shape and size.
• Continue your fruit tree sprays as scheduled.

For the second week of June:

• Prune spring flowering shrubs after blooming is finished.
• Spray your mimosa and honey locust for web worms. Look for small clumps of leaves tied together with silk threads scattered over the tree. Upon closer examination, the upper surface of the leaves are skeletonized. The leaves turn brown and die, which will make the tree look as if it has been scorched by a fire.
• Take care of your newly planted trees and shrubs. They should receive a thorough soaking each week. Mulch to conserve moisture.

For the third week of June:

• Control aphids and other pests on vegetables by removing, spraying or washing.
• Place cages or stakes to support growing tomato plants. Cages or trellises work well for growing cucumbers, too.
• Be careful trimming grass around young trees and shrubs when using weed eaters. The young tender bark on these plants can be broken easily, resulting in injury to the water-transporting tissue and creating openings for insects and disease to enter.

For the fourth week of June:

• Continue spraying your roses and fruit trees.
• Thin out flowers where they are growing too close together.
• Check your ornamentals for scale insects; these need to be treated, if present.
• Mid to late June is a great time to start new plants from soft wood cuttings of shrubs, such as azalea, spirea, boxwood, camellia, hydrangea, etc.
• Mow and fertilize strawberries after fruiting.

SUSSEX COUNTY WORKSHOPS

Workshops through June in the winter-spring series will be presented by Sussex Co. Master Gardeners. The workshops are free and are at the Carvel Center. Please contact Tammy Schirmer to register at 302-856-2585 ext. 544/tammys@udel.edu or register online at http://ag.udel.edu/rec/Extension/MasterGardeners/workshopreg.html. On the list are:

Master Gardener Panel – Thursday, May 12 at 1 p.m.

Accessible Gardening – Bob Williams – Thursday, June 9 at 10 a.m. in the Carvel Center and in the Demonstration Garden, weather permitting.

Hostas – Vickie Thompson – Thursday, June 16 at 7 p.m.

The County Gardener

By: Maggie L. Moor-Orth

Delaware Cooperative Extension

Delaware State University

If you are like me and don’t get around to plant your vegetable garden until May 15^th, you may want to consider trying companion planting this year.

Basically, companion planting is the practice of placing plants close to each other so that they may help each plant grow better. Gardeners who practice companion planting do this more as a tradition, but in recent years, there have been studies done on this subject. Companion plants can be grown in several ways:

1. Intercropping, which is growing companion plants to attract or repel bugs between plants or in rows neighboring plants. It is also done to make better use of soil nutrients. Some examples are:

· Planting chives or garlic between rows of peas or lettuce is thought to help control aphids.· Marigolds planted in the same row to grow between hills of cucumbers, squashes, or melons should help reduce the cucumber beetle.· The roots of the marigold also produce and give off a chemical that kills soil nematodes that attack potatoes, strawberries, roses and various bulbs.

· Nasturtiums also help control the cucumber beetle when interplanted with cucumbers.

· Peanuts planted in a neighboring row with corn or squash makes use of soil nutrients.

· Chives grown between roses should help reduce the occurrence of aphids.

· Tansy herbs planted between cabbage rows are believed to help control cabbageworms and cutworms. It is also known that growing tansy around door openings helps keep ants out of the house.

· Strips of clover or alfalfa between rows of corn make use of soil nutrients.

2. As border and barrier plants, your companion plants are grown along one or more boundaries or edges in your garden to attract, create a home and breeding space for, and to feed beneficial insects “good bugs” or to repel pests “bad bugs.” Some examples of these are:

· Prostrate rosemary planted around flowerbeds helps keep slugs and snails from causing damage to your flowers.

· Nectar-producing flowering herbs and flower plants (summer savory, nasturtiums, marigold, and basil to name a few) attract and support beneficial activities.

It is important to have a variety of plants or one variety that will bloom all growing season long to ensure a steady supply of pollen for the beneficial insects to eat.

If you would like more information on companion planting, there are many books available; for example, Carrots Love Tomatoes, Roses Love Garlic, or Sleeping with a Sunflower. All three of these are written by Louise Riotte. You may also try Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening.

When you finally get into the soil and plant, don’t forget to do a drawing of your garden, complete with names of companion plants. Leave room in the margins to jot down notes on the effectiveness of the companion plants during the growing season, such as, did they attract beneficial insects or did they repel any pests? This will help you in planning next year’s garden by knowing where to move or rotate the crops.

Lastly, if this is the first time you are trying companion planting in your garden, the more information you have and learn will help you decide if you want to join the many other companion planting gardeners.