Center for Urban Agriculture – Page 37 – Empowering Georgia through UGA Extension

Great Gardening Books for Georgia Community Gardeners

November 30, 2015December 10, 2014 by Becky Griffin

When the weather is bleak and you can’t play in the garden, it is the perfect time for a good book. Just in time for holiday gift giving (or receiving) we have put together a reading list full of recommendations from serious Georgia vegetable gardeners.

Fred Conrad, Community Gardens Manager with the Atlanta Community Food Bank, likes Your Farm in the City by Seattle Tilth and Lisa Taylor as a general reference. It is a well-organized book covering the basics of growing food in urban environments and even raising farm animals. For people that are cheap (Fred’s word!) Fred recommends The Resourceful Gardener’s Guide by Christine Bucks and Fern Marshall Bradley. It is full of homemade gadgets and hints for gardeners.

Groundbreaking Food Gardens and The Year Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour are two favorites of Ramoa Hemmings, Senior Horticulturist at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Groundbreaking Food Gardens is a collection of seventy-three interesting food gardens. It is a great book for inspiration. In The Year Round Vegetable Gardener the author gives readers tips and techniques for growing food all four seasons. Ramoa also recommends Starter Vegetable Gardens by Barbara Pleasant.

Liz Stultz, a serious gardener, cook, and food preservationist likes Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. This book has been around for awhile and explores growing food in small, organized spaces. Liz uses the spacing guides for her raised bed garden and says her copy is stained with dirt and water marks from being using IN the garden.

Suzanne Girdner, Atlanta Local Food Initiative (ALFI) director says that her book recommendation would be The Complete Garden Kitchen by Ellen Ecker Ogden. She bought this book three years ago and it travels between the garden and kitchen regularly. Ogden’s approach to designing and building a kitchen garden is not only inspiring but doable. It delivers simple, concisely written instruction, is beautifully illustrated and has many delicious recipes to celebrate the fruits of your labor!

For community gardens wanting to expand their fruit plants, ALFI is having their 6th Annual Fruit Tree Sale on Saturday, January 24, 2015 from 11am-2pm at Georgia Organics, 200-A Ottley Dr., Atlanta, GA 30324. Presale is open now through Jan. 9th.

Liz Porter of Buckeye Creek Farm likes Walter Reeves’ Guide to Georgia Vegetable Growing. Liz likes the easy to understand language of Walter’s books and she likes anything he writes.

Amy Whitney, who works in horticulture at Cobb Extension, recommends Carol Deppe’s The Resilient Gardener. This book emphasizes the use of new scientific information in gardening practices. Amy also likes Culinary and Salad Herbs by Eleanor Sinclair Rhode. This is an older book first published in 1940 given to Amy by a great uncle. Books definitely can have sentimental value, can’t they?

So, what are you reading? What are some of your favorite vegetable gardening books? Leave a comment and share your literary finds with other gardeners.

Happy Reading!

Getting the most from pansies and violas in the landscape

November 30, 2015December 3, 2014 by Willie Chance

Info is taken from the Georgia Guide for Production and Landscape Use of Pansy and Violas by Paul A. Thomas and Jean L. Williams-Woodward, Extension Specialists, UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Here are some tips on care for pansies and violas in the landscape from this publication.

Maintain a soil pH of 5.4 to 6.2. If your pH rises above 6.2, you will run into nutritional and disease problems. If your pH falls below 5.2, you risk nutrient toxicities.

Use fertilizer containing the nitrate (NO₃) form of nitrogen (as opposed to ammoniacal nitrogen (NH₄) or urea) Nitrate is taken up more readily in cold weather, and it does not cause as much stretching in hot weather. Products such as 15-2-20, and other products especially formulated for pansies have enhanced nitrate over ammoniacal nitrogen ratios, possess low phosphorus, and generally have the fertilizer elements in the right ratios for pansies.

If you use calcium nitrate [Ca(NO3)2] as a nitrogen source without added boron, you run the risk of saturating the plant with calcium. This abundance of calcium can cause a boron deficiency since calcium blocks boron uptake by the roots. Frequent irrigation and use of less-expensive fertilizers without balanced trace elements can also cause serious boron imbalances. A boron deficiency appears as tightly bunched up new growth that eventually leads to deformed leaves and poor flowering. If you need to supplement Boron, use a drench by mixing 0.85g borax (11%B) or 0.48g Solubor(20%B) per 100 gallons of water.

Boron deficiency in pansies

Carefully monitor irrigation and keep pansies slightly on the “dry side of moist soil” to “harden” growth prior to very cold weather. If your beds are continuously wet, even in periods of normal rainfall, consider adding organic matter and other materials next year to increase drainage for the next pansy season.

Pine straw, applied 2 to 4 inches thick, over the top of the entire bed (plants and all) during extreme cold is one of the best ways to save a pansy planting from freeze injury. This helps trap heat in the soil, prevents it from freezing and greatly reduces plant exposure to cold and desiccating wind. Carefully rake the pine straw off the bed when the cold weather passes.
These freeze protection measures are generally taken only when the air temperature is expected to drop below 20 degrees F for a considerable length of time, and when dry, cold winds accompany the weather change, and especially when the soil is in jeopardy of freezing solid. Healthy plants can generally survive short periods of temperatures down to the single digits without protection.

The publication also includes information on diseases, in-depth soil and plant fertility info and other good sources of information. See the entire publication.

Healthy Georgia Soil 101

November 30, 2015December 3, 2014 by Becky Griffin

Healthy plants start with healthy soil. Period. No exceptions. You will be more happy with yields and vegetable quality if you start with good soil. You will deal with frustration and possibly more disease and pest problems if you ignore your soil.

Soil is NOT just dirt. It is alive and complex. It is a relationship of soil minerals, organic matter, organisms, water, air, and plants. The mineral component is made up of a mixture of sand, silt, and clay. Organic matter is important as it contributes to moisture and nutrient retention. Soil is a habitat for fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes, algae, protozoa, nematode, and earthworms and small mammals. All this is important to the health of your plants.

Sometimes cities and municipalities donate land for community gardens that may have been undesirable for other uses. Do you know what the land was used for before your garden was started? A site that was previously used for manufacturing could have lingering by-products in the soil that could be a problem.

Many times community gardeners use raised beds and import soil and compost. Know where that soil or compost comes from. One community garden got a large amount of horse manure donated. That manure contained herbicide residue that affected the tomatoes the gardeners tried to grow. Also, soil that has been sterilized is void of desirable microorganisms. Consider adding a compost pile to your garden (see June 25th post – Composting in the Community Garden).

If you have not been happy with the quality of your plants, the first step is to get your soil tested. You can get information on soil testing from your local UGA Extension Office. Instructions can be found in the publication Soil Testing. In general, take a few sub-samples of your soil at a six inch depth. Mix these sub-samples for an overall sample. When you submit this to your Extension office it goes to the University of Georgia soil testing laboratory and within a couple of weeks you will get a test result page with information on your soil fertility and pH. You will also get recommendations on how to improve your soil based on what you are growing. There is a small fee (approximately $6-8) involved but it is the best investment you will make! Also, depending on the size and layout of your garden, not everyone in your garden needs to soil test.

Just think of all the things at work in your soil. You will never call it “dirt” again!

Happy Gardening!

Protect landscape plants from winter temperatures

November 30, 2015December 1, 2014 by Willie Chance

Frank Watson is the University of Georgia Extension Agent in Wilkes County

Landscape plants get plenty of attention during the summer, but they need protection during Georgia’s winter months. Rather than trying to keep plants warm, gardeners should help protect plants from wind, snow, ice, drastic soil temperature changes and heat from the sun on cold days.

Reducing water loss can protect evergreen plants. All plants transpire, or lose, water through their leaves. Evergreens continue to lose water during the winter, so the plant’s roots must be able take up moisture.

Homeowners are more conscious of watering shrubs during the summer and often neglect to water plants during cold weather. Roots absorb moisture when it’s available, but during a dry period or even when the ground is frozen, moisture isn’t available. The plants continue to transpire water, drawing moisture from living cells. If too much water is released, the plant’s cells die, causing the plant’s leaves to turn brown and die.

High winds and warm sunshine on cold days result in a higher rate of water transpiration. Protection can be offered by relocating susceptible plants to a sheltered location. Also, provide them additional water during dry periods or prior to expected hard freezes.

An additional layer of mulch is also recommended during winter months after the first freeze. Mulch will reduce water loss from the soil, aid in transpiration and reduce “heaving” of the soil as the ground freezes and thaws. Soil heaving, or frost heaving, occurs when soil swells during freezing conditions and ice grows towards the soil’s surface.

To protect plants from cold damage, University of Georgia Extension horticulturists recommend following these six steps:

Plant only varieties that are hardy for the area. Buy plants using the USDA hardiness zones.
Given a choice, plant less-hardy plants in the highest part of the landscape. Cold air settles in the lowest area.
Protect plants from cold wind with a fence or a tall evergreen hedge of trees or shrubs.
Shade plants from direct winter sun, especially early morning sunshine. Plants that freeze slowly and thaw slowly will be damaged the least. The south side of the house, where there is no shade, is the worse place to plant tender plants.
Stop feeding plants quickly available nitrogen in late summer to allow them to “harden off” before cold weather arrives.
Plastic covering provides excellent protection. Build a frame over the plant or plants, cover them with plastic and secure the plastic to the ground with soil. Shade plastic to keep temperatures from building up inside. Plastic traps moisture and warm air as it radiates from the soil and blocks cold winds. Do not allow the plastic to touch plants.

For more information on how to care for ornamental plants in the winter, see the UGA circular Winter Protection of Ornamental Plants.

Making the Most of Your Georgia Grown Broccoli

November 30, 2015November 26, 2014 by Becky Griffin

On this eve of Thanksgiving, are you thankful for planting broccoli in your community garden plot? Are you planning broccoli casserole, broccoli cheese soup, or buttered broccoli for your Thanksgiving table? Did you know that broccoli is easily preserved in the freezer?

UGA’s book So Easy to Preserve gives clear cut instructions for freezing broccoli so that it stays tasty for later cooking. Start with firm young, tender stalks with compact heads. Remove all leaves and woody portions. Separate the broccoli heads into conveniently sized sections.

Mix 4 teaspoons of salt into one gallon of water. Soak the broccoli heads in the salt water for 30 minutes. This tip helps remove insects. You may be surprised at what is left behind in the brine.

Once soaking is complete, split the heads lengthwise so that flowerets are no more than1 1/2 inches across. Water blanch 3 minutes in boiling water or steam blanch for 5 minutes. Blanching is just exposing the vegetable to boiling water or steam for a very specific period of time. Blanching brightens the vegetable color, helps retain vitamins, and makes the vegetable easier to freeze. Make sure you follow the blanch time exactly. Overblanching can actually cook the broccoli and result in a loss of flavor, color, and nutrients.

Cool the broccoli in an ice water bath. Drain and package leaving no headspace, meaning no space between the broccoli and the container closure. Seal and freeze. Enjoy your harvest in the months ahead!

Your UGA Extension office is staffed with a family and consumer science agent. He/she has great information on preserving all the vegetables in your garden! Take advantage of this great resource.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cherokee County’s Senior Center Community Garden

November 30, 2015November 19, 2014 by Becky Griffin

Master Gardener Marcia Winchester with UGA Extension Agent Louise Estabrook.

The property around the Cherokee County Senior Center is home to two beautiful spaces: the Cherokee County Master Gardener’s Teaching Garden and their Community Garden. The teaching garden has been benefiting seniors since 1996 and the community garden was started in 2010. Being part of the senior center there is a requirement that at least 10% of the plots need to be used by gardeners over 62 years old. This is not a problem and Marcia Winchester, co-chair of the garden, says that they routinely have more than 10%. The garden is a great place for seniors, and all gardeners, to socialize.

The space is made up of 29 raised bed plots that rent for $20 a year. Water is provided until the weather gets cold when frozen pipes are a possibility. Approximately half of the gardeners do cool-season planting. Warm-season tomatoes are the most popular crop grown. The garden is managed by Master Gardeners Marcia Winchester and Gerald Phillips with direction from UGA Extension Agent, Louise Estabrook, and help from Nathan Brandon of the Senior Center.

One of the really unique part of this garden is the learning aspect. In one corner there is a experiment on growing tomatoes

in straw bales. Nearby is a group of potato towers. So far this year they have harvested 8 pounds of potatoes! This garden has a problem with rabbits. Creative ways to handle the rabbits are displayed throughout the garden. Placing open crates over plants, growing runner beans on trellises instead of bush beans, and using pine cones as mulch are a few things the gardeners are trying. These growers are always attempting new things and learning.

Several years ago one gardener got what she thought was rich, beneficial horse manure for her plots. Her vegetables came up misshapen and unhealthy. It turns out the manure was from horses who had been eating grass treated with pesticides. The lesson Marcia wants to share – make sure you know exactly where your compost comes from!

The garden contributes produce to a local food bank, Papa’s Pantry. There are dedicated plots for this and often gardeners share additional food from their own spaces. Another lesson the gardeners shared was related to growing eggplants for donation. They were growing a small variety of eggplant. After donating several pounds of these, the gardeners decided they should go back to the traditional larger eggplants that are a more convenient size to cook with.

Master Gardeners are at the property the first and third Thursdays of each month from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. You can see classes that they offer by visiting their webpage at Cherokee County Extension – Cherokee County Master Gardeners.

This is a wonderful garden and the gardeners know they are part of something special. Louise Estabrook says that each community garden is different and the gardeners can fit their space to meet their needs. The seniors at this garden are definitely blessed! For more information about this garden contact Louise at 770-721-7803 or uge1057@uga.edu.

Which one of these is the bed bug?

November 30, 2015November 17, 2014 by Willie Chance

The bed bug is the one in the middle!

Bed bug - Gary Alpert, Harvard University, Bugwood.org — Bed bug – Gary Alpert, Harvard University, Bugwood.org

Bed bugs are an ever growing problem in the US. As bed bugs problems began increasing in Georgia, the Georgia Department of Public Health put together a bed bug handbook, providing information about the habits and habitats of the bed bug with an emphasis on information required by environmental health specialists dealing with infestations in hotels.

Recently, as bed bug problems continue to spread to homes, apartments, shelters, schools, dorms, and other places where people live, work, and study; it was decided to update and expand the bed bug handbook to include information on dealing with bed bugs in a wider variety of circumstances.

The revised handbook is posted on the GDPH website .

One reason to update the handbook was to make it useful for people outside of public health who are dealing with bed bug issues. Any comments or suggestions would be gratefully accepted. Please send comments to Dr. Rosmarie Kelly

Selected Information Found in the Bed Bug Handbook

Bed Bug Biology – Life cycle, habits and medical importance

Inspecting for Bed Bugs – Protecting yourself and specific methods for various structures and situations

Treatment and Control – Physical removal, temperature, Chemical control, Do it Yourself treatments, Follow-up and monitoring, and Controls for various structures and situations

Additional Information – Bedbug myths, Action plan for hotel treatment and information specific to Schools, Environmental Health Specialists, Hotel Managers and Homeowners

Tick-Bite-Induced Red Meat Allergy

November 30, 2015November 14, 2014 by Willie Chance

Nancy C. Hinkle, Ph.D., University of Georgia

Extension staff are not physicians (nor do we portray them on television), but we can contribute to better health among Georgia citizens. One emerging condition we want to keep in mind is red-meat allergy provoked by tick bites.

Yes, as strange as it sounds, being fed on by lone star ticks (the most common ticks in Georgia) can predispose some people to developing a severe food allergy, causing an itching skin rash, gastrointestinal upset, and trouble breathing several hours after consuming red meat (beef, pork, venison, lamb, etc. – but not poultry or fish). This condition has only recently been recognized and many physicians are not yet aware of it; likely we’ll see more in the media about this condition in the future as it becomes more widely recognized.

Meanwhile, if you know someone who experiences repeated episodes of severe hives (typically affecting the entire trunk) accompanied by nausea and/or diarrhea, recommend that they consult with their physician and raise the possibility of red meat allergy due to prior tick exposure. The accompanying life-threatening anaphylaxis and difficulty breathing can require an ER visit, so this is not a trivial condition. While testing for the condition is available only at select clinics, management of the condition is relatively simple, involving eliminating red meat from the diet.

The Turfgrass Industry is Losing Two Important Products for Weed Management

November 30, 2015November 14, 2014 by Willie Chance

Patrick McCullough, Associate Professor, UGA

The turfgrass industry is officially losing Illoxan (diclofop-methyl) and Embark (mefluidide) in 2015. These are two important tools in weed control programs with no comparable replacements. The loss of these materials has significant implications for resistance management, seedhead control, and efficiently managing high quality turfgrass.

Illoxan (diclofop-methyl)

Bayer will not be reregistering Illoxan. Unfortunately, the return on Illoxan sales was not worth the expenses of reregistration for the company. Illoxan is a postemergence herbicide used for goosegrass control in bermudagrass golf courses. This herbicide is one of the most effective chemistries for controlling goosegrass in greens, tees, fairways, and roughs. More importantly, Illoxan is the only ACCase inhibitor used in bermudagrass turf and the loss of this mechanism of action may have significant consequences for resistance management. Goosegrass resistance to ALS inhibitor herbicides, specifically foramsulfuron (Revolver), is becoming more widespread throughout the Southern U.S. Turf managers also have restrictions on MSMA use on golf courses that limit the ability to effectively control goosegrass and other weeds.

Illoxan is an excellent herbicide for controlling goosegrass at most growth stages in bermudagrass and also offered an alternative mechanism of action in resistance management programs. The implications of losing Illoxan in golf course management will emphasize the need for investments in good preemergence herbicides for goosegrass control. Dinitroanilines (DNAs) like prodiamine (Barricade, others) and pendimethalin (Pendulum, others) have potential to control goosegrass but results are often erratic. Resistance to DNA herbicides has also developed in goosegrass populations and alternative chemistries may be needed for effective control. From our research at UGA, Ronstar (oxadiazon) and Specticle (indaziflam) have consistently been the best preemergence herbicides for controlling goosegrass in bermudagrass turf. Other herbicides such as Dismiss (sulfentrazone), Sureguard (flumioxazin), and Tower (dimethenamid) have potential to control goosegrass but our results have been inconsistent over years.

With the loss of Illoxan, bermudagrass managers will only have Revolver (foramsulfuron), Tribute Total (foramsulfuron + thiencarbazone + halosulfuron) and Dismiss (sulfentrazone) available for postemergence goosegrass control. While these herbicides may control immature goosegrass, single applications often do not control tillered plants. Revolver and Tribute Total are both ALS inhibitors and will not effectively control mature goosegrass or resistant biotypes.

Turf managers may also explore the use of MSMA + Sencor (metribuzin) for goosegrass control but these treatments can be very injurious to bermudagrass in summer and may require sequential applications. Moreover, superintendents in Georgia are limited to one application of MSMA per year, not to exceed 25% of the total golf course. Turfgrass managers must understand that losing Illoxan may limit their ability to control goosegrass and may have serious repercussions in resistance management programs.

Embark (mefluidide)

Embark is a growth regulator primarily used for annual bluegrass seedhead control in turfgrass management. Earlier this year there was controversy around the future manufacturing of mefluidide, the active ingredient in Embark, and if this product would be available after 2015. PBI Gordon explored opportunities inside and outside of the U.S. to have mefluidide manufactured and formulated to make new Embark products. The opportunity to make new material was very costly for the company and PBI Gordon has decided not to pursue this investment. The Embark 2S product will be pulled completely, and there will be new Embark T & O 0.2L (essentially a dilution of the 2S) released until the current supply is gone. Once the existing inventory has been sold, Embark will no longer be available from PBI Gordon.

Embark is a growth regulator that has a long history of use in turfgrass and roadside management. Embark is the only seedhead inhibiting growth regulator available for use in warm and cool-season turfgrasses. Turfgrass managers primarily use this chemistry for seedhead control on annual bluegrass, tall fescue, bermudagrass, and other turfgrass species. Proxy (ethephon) is the other seedhead inhibitor available for turfgrass. It is labeled only for cool-season grasses but may be applied to certain zoysiagrass varieties. Proxy causes leaf chlorosis, stand thinning, and quality reductions in bermudagrass, seashore paspalum, and other warm-season species. Other PGRs like Primo (trinexapac-ethyl) or Trimmit (pacloburazol) may provide partial seedhead control but are generally less effective than Embark and Proxy.

Current research efforts at UGA include evaluating seasonal application timing of PGRs to minimize injury and maximize seedhead control on warm-season grasses. We are also evaluating alternatives to Embark, primarily ALS inhibitor herbicides, for seedhead management in bermudagrass turf. Embark is the most popular PGR for annual bluegrass seedhead control in bentgrass greens in Georgia and further research will be needed with Proxy, Proxy + Primo, and other compounds to replace Embark.

Patrick McCullough is an associate professor and extension specialist in turf weed science at the University of Georgia in Griffin.

What is this winter weed that shows up every year at this time?

November 30, 2015November 13, 2014 by Willie Chance

This weed is Florida betony. It is also called rattlesnake weed.

The publication Controlling Florida Betony in the Landscape gives cultural and chemical controls for this weed in lawns and landscape beds. The authors are Mark Czarnota, Ph.D., and Tim Murphy, Ph.D., Weed Control Specialists. Departments of Horticulture and Crop Science

Click here to see the publication for the following information:

Florida betony (Stachys floridana) (also called rattlesnake weed and hedge nettle) is a problem weed in both turfgrasses and ornamentals.

Florida betony tubers — Figure 2 – Tubers of Florida betony that look like the rattle of a rattlesnake, hence the name “rattlesnake weed.”

Florida betony is a “winter” perennial and, like most plants in the mint (Labiatae) family, has a square stem with opposite leaves. Flowers are usually pink and have the classic mint-like structure (Figure 1). Unlike its relatives, it has the unique characteristic of producing tubers that look like the rattles (buttons) of a rattlesnake, hence the name “rattlesnake weed” (Figure 2).

Click here to readthepublicationn Controlling Florida Betony in the Landscape

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