Grayson County Extension Service (270) 259-3492 123 Commerce Dr. Fax: (270) 259-0291 Leitchfield KY 42754 graysonext.org Master Gardener Associaon of Grayson County The Gardening Thymes Fall 2016 Note from the President… 2nd Annual Extension Family Farm Fest Bring the family & join us for a fun-filled day! Saturday, October 22nd, 10 am - 4 pm Admission and Education Sessions are FREE! Master Gardeners will be demonstrating Straw Bale Gardening Season Extenders Winter Sowing We are fast approaching my favorite time of the year, “Fall.” Everything associated with this season of the year makes me happy. September 12 th & 13 th , Sharon Flynn and I attended the 2016 State Master Gardener Conference held in Pikeville, KY, the town that moved a mountain and a river simply so they could grow. We were inundated with information from great speakers. Our keynote speaker was Cathy Rehmeyer, PHD in Plant Pathology, and her main focus was Winter Gardening at her 4-Petal Farm. Some of the sessions I attended were Heirlooms and Saving Seed, along with Informing Your Community. We in South Central Kentucky Zone 6 can also grow fall and winter crops. Some perks to fall/winter gardening are fewer insects and weeds and 90° days. High tunnels, low tunnels and row covers are all easy for us to use. Happy Fall & Winter Gardening Ya’ll! Martha Higgs MGAGC President University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Cooperative Extension Service See flyer on back page for more information!
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Grayson County Extension Service (270) 259-3492
123 Commerce Dr. Fax: (270) 259-0291
Leitchfield KY 42754 graysonext.org
Master Gardener Association of Grayson County
The Gardening Thymes Fall 2016
Note from the President… 2nd Annual
Extension Family Farm Fest
Bring the family
& join us for a fun-filled day!
Saturday, October 22nd,
10 am - 4 pm
Admission and Education
Sessions are FREE!
Master Gardeners will
be
demonstrating
Straw Bale Gardening
Season Extenders
Winter Sowing
We are fast approaching my favorite time of
the year, “Fall.” Everything associated with
this season of the year makes me happy.
September 12th & 13
th, Sharon Flynn and I
attended the 2016 State Master Gardener
Conference held in Pikeville, KY, the town
that moved a mountain and a river simply so
they could grow. We were inundated with
information from great speakers.
Our keynote speaker was Cathy Rehmeyer,
PHD in Plant Pathology, and her main focus
was Winter Gardening at her 4-Petal Farm.
Some of the sessions I attended were
Heirlooms and Saving Seed, along with
Informing Your Community.
We in South Central Kentucky Zone 6 can
also grow fall and winter crops. Some perks
to fall/winter gardening are fewer insects and
weeds and 90° days. High tunnels, low
tunnels and row covers are all easy for us to
use.
Happy Fall & Winter Gardening Ya’ll!
Martha Higgs
MGAGC President
University of Kentucky
College of Agriculture,
Food and Environment
Cooperative Extension Service
See flyer on back page for
more information!
October:
There is still time to make a few last sowings of cold-hardy vegetables. Plant under row covers or
cold frames for winter harvest.
Cold-hardy vegetables like Brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbage, and kale become sweeter after a
frost, so wait a bit before harvesting them.
Tender summer vegetables will continue growing during the warm days of fall. Keep frost
protectors handy to cover on cool days and cooler nights.
Continue planting spring-blooming bulbs, trees, and shrubs while the soil is workable.
Spend some time cleaning up the garden now, to save some time in the spring.
Stop dead-heading roses early in the month to signal the roses to stop growing.
Be sure to add disease-free dead plants and dried shredded leaves to the compost pile.
November:
If you planted cold-hardy greens last month, you can probably start thinning lettuce and spinach.
Crops that you want to overwinter need to be mulched with a thick layer of leaves, hay or straw.
Don’t cut back plants, such as ornamental grasses, that have an attractive profile, so they may
provide shelter for wildlife and birds, plus winter interest as you gaze out the window.
Summer blooming perennials need to be cut back to a few inches above soil level. Remove, but
do not compost any insect or disease ridden plants debris.
Spring blooming plants are best left until after blooming in the spring for pruning, if needed.
Mums in the garden need to be mulched well.
December:
Start keeping bird feeders filled.
Continue to harvest fall vegetables.
Mulch vegetables still in the garden.
If you are winter gardening under garden blankets, be sure to have your frame ready for a
covering of plastic, if it gets terribly cold.
Take evergreen trimmings from the yard for Christmas decorating. Afterwards, place the
trimmings and cutoff branches from your Christmas tree on your perennials for added protection.
If you had overgrown Boston ferns on your porch and brought them in for the winter, you can
divide them by cutting the root ball in half with a sharp knife, and then repot the plants.
We are on Facebook! Keep up to date with the latest local gardening news plus
upcoming workshops and seminars by “liking” us on Facebook. Master Gardener Association of Grayson County Kentucky
Monthly Garden Tips !
Herbs for all Seasons By Melissa Williams, Grayson County Master Gardener
I love herbs. Just growing them makes me happy, whether I actually use them or not. Still, there is
something to be said for walking outside and snipping off a stem or two for some culinary creation on
the stove. My crop this year included the perennials rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, mint, lavender,
cilantro and sage, along with varieties of basil, and parsley which are annuals.
Although I dry some of my herbs for use in the kitchen all year round, I now want to continue my
enjoyment of fresh herbs through the winter. How? Move some of them indoors! Or start a second herb
garden inside.
So where do you get your new plants this time of year? Well, that can be
tough. Nurseries typically do not carry much at all now, except maybe trees
and shrubs. Advance planning would help, such as saving some of those
seeds you used in the spring. But, if you grow herbs outside, you are ahead
of the game. You can replant some, or use a cutting to root new plants. Be
careful to move your plants indoors gradually so they are not shocked by
sudden change in temperature. And check each plant very closely for bugs.
No sense moving outdoor problems indoors.
To keep plants healthy and attractive, you must control a number of environmental factors such as light,
temperature, humidity, water, and plant nutrients. The right combination results in healthy plants. Too
much or too little of any factor results in poor plant health or death.
Terra Cotta pots allow the plants to breathe. Be sure to wash the used pots with a 10 to 1 mixture of
water to bleach. It does not matter what the saucers are made of, since they are only there to protect
your furniture. Use a mixture of a good potting soil and perlite or peat moss for good drainage.
Herbs like relatively cool rooms, but need a lot of sunshine. Southern exposure windows are best. Even
then you may need to add florescent lighting. Make sure you turn the plants from time to time to stop
them from leaning, and keep some distance between them so they have a healthy dose of air
circulating.
Fertilize herbs planted in pots every four to six weeks in the winter with diluted solution.
Overwatering can be a problem for indoor herbs. Never allow water to puddle in the saucer. The best
way to water is in the sink. Water where the stem meets the dirt. Soak once, allow to drain, then soak
and drain again before putting them back in their sunny homes.
Herbs need humidity. So, if your house is dry, you may need to mist them regularly, except for
rosemary which is prone to mildew, or use a humidifier in the room.
The Chicago Botanic Garden recommends the following herbs to grow indoors; Basil, Bay laurel, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Lemongrass, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Stevia, Thyme, and
Tri-color sage. The University of Kentucky Agriculture Department has an article which you can see online that includes a very helpful chart about herbs. It is HO-74, Culinary Herbs. The Grayson County Extension office has copies in the lobby rack, or find it on the web at http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ho/ho74/ho74.pdf
How to Establish an Asparagus Garden
By Sharon Flynn, Grayson County Master Gardener
Do you love asparagus but hate spending so much for it in the grocery? Did you know that
asparagus beds can live and produce for 15 years or more? The trick is how you prepare the bed.
Why am I writing about this as fall and winter are almost upon us? Because asparagus is planted in
early spring (March or April) in Kentucky and you want to prepare the bed ahead of time.
Choose the location: Asparagus needs full sun for vigorous healthy plants, and the bed should be
detached from any garden that requires yearly tilling or plowing. (I mention this because my
beautiful asparagus bed blocks a tractor from my vegetable garden and it also blocks my view).
Submit a soil test to the extension office in the fall, as it takes 6 months to adjust the PH of the
soil. Asparagus requires a PH of 6.5-6.8. The bed should have good drainage but be relatively
level.
Having selected a location, prepare a bed about 4 feet wide, 8-12 inches deep and as long as you
want it. Work some well-rotted compost and manure into the bed. A cover crop will improve the
soil and keep weeds down, or cover the bed with a heavy layer of compost or decomposed
leaves for winter with some weed barrier or plastic on top until the next spring.
When the veggie catalogs come out in January, select and order one-year asparagus crowns,
which will be delivered at the correct time for planting. (March or April in Kentucky). Jersey
Knight Supreme is a very productive cultivar. Purple Passion has beautiful and tasty purple
stalks, though somewhat less productive than Jersey Knight Supreme.
When your crowns arrive be ready to plant. Soak the crowns in some compost tea for 20 minutes
or so before planting. Before that, dig 2 trenches that will run the length of the bed separated
by 18-24 inches of soil in the middle. Each trench will be at least 8-12 inches deep with a layer
of compost on the bottom, then a layer of soil. The crowns are planted 18 inches apart at a
depth of 6 inches (roots spread out over the soil) and covered with 2-3 inches of soil. 2 weeks
later add an inch of soil and an inch of compost, continuing this process until the soil is slightly
mounded above the surface level of the garden. (It will settle in time).
Water the asparagus bed for the first two years, after which it should need it seldom.
Asparagus is not harvested the first season so the plants can establish deep roots.
Harvest only for 4 weeks the second season and allow the feathery stalks to grow. Stalks
should be cut off before new growth begins in the spring to discourage garden pests. In the fall,
chopped or composted leaves or compost can be used to cover the bed to protect the
asparagus plants. Weed carefully in spring to avoid uprooting young plants. This year I was