A New Type of Garden!

A revolution is taking place in backyards across America that involves a fundamental change in the way everyday citizens are thinking about their lawns and landscapes. As awareness of water quality issues flows beyond the realm of researchers, and into the daily life of every individual, many people are asking more of their yards – that they become more than simply a place of beauty and relaxation, but also act as a first line of defense in protecting our environment against water pollution. There are many ways each of us can make a difference locally, but one practice that is proving both effective and attractive is rain gardens. Find out more about how to create a rain garden in your yard by reading the entire article from the Pender County Cooperative Extension Website, http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+71

Keeping Tomato Plants Healthy

Growing a healthy vegetable crop can be a challenge in our climate, with some vegetables proving more difficult than others. Among the most challenging are tomatoes, yet they are also the most popular vegetable in the United States and almost everyone yearns to produce the perfect home grown tomato. Achieving this task is not impossible – it just requires a little knowledge about how tomatoes grow and how to manage their many disease problems.

Learn more! Click here to read the entire article from the Pender County Cooperative Extension website! http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+70

Plant Now for Summer Harvest!

April is the month to get your vegetable garden ready for summer. Warm season vegetables, including squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and corn, can be planted after the threat of frost has passed. The average last frost date for our area is around April 15, though we cannot rule out a light frost later in April, so be prepared to protect newly planted annuals and vegetables by covering them with an old sheet or floating row cover if frost is predicted. Read the entire article: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+69

Pender County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your lawn, garden and landscape questions during their annual plant sale, April 16 & 17 at the Pender County Cooperative Extension Center, located at 801 S. Walker St. in Burgaw. The plant sale will feature a wide range of tough plants that thrive in Pender County conditions, including annual and perennial flowers, vegetables, herbs, blueberries, and figs!

In addition, Summer Vegetable Gardening 101, a FREE class covering all the basics of growing a summer vegetable garden, will be taught at the Extension Center Saturday, April 17 from 10am to noon. Call 259-1235 to register for this class, find out more about the plant sale, or get answers to your gardening questions. Information is also available online at http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu.

Easy Fruits for Home Gardens!

Thinking of trying your hand at home fruit production? Your chances of success have a lot to do with which fruits you try to grow. Tree fruits, such as apples, pears, peaches, and plums are often difficult to cultivate in our area because of the many pest problems that plague them. Most berry producing fruits though thrive in local gardens and require less care than tree fruits. Among the easiest to grow are blackberries, blueberries, and muscadine grapes, all of which can easily be grown organically in most backyards. While not technically a berry, figs are also easy to grow in home gardens, have very few pest problems, and are usually very productive. When planting any type of fruits, be sure to choose varieties recommended for our area and plant them in a sunny area with well drained soil. Find out more: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=AGRI+5

Learn more about growing fruits in SE NC at the Home Fruit Gardening class, April 17, 1:30 - 3pm, held at the Pender County Cooperative Extension Center in Burgaw! This class is free but registration is required by April 15 - call 910-259-1235 to register.

Pender County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your lawn, garden and landscape questions during their annual spring plant sale, April 16 & 17, at the Pender County Cooperative Extension Center, located at 801 S. Walker St. in Burgaw. The plant sale will feature a wide range of tough plants that thrive in Pender County conditions, including blueberries, blackberries, grapes, and figs! Find out more: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/content/2010PlantSale

Gardening Questions? Why not 'Ask a Master Gardener'!

The 2010 Season of 'Ask a Master Gardener' plant clinics begins this Wednesday, April 14, at the Poplar Grove Farmer's Market (http://www.poplargrove.com/farmers_market.htm). Master Gardeners will be on site from 9am to noon to answer your gardening questions, provide soil test supplies, and identify insect, weed, and disease samples.

Master Gardeners will be at the Market the 2nd Wednesday of each month, April - October, from 9am to Noon to help with your gardening problems and provide lawn, garden, and landscape information. 

More 'Ask a Master' Clinics coming up!
On Monday April 19, Pender County Master Gardeners will be in the gazebo located in the Teaching Gardens at the Hampstead Library, which they maintain as an educational display of good plants for the Hampstead area. Master Gardeners plan to be at the Hampstead Library the 3rd Monday of each month from 9am to Noon, throughout the growing season (April - October).

More Ways to Get Answers to Your Questions
Not able to make it to either of these locations? No problem - gardening questions can be answered Mon - Fri, 8am to 5pm by calling the Pender County Extension office at 259-1235, or visiting in person - office location: 801 S. Walker St. in Burgaw. Or post your questions online on our 'Ask at Expert' widget, available at http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/.

Master Gardener Plant Sale!

Spring is finally here! And what better way to explore its possibilities than by attending the annual Pender County Master Gardener Plant Sale, Friday, April 16, from 9am-5pm and Saturday, April 17, from 9am-4pm at the Pender County Cooperative Extension, 801 S. Walker Street in Burgaw.

For the flower lover, in addition to having an ample color palate of annuals and perennials to purchase, special focus will be given this year to flowering plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators. Those with culinary tastes will savor a variety of herbs, vegetables, and fruit plants as well as free gardening classes on Saturday:

• Summer Vegetable Gardening at 10am
  
• Home Fruit Production at 1:30pm

Both classes are free, but registration is required by April 15. Call 259-1235 to register.
More about classes: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/content/0417classes

Master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice. Proceeds from the sale benefit Pender County Cooperative Extension Educational Programs and Teaching Gardens. For more information on the Plant Sale, please call 259-1235.

Find out more about the plant sale: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/.

Centipede Lawn Problems

Centipede grass is often promoted as a low maintenance, easy care grass and in many locations it thrives on neglect, requiring little to no fertilizer and infrequent mowing. Where centipede is happy, it grows very well, producing a dense, healthy, carpet of grass that is able to smother out weeds. In other locations though, centipede grass is plagued with problems. Some of these problems can be caused by insects or diseases, like large patch disease (seen here), while others are due to over fertilization, herbicide use, or incorrect care. Figuring out which problem is the cause of your lawn’s decline relies on careful consideration of the symptoms and how the lawn has been treated.

Find out more! Click here to read the entire article on the Pender County Cooperative Extension website.