Be Prepared for Cold Snaps!

Flower buds, such as these blueberry blossoms, are more sensitive to frost than dormant stems and roots. At this time of the year gardeners should be on the lookout for cold snaps and prepared to cover tender blossoms and new transplants. (Picture by Bill Cline, NCSU, Dept. of Plant Pathology).

Thankfully the arctic cold our area experienced in December and January has been replaced with more seasonable temperatures. Recent mild weather has encouraged buds to swell and may have some gardeners anxious to start planting. But we are not out of the woods yet. Pender County is typically not frost free until mid April, and tender summer vegetables and flowers like tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, vinca, and marigolds should not be set out for at least another five weeks. Gardeners also need to be prepared for sudden cold snaps that could damage delicate flower buds and new growth on shrubs and recent transplants.  

Learn more! Read the rest of the story on Pender County Cooperative Extension's website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+119.

Growing Vegetables and Herbs - Free Class!

 
Wed., March 16, 1:30 - 3:30,
Surf City Community Center

Sat., March 19, 10am - Noon,
Burgaw Libary




Learn the basics of growing vegetables and herbs with a special emphasis on how local soil and climate conditions impact crop growth. Pender County Extension Horticulture Agent, Charlotte Glen, will cover the following topics

• Which vegetables and herbs you can grow and when to plant them
• Managing insects and diseases
• Fertilizers, soil preparation, and other essentials

These classes are FREE, but registration is required.
Call (910) 259-1235 by 5pm March 15 to register for the March 16 class
Call (910) 259-1235 by 5pm March 17 to register for the March 19 class

Early Spring Lawn Care

Spring is on its way, but is not here yet so don’t be too eager to get your lawn growing. Trying to force growth in lawns by applying fertilizer too early often results in disease problems and cold damage. Instead of fertilization, the big focus for lawns in early spring is weed control. Now is the time to treat lawns to kill weeds like henbit (left), whose bright purple flowers are just staring to open, and burrweed, whose sharp, prickly seedpods ripen later in spring, causing pain for pets and people. Many products are currently available in garden centers for weed control, but they should be used carefully. Some will hurt your lawn more than they will help it.

Learn more! Read the rest of the story on Pender County Cooperative Extension's website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=AGRI+8.

Growing Flowers and Vegetables from Seed

You can start vegetable and flower seedlings indoors now - no greenhouse required. Either grow seedlings on a sunny windowsill or beneath a fluorescent light fixture containing one cool and one warm bulb.

If you are impatient to start gardening or want to grow varieties not commonly available from garden centers consider starting your own vegetable and flower transplants from seed this year. You do not need a greenhouse to grow healthy transplants and many varieties can easily be started indoors over the next month to transplant outside in spring.

Many summer vegetable and flower seed can be started indoors 4 to 8 weeks before the last average spring frost, which occurs around April 15th in our area. Flowers and vegetables with large seed are the easiest to grow. They also tend to grow faster than small seeds and only need to be started indoors three to four weeks before planting outside. Easy to grow, large seeded vegetables and flowers include cucumbers, zucchini, squash, melons, okra, cosmos, marigolds, nasturtium, zinnias, and sunflowers. Wait until mid March to sow them indoors. These large seed are also easy to grow when sown directly in the garden and can be seeded outside in mid April. 

Learn more! Read the rest of the story here: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+118 on the Pender County Cooperative Extension website.

Moles - No Easy Answer!

Forget the ground hog, there’s one sure sign spring is on the way popping up in yards all over eastern North Carolina – mole tunnels. Though moles tunnel actively all year, the tunnels they make in spring and fall are usually more obvious because they are closer to the soil surface. Unfortunately there is no easy, fast solution to rid a yard of moles. Instead, effective mole control relies on patience, persistence, and a little knowledge about their habits and behaviors. 

Learn More! Read the rest of the story online from Pender County Cooperative Extension at http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+117.

Peas, Potatoes, and More - Plant Now for Spring Harvest!

Garden peas and their relatives, snow peas and sugar snaps, thrive in the cool weather of early spring. Now is the time to plant them and several other vegetables for harvest later this spring. Vegetables that produce during the spring months are known as cool season crops, meaning they can tolerate some frost but do not like hot weather and should be planted outside now to harvest before the heat of summer. Other vegetables that can be planted in February include broccoli, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, and potatoes. 

Before you plant, be sure to follow the tips available here, http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+116, from Pender County Cooperative Extension to ensure you grow a healthy and bountiful vegetable garden this spring.

Take Time to Soil Test!

One of the most important things you can do to be a more successful gardener is to get to know your soil. Digging in the soil and observing how water drains and plants grow will tell you a lot, but to really understand your soil’s ability to nourish healthy plants you need to test it. Soil testing is free in North Carolina, provided by the NC Department of Agriculture, and testing supplies can be picked up from any Cooperative Extension office.  The current turnaround time for samples is nine weeks, so results for samples submitted now should be back just in time for spring planting. 

Learn more! Read the rest of the story on the Pender County Cooperative Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+114.