Too Early to Plant?

Squash Seedling

Our mild winter has rapidly turned into an early spring, leading many gardeners to wonder if it is safe to plant frost sensitive vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash outside now. For some crops the answer is yes, but be prepared to protect them if temperatures near 32 degrees are predicted. For others, even though our days have warmed soil temperatures are not yet quite warm enough for them to grow well. 

In a typical year, coastal areas in our region can expect the last spring frost to occur around March 30, while inland areas often experience light frosts as late as April 15. This year, warmer temperatures seem to have set in early. As a result soil temperatures throughout southeastern NC have already reached 60 degrees or more, making them warm enough to plant many summer crops outside. Though unlikely, frost can still not be ruled out, so if you do plant early have a plan to protect sensitive crops by covering them with old sheets or floating row cover, especially during the next few weeks.

To find out which crops can be planted now and which should not read the entire article, available on the Pender Cooperative Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+176

What is organic gardening?

Organic gardeners rely on beneficial insects such as this immature ladybug to help with pest control, but there is much more organic gardening than simply letting Mother Nature take care of your yard.

Interest in organic gardening is higher than ever but so is confusion over exactly how to accomplish it. How do you provide the nutrients plants need to survive? What can you do about insects and plant diseases? Are some plants too difficult to grow organically in our climate? The answers to some of these questions may surprise you.

Want to know more? Read the whole article on the Pender Extension website to learn more about organic fertilizers, pest management, and soil preparation: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+175


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Stay up to date with lawn and garden chores, subscribe to the Pender Gardener Email News.

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Planting for Pollinators

Honeybee visiting broccoli flowers

Honey bees and other pollinators are essential for the production of many of the foods we grow and eat every day. These include fruits like blueberries, apples, and peaches, as well as many vegetables, including cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, beans, melons, and peppers. Throughout the year, these industrious insects rely on a wide variety of flowers, including weeds, to provide the nectar and pollen that are their food.  As gardeners we can promote pollinator health by planting a diversity of flowers to serve as nectar sources, as well as by simply allowing vegetables, herbs, and weeds to bloom in our yards. 

What you do in your own backyard can greatly affect pollinator activity and health in your garden, as well as the larger region. Including plants in your yard that attract and sustain honey bees and other pollinators can increase pollinator populations in your area and lead to higher vegetable and fruit yields in your yard and community.  

You may choose to include flowers throughout your yard as a way of supporting pollinators. Annuals flowers like cleome, cosmos, zinnias, and sunflowers are excellent bee attractors. So are many herbs. Allow basil, fennel, oregano, chives, mint, and dill to bloom in the garden to bring in pollinators and beneficial insects. Cover crops like buckwheat and clover also do a great job, as do perennials like purple coneflower, agastache, joe pye weed, goldenrod, asters, and black eyed susans. 

Henbit, a common weed and nectar source!

Allowing winter vegetables like broccoli, kale, and mustard to bloom out provides a source of nectar early in season, a critical time for pollinators since few other plants are in bloom and changing weather conditions make them particularly vulnerable to food shortages. Many common lawn weeds also serve as often overlooked sources of early season nectar. Allowing winter weeds such as henbit, field pansy, and chickweed to mature in some areas of your yard will support pollinators in your community. 

If you have questions about protecting pollinators and beneficial insects contact your local Cooperative Extension office. In Pender County call 259-1235, Mon – Fri, 8am and 5pm, or visit us online anytime at http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=askanexpert, where you can post your questions to be answered by email using the ‘Ask an Expert’ widget!

Learn more! Read the whole article on the Pender Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+174
  

Plant a Spring Salad Garden!

Romaine Lettuce

Lettuce and other salad greens are easy to grow and thrive in the cool temperatures of spring. They can be ready to harvest in as little as 30 days from sowing, making them one of the quickest vegetables you can grow. What’s more, lettuce and many of the greens popular in salad mixes flourish when grown in containers, so you can easily grow your own salad even if you do not have a vegetable garden.

Though iceberg may be the lettuce most familiar to many of us, it is not the easiest to grow. Fortunately there are other types of lettuce available that are tasty, beautiful and simple to cultivate. The easiest to grow are known as looseleaf or leaf lettuces, which make open, loose heads. Many selections are available, including ruffled green leaf varieties like ‘Simpson Elite’, red blushed or red leaf selections like ‘Red Sails’ and ‘Prizeleaf’, and deeply lobed types that are commonly referred to as ‘Oak Leaf’ varieties. When mixed together, the assortment of colors and textures that looseleaf varieties exhibit make a stunning display in the garden as well as in the salad bowl.  

Two other types of lettuce that are easily grown in our area are romaine and butterhead, which is sometimes referred to as bib lettuce. The leaves of romaine lettuce, a staple ingredient in Caesar salad, are thick, crisp, and sweet. They make fairly large heads, and are ready to harvest within 60 to 80 days from planting. Young plants should be spaced 10” to 12” apart. Butterhead lettuces produce small, tightly folded heads of tender leaves with a delicate buttery flavor. Butterhead varieties are ready for harvest in 40 to 50 days and should be spaced six to eight inches apart. 

To learn more about salad greens you can plant this spring read the entire article on the Pender Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=HOME+2

If you have questions about growing vegetables contact your local Cooperative Extension office. In Pender County call 259-1235, Mon – Fri, 8am and 5pm, or visit us online anytime at http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=askanexpert, where you can post your questions to be answered by email using the ‘Ask an Expert’ widget!

Compost Happens!

Black gold!

There is a completely natural and readily available substance that is guaranteed to help your plants grow better. This is no scam; it’s compost! And the best thing is you can make it yourself for free! In fact, you may be throwing away materials you could be using to make this valuable garden resource. 

Composting is simply the act of helping natural materials such as leaves, grass clippings, and vegetable scraps to break down. The finished product of composting is compost - a dark brown, crumbly, earthy smelling, soil like substance some gardeners refer to as black gold because of the many ways it benefits the soil and plant growth. Homemade compost is just as good as that bought at the garden center – and a lot cheaper!

Learn more about composting - read the whole article on the Pender Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+173

Find out more about composting from these great online resources:

• Florida's Online Composting Center -- Everything you need to know about composting! http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/compost-info/
• Composting – Publication from NC Cooperative Extension, http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/pdf/ag-467.pdf
• Vermicomposting - Composting with worms! Learn how from this Pender Gardener article: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+113
• Grow your own compost in place by sowing and turning in cover crops and green manures - Learn more from this Pender Gardener article: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+147

If you have questions about composting, contact your local Cooperative Extension office. In Pender County call 259-1235, Mon – Fri, 8am and 5pm, or visit us online anytime or visit us online anytime at http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=askanexpert, where you can post your questions to be answered by email using the ‘Ask an Expert’ widget!