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!

Time to prune? Depends on the shrub!

Properly Pruned Knockout Rose

Late winter is the right time to prune summer blooming shrubs like Knockout roses but not spring bloomers such as azaleas. For most shrubs, the right time to prune depends on why you are pruning them and when they flower. 

To grow healthy, vigorous and free blooming Knockout roses, cut them back to a low framework of 5 to 7 stems about 12" to 18” from ground level each year in late winter. 

Find out which shrubs you should prune now and which you should wait to prune, read the whole article on the Pender Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+171 

Learn more about pruning from these great online resources: 

Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs --- a great 12 page guide from Purdue Extension: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-4.pdf

Pruning Ornamental Shrubs -- another great guide, this one from Missouri Extension: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6870

Pruning Landscape Trees and Shrubs --- more pruning how to information! From Florida Extension: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg087

Stay up to date with lawn and garden chores, subscribe to the Pender Gardener email news.

• To subscribe to the Pender Gardener email listserve, send an email to mj2@lists.ncsu.edu. Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message put: subscribe pendergardener

Plant Now for Spring Harvest!

Young broccoli plants

While it's too early to plant warm season vegetables like tomatoes, squash, and peppers outside, there are plenty of delicious vegetables you can set out now. Plant garden and snow pea seed, onion sets, and seed potatoes asap, before it is too late. Sow seeds of carrots, turnips, beets, radish, spinach, and green onions, and set out transplants of lettuce, broccoli, cabbage and kale between now and mid March. 

While cauliflower and Chinese cabbage (aka Napa cabbage) transplants can be grown in spring, they are quite finicky and most gardeners get better results growing them in the fall. To learn more about which vegetables you can plant now, read the whole article on the Pender Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+172

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!

Learn more from these great online resources:

• Growing Potatoes (Pender Gardener Article): http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+115
• Planning for Year Round Harvest (Pender Gardener Article): http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+111
• Vegetable Fact Sheets from NC Extension: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/hortinfo.html
• Vegetable Fact Sheets from Clemson Extension: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/vegetables/crops/

 Stay up to date with planting times, pest control, and more by signing up for the Food Gardener Email News.

• To subscribe to the Food Gardener email listserve, send an email to mj2@lists.ncsu.edu. Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message put:         subscribe foodgardener

Grow Your Own!

Basil Seedlings

Nothing holds the promise of spring like a packet of seeds. If you have never grown plants from seed let this be the year you start. 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, while other varieties can be sown directly in the garden.  

Now is the time to start seeds of basil  tomato, peppers, impatiens and other slower growing vegetables and flowers indoors to have transplants ready for spring. 

Learn more about growing plants from seed and gain hands on experience at the upcoming 'Growing Flowers and Vegetables from Seeds' workshop. Click here for details: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/content/spring2012seed

Read the rest of the article on the Pender Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+170

Improving Sandy Soil

Yellowing of lower leaves on this broccoli plant is a classic symptom of nitrogen deficiency, a common problem problem in sandy soils.

Southeastern North Carolina is not a place known for wonderful soils. One of the most common problems gardeners face in our area is dry, poor sand. Fortunately sandy soils are easy to work, so if sand is your problem getting your soil into good shape should not wear you out. And, once you have improved a sandy site you will find these soils can be very productive, producing prolific vegetables and robust trees, shrubs and flowers. 

Find out more about improving sandy soils - read the entire article on the Pender Cooperative Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+169


To learn more about the common soil challenges in our area, and how to fix them without spending a fortune attend the free class ‘Growing Healthy Soil’ offered by Pender Cooperative Extension, Thursday Feb. 16, 10:30 – noon, at the Hampstead Library, and again Saturday Feb. 18, 10:30 – noon, at the Burgaw Library. Registration is required by Feb. 14. To register, or if you have questions, call the Pender Extension Center at 910-259-1235 or email charlotte_glen@ncsu.edu.

A complete listing of spring gardening classes offered by Pender Cooperative Extension is available here: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/content/spring2012

Milder Winters May Mean Trouble for Plants

Milder winters may tempt plants to open flower and leaf buds too early, making them vulnerable to frost and cold injury. For fruits like blueberries, this can result in lower yields or crop loss.

While it comes as no surprise to gardeners, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has made it official – we are experiencing milder winters in southeastern North Carolina. This recognition was formalized on January 25, with the release of the updated plant hardiness zone map. Milder winters probably sound like good news for plants and gardeners, but in reality they can create more problems than opportunities in our region.

In addition to flower and fruit loss, fluctuating winter temperatures can also result in cold injury to lawns and ornamentals. For warm season lawns, like centipede, mild winters can result in winter kill due to late season frosts.

Learn more about how winter temperatures affect plants growing in our region. Read the entire article on the Pender Cooperative Extension website: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+168