Lunch from the Land (the Land of Pulaski Co, KY)

Most people would agree that a tomato you can pluck off your plant in the backyard is one of the best-tasting, most nutritious tomatoes you'll ever eat.

With this in mind, Edith Lovett, Richard Whitis, and I will be highlighting some foods from the next best place -- local farms right here in Pulaski Co.

Come eat lunch with us on Tuesday, July 27 at 11:30am when we will be using locally-produced meat, fruits, and vegetables.

We'd like you to pre-register and you'll need to bring $5 as well. Call the office at 679-6361 to sign up!

Get Outside and Get Healthy! It's a FACT!

According to some studies in Japan, getting outside around plants is good for your health. Well, duh! I figured everyone knew that. In my non-scientific way of looking at it, if you're outside you are probably doing something, something active -- which is good for you.

In Japan, they call it 'forest bathing'. Is that a cool way to put it or what?!

But the article goes on to state some more scientific facts than what I presented above. Being outside among plants and trees actually can boost your white blood cells. And it can lower your blood pressure and your pulse rate.

Another reason to help preserve our natural places and promote parks.

Guess I'll live til I'm 148.

Master Gardener Program 2010

If you are interested in becoming a Lake Cumberland Master Gardener, come to a meeting on July 15 at 1pm at the Pulaski County Extension office to learn about the program.

The Master Gardener Program in Pulaski County began in 2000. We have about 30 active Master Gardeners from 5 counties.

If you cannot make the meeting but are interested in participating in the program, PLEASE contact me. If all goes according to plan, the program will begin in mid-September, 2010.

Turf Research Field Day

Turf is a horticulture crop unto itself. And as such, UK hosts annual field days about turf and only turf. I try to go every other year or so. Here's a few tidbits of information gleaned from a hot day yesterday.

1. There are a TON of tall fescue varieties out there and we do highly recommend tall fescue for home lawns. However, there are so many good 'turf-type' tall fescues out there that using KY 31 (the old, old forage variety) hardly makes sense anymore. Get yourself a good turf-type tall fescue variety and watch a very attractive grass grow!
2. The most destructive grub (larvae of beetles) of turf is the grub of the masked chafer. I bet you thought I was going to say Japanese beetle, didn't you? The masked chafer is a brown, half-inch long beetle that skims over the turf surface at dusk.
3. Dr Dan Potter, UK Entomologist, noted that Emerald Ash Borer is not spreading as fast in KY as it has in other states, like Michigan. He's not sure why, but one speculation is that we are at the southern range of this pest. Only time will tell.
4. UK is working on some green tactics in turf. In particular, AJ Powell, our illustrious, recently retired turf specialist, spoke with us about white dutch clover in home lawns. We saw a study conducted about even a relatively high rate of 2,4-D amine on a fescue/clover lawn will get rid of many broadleaf weeds without reducing the stand of white clover. White clover can contribute up to 2# of nitrogen per 1000 sq ft -- no small amount!

So, there you have it. Some gleanings from the UK Turf Field Day held at Spindletop Farm.

Grasshoppers

Yesterday, I got two calls before 9:30 am concerning the over-abundance of grasshoppers. One was concerned about the sheer numbers of them, the other was concerned about their feeding on her vegetables and flowers.

I've noticed quite a few myself when walking outside in the grass, through the blackberries, or around the barns. I asked the entomologist at UK if there had been other calls like mine in the state and he said no.

If you believe grasshoppers are becoming a pest, especially in your garden, there are synthetic chemical sprays that will help control them in your vegetable garden and flower beds. However, for just being a nuisance, sprays will only win you a battle or 2 -- you won't win the war.

Here's another link on grasshoppers from UK.

Bark Lice City!

Bark lice -- I have gotten numerous calls on this, probably 5 or 6. If I get 5 or 6 calls, you can probably multiply that by 100 to get the real story of how much of this is out there this year.

Bark lice are black bugs that congregate together on the bark of trees. They move as a group and form black blotches on the bark. Not because of the damage they do but because they themselves form the black blotches.

They are not parasites of the tree nor are they something you need to treat for. Why they seem to be more prolific this year is anyone's guess.

Here's a link to Kentucky Pest News featuring an article on bark lice.

Late Blight Hitting Early

Late blight, the awful disease that reared its ugly head last summer late, has been confirmed in multiple counties in Kentucky this year. It's been found on both potatoes and tomatoes. The closest county so far is Marion Co.

In response to this, it is extremely important to keep up on fungicide sprays. You must take a preventative approach with this one. Some of our other diseases we can take a wait and see attitude (sort of), but it's critical to be preventative with late blight.

Listed below are some of the labeled products for late blight control for home gardeners:

• Fixed copper

• Daconil or Fung-onil (active ingredient is chlorothalonil)

• Mancozeb

These should be applied regularly, and the user should refer to the product label for rates, PHI, and safety precautions. These products, as mentioned earlier, will not function well if pressure is high or if disease is present before spray programs are started.

Listed below are cultural controls that can prevent or delay the fungus (information from OAK blog:

• Grow potatoes and tomatoes in areas with good air circulation and well-drained soils. The fungus only infects wet tissue.
• Use certified seed potatoes and resistant varieties, where possible. The fungus can survive in potato seed pieces, but is not spread by tomato seeds.
• Separate plantings of potato and tomato in space and time.
• Promote air circulation to keep leaves dry. Plant in wide rows, oriented with prevailing winds. Stake and prune tomatoes. Control weeds.
• Hill potatoes with high hills to protect tubers from infection.
• Water the soil, not the leaves, to prevent leaf wetness.
• Avoid over-supplying nitrogen. Lush growth is more susceptible to late blight. Scout regularly. Destroy infected plant tissue and plants surrounding infected spots.
• Let potato vines die back completely before harvest. Do not harvest tomatoes when foliage is wet.
• Destroy culled tomatoes and potatoes. Store potatoes and tomatoes from diseased fields separately from those from uninfected fields.

If you suspect late blight, please let me know so we can get it sent to the lab for confirmation.