Top Tomato Named

On Saturday, July 19, the second annual tomato contest was held at Tractor Supply.  Mr. Dave Gincher won the blue ribbon in all three categories. His ‘Caspian Pink’ tomato was the largest in circumference at 14 ¼” as well as the heaviest at just over 1 lb. 4 oz.  The second place tomato in these two categories was a ‘Golden Boy’ grown by Mr. David Lee.  In the tastiest tomato category, Dave Gincher’s ‘Juliette’ tomato took the top slot with a ‘Celebrity’ tomato grown by Joeann Millington in second and Mr. David Lee’s ‘Golden Boy’ coming in third.

 

 



David Lee, Joeann Millington, and Dave Gichner

 

 





If you want to grow prize winning tomatoes for yourself, follow these tips. 

• Rotate the location of your tomatoes so that they are planted in the same place four years or more apart.
• Plant them in a sunny spot.  6 hrs. or more of sun a day is best.
• Spray a preventative fungicide such as chlorothalonil every 7-10 days.
• Scout your tomatoes for insects frequently. 

New Exotic May Be Bugging Fayette County Growers Soon

There is a new pest making its way to Fayette County.  You won’t notice when it arrives unless you grow or buy local blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, grapes, cherries, or persimmons.  The new insect is the spotted wing drosophila, a very small fly.  The fly is native to Southeast Asia but arrived in California in 2008.  It has been making itself at home, and now can be found in 27 states, including 20 counties in Tennessee.

 

The insect attacks small fruit by laying eggs in the berries as they start to ripen.  Each female can lay 350 eggs, and then her daughters are ready to lay all of their eggs 20 days later.  The damage looks like a circular sunken in place in the fruit with a very small larvae inside. When the insect finally arrives in Fayette County, fruit growers will have to spray insecticides weekly to keep their fruit free of extra protein from the fly larvae. 

No one can predict when the spotted wing drosophila will make it to Fayette County, but it could be any time.  In fact, this summer we set up traps in a local blueberry orchard and tested ripe fruit for larvae.  None were found, and the blueberries are growing wonderfully without the use of any insecticide sprays.  That’s good news for now, but it is unfortunately only a matter of time. For more information about how to detect the larvae in your fruit, or any other plant and soil science related question, call the UT Extension office at 901-465-5233. Or, visit  spottedwing.org or more pictures and information. 

Frequently Asked Questions in Home Gardening

A good part of my job at the Extension office is answering homeowner questions about their lawn and gardens. I thought it might be helpful to share a few of them and my answers.

When should I prune my Japanese maple?  Never.  This is one plant that I just would not put the pruners to at all.  Japanese maples are beautifully shaped with graceful branches.  I know that I would never be able to do anything with my pruners to improve upon such elegance.  If you have one that is too tall for the space, then you (or the person who owned the house before you) planted the wrong one.  There are dozens of varieties of Japanese maples that have different mature heights.  Choose carefully which one to plant. 

 What grass should I plant for my shady yard?  None.  If you have shade, choose a groundcover, make new beds, or mulch.  Turfgrasses are full sun plants.  If you have moving shade, you could try zoysia.  But even zoysia will not tolerate full shade.  You might get a good stand for a while, but each year the grass will get thinner and thinner.  There simply is no substitute for sunlight.  You could always try a moss garden.  That would be lovely. 

 Should I apply paint or tar to my tree if I have to prune off a limb?  No.  Trees are very good at handling damaged tissues.  They make “calluses” around the wounded area, then seal the damage off and continue to grow around the wound.  Research has shown that painting over the wounds does nothing to help and may actually make things worse. Tar or paint can prevent the area from drying out, prevent the tree’s natural process of compartmentalizing the area, and possibly even act as a food source for pathogens.  If you have a limb that broke off of the tree, perhaps in a storm, and it was not a clean break, then you can help the tree by cleaning up the ragged edges to make it easier for the callus tissue to form. 

 

I figured I needed a photo to give my blog post interest, so here is a random chipmunk.

Master Gardener Recognition Night

On Friday, May 23, University of Tennessee Extension held a recognition night to honor several Fayette County Master Gardeners.  Twelve Master Gardeners graduated from their internship and received a certificate as well as their green Master Gardener name badge.   The badges are earned after an intern attends fourteen weeks of gardening classes and completes forty hours of volunteer service. 

 

Alida Gover, Cindy Matlock, Anne Chase, Martha Shaeffer, Judy Schmunk, Beth Mize, Laura Winfrey, Katherine Robinson, and Robin Comella.  PJ Bartholomew, Susan Hines, and Dan Sutherland not pictured

 

Five year pins were given to five Master Gardeners to acknowledge their continued years of service to their communities through the Master Gardener program. 

 

 

Loretta Taylor and Will Gresham receive their 5 yr. pins.  Elizabeth Baker, Beverly Culver, and Darlene Rike not pictured.

 

 Four Master Gardeners received the gold leaf pin award for completing 100 hours of volunteer service with the Master Gardener program for the 2013 year.  Everyone enjoyed dinner at the Oak Room and the commencement address given by Dr. Christopher Cooper, the State Master Gardener Coordinator. The eighth annual training class for Master Gardener interns will be starting in August.  If you are interested in joining our group, call the Extension office at 901-465-5233 to get more information.  

Alida Gover, Cindy Matlock, and Vivian England receive 100 hr. pins.  Darlene Rike not pictured.

4-H Archers Score Big at State Shoot

On Saturday, May 3, nine 4-Hers from Fayette County traveled to Murfreesboro to compete in the State 4-H Archery Shoot.  There were nearly 400 youth from across Tennessee at the shoot to compete in the recurve, Genesis, and compound bow divisions. Fayette County was well represented in each division. 

Our Senior High Compound Team, Hunter and Rebecca Winstead and Cameron Hart, came in second place.  Cameron Hart won first place individual in the high school compound division, shooting a 299 out of a possible 300. He hit the bullseye 18 times in his 30 shot match.  He also won premiere archer in that category, which takes into consideration the scores on a written skills test. 

 

 In the Genesis bow division, Cameron came in 7^th place. 

 

In the recurve category, we had two youth place in the top ten.  Mitchell McCreless placed 8^th in the Senior High age group and Haddon Carter placed sixth in the Junior High group.  4-Hers Beau Hart and Landon Carter shot in the Genesis division, while Ben Dixon and Corbin Hart shot compound bows. If your child is interested in 4-H Archery, contact Tonya Ashworth at 901-465-5233.  UT Extension offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or veteran status and is an Equal Opportunity employer.

 

Cameron and Corbin Hart

Corbin on the left, Cameron on the right

Landon, Mitchell, Hunter, Cameron, and Rebecca

Haddon and Mitchell

Hunter

Mitchell, Landon, and Beau

Rebecca and Hunter

Ben, Rebecca, and Hunter

 

Starting a New Vegetable Garden?

Having a vegetable garden at your home can be very rewarding. You get food that is fresh and tasty and you know exactly what was or was not sprayed on it during the growing season.  Additionally, you get the extra exercise, stress relief, and sense of accomplishment that goes along with gardening.  To insure your success, you need to plan before the first seed is planted.  Here are some tips for starting your own backyard garden.

 

·         Your garden spot should receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.

·         Put the garden near the house so that the water hose will reach it.  You are more likely to go work in the garden if it is nearby. 

·         Take a soil sample and do a soil test.  The kits are available at the UT Extension office in Somerville.  The cost is $7, and it tells you exactly how much lime and fertilizer your soil needs.

·         Put lime on as soon as possible, because it takes a while for it to work.

·         Add any manures you plan to use before planting.  However, don’t top dress with manure, because of food safety issues and the bacteria that may be splashed up when watering.

·         Decide which vegetables you want to grow.  This time of year, you should only plant warm season vegetables such as okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.  The time for broccoli and spinach is over.

·         If you are starting a new bed, spray an herbicide to get rid of the vegetation that is currently on the site.  After it dies, you can till the soil for the bed. You should work the top 6-7 inches, but not when the ground is too wet. 

·         Plant your seeds or plants, but don’t overdo it!  Many beginning gardeners underestimate how much yield they will get and end up with okra by the boatload.

·         If you are unsure about how much seed is needed or what yields will be like or what will and won’t grow this time of year, come by the Extension office and pick up our “Guide to Warm Season Vegetables.”  It has a chart that tells you which plants to plant, when to plant, how many seed per 100’ row to use, how to space the plants, and how many days until the first harvest. It is free, as is all of our educational materials on gardening. UT Extension offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or veteran status and is an Equal Opportunity employer.

 

December Gardening Gift Ideas and Tips

By Jason Reeves, research horticulturist and garden curator, UT Gardens, Jackson

Need a Christmas gift for a gardener? How about a King of Spades 18" Dura Rake or Diamond Point Spade with foot pad. At the UT Gardens in Jackson we are now using many of the W. W. Manufacturing King of Spade tools made in New Jersey. Once you use their products, you will not want any other. They are costly, but well worth it. To find a retailer near you go to http://www.wwmfg.com/ or order online at http://www.kingofspadesonline.com/.

Another tool that would make a great gift and I wouldn’t garden without it, is the Harper Hand Truck. This dolly is great for moving heavy pots and bags of soil, mulch or other supplies. Whether you purchase the Harper brand or some other, make sure the tires are inflatable, which will allow for rolling on soft surfaces like the lawn.

Be sure to check out sale racks at local garden centers for bulbs that have been reduced in price. If they feel firm and are not moldy, they should still be good. Plant them as soon as possible. There is still time for them to get the winter chilling they need.

The idea of a living Christmas tree that can be planted outdoors after the holidays often sounds appealing, but without proper selection and care, this can be a disappointing experience. First, you should carefully select one that is suited to your part of the state. While white pine, spruce and fir will work in the cooler parts of Tennessee, they should be avoided in the warmer areas. Virginia pine, Eastern red cedar, Japanese cedar and Arizona cypress are good choices for all parts of Tennessee. Hemlock and Leyland cypress should be avoided due to numerous problems with insects and disease once in the landscape. Any living tree brought indoors should not remain inside longer than five days. One option is to go ahead and put the lights on the tree and enjoy it outside before time to bring it indoors. Be sure to keep it well watered but not standing in water. Once Christmas is over, move it outdoors and plant.

Cyclamen, kalanchoe, poinsettia, paperwhites, amaryllis, Christmas cactus, English ivy and rosemary topiaries offer weeks of added color and interest to the home during the holidays. Most perform best in bright, indirect light away from drafts, but rosemary would appreciate as much light as possible. The cyclamen, kalanchoe and poinsettias are often best added to the compost pile once they begin to decline. Keep your paperwhites from flopping over by adding alcohol. For more information, check out this link: http://blogs.cornell.edu/hort/2009/11/10/pickling-your-paperwhites/. 

Deck your halls and walls with things found in your garden. Gather fresh-cut greenery from your landscape. When pruning, cut back to a branch so as not to leave a stub. When cutting conifers, don't go beyond the innermost needles. If you do, it may not regenerate from that point again. To extend the life of fresh-cut greenery, soak it in a bucket of water overnight to hydrate the leaves and stems before using and or spray with the product like Wilt Proof. Wilt Proof forms a waxy coating that slows desiccation.