Flowers and veggies

 Leftover plants and herbs from the spring plant sale were planted in the community garden this year.











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Several gardeners planted sunflowers.

Marigolds line the corner plot.

Our NNR grant was renewed this year.

Okra and sunflowers.




It's our best vegetable harvest ever this year.

One potato, two potato

The 2014 harvest is well underway. Master Gardeners had planted a large section of the community garden in potatoes last spring and started harvesting last month on Thursdays. Then, last week they decided to dig up the rest, producing a 109-pound bounty to be donated to local food pantries.

Betsy found a potato shaped just like a duckling, complete with little wing and an eye.

The grandson of one master gardener found an arrowhead in the potato patch.

In all, the community garden produced 260 pounds of vegetables for donation that one day.

Plant Sale June 26

Master Gardeners will offer for sale their own home-grown plants as well as divisions from Mountain Valley Park. The sale will take place during the Thursday night market on the Square in Hayesville.

Community Garden plows ahead for 2014

 

While out in the midst of a long workday in the garden, we learned that our Nourishing North Carolina grant had been renewed. Great news!

We emptied out the shed, took it apart, and put it back together on a firmer foundation.

Individual plots were roped off. We have 20 plots available this summer. Fewer pathways means slightly larger plots this year.

We cut apart seed potatoes to be planted across the "back 40" of the garden.

Potatoes were planted in a depression about one foot apart and covered slightly. Once the potatoes sprout, we will go back and add more soil over the tops.

Extension agent Silas Brown used a tractor to push back the weeds and level a spot for the shed.

Master Gardeners dig for the plant sale

Master Gardener Volunteers Debbie Foster and Nancy Meldram divide Siberian iris for the plant sale on Saturday, May 10 and again on May 17.

Debbie Greenspon is dividing an unusual type of hosta, Stiletto, for the plant sale.

Over 100 plants were divided and potted up for the sale which will be held on square in Hayesville.

Other perennials dug from Mountain Valley Park are canna, evening primrose, chrysanthemum, blue salvia, and starts from the yellow jasmine vines.

A discovery: Ground Cherries!

The garden was thriving in August. The scouts' plot has been producing tomatoes, and peppers. We discovered that an unusual plant had volunteered in their plot and several others: ground cherries. It's a tiny treat in a husk that isn't expected to grow well in the South.

How Our Garden Grows!

The community garden has sprouted again with new folks taking plots this spring. It is fascinating to see the different methods employed in the new gardens...

Will this guy scare off the crows that plucked out the corn seedlings last summer?

Beans and corn planted together- the vines will climb the corn stalks.

Different weed barriers this year. Carpet does the job here.

Purchased landscape fabric is a good choice.

Others are using newspaper and/or cardboard under hay mulch.

Raised beds are great when the soil gets soggy from excess rain.

June Gardening Classes

The Garden Series is a collection of short classes that will be held on Thursdays (6,13,27) in June, 12:00-1:00, at the Clay County Extension Office.  Feel free to bring a lunch and sit in on any or all of the classes you choose.  Please contact the office (389-6305 prior to the class so that we will be sure to have sufficient materials for all attending.

 6/6 - Veggie Disease Diagnosis & Management

 6/13 - Insect & Pest Management

 6/27 - Composting

Spring Plant Sale

The Clay County Master Gardener Volunteer Association will hold its 2013 Annual Spring Plant Sale  May 11 and May 19 from 9 am - 12.  The sale will be at the Farmer's Market on the historic square in Hayesville.  

Funds generated from the sale will help the organization cover expenses in its public gardening and educational activities and scholarship program.  

CCMGVA members will be on hand to answer gardening questions during the sale.

A look back at Mountain Valley Park

Catmint, purple coneflowers, and coreopsis bloomed profusely all summer.

Evening primrose added fragrance and beauty.

Red, white and blue was the theme at the entrance to the garden.

A lovely place to sit and appreciate the wide variety of flowering plants.

Clay County Barn Quilt Project

Master Gardeners participated in the County Barn Quilt Project by painting this flower quilt from a design by the Anderson family of Shooting Creek. On a backing of wood and metal, the quilt will be raised on the Andersons' restored barn.
Look for a trail of barn quilts throughout Clay County as the project is completed.


The quilt is now mounted on the Anderson barn.

The Community Garden Flourishes

In its beautiful setting, the community garden has many aspects.

There is beauty...

There is creativity...

There is ingenuity...

Videotape strung between stakes shimmers, shakes and scares the crows away from the newly planted corn.

There is discovery...

The school garden has tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, squash, and now a bean teepee.

And there is bounty.



In June the Master Gardeners donated 199 pounds of produce from their plot to various Clay County assistance programs.

By August over 500 pounds had been donated.

This harvest of about 40 pounds went to both the Senior Center and Social Services in Clay County.

Gardening Tips from The Extension Office

As Spring rains appear to linger, humidity and dampness can cause garden plants to suffer in a number of ways.  Here's a few tips to managing your garden during such times.


1) Monitor often.  Disease can appear overnight, however, the extent of the damage can be curbed if you visit your garden often and inspect your plants.


2) Scout plants for diseases.  Many diseases, such as "early blight" in tomatoes or "downy mildew" in cucurbits, will begin with small yellow or water-soaked spots on leaves.  If caught early, fungicides can be applied to keep diseases from spreading and enveloping the entire plant.


3) Manage drainage.  Wet weather can cause problems other than providing a suitable environment for disease.  Poor drained soils, even on slopes, can cause yellowing, or "wet feet," and even root rot.  Though many problems as such are corrected on their own as dryer periods come, if you have this problem, it's a good idea to add organic matter, sand or other material to your soil between now and next year's garden that will loosen the soil and allow water to drain more readily.  A good practice is to plant a cover crop (rye, wheat, crimson clover) in the fall and til it in the spring to loosen soils.


4) Develop a pest management plan.  Many disease have enough head start by the time we notice them, then get them diagnosed and to the store to find a suitable product to use to manage them.  So, simply having an idea of what tools you can use or are available can give you a jump on diseases.  The Organic Gardening class coming up on June 21, can help provide you with some ideas.  We can also help provide you with conventional solutions and products at the Extension Office.


5) Prevention.  Keeping plants dry is the one of the best disease preventions.  To do so, it's important to keep good spacing between plants to allow ventilation.  Also, it's best, when irrigating plants, to use drip lines, soaker hoses or water low to the ground as opposed to watering the entire plant.  Keep in mind that the roots are the part of the plant that needs the water.  


6) Watering tips:  Water in the morning so that the plant has the day to dry off.  Water adequately during the dry season.  Plants need an average of 1 inch of water per week.  If you're using a sprinkler, you can set a tuna can (usually about an inch in depth) or other basin in the garden and cut the water off when you reach the one inch mark.  Watering too little, or just sprinkling the garden, especially during the dry season will not go very deep and can actually lead to scorching of the top layer of feeder roots of plants.  One to two soakings per week is sufficient.  Watering daily is more than the plants need and will also wash out, or leach, needed nutrients, such as Nitrogen, out of the soil.

June is Community Garden Month

WHEREAS, access to fresh fruits and vegetables encourages healthy eating habits, lowers rates of obesity, diabetes and other diseases; and

WHEREAS, community gardens encourage healthy eating and increase access to local healthy foods; and

WHEREAS, community gardens help strengthen communities and provide opportunities for neighborhood and community development; and

WHEREAS, community gardens encourage physical activity and education; and

WHEREAS, community gardens encourage the protection of green spaces; and

WHEREAS, developing healthy eating habits and participating in physical activities are critical to overall health and physical fitness; and

WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina joins Nourishing North Carolina, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, North Carolina Recreation and Park Association, North Carolina Community Garden Partners, as well as communities across our state, in promoting access to local, fresh fruits and vegetables through community gardening; 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim June 2012, as “NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY GARDEN MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.  I further encourage citizens to explore ways to include community gardens in their own neighborhoods as a start to living a more healthy life.

BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this seventh day of May in the year of our Lord two thousand and twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

Transplanted community garden will flourish

Not only plowed, but now twice-tilled, our new bottomland garden is almost ready. Prospective gardeners can sign up for a 20x20' plot and attend an organi-zational meeting at the extension office on either Thursday: April 12, or April 19 at 4 pm. For details, call the extension office - 828-389-6305.

Fruit Trees: Ornamental and Bearing

Yoshino Cherry Trees

This President’s Day I did wonder how the whole cherry tree/President Washington thing got going.  From the little research I did, it was probably a myth created by an early biographer to illustrate Washington’s honesty.  But, honestly, I do love cherry trees!  This is a wonderful time to begin some fruit magic, both ornamental and husbandarily (oh, a bit of a stretch to mean the eating kind!)

If you drive on Rt. 64 near Subway you will see deep pink cherry trees (Okame) the earliest ornamental fruit tree to blossom.  They are a wonderful balm to bleak winter but often get zapped by frost.  Sticking with cherries the next to bloom will be Yoshino (the ones that strut their stuff in Washington).  These fast growing trees produce lovely light pink blossoms in a canopy that is wider than tall.  Kwanzan is the last variety to bloom with fluffy, double petaled flowers after the leaves have arrived.  With just these three varieties you could cover spring with pink petals.  However, there are varieties that will actually produce fruit.  This part of North Carolina can sustain sour cherry trees more easily than the sweet variety, but recently developed varieties do well.  ‘Montomorency’, a variety of sour cherry, and Black Tartarian, an early sweet variety, may do better than most.

Soon our countryside will be dotted with those lovely blossoms of pyrus calleryana (ornamental Pear), another early bloomer.  Oh, they are soooo tempting, but a Bradford Pear does have BIG liabilities.  It’s overgrown, has stinky blossoms, and is a very weak-limbed tree.  The ‘Cleveland’ variety is a better choice if you must, but it is narrow.  A ‘Kwanzan’ cherry would be an excellent substitute.  But why not go for the real deal!  Fruiting pears do well in our area.  There are two main kinds, Asian and European.  Both need at least two cultivars to ensure adequate pollination (and they will not be pollinators for each other).  The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has a list of varieties that have been tested here and do well.  For Asian Pears, they recommend Twentieth Century (Nijisseiki), Nititaka (a pollen source), Shinjseik (New Century), and Chojuro and for European varieties: Moonglow, Magness, Kieffer, Harrow Delight, Harrow Sweet, Harvest Queen, and Seckeil.

Peaches are another beautiful tree with scrumptious fruit.  I had assumed they would do poorly here, but I was misguided.  N.C. State has a peach-breeding program to develop excellent cultivars for our area.  They do not require pollinators, but do require a spray program during the growing season.  There are many varieties available, but as with cherries, choose those that require at least 750 hours of chilling.

All of these need full sun, good drainage, and fairly fertile soils with a Ph of 6.0 to 6.5. 

As you imagine, there is more to this than these few words can cover.  The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has brochures and on-line guides for all the fruit available for North Carolina gardeners.  We’ll try to cover more next time.  

Eleanor Moyer

New site for the community garden

After struggling with a lack of water in one location and and then squeezing around shady trees in our last location, the community garden is now being moved to a sunny location alongside a creek. Scott Penland, Superintendent, has promised that he will have an entrance across from Elementary School Dr. and mark out a spot along the edge of the huge hayfield for us to plant our crops. Water is somewhat accessible, but we'll have to lay pipes to bring it to the garden. This is school-owned property, and we hope that our garden is positioned such that it can stay in this location long term.

Mountain Valley Park

The Master Gardeners took on a project to create a pocket of beauty on the square in Hayesville.

This long-neglected space between buildings was to be transformed into a lovely spot to take a break and smell the flowers.

The first step was to develop a plan. A number of gardeners drew up plans that were submitted to the group for their consideration.

Another important ingredient was a mural for the back wall to be painted by the high school art group. The mural depicts mountains, water, and flowers - all typical of our area.

The landscape plan reflects the ideas of many gardeners and includes fixtures such as a pergola, a screening fence, two trellises, several birdhouses on posts, and three benches (not shown) - all providing the backbone of the plan. Shrubs and perennials are being added as the other elements are installed.


Watch for updates on this project.

August Bounty

 

Yellow tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, eggplant, beets, peppers all bound for the food pantry.

 The green pumpkin will remain in the pumpkin patch for now.

Autumn Planning

Hydrangea paniculata

The ideal planting time for shrubs, trees, and perennials is just around the corner.  Fall planting allows for strong root growth before a winter siesta and the growing season of spring.  It’s a chance to give plants a head start before the stress of summer strangleholds their very existence. 

Now is the time to begin planning.  A walk through Lewis Nursery or the Garden Shoppe is one way to be inspired, but another is to look around at what is surviving well in commercial landscapes.  These are the very spots that do not get the pampered watering and fertilizing that the home landscaper can do.  Plants have to be tough to survive 100˚ heat and three weeks without rain!  I’ve noticed a few that really stand out.

The first is hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’.  You can see this growing near the new Aztex/ McDonald’s at the corner of 64 and 69.  What is most striking is how beautiful the plant looks no matter how hot it gets.  Its white flowers (with a slight green tint) sit perkily while the rest of us wilt and sweat.  I like the whole crowd of paniculatas:  ‘Tardiva’ is very reliable and ‘PinkyWinky’ has almost red flowers, to name just a couple.  They don’t droop as most mophead hydrangeas do in the heat of summer and they bloom now into fall—a good time for the garden.  They like sun and can become large, but you wield the pruning shears.

Another plant near McDonald’s is Ninebark (physocarpus opulifolious).  I am not sure the variety.  It could be ‘Diablo’, but it is behaving like the beautiful ‘Summer Wine’ I have in my garden.  This plant flowers delightfully in the spring, but its crowning glory is the deeply cut, dark crimson-red leaves that glow in the sunlight throughout the summer.  It’s a beautiful plant to jazz up a boring green border. 

The third planting near this intersection is the group of trees in front of the Nantahala Bank that were placed by the Department of Transportation.  I realize they are not much to look at now, just pretty little shade trees, but come this winter they will sport a crown of red berries almost all season (the birds do eventually have their way with them!)  I was so struck by their attractiveness that I called the DOT for information which is when I discovered there is a whole DOT landscape department!  The horticulturist identified them as Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’. This cultivar is one of the best hawthornes for landscape purposes.  It is a smallish (25–30 ft.) deciduous tree that blooms in May, has dark red autumn foliage, and red fruit all winter.  In older trees the bark also exfoliates which adds to its winter interest.

Well, here’s to your autumn dreaming.  At least there’s one good thing we can say about this heat--you can’t plant shrubs and trees!

Eleanor Moyer