Asparagus

Asparagus can be cut down now or left until spring. It needs removed before new growth. I usually knock it down with the riding mower and burn it. Last year, I put wood chip mulch over the bed to keep weeds down. It worked well. However, I don't want to set the wood chips on fire. This year, I will use the blade on my string trimmer and cut them off and chop the fern growth up for mulch.

Bulb Planting

Bulb planting can be done until the ground freezes. Here a Riley County Extension Master Gardener is planting tulips at the Riley County Office Building. You can find good prices on bulbs at local stores.

Spring blooming bulbs add early season color (excitement) to the landscape.

Mulching Hybrid Tea Roses

This Papa Meilland rose needs the crown protected from changing temperatures during the winter. A mound of free wood chip mulch from the Transfer Station is placed over the crown to a height of 12 inches.

I cut the stems back to 36 inches for the winter to reduce wind movement. A typical winter will kill these stems back to the mulch.

Come April, I will push the mulch off the crown and spread it around the ground by the bush.

Forcing Hyacinths

Several years ago, I purchased 3 forcing containers. I'm down to one. The bottom is filled with pebbles and some charcoal up to the waist. Roots are now forming and soon I will put it in the refrigerator for around 12 weeks. It then will be brought out to bloom. Once it does bloom, it needs to be kept in a cool location to make it last.

To learn more about forcing bulbs, see our publication at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/hort2/mf2077.pdf

Fall Colors

The first leaves to change color in my landscape is the woodbine also called Virginia creeper. This vine climbs up anything and here it is in a redbud tree. The seeds sprout readily in the yard. If it wasn't for the fall color, I wouldn't tolerate having to pull out the many seedlings over the course of the year.

Fall Bean Harvest

Got my first harvest of fall beans. The kids don't care for them but the wife and I do. I continue to treat for bean leaf beetles.

Hyacinth Bean

The hyacinth bean is putting on a wonderful display now. There is a wooden chair underneath all the growth. The bean bods are edible. I've never tried them since they are attractive to look at, as well.

Bean leaf beetles like this bean just as much as the bush beans. I've been able to treat all beans for them this season.

The bush beans are blooming, so looking forward to the fall harvest.

Planting Bed Preparation

Many people planted grass over the Labor Day weekend. I got a load of compost from the Transfer Station and spread it over my shrub/flower planting bed. The compost was worth the wait. This project started on the 4th of July weekend.

The compost, sulphur and existing soil have been worked together. I will now have the soil tested to see if I need anything else to add to the soil prior to planting this fall.

Bean leaf beetle

Bean leaf beetles must never sleep. This is the second time I have treated for them. Luckly, plants want to live. The beans will grow out of the damage. Although, there is a lot of leaf missing, there still is enough to keep producing growth. The crop will be delayed due to the reduced food producing leaves.

Propagation

I am attempting to get some free shrubs going. I took the transparent plastic tub and filled it half full of a mixture of 50/50 vermiculite and perlite. I took cuttings in early July and a few have formed roots. Some died and some are still thinking about it.

The media was kept moist and the lid was left on.

A few of these rooted cuttings, I have potted up and I'm hopeful that they will become part of my landscape next spring.

Ornamental Millet

The ornamental millet 'Jade Princess' is a real attention getter. It is planted in two of our demonstration beds at the courthouse plaza. Stop-by and see it in person when downtown.

Fall snap beans

My fall crop of green beans are off to a good start. A little water during the heat got them going. We will hope for cooler temperatures from here through harvest. The drip tube will distribute water if it isn't provided by nature rain fall. I will have to keep an eye out for bean leaf beetles.

Ragweed Control

Here is a swallowtail caterpillar feeding on my fennel in the beneficial plant garden.
Below picture, these ragweeds are near the beneficial insect garden. Is it a coincidence that butterfly larvae are feeding on it? I believe that they will become the Bordered Patch butterfly. Although, there are quite a few feeding, I have plenty of ragweed not being fed upon.

Leaf Eaters

This walnut branch had both walnut caterpillar and fall webworm feeding on it. The missing leaves are from the caterpillar. The webbing is from the fall webworm. Storms, environment or finished eating have resulted in them no longer around. Even if they were, neither cause harm to the tree. Only missing leaves. I don't worry about them. You could knock them out of the tree if you wanted to save some leaves from being eaten.

Planting Bed

It was decided to extend the planting bed outside of the screened in porch. The porch is used to sit on and bringing the garden closer will be enjoyed. Tentative plans is to get a bird bath as a focal point along with using many fragrant plants.

The first step was to determine how big to make it. I used glyphosate to kill the grass. My son and I turned the soil over using a potato fork. We went to get a load of compost from the transfer station to mix into the soil. The compost won't be ready until after August 1. We settled for a load of free woodchips. It is too hot to work on this project anyway.

Squash Vine Borer

K-State Research and Extension asked for assistance in monitoring the squash vine borer. I had given up planting squash/pumpkin because the borer always killed my plants.

I was given a pheromone trap so planted a pumpkin. So far, the trap has caught 10 male adult borers. Last night I went to check and there was one inside the lure.

Their mating season is suppose to be coming to and end. We will see how long I keep catching them.

Watering

I have needed to supplement moisture using various irrigation equipment on different plantings. This is my drip system that I use in the raised beds. I purchased a water meter to see how much water I'm using. It ran for an hour and used 48 gallons in this 70 square feet bed. The soil was wet down 16 inches. You can't see but there are tomatoes planted in this bed. I will wait until the soil dries down and water again if it hasn't rained.

Passion for 4-H

4-H has been mentioned much of late, due to a CNN article posted on June 23. Essentially, the writer of that article, believes that 4-H desensitizes members to animal slaughter. The article has generated much activity, both for and against, the writer's viewpoint.

As a youth development professional, I have the opportunity to see snapshots of growth in the youth involved in the 4-H program. I have watched members gain confidence after successfully completing a presentation, find a career path based upon positive project experiences, be responsible for his/her own money while attending a week's worth of camp, and grow into strong community advocates and adult leaders.

Teachers have often mentioned that they can tell which students are members of the 4-H program. The students often possess a higher degree of self-confidence, responsibility and comfort with public speaking. The results of a child's participation in 4-H are often evident after three years of involvement.

4-H builds community capacity and networks human capital. This is the answer to connecting families and making your community a positive place to raise children.

I would love to hear how 4-H has made a difference in your life. Read the CNN article at http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/06/23/does-4-h-desensitize-kids-to-killing/?hpt=hp_c2 Then email your response to afeld@ksu.edu I would love to post some of your comments right here on our blog. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Bagworm Control

Check your plants this 4th of July Holiday for bagworms. I couldn't find any on my plants. I took this picture on some Junipers downtown. Any number of insecticides will control them. Read and follow the label directions. The main challenge is getting the spray into the plant to get thorough coverage.

For more details, go to
ttp://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/entml2/mf728.pdf

Deer Damage

It is a good thing we weren't on the garden tour. Deer have been eating the flower buds off our roses. The family dog is suppose to be watching out for them. A repellent like Liquid Fence or bird netting may need to be used if the dog doesn't step it up.

Thanks to all that participated in the "Garden Tour." It was a fantastic day!

Garden Tour

Master Gardeners and the tour hosts view the gardens on the tour that is on Saturday, June 18 from 9 am to 3 pm. A good place to start is at the KSU Gardens at 1500 Denison Ave. Tickets are $8 available at any site which will include a map to all the locations.

Blueberry Harvest

My blueberries are nearing maturity. This variety is Duke. It has done best of the varieties I have. The sweetest berries are a solid blue. Be sure to pick when ripe which can be several days after they are blue.

These blueberries have been easy to grow. The mix of sulfur and peatmoss with the soil has worked fine. Even soil moisture is important.

Chia

I spent the past week hanging out with 751 teens at a state-wide leadership conference. The focus of the conference is to learn about future careers and potential college major options. I co-taught a class with another youth development co-worker at our Manhattan, HyVee. We experimented with Chia!

Chia is a grain, but not any ordinary grain. It is a super grain! Doesn't that sound like some sort of super hero music should start playing now? Anyway, this grain has excellent fiber and omega 3 content -- plus many other health benefits. The grain absorbs three times its weight in water, and makes an excellent fat substitute in baked products.

The teens tried the grain, dry, in yougurt smoothies. They loved the crunch! The grain resembles a poppyseed, but has more color variation and is a bit bigger than the poppyseed.

Did you know that women need about 25 grams of fiber per day, and men need about 35 grams per day? Karen Hanson, Manhattan HyVee Dietician, said that most folks get about 11-15 grams per day. She suggested Chia as a terrific option for increasing fiber.

This picture features Karen telling some of our adult assistants about the benefits of Chia. Karen suggested mixing a little in with your fruit spread, adding it to your ice cream as a topping or even sprinkling a little on your salad. Chia does not have any taste, but it packs a powerful crunch!

Big Bertha Peppers

Big Bertha is the pepper to win the largest pepper contest for the 4-Hers this year at the fair. I have some extra plants to give away. Hopefully, you will be attending the "Irrigation Audit Demonstration" at the front of the Riley County Courthouse at 9 am on Saturday morning, May 21. I will give away peppers to those in attending.

Cut stump outcome

Earlier, I had blogged about treating a stump of a hackberry tree I didn't want to grow back. The stump was treated with glyphosate. The hackberry tree apparently shared the same root system to the hackberry next to it. The hackberry not removed has sparse leaves. I had plans to remove this hackberry in the future. The time line may have gotten shorter. The elm tree in the same row shows no injury.

Strawberry Harvest?

Strawberry harvest is close. The bottom picture was taken the night before. This strawberry needs another day or two to ripen on the ground side. I woke up to this frost the next morning. It is the same strawberry.
Berries don't ripen off the plant, so be patient and leave them on until fully ripe to get the best flavor. You need to snap the stem with the thumbnail to harvest. This way the cap and stem will be on the berry and will keep longer.

Hail on Hosta

This Sum and Substance Hosta was planted in the new Hosta bed at the Riley County Courthouse Plaza on Friday. Early Saturday morning, it got hailed upon. Stop-by and watch these Hostas which are part of the Prairie Bloom suggested cultivars to plant in Kansas. Go to http://www.prairiestarflowers.com/Prairie%20Bloom%20pages/Hosta_allpics.html to see the Hosta collection.

Frost on May 2

Freeze injury to my potatoes on May 2. Potatoes will bounce back.

Frost on Strawberries

My last post suggested planting tomatoes, which I did. Three days later, it frosted. I cover the tomatoes but not my strawberries. Time will tell how the berries handled the frost. May 5 is a 95% chance of no more frost in Riley County.

Tomato in a container

May 1 is a common date on planting tomatoes in our area. Frost is unlikely to occur. This Mountain Bell cherry tomato will spend its life on my deck. My pasta tomatoes are in the garden. To read about growing tomatoes in pots or the field, check out these 2 pubs. http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/hort2/mf2873.pdf - containers

http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/hort2/mf312.pdf - tomatoes

Peas Growing Like Weeds

The spring weather isn't getting the tomatoes off to a fast start, but the cool-season vegetables are growing well. These peas are looking good. I hope you got peas planted because the spring is the only time we get to enjoy these. The soil is too warm for good germination for a fall planting.

Aspargus Harvest

Last week, I started harvesting asparagus. This is a patch that has been there for 35 years. Harvesting will continue for about 7 weeks when all of the spears are the size of pencils. At that point, the spears need to be left to grow into food producing factories for next years crop. The spears grow rapidly in warm weather and everyday harvest is necessary. Spears are tender when harvested 10 inches or shorter by snapping them off at ground level. Asparagus beetles usually do some feeding on the tips. I haven't seen them yet. It has been too cool for them.

Smell of Spring

Too bad I can't insert the perfume this plant produces. I clipped some blooms off of this Korean Spice Viburnum and have them on my desk. I would wish that everyone had at least one of these in their landscape. The plant gets about 5' tall and wide. Mine gets morning sun and then shade for the rest of the day. Consider this plant for yourself.