FEBRUARY GARDEN CHECKLIST

• Applications are being taken for the upcoming Master Gardener training to be held on February 28, and March 7 in Marion County at the fairgrounds, March 14 in Harrison, and March 21 and 28 at the Baxter County Fairgrounds in Mountain Home. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Cost of the program is $85. For more information call 425-2335.

• If you’re wondering when to apply fertilizer, it’s still a little early to fertilize trees, shrubs, and grasses. Mid to late March is soon enough to fertilize trees and shrubs. Fescue lawns should be fertilized in April and summer lawns are fertilized at green up (May).
• Base any fertilization on a soil test. Take samples from several different spots within a particular area and mix it together. Bring a pint sample of dry soil in plastic sandwich bag to Cooperative Extension office for processing. Samples are mailed to the University of Arkansas Soils Lab in Marianna, Arkansas. Free test results will be mailed to you within three weeks.
• Time to prune fruit trees. If you have just a few trees you can wait to prune them until just before blooming. You could prune all fruit trees now except for peaches. If we get a serious cold snap, exposed wounds on peach trees can result in some major damage, so it’s best to prune them just before bloom.
• Peach leaf curl is a fungus disease with symptoms (puckering and reddening of leaves) appearing in late spring to early summer on peaches and nectarines. To prevent this disease, spray trees with a fungicide before bud swell (could be as early as mid-February some winters). One application of Bordeaux mixture, copper octanoate, copper, ziram, chlorothalonil, or calcium polysulfides applied as soon as possible when temperatures are above 40 degrees F, will prevent this problem this year. Be sure to read and follow label directions.
• Most summer and fall blooming perennials can be divided and replanted any time this month. Give extras to your garden friends.
• You still have time to control weeds in your bermuda grass lawn. An herbicide containing glyphosate (example – Roundup) can be used on dormant bermuda lawns in February when temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit for winter weed control. Make sure your bermuda lawn is completely dormant or you will damage it.
• September to October is the optimum time to establish tall fescue lawns. If you missed that window, an early spring seeding (late February through March) can be a reasonable second choice. Tall fescue is the only choice we have for a shady lawn grass.
• Make sure that you have cleaned up the spent foliage and debris from last season in your vegetable and flower gardens. Consider using a dormant or horticultural oil on fruit trees, grape vines and scale infested shrubs. Check label for application instructions on dormant and horticultural oil.
• Azaleas get hit hard every year with lacebugs. These sucking insects can wreak havoc on an otherwise easy care plant. Without care, the leaves can become bronzed by late summer, and a few plants have been killed by these insects. Lacebugs don’t become active until April or May-depending on the spring we have. You can begin to monitor for them, and spray as needed, but a newer product may take away any worries. Imidacloprid applied in February or early March, can give you full season control.
• This winter, remove bagworm bags from shrubs which were infested this past summer. Eggs were deposited within the bags by female worms, shortly before they died. Physically removing and destroying the bags will reduce or eliminate problems this summer.
• Remove the dead stubble off of ornamental grasses before they resume growth.
• Late this month or early March prune summer flowering shrubs and hedges. Spring blooming shrubs such as forsythia and azalea should be pruned immediately after flowering.
• Mulch strawberry beds now with straw. Keep the straw off the crowns. The straw will keep fruit from touching the soil and rotting.
• Soak roots of bare root trees overnight and then plant the following day. Do not fertilize the first year after planting.
• One last point I want to let you know about is
• Baxter County Master Gardener Seminar on March 11 at the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Center in Mtn. Home.
• Seminar topics and speakers are:

1. “Trends in Gardening”, “Edible Landscape – Herbs, Vegetables, Fruits and More”  – Janet Carson;
2. “Outstanding Plants Through the Seasons” – Lucinda Reynolds;
3. “Widder Wilcox – AR Cabin Gardens of the Past” –
4. Tina Marie Wilcox; and “Ornamental Grasses and Vines” –
5. Dr. Kim Pittcock
6. There is a fee of $25 per person to attend the seminar and this includes lunch. Attendance is limited and pre-registration is required. To register mail name, address, phone number, e-mail (if available) and check payable to BCMG to: Kathrine Gilmore, BCMG Seminar, 275 Sharon Dr., Mtn. Home, AR 72653 or go to http://www.baxtercountymg.com/spring-seminar.html.

 
          For more information on any of the above points, contact the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension office at 425-2335.

This salad is delicious and looks elegant.  It appears that it would be
​would be a lot of work.

​What makes it nice is you can do the first three steps ahead 
​of time and just assemble it before serving.

Makes 4 servings

CANDIED WALNUTS

•  1 cup walnut halves
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• Oil for deep frying
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

* Place walnuts in sauce pan, add water just to cover nuts and simmer over medium
   heat until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
* Drain and transfer to paper towels to dry.
* Combine nuts and powdered sugar.
* Heat 2 tablespoons oil to 350 degrees in a heavy saucepan.
* Fry walnuts in batches until browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes.
* Transfer walnuts with slotted spoon to a ​baking sheet to cool. Salt slightly.
* Store unused nuts in an air-tight container.

POACHED PEAR

• 1 cup sugar
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup water
• 1 pear, peeled, cored and cut in half

* Combine sugar, lemon juice and water and boil over high heat until sugar
   dissolves, 2 minutes.
* Add pear halves and cook over low heat,  covered, until tender, about 20 minutes.
* Cool, then remove pear with slotted spoon ​and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper 
• Pinch sugar
• 1 Roma tomato, diced small
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

* Warm 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over low heat and saute garlic and shallot until
   translucent, about 4 minutes.
* Combine garlic and shallot with balsamic vinegar in glass bowl.
* Slowly whisk in 3/4 cup oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste; add sugar to 
   balance flavor.
* Gently stir in tomato and basil. Makes 3/4 cup.

 ASSEMBLY

• 1 (6-to -8-ounce mixed greens or make your own green salad if you prefer.
• 1/2 cup candied walnuts
• 2 tomatoes cut in wedges
• 6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

*  Toss greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
*  Divide salad among 4 plates and top with slices of Poached Pears, Candied  Walnuts,       tomato and Gorgonzola cheese.

Source: Shari Anderson
              Garden Know How

This is the month of Chocolate, Happy Valentines Day!

Pie Plate: 9 inch

Recipe:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  
• 2/3 cup instant cocoa mix
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 9 inch pie shell, baked

Directions:

• Melt butter and cocoa mix over low heat, stirring until mix is dissolved.
  
• Stir in chocolate until melted and well mixed. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
• Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat egg whites to stiff peaks; fold into chocolate mixture.
• Spoon filling into pie shell.
• Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

​Makes 8 servings.

​The Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis or EAB) is responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees in 27 states. Native to Asia, it likely arrived in the United States hidden in wood packing materials.

The first U.S. identification of Emerald Ash Borer was in southeastern Michigan in 2002. There are a variety of treatment options that can serve as a control measure for the EAB, but they are not a cure. Because pesticide regulations differ from State to State, homeowners should contact their State department of agriculture or local extension office for guidance.

Source: USDA
​               Animal and Plant Inspection Service

​Gardeners have been growing Swiss chard since the time of Aristotle, a testament to its enduring appeal; food plants have a way of making friends when they’re colorful, nutritious, delicious, and hardy.

Chard is sort of a forerunner to beets and a close cousin to spinach, close enough that in many instances it can be substituted for the latter. We’ve compiled a few suggestions here for its cultivation and storage.

Types to Try 
White-stemmed varieties, consistently outperform their more colorful counterparts in terms of productivity and bolt resistance.
Brightly colored varieties, are the queens of the edible ornamental. Varieties bearing red, pink, yellow, or orange ribs are available individually or in pre-packaged mixtures.
Perpetual varieties, which are often called perpetual spinach, have thinner stems and smaller, smoother leaves than larger varieties, and they taste more like spinach. The short, stocky plants work well in small gardens and containers.
Check out our chart for growing swiss chard varieties.

When to Plant 
In spring, sow directly in the garden two weeks before your last frost date, or start seeds indoors three to four weeks before your last frost date and set seedlings out just as the last frost passes.
In fall, start seeds about 10 weeks before your first frost date, and set the seedlings out when they are four weeks old.
How to Plant 
Prepare a rich, fertile bed by loosening the soil while mixing in compost and a balanced organic fertilizer, applied at label rates. Plant seeds half an inch deep and 3 inches apart.

Set out seedlings 12 inches apart. Indoors or out, thin newly germinated seedlings with cuticle scissors instead of pulling them out. Chard seed capsules often contain two or more seeds. If more than one germinates, promptly snip off all but the strongest sprout at the soil line. Gradually thin direct-sown seedlings to 12 inches apart.
Pest and Disease Prevention Tips

• Cercospora leaf spot is a fungal disease that causes light brown patches surrounded by purple halos to form on leaves of chard, beets, and sometimes spinach. Warm, rainy weather favors outbreaks. Keep plants properly spaced to promote good air circulation and promptly remove any affected leaves.
• Slugs often chew holes in chard leaves and rasp grooves in the ribs, feeding at night and resting through the day in mulch. Trap them in beer-baited traps, use an iron phosphate slug control product, or try repelling them by surrounding your chard plants with crushed eggshells.
• Viral diseases cause new growth to be small or distorted, with unusual crinkling of leaves. Plants sometimes outgrow infection. Watch affected plants for a week or two and pull out those that show no signs of improvement
  

Source:Barbara Pleasant
April/May 2009
​Mother Earth News

Pruning trees and shrubs tends to be an intimidating process for many people, but it doesn’t need to be intimidating at all. Knowing when to prune to trees and shrubs can take some of the guesswork and concern out of this garden chore. Observing a few simple pruning tips will also make the job easier on you and your plants.

In general, it is best to prune plants while they are dormant in the winter. This avoids shocking the plant. If a plant is in desperate need of heavy pruning, it should be done while the plant is dormant. But if a plant just needs a quick trim to maintain a pleasing form, the rules change. 

Avoid heavy pruning in the spring while a plant’s leaves are expanding. If a little light pruning is necessary at this time, go ahead and prune away, but this isn’t the time for drastic pruning.

Dead limbs and branches may be pruned off at any time. If you’re unsure whether or not a branch is truly dead, scratch the bark with a fingernail. A living branch will appear green beneath the bark.

If a plant flowers in the spring, it can be pruned immediately after it has finished blooming for the season. Plants that bloom in the early spring set their flower buds in the fall, and winter or early spring pruning of these plants would reduce the amount of spring blooms for them.

Shrubs that bloom on new growth in the summer or fall should be pruned in the winter. This will encourage the plant to put out plenty of new growth the following spring, and more new growth means more blossoms to enjoy.

Always disinfect your pruning shears before moving from one plant to another to avoid spreading any disease among plants. A quick dip in rubbing alcohol works well as a disinfectant.

Source: Free Plants.Com