December 2018 News for Polk County
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Director's Focus: Looking Toward 2019
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I trust that everyone has had a great 2018. For us at Extension, the year has flown by quicker than most. It’s been a great year of working with each of you, hopefully providing answers to your questions, and helping you to have a great result at your home, farm or business.
We have made some great progress at the Polk County Extension Center. We’ve had more people attend classes than ever before due to our increased space. Each of our offerings this year has been in great demand and classes have typically been full. I’m thankful that we are able to offer topics that are current and helpful to our county population. If you have not yet utilized our classes or services, make it a point to
contact us in 2019 to see how we can help you.
In addition to offering more classes, the Extension Center has provided us the opportunity to create demonstrations and to conduct research. Currently we have in place a lawn grass demonstration plot and a ¼ acre research vegetable garden. This demonstration provides our citizens a great opportunity to see and choose grasses that grow well in our area and view vegetable trials and get the results. In 2019 we plan to focus our efforts more on small research trials. Our Polk County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers have had a large part in making this happen.
As you can tell, we at Extension are moving forward to provide the assistance that is needed by the citizens of Polk County. Please let us know how we can help you in 2019 or just stop by and say "hello." We are glad to be of service.
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Holiday Home, Lawn, and Garden Tips for December
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Poinsettias & Holiday Plants
When selecting poinsettias, look for plants with yellow flowers (in the centers of the colored leaves--"bracts") that are not quite open. Tight flower buds are a good indication that the plant is fresh and healthy. Once you bring your poinsettia home, keep it in an area that receives bright light and has a constant temperature of about 65-70°F. Keep poinsettias away from doorways or other areas that are drafty such as heat vents. Keep them well-watered but not over-watered. Mistletoe should be kept away from children and pets in your home. The berries of mistletoe are toxic.
Winter Damage to Plants
Winter is a stressful time for plants due to low humidity and cold winds. Take the time to mulch them well and protect those tender plants with row covers. Do not fertilize plants with a nitrogen fertilizer in the winter and hold off pruning plants until the coldest part of winter is over. This will allow you more options when trying to recover a plant that has been severely cold or ice damaged. Be sure to keep evergreen plants moist during dry periods. Plants in pots are prone to death when the pot freezes. Be sure to move those potted plants into a protected area if a deep freeze is expected and keep them well watered. There is a temptation to prune your plants at this time but it is much better to wait until late February to do your major pruning.
Bird Feeders
Bird feeders should be cleaned monthly with hot sudsy water to prevent the spread of wild bird diseases.
Christmas Trees
Follow these suggestions to keep your tree at its freshest and reduce the risk of a fire hazard in the home:
- Keep the tree in a bucket of water, in a shady location outdoors or in an unheated room until you are ready to place it inside.
- Re-cut the butt of the tree making a new avenue for water entry immediately prior to placing in your tree stand and bringing it indoors
- While indoors, keep the tree watered at all times. Never let the base completely dry out.
- The tree needs only fresh water; additives are of little or no value.
- Keep the tree away from heat vents as they will prematurely dry the tree out.
Spring Bulbs
If you have not planted those spring flowering bulbs, better get at it and always plant quality bulbs. Larger bulbs produce larger flowers. Pansy plants set among bulbs will give the ground a great winter and spring cover and will still allow the bulbs to come right through in the spring.
Winter Weeding
Many people take a break in the winter, but now is the time to be spraying and pulling all the winter weeds such as chickweed and henbit. These will produce millions of seeds if they aren't destroyed before they flower! Ordinary weed killers will work well in the winter on days that reach above 50 degrees. You may just have to wait a little longer for a good kill due to the reduced activity of the plants.
It's Not Too Late for Lawn Care
If your fall over-seeding didn’t fill in the lawn as fully as you had expected, you can still apply a little extra seed to those thin spots. The seed will come up slowly over the winter and should be filled in fully by spring. A late fall lawn fertilization is important. This is typically done in late November, but if you forgot about it you can do it now.
Cold-Season Vegetable Gardening
In the vegetable garden, harvest those last heads of cabbage and broccoli soon because they can be damaged by temperatures below 26 degrees. Root crops can remain in the ground all winter if a good layer of mulch is applied. If you haven't planted a cover crop by this time, definitely do that now. Annual rye grass will germinate quickly and grow well in the cool environment. You may also want to prepare a few beds now for spring planting, just in case we have a very wet winter and you can't work the soil early in the season.
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From the Desk of the 4-H Director
Wow, how can the year possibly be almost over? Yet here I am planning programs for 2019!
For those of you that might be new to 4-H, we are the youth development component of the Polk County Extension Office. We offer an array of educational programs, after school, for youth ages 5-18. Any child can be a member of 4-H, and there are no membership fees.
Our final Fall clubs meet this month, but you can check out our schedule, below, for Winter offerings. If there's a club your child might be interested in, then go ahead and get them registered. This group of programs will meet at the Extension Office from 3:30 – 5:00 and run from January through March. We look forwarding to meeting and working with your kids and teens!
Also, to keep kids active and educationally engaged during the holiday school break, download the 4-H Holiday Activity Guide.
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WINTER 4-H CLUB OFFERINGS
Sewing Program - This annual program is open to youth 9 – 18. Each student is assigned a instructor. We provide everything needed, except the pattern and material, to take your child through the process of making a garment. The Winter program will start on Wednesday, January 16th (with an informational session) and will run till March 22nd, meeting every Monday
and Wednesday.
Cool Clovers Cloverbud Club - This club for children age 5 – 8 meets the second Tuesday of the month. Under the leadership of 4-H’er Katelyn Ruff, members learn socialization and life skills. This fall they learned about 4-H, the science of slime, community service, and Christmas crafting. The first Cloverbud Club for Winter will be on January 8.
Timber Time Woodworking Club - Meeting the 3rd Thursday of the month, this club for ages 9-18 helps students learn about the tools of the trade and how to operate them safely, making interesting wood crafts. This fall they constructed a Lego coat rack, pumpkin luminary, and Christmas Advent counter. This class has a material fee of $15.00. The first Timber Time club for Winter will meet on January 17.
Adventures in Cooking Club - Our Winter Cooking club meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Youth 9 and up are learning their way around the kitchen, and our fall members have made apple turnovers, cake pops, and learned to cook with Thanksgiving leftovers. Material fee for this club will be $12.00 and the first class will be on January 22.
Tinkering Club - We're also excited to announce a brand new club for youth 7 – 12. If we want to raise kids to be independent thinkers and change-makers, one of the best things we can do is give them the tools to figure stuff out for themselves. Each month, I will provide them with a different challenge using a different medium (such as Legos
™, computers, or electronics) to try to either solve a problem or create something. We will meet the 4th Friday of the month, beginning January 25. If you have a young person who likes to create, or figure out how things work, this club is for them!
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Family and Consumer Science News
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The Next Mediterranean Diet Class Starts in January!
It’s been in the news: "Eating the Mediterranean Way for Better Health." The best part is that this method of eating is simple, delicious, and satisfying. Eating like those who live in the Mediterranean region has been shown to promote health and decrease the risk of many chronic diseases. The Mediterranean diet has been extensively studied and is associated with promoting health and decreasing the risk of many chronic diseases--including some forms of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Interested in eating the Mediterranean Way, but not sure where to start?
The Med Instead of Meds class series will help you Go Med by exploring 7 simple steps to eating the Mediterranean Way. Learn how to cook the Med way and enjoy the tips, life hacks and, of course, taste-testing the weekly recipes. This six-week cooking class series will help you get a running start to improving your health in 2019. The classes are fun, and the food is tasty.
The next class series starts Thursday, January 10th at 3:00 PM. Each week we will explore the 7 simple steps to health. Cost for the series is $45.00.
To register for this course online,
click here. Or call the Cooperative Extension of Polk County at 828-894-8218 to register or for additional questions about the course.
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December Means It's Time to Create (or Update) Local Listings
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When the weather practically insists that you get caught up on email and other online tasks, here's one marketing to-do that will definitely reap you rewards all throughout the coming year.
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