Polk County Center January 2018
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Director's Feature
I know it's very cold outside and thinking about gardening is not the first thing on your mind but it's that time again! Time for the annual Polk County Extension blueberry, raspberry and strawberry plant sale! This year, due to many requests, we have also added asparagus to our offerings! The varieties we sell are hand selected and tested in our own research trials. Our office is committed to providing the best varieties for the best prices around. All of the proceeds from this sale go to helping us conduct research and teach classes for the benefit of Polk County. We appreciate your support of our local Extension office. Place your order soon to ensure availability as quantities are limited!
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Horticulture
Winter Watering
It's cold outside! Evergreens continue to take up moisture in the winter. When the ground is frozen or during a dry period, moisture is not available. High winds and warm sun on cold days will increase the amount of moisture the plant needs to survive. You can protect these susceptible plants by planting them in a sheltered area and providing additional water during dry periods or before an expected hard freeze. You should place potted plants in warmer areas to keep the root ball from freezing for days on end. Frozen roots for several days can kill potted plants.
Snow & Ice Damage
 Another factor to be concerned about is injury from ice and snow falling from the roof on frozen branches. Wrap wide tape or cloth around an evergreen to prevent broken branches. This technique is also helpful for boxwoods and arborvitaes. If branches are bent and broken over by heavy ice or snow, wait a few days before pruning or cleaning up. Branches will often recover without your help.
Here are some other steps to protect your plants from cold damage: Only plant plants that are hardy to our zone (Polk County is zone 7b). Try to plant tender plants in the highest part of the landscape. Cold air settles in lower lying areas. Protect plants from cold winds with a fence or an evergreen hedge of tall trees. Shade plants from direct winter sun, especially early morning sun. The south side of the house without shade is the worst place for tender plants. Plants that freeze slowly and thaw slowly will have the least amount of damage. Stop fertilizing plants in late summer and let them harden off for the winter.
Bulbs
Check bulbs in storage. Often dahlia tubers and gladiolus corms are attacked by rot in storage; throw out any with rot. Fertilize spring flowering bulbs when 1" of growth is seen above ground. Use one rounded teaspoon of 10-10-10 per sf. Or you can add additional compost around your bulbs for an organic boost.
Houseplants
The four major causes of houseplant deaths during the winter months are: over-fertilizing, over-watering, under-watering, and improper light. Do not fertilize houseplants in the wintertime. Let your plants go into a dormant (rest) period, a period of reduced growth, so that they will be ready for vigorous growth in the spring months. Make sure you provide your plants with a bright location or supplemental light from florescent bulbs. Misting your plants with water from a spray bottle is often a good idea due to the low winter humidity in most homes.
Recycle Christmas Trees
There are several ways to dispose or recycle your tree. (Before recycling your tree, remove all tinsel and ornaments.) Place the tree in the yard or garden for use by birds and other wildlife. The branches provide shelter from strong winds and cold. Food can be supplied by hanging fruit slices, seed cakes, or suet bags on its branches. You can also smear peanut butter and seeds in pine cones and hang them in the tree. Prune off the branches and place over perennials as winter mulch. Chip the tree and use as mulch around trees, shrubs or in flower beds. Sink the tree into ponds and reservoirs. The fish will use the branches of the tree to hide from predators, or feed on snails and aquatic insects found on the structure, and most fish will seek the shaded areas during hot sunny days.
In the Garden
Replenish mulch around trees and shrubs to 3-6 inches in depth. Think about your spring vegetable garden and begin planting seeds indoors by the end of January. Florescent lights hung right over your plants will give you a better plant than simply using a window. Take time now to plan landscapes for spring plantings. Garden catalogs arrive early this month. Order seed early while stock is adequate.
Strawberry Beds
Mulch strawberry beds for winter protection using wheat straw or pine needles. Pull the mulch back when blooms appear.
January is the best calendar month to prune muscadines. Muscadines are very vigorous vines that require annual pruning to restrict growth and to encourage annual bearing. You will want to develop a main trunk. This is permanent on a muscadine vine. Remove any tendrils that have wrapped around the cordons or spurs. Also remove old fruit stems since they are sites for overwintering diseases.
Should you need more information on any of these topics please stop by the Polk County Cooperative Extension office located at 79 Carmel Lane just outside of Columbus.
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Berry and Asparagus Plant Sale
Polk County Cooperative Extension
Blueberries $8 ea (Brightwell, Climax, Premier, Southland and Tifblue)
Raspberries $5 ea ( Josephine)
Strawberries $8 for 25 (Brunswick & Galletta) Bulk orders receive discount
Asparagus $6 for 5 ( Jersey Knight)
Order now for pick up in March
Call: (828) 894-8218 for more information
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L, X, N, & D Pesticide Class
Tuesday, January 30th from 9am to 12pm we will be offering a L, X, N, and D pesticide class here at the Polk County Cooperative Extension. This is good for 3 hours of pesticide credit. This will also provide 2 L credits for landscape contractors. The class is free and we will be serving Bojangles breakfast biscuits for all that attend.
Free and breakfast??? Yes you heard right....so come get your credits and fill your belly. Preregistration is required. Call
(828) 894-8218/ 894-8219
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Polk County 4-H
Wow! What a year! Thank you ALL for making 2017 amazing. We can't wait to see what 2018 has in store
The 2018 Winter Newsletter is now available, click on the link to view.
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Cupcake Wars
We closed out the year with a 4-H Cupcake Wars class. We had 15 excited students signed up for the event, however the original date got snowed out by that unexpected but beautiful snow we had. So, we rescheduled. Unfortunately only 7 could attend. But the seven that did come brought their creativity and we had a great time decorating cupcakes. The criteria was to creatively, decorate within the theme, " Christmas/Winter" with the supplies on hand, the flavor and consistency of their frosting and the cleanliness of their station. All three teams did a great job but in the end, the judge, Noah Henson awarded team 3 as champions for their reindeer cupcakes.
A big thank you to Jimmi Buell, and Jackie Weedon for assisting and Noah Henson for judging!
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Team 2 |
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Family Consumer Science
Get Up and Get Moving
With the temperatures dipping into the teens and twenties, you may be indoors more than usual. While getting outside for fresh air, sunshine, and a little exercise is easier to do in warm weather, it is no less important in wintertime. Colder temperatures and fewer daylight hours keep us inside, eating too much and exercising too little. When we stop exercising because its too cold outside, winter weight gain can sneak up. An active routine that is maintained throughout the year is much better for weight control than intervals of starting and stopping from season to season.
There are a number of strategies to keep activity levels up during the winter months. If you prefer to avoid the harsh elements outdoors, consider the many indoor exercise options such as walking in a gymnasium (Stearns gym), working out with an exercise DVD, or using a stationary bike, treadmill or jump rope. You can even set up a workout circuit in your own home. Run three laps around a pair of cushions placed on the floor five to ten feet apart: jump back and forth over a line (painter's tape on the floor works great); do ten wall push-ups; then a cool-down stretch. You just had a 5-minute workout!
Enjoy watching TV? Each time commercials interrupt the show, hop off the sofa and get moving. Pick up some activity cards (or make your own) and pick one exercise and do the during the commercial break. Just Move!
If you want to brave the weather, exercising outdoors offers even more benefit. The key to being active and comfortable in cold temperatures is dressing in layers. Can't stay outside in the cold for long periods of time? You don't have to. Research shows that even 10 minute sessions of physical activity provide health benefits. Find ten minutes to be good to yourself-get up, get out and get moving.
Eating Healthy
We've all made New Years Resolutions. One of the top listed resolution is eating healthier. With recipes everywhere, magazines, online, TV cooking shows, it is easy. Right? Most nutrition specialists recommend starting with a recipe. I would recommend you start with your refrigerator. What do you already have? If you have nothing in your refrigerator, then start with a recipe. For instance, if you have several vegetables, carrots, celery, onions, in your refrigerator and maybe in your freezer you have a protein (chicken, fish or beef), this time of year a good healthy soup might be just the thing. You do remember that turkey carcass you put in your freezer for future use? Now's the time to use it. You can also used chicken in this recipe.
On these cold evening, nothing tastes better than a warm cup of soup.
Homemade Turkey Soup
Ingredients
- 1 leftover turkey carcass (from a 10- to 12-pound turkey)
- 2 quarts water
- 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
- 1/3 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
Directions
- 1. Place the turkey carcass in a stockpot; add the water, onion, salt and bay leaves. Slowly bring to a boil over low heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours.
- 2. Remove carcass; cool. Strain broth and skim fat. Discard onion and bay leaves. Return broth to a large pot. Add the carrots, rice, celery and chopped onion; cover and simmer until rice and vegetables are tender.
- 3. Remove turkey from bones; discard bones and cut turkey into bite-size pieces. Add turkey heat through. Yield: 8-10 servings (about 2 quarts).
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Tell a Friend
Please feel free to forward the newsletter to your friends. If they would like to receive the letter, ask them to contact the Cooperative Extension Center in Columbus at (828) 894-8218/894-8219, or email [email protected].
Recommendations for the use of chemicals are included in this publication as a convenience to the reader. The use of brand names and any mention or listing of commercial products or services in this publication does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned. Individuals who use chemicals are responsible for insuring that the extended use complies with current regulations and conforms to the product label, Be sure to obtain current information about usage and examine a current product label before applying any chemical. For assistance, contact an agent of the North Carolina Extension Service in your county.
NC State University and NC A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation.
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