Caldwell County 
CALDWELL COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION CENTER HAPPENINGS
April 2019
Landscape Drafting and Design
When: Wednesday, April 3, 2019- 1-4 pm
Where: NC Cooperative Extension- Caldwell County, 120 Hospital Ave. NE- Room 2

Participants will draft a landscape design to scale, and learn how to choose the right plants for the right place. Please reply to this email or call 828.757.1290 to register.

Cost: Free

Murder in the Garden: Managing and Terminating Cover Crops in the Home Garden
When: Saturday, April 6, 2019- 10 am-12 pm
Where: Unity Park and Community Garden- 1519 College Ave SW, Lenoir NC 28645

Cover crops feed the soil and help grow better crops. Learn how to manage them in your home garden. Please reply to this email or call 828.757.1290 to register.
Cost: Free

2019 Foothills Big Dreams, Small Farms

If you are considering ways to make income from your land, we invite you to attend any of the Big Dreams, Small Farms workshops offered this spring of 2019.

Workshops are held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Locations of each workshop will vary. The morning sessions are in the classroom, followed by a farm visit in the afternoon. 

Registration is due one week before each session. The cost is $25 per session, which will include materials, lunch, snacks, and transportation to farm visits. Please make checks payable to " Alexander County." Mail payment to: 376 1st Ave SW
Taylorsville, NC 28681

Your registration is not complete until payment is received, please contact Lenny Rogers, Alexander County Extension at 828-632-4451 with questions regarding schedule registration. 


Cost: $25.00 per session


Growing Greens Workshop
When: April 18, 2019- 1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Where: Tumbling Shoals Farm, 841 Sand Ridge Rd., Millers Creek, NC

This workshop is aimed at training growers considering production of greens for direct market outlets (tailgate markets, farm stands, CSA, etc). Craig Mauney, Area Specialized Agent, Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Production will lead the group in discussing production
for a variety of greens in the region. 

Specific topics include cultivar selection, site establishment (soil conditions and planting), fertilization, irrigation, pruning, harvesting, and resources for pest control. Workshop includes a
lecture followed by a hands on activity such as insect and disease scouting or pruning. All participants will receive a resource notebook and a scouting lens to take home.

Cost: Free

Registration  form.


Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
Closed for Easter Holiday

When: Friday, April 19, 2019

We will be closed Friday, April 19, 2019 for the Easter Holiday. We will reopen Monday, April 21, 2019. Please call 828-757-1290 with any questions. Happy Easter!


Pink Eye- Caldwell Cattleman's Meeting
When: Tuesday, April 30, 2019- 7:00 p.m.
Where: JE Broyhill Civic Center, 1913 Hickory Blvd, Lenoir NC 28645

Pink eye is a growing problem for many cattlemen in the region. To help farmers deal with this disease, NC State Extension Veterinarian Dr. Tom Van Dyke will share the latest information about about pink eye, what causes it, strategies for prevention, as well as treatment.

This learning event will take place Tuesday, April 30 at 7:00 pm at the JE Broyhill Civic Center, 1913 Hickory Blvd, Lenoir. The program will begin with a meal sponsored by the Caldwell County Farm Bureau. All that are interested are welcome to attend, but registration is required.

To register please complete the form  or phone the Caldwell Extension Center at 828.757.1290 or you can reply to this email.

Safe Plates

When: Monday - Wednesday, May 13, 14, 15, and 16, 2019. 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Where: NC Cooperative Extension- Caldwell County, 120 Hospital Avenue NE- Room 2.

NC Safe Plates is a new Food Safety Manager Certification Course developed by NC State University and an alternative to ServSafe. This course will prepare food service managers to complete the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals Food Safety Manager Certification Examination. NC establishments must have at least one supervisor certified as a food protection manager through an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)- accredited program or face a two-point violation from the health department. Managers will receive a certificate to display in their operation which will verify with local Environmental Health Departments that they are in compliance. 

 Please register and pay by Tuesday, April 30 at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Caldwell County Center, 120 Hospital Avenue. NE, Suite 1, Lenoir, NC 28645. The cost of the class is $120.00 which covers the book, exam, handouts and refreshments. The class will be held at the Agriculture Center/Caldwell County Library, 120 Hospital Ave. NE in Lenoir. For more information call (828) 757-1290 or contact Margie Mansure margie_mansure@ncsu.edu

Read more at: https://caldwell.ces.ncsu.edu/2019/01/safe-plates-offered-in-may-2019/

Cost: $120.00

Registration  Form


Caldwell Beekeepers Association
When:  The third Thursday every month at  6:30pm.
Where: TBD

The beekeepers meet monthly for educational programs and to conduct club business. For more information contact Doug Galloway at 828- 612-1531 or Mickey Hollar at 828-312-5003.

To learn more about the Beekeepers Association visit their  website or  Facebook page.

April Gardening Tips

 
Plants in Flower:

Crabapple, Carolina Silverbell, Dogwood, Redbud, Flowering Cherry, viburnum, Pearlbush, Lilac, Carolina Rhododendron, Sweet Shrub, Piedmont Azalea, Banks Rose, Exbury Azalea, Spirea, Pieris, Evergreen Azaleas, Kerria (Easter Rose), Drooping Leucothoe, Weigela, Wisteria, Periwinkle, Ajuga, Candytuft, Violets, Columbine, Trillium, Flags (Dwarf Iris), Bloodroot, Bleeding Heart, Jack-In-The-Pulpit, Anemone and Siberian Sqill
 
Fertilizing
  • Fertilize shrubs if not done in March.
  • Once you can determine whether your fruit trees have any fruit, you can decide how much fertilizer to give them.
  • Fertilize early tomatoes.
Planting
  • Many gardeners prefer to transplant azaleas in April so they can group the plants according to their flower color.
  • The following vegetables can be planted this month: beets, cabbage, chinese cabbage, swiss chard,broccoli, basil, cauliflower, onion, and potatoes.
  • Divide liriope, ajuga, mums, and violets
Pruning
  • Prune spring-flowering plants like azalea, lilac, forsythia, spirea, and weigela after the flowers fade.
  • Prune berry producing shrubs like holly and pyracantha while in flower to prevent complete removal of all of this season's berries.
  • If needed, trim spring flowering trees like Bradford pear, flowering cherry and redbud.
  • Cut out any winter damage that may have occurred this year.
  • Disbud roses and peonies for large specimen flowers.
Spraying
  • Spray the following landscape shrubs for the following insect pests: azalea-lace bug, boxwood-leaf miner, euonymus-scale, hemlock and juniper-spruce mites and hybrid rhododendron-borer.
  • Spray iris beds for iris borers.
  • Spray broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower for worms if needed.
  • Spray your squash plants near the base of the stem to control squash borer. 
  • Continue through June 1 and use only the recommended insecticide. Begin weekly tree fruit sprays after flower petals fall.
  • Start a fungicide spray program for your bunch grapes this month. Follow with weekly sprays.
  • Continue with rose spray program.
  • Scout or observe your landscape plants before spraying. Pests may not be present.
     
Lawn Care
  • Maintain mowing height of fescue and bluegrass at 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches.
    Do NOT fertilize.


 

Propagation
  • This is a good time to layer new plants by lowering a branch of your favorite shrubs and covering it with soil and a stone.
    Specific Chores
  • Visit your local garden centers and nurseries to see what plants and products are available.
  • Mulch all of your landscape plants as needed. Pine needles, cypress mulch and pine bark are good mulches.
  • Prepare labels for all new plants and keep records on how well they perform.
  • Buy azaleas in bloom to be sure of color.

 


 

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events & meetings . . .


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