In the Garden Now Newsletter

Onslow County Center

In the Garden Now

March/April 2021

Blueberries in the Home Landscape

By Emilee Morrison

NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

One of the silver linings of the COVID19 pandemic has been the significant increase of interest in home gardening. Garden centers were considered essential and noted increases in sales. Seed companies have been selling out earlier and earlier due to the increase in demand for vegetable and herb seeds. New and seasoned gardeners alike are finding joy in growing plants and tending to edible gardens.

Several types of fruits can be grown fairly easily in Onslow County. One of those is blueberries. Not only are they delicious and healthy, but they are also an attractive addition to your landscape.

Before planting blueberries in your yard, there are a few considerations to take into account. First, there are different types of blueberry bushes. The two that are most commonly planted in our area are southern highbush and rabbiteye. Of the two, the rabbiteye tend to be easier to grow in the home landscape because they are more drought and heat tolerant, and more forgiving of variable soil pH ranges than southern highbush. They also tend to bloom later than southern highbush, helping to minimize the risk of frost damage.

Another consideration is that you need to plant at least two or three different varieties to ensure good cross-pollination. Oftentimes, the source you purchase your plants from will indicate good options for varieties to plant with your chosen variety. The main consideration for cross-pollinating varieties is bloom time- you want to have the different plants blooming at the same time.

Finch Blueberry Nursery website

Soil conditions are also very important when wanting to grow blueberries. Blueberries require well drained, acidic soils high in organic matter. Some areas of Onslow County and surrounding counties have the right soil for growing blueberries, and you can see large areas planted in blueberries moving down into Pender County. Taking soil samples of your property and amending the soil as required before planting will help ensure success with growing blueberries. Your soil pH should be between 4.0 and 5.5. If your soil pH is higher than that, you will need to lower the pH of the entire planting area using sulfur. Plan on starting this process 3-4 months before planting.

Spring is the best time to plant bare root plants, while fall is best for planting containerized plants. Remove flowers during the first growing season to help ensure the development of a strong root system. Including pine bark mulch or compost in the planting hole can help increase the organic matter needed for the blueberry plants to thrive. Ensuring adequate irrigation during very hot and dry weather will also be important. Mulching around the plants can help your blueberry plants withstand moisture extremes and help prevent weeds.

NC State Extension has some great resources for growing and managing blueberry plants in the home landscape.

Growing Blueberries in the Home Garden

Pruning Blueberries with Dr. Bill Cline

Tips and Tasks

March

Garden

• Spring blooming bulbs should be fertilized just as the new growth emerges. If your bulbs have already flowered, wait until November to fertilize with a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10. Summer flowering bulbs can be fertilized when the shoots emerge.

• March is an excellent time to relocate plants or transplant container grown plants. Fall blooming perennials can be divided now. (Divide spring blooming perennials in the fall.) Keep an eye on new plants and replanted divisions throughout the spring and summer and provide adequate water to make sure they establish well.

Planting Dates for Vegetables and Herbs

Arugula: 2/15-3/15

Snap Beans: 3/20-6/15

Beets: 3/1-4/15

Broccoli: 2/15-4/15

Cabbage: 2/15-4/15

Carrots: 2/15-3/31

Cilantro: 1/31-3/31

Collards: 2/15-6/30

Dill: 3/15-3/31

Kale: 2/15-6/30

Lettuce: 2/1-4/10

Parsley: 2/15-4/15

Garden Peas: 2/15-4/15

Southern Peas: 3/25-6/15

Radishes: 2/15-6/30

Spinach: 2/15-6/30

Swiss Chard: 3/1-4/15

To learn more about planting dates in eastern NC, click here!

Lawn

• If necessary, continue application of pre-emergent herbicides to Centipede and St Augustine lawns through early March. Avoid applications of herbicides once turf starts to green up.

• If your grass is coming out of dormancy with dead areas, you may have a problem such as large patch (a fungal disease), ground pearls (a soil dwelling insect) or winter kill. Send us photos to onslowplantclinic@gmail.com and we can help determine what is causing the problem.

Trees and shrubs

• Fertilize trees and shrubs before active growth begins (before mid-March). Fertilize based on your soil test for best results.

For more information about fertilizing trees and shrubs, see this publication from NC State Extension: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/a-gardeners-guide-to-fertilizing-trees-and-shrubs

April

Garden

• Most warm weather crops can be seeded or set out as transplants in April. Large seeded crops like sweet corn and beans can be planted at the beginning of the month. Wait until the middle of the month to plant tomatoes in most locations. Peppers and eggplants prefer warmer weather; consider setting them out closer to the end of the month. Okra and sweet potatoes really like it hot so hold off on planting these crops until May.

• Tomatoes, potatoes, sweet corn, cabbage, squash, okra, beans and peppers will require a side dressing of additional nitrogen during the growing season. In soils with low phosphorus and potassium levels, you could use 3-4 cups 8-8-8 per 100 foot of row.

• You still have time to transplant and divide perennial plants before the heat of summer sets in. Choose a cool, cloudy day to reduce stress on your transplants and watch them closely through the summer to ensure they have adequate moisture to get established. Remember to top of your mulch if it is getting a little thin but you don’t need more than 3-4 inches of good organic mulch in a bed. Too much mulch can inhibit the movement of water and nutrients down into the soil.

• If you use a weed preventer such as trifluralin (the active ingredient in Preen Garden Weed Preventer), make sure you remove any established weeds prior to application. These weed preventers work by inhibiting the germination of tiny weed seeds, so ensure an even application and try not to disturb the surface of the soil after you have applied the herbicide according to label directions.

Lawn

• Avoid applying herbicides until after the lawns are actively growing and the grass has been mown about 3 times. Post-emergent herbicides can damage lawns under stress. If you have portions of the lawn that were damaged by winter kill or large patch, pre-emergent herbicides will prevent you from being able to reseed those areas for several months. Your best option for now is to mow to keep the winter annual weeds under control and commit to preventing them in the fall. Wait until May (Zoysia, Bermuda, St. Augustine) or even early June (Centipede) before fertilizing warm season grasses.

Planting Dates for Vegetables and Herbs

Basil: 4/31-7/31

Lima Beans: 4/10-6/15

Cantaloupe: 4/15-5/15

Cucumber: 4/15 - 5/15

Eggplant: 4/15 - 5/10

Peppers: 4/15-5/10

Squash (Summer): 4/1-5/30

Squash (Winter): 4/15 - 5/20

Tomatoes: 4/15-5/10

Watermelons: 4/15-6/30

Heat-loving crops like okra, eggplant, sweet potato and watermelons will do better if you wait an extra couple of weeks for the soil and air temperatures to warm. Planting dates for okra are from May 1 to June 1 and sweet potatoes can be planted from May 1 until July 15.

Upcoming Events

The Master Gardener℠ Volunteers of Onslow County present…

The 2021 Spring Garden Festival!

Due to ongoing concerns about the COVID19 pandemic, this year’s spring garden festival will be a little different than past years.

We will kick off the festival the week of April 5th, 2021 with daily garden-related videos airing DAILY at 10 a.m. on our Facebook page!

See the flyer below for more details.

On Saturday, April 10th, 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. we’ll be having our plant and treasure sale! The vegetable and herb plants are all locally grown by the Master Gardener℠ Volunteers and local nurseries.

See the flyer below for more details.