HORT FROM THE HILLTOP

HARRISON COUNTY HORTICULTURE NEWSLETTER

Cooperative Extension Service Harrison County 668 New Lair Road Cynthiana, KY 41031 (859) 234-5510 Fax: (859) 234-6197 http://harrison.ca.uky.edu

April 2019

Jessica H. Sayre

Harrison County Extension

Agent for Horticulture

jessica.sayre@uky.edu

In this issue:

Upcoming Classes

Horticulture Tips for

April

Spring Planting Dates

Harrison County

Farmers Market

Update

Plate it Up Recipe

Important Dates to

Remember

Turf Care Calendar for

Lawns in Kentucky

Herb Gardening

Thursday, April 11th

1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Learn all about Herbs and how to

grow them!

Registration Required

Call 859-234-5510 to sign up

Square Foot

Gardening

Tuesday, April 23rd

1:00 & 6:30 p.m.

A different take on raised bed

gardening. Learn how to grow

more in less space!

Registration Required

Call 859-234-5510 to sign up

Terrarium Workshop Tuesday, May 14th 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Learn how to make your own Terrarium!

Bring your own jar—preferably made of

glass.

Everything else will be provided.

$5 Supply Fee REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Upcoming Classes:

Registration and

$5 payment

must be received by

4:30 p.m. on Wednesday,

May 8th.

Horticulture Tips for April Study your landscape for gaps that could be nicely filled with bulbs. Mark these spots carefully and make

a note to plant or order bulbs in the fall.

When buying bedding plants, choose compact, bushy plants that have not begun to flower.

Examine shrubs for winter injury. Prune all dead and weakened wood.

Winter mulches should be removed from roses. Complete pruning promptly. Remove only dead wood

from climbers at this time. Cultivate lightly, working in some compost or other organic matter.

Evergreen and deciduous hedges may be sheared. Prune the top narrower than the base so sunlight will

reach the lower limbs.

Prune spring flowering ornamentals after they finish blooming.

Apply crabgrass preventers before April 15. Do not apply to areas that will be seeded.

Keep your hoe sharp! Don't allow weeds to get an early start in your garden.

Flower stalks should be removed from rhubarb plants, if they develop.

Thin out crowded seedlings from early plantings of cool season crops such as beets, carrots, lettuce, on-

ions and radish.

Plant bare-root or potted fruit trees as soon as the soil can be worked.

Remove tree wraps from fruit trees now.

Protect bees and other pollinating insects. Do not spray insecticides on fruit trees that are blooming.

Destroy or prune off webs of eastern tent caterpillars.

Orange, jelly-like galls on cedar trees spread rust diseases to apples, crabapples and hawthorns. If you

have cedar trees near your apple trees, consider removing the cedar trees.

Be on the lookout for Termites. They will begin swarming soon. Termites can be distinguished from ants

by their thick waists and straight antennae. Ants have slender waists and elbowed antennae.

Mount a rain gauge on a post near the garden to keep track of precipitation so you can tell when to

water. Most gardens need about 1 inch of rain per week between April and September.

Mole young are born in chambers deep underground. Be on the lookout for mole movement and

damage. Start setting traps as soon as you see ground disturbance.

Soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems help you save water and money. Fruit trees and vegetable

gardens should receive on average 1 inch of water per week from April through October. If we are not

getting rain, consider using a soaker hose or drip irrigation to apply water.

Wasp and hornet queens begin nesting. Check porches and storage buildings for nests and knock down

any nest that you see forming.

Source: Missouri Botanical Garden

Crop Earliest Safe Planting Date Crop Earliest Safe Planting Date

Beans (snap) April 25 Peppers (plants) May 10

Beans (lima) May 1 Pumpkins May 5

Broccoli (plants) April 5 Southern Peas May 5

Brussel Sprouts (plants)

April 5 Summer Squash May 10

Cauliflower (plants) April 5 Sweet Corn April 20

Celery April 5 Sweet Potatoes May 10

Cucumbers May 1 Tomatoes (plants) May 5

Eggplant (plants) May 10 Watermelon May 5

Muskmelons May 10 Winter Squash May 10

Okra May 10

Farmers Market Meeting

Training for accepting Farmers Market WIC Vouchers

Training for accepting Farmers Market Senior Vouchers

KDA will be certifying market scales, so be sure to bring your scales with you to be certified for the 2019

season.

A Meal will be provided, so Registration is REQUIRED. Please call 859-234-5510 to Register.

Next Meeting:

Monday, April 22nd

6:30 p.m.

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Extension—Horticulture