Hopkins County Hopkins County Horticulture Newsletter Cooperative Extension Service 75 Cornwall Drive Madisonville, KY 42431-8780 Winter 2018 (270) 821-3650 Fax: (270) 825-5011 hopkins.ca.uky.edu Erika Wood, County Extension Agent for Horticulture

Wonderful Witchhazel Common Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a large shrub or small tree native to Kentucky that is in the Hamamelidaceae fam- ily. Its name originates from the old English word “to bend.” It makes a wonderful landscape plant due to its beautiful autumn color and blooms. The plant produces beautiful fall foliage with bright yellow leaves (photo 1). It also produces fragrant blooms in the fall and winter. The flowers are yellow with four, ribbon-like petals (photo 2). The fruit is a capsule that will open and shoot its seeds several feet away, which is where the other common name, Snapping Hazel, originates. The thin bark of witchhazel is a light brown color and will peel off to show a reddish purple inner bark. Shown above is photo 1 - Common Witchhazel grows best in moist soils with a slightly Witchhazel. acidic to neutral pH. It can be grown in either full sun or shade and Shown below is photo 2 - has no serious insect or disease problems. Witchhazel in bloom. Bark from Witchhazel has been used as an astringent for sores and bruises when mixed with water and alcohol. Tannins have also been found in the bark and have been used in eye medications and in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Witchhazel extract has even been used in after-shave lotion.

Interesting Fact: European species of Hamamelis were once used as divining rods to search for water.

For more information on Witch Hazel, go to http://www.uky.edu/hort/Common-Witchhazel IN THIS ISSUE: Wonderful Witchhazel ……………………………………………1 Norfolk Island Pine Trees ………………………………………2 Vegetable Planting Dates Chart …………………………… 3 Mistletoe …………………………………………………………………..4

Cooperative Extension Service Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, Agriculture and Natural Resources creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, Family and Consumer Sciences pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. University of Kentucky, Kentucky State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Kentucky Disabilities 4-H Youth Development Counties, Cooperating. accommodated Community and Economic Development LEXINGTON, KY 40546 with prior notification. Norfolk Island Pine Trees If you’ve ever gone to a garden center or the garden department of a big box store around the holidays, then you’ve probably seen an adorable potted tree known as a Norfolk Island Pine (Ar- aucaria heterophylla). This festive, little tree is of- ten used as a miniature Christmas tree in many homes but also makes a great houseplant all year round. I myself kept a lovely Norfolk Island Pine Tree as my Christmas tree for two years before it made its home in the extension office conference room (photo 1). Despite its name, this tree is actu- ally not a pine tree, but belongs to the Araucaria- ceae family, an ancient group of conifers. Norfolk Island Pine Trees are native to the South Pacific where they can grow up to 200 feet tall! I was fortunate to see a lovely specimen in my travels to New Zealand (photo 2). Most likely though, your little Christmas tree will only grow Photo 1 - Norfolk Island Pine Tree in four to six feet tall as a houseplant. the conference room at the Hopkins Because the Norfolk Island Pine is considered a County Cooperative Extension Office. subtropical tree, it will not tolerate temperatures lower than 45°F, so be sure to bring your tree in- doors during the winter months if you are keep- ing it outside during the summer. If you plan on keeping your pine tree as a houseplant be sure to put it near a window that receives bright, indirect light and water well when the soil begins to dry out. This plant is a pretty slow grower, so don’t be sad if you only see it grow a few inches during the year. As for fertilizer, these plants really don’t need to be fertilized very often. Fertilize your tree with a houseplant fertilizer once a month when it is actively growing. Repot every few years. If you plan on using it as a Christmas tree, keep in mind that the branches will not hold large, heavy ornaments. Use light weight ornaments and small lights and remove as soon as the holidays are over to prevent any injury. If you treat your little tree well, then it will reward you as a beauti- ful houseplant and may even be reused as a lovely Photo 2 -Norfolk Island Pine Tree in Christmas tree for next year! New Zealand. Figure 8. Slitted row cover. Figure 9. Average date of last killing frost (36°F) in spring, plus aver- age number of days between last frost in spring and first frost in fall.

Earliest and Latest Planting Dates in the Garden in Kentucky

Vegetables like carrots, turnips, leeks, cab‑ Table 14. Earliest and latest planting dates in the garden in Kentucky. (If producing your own transplants, begin two to 12 weeks earlier than these listed dates. See Table 5.) bage, lettuce, spinach, kale, and other leafy Earliest Safe Planting Date Latest Safe Planting Date1 greens, are generally planted in the spring Crops Western Central Eastern Eastern Central Western garden where they tolerate frost and freez‑ Asparagus (crowns) Mar 10 Mar 15 Mar 20 (Spring only) ing conditions. These vegetable are fairly Beans (snap) Apr 10 Apr 25 May 1 July 15 July 25 Aug 1 low growing which would allow them to Beans (lima) Apr 15 May 1 May 10 June 15 June 20 July 1 mature under row covers and their prox‑ Beets Mar 10 Mar 15 Mar 20 Aug 1 Aug 10 Aug 15 Broccoli (plants) Mar 30 Apr 5 Apr 10 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 imity to the ground helps protect them B. Sprouts (plants) Mar 30 Apr 5 Apr 10 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 during extremely cold weather. Using sol‑ Cabbage Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 id plastic covering (low tunnels, see be‑ Carrots Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 low), these greens may grow well into win‑ Cauliflower (plants) Mar 30 Apr 5 Apr 10 July 15 July 20 Aug 5 ter or even all winter long when tempera‑ Celery Apr 1 Apr 5 Apr 10 June 15 July 1 July 15 ture are not extreme (subzero F). But the Chard Mar 15 Mar 20 Apr 1 June 15 July 15 Aug 1 Collards Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 Aug 15 Aug 20 Aug 30 nature of the low tunnel will require the Sweet Corn Apr 10 Apr 20 May 1 June 15 July 10 July 20 growing beds to be ventilated during sun‑ Cucumbers Apr 20 May 1 May 10 June 15 July 1 July 15 ny conditions. Eggplant (plants) May 1 May 10 May 15 June 1 June 15 July 1 Gardeners have a choice of self‑venti‑ Kale Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 lating covers (slitted or perforated), low Kohlrabi Mar 15 Mar 20 Mar 25 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 tunnel covers, or floating row covers. The Lettuce (leaf) Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 Aug 1 Aug 15 Sept 1 Lettuce (bibb plants) Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 slitted and perforated types as well as the Lettuce (head plants) Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 plastic used for low tunnels are available Muskmelons Apr 20 May 10 May 15 June 15 July 1 July 15 in clear and opaque polyethylene and re‑ Okra Apr 20 May 10 May 15 July 1 July 15 Aug 1 quire wire hoops or PVC pipe for support. Onions (sets) Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 (Spring only) To construct such tunnels after planting, Onions (plants) Mar 15 Mar 25 Apr 1 June 15 July 1 July 15 Onions (seed) Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 June 1 June 15 July 1 push hoops (made from no. 9 galvanized Parsley Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 wire or PVC pipe) into the ground, and Parsnips Mar 10 Mar 20 Apr 1 June 1 June 15 July 1 spaced 5 feet apart over the row (Figure Peas Feb 20 Mar 1 Mar 15 (Spring only) 8). Then when frost or freeze is predicted, Peppers (plants) May 1 May 10 May 20 June 15 July 1 July 15 cover them with clear polyethylene. Bury Irish Potatoes Mar 15 Mar 15 Mar 20 June 15 July 1 July 15 the edges of the plastic in the ground. For Sweet Potatoes May 1 May 10 May 20 June 1 June 10 June 15 Pumpkins Apr 20 May 5 May 10 June 1 June 15 July 1 floating row covers, simply place the fab‑ Radishes Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 Sept 1 Sept 15 Oct 1 ric directly over the crop and secure at the Rhubarb (crowns) Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 (Spring only) edges. The slitted sides of perforated cov‑ Rutabaga Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 July 1 July 10 July 15 ers and the loose nature of floating row Southern Peas Apr 20 May 5 May 10 June 15 July 1 July 15 covers allow needed ventilation on sun‑ Snow Peas Feb 20 Mar 1 Mar 15 July 20 Aug 1 Aug 8 ny days to prevent overheating. However Spinach Feb 15 Mar 1 Mar 10 Aug 15 Sept 1 Sept 15 Summer Squash Apr 20 May 10 May 15 July 15 Aug 1 Aug 15 these season extension devises provide less Tomatoes (plants) Apr 20 May 5 May 15 June 1 June 15 July 1 protection from cold at night. Low tunnels Turnips Mar 1 Mar 10 Mar 15 Aug 1 Aug 10 Aug 20 made with solid plastic offers the best pro‑ Watermelons Apr 20 May 5 May 15 June 15 July 1 July 15 tection at night but must be ventilated by Winter Squash Apr 20 May 10 May 15 June 15 July 1 July 15 loosening the sides or ends during sunny 1 Based on average of early maturing varieties. Mid-season and late-maturing varieties need to be planted 15 to 30 days earlier than latest date. Nearly all of the fall-planted garden crops will require ir- days. Without ventilation, temperatures rigation during dry periods. Additional insect controls may be necessary for these tender young plants. under the cover may quickly reach crop‑ damaging levels on sunny days. Raised*If producing bed your own transplants, begin two to 12 weeks earlier than these listed dates. gardens are generally easily adapted to low tunnel culture. For more information, see ID-128: Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky, http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id128/id128.pdf

16 Mistletoe One of the many festive decorations inside our Mistletoe is a perennial plant that produces homes this holiday season is Mistletoe. But what fleshy green leaves arranged oppositely on the exactly is Mistletoe? stem. White berries are formed in the fall and Mistletoe, whose scien- are eaten by birds, who tific name is Phoradendron, will pass on the seeds and means “tree thief”, which spread to other branches. is very fitting considering Mistletoe seeds are poi- that Mistletoe is a parasitic sonous to humans and plant. It is found through- other animals and should out the United States and not be consumed. can commonly be seen If you find Mistletoe growing as round, dense on your trees and would bunches in the branches of like to get rid of it, cut out trees. infected branches as soon Mistletoe is parasitic as you see the Mistletoe in that it will steal water and prune the branch and nutrients from its host back beyond the original tree, which may cause harm if the infection is point 6 to 12 inches so that all “roots” inside the severe. Mistletoe can still photosynthesize, but branch are removed. It is important to have all it penetrates the bark of the tree with root-like the “roots” removed because any remaining tis- structures and infects the tree. sue can regenerate back into a whole plant.

Plate it up! Kentucky Proud Recipe for the Winter Season!! Upcoming Events December 5: Festive Trees and Shrubs, 11:00 a.m. December 10: Plant Identification 101, 5:30 p.m. January 23: Growing Class Series: Nut Trees, noon January 28: African Violets, 5:30 p.m. February 11: Houseplant Swap, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. February 20: Growing Class Series: Brambles, noon March 11: All About Roses, 5:30 p.m. March 27: Growing Class Series: Strawberries, noon April 1: Carnivorous Plants, 5:30 p.m. April 17: Growing Class Series: Peppers, noon April 27: Spring Lawn and Garden Fair, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. May 4: Spring Plant Swap at Farmers Market, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. May 15: Growing Class Series: Cucumbers, noon

Dates may be subject to change. For more information or to RSVP, call the Hopkins County Cooperative Extension Office at 270-821-3650.

Pennyroyal Master Gardeners Stop by the Hopkins County Cooperative Extension Office and pick up a copy of the 2019 Pennyroyal Master Gardeners calendar!

2019 Trees Calendar

Follow us on Facebook! Interested in becoming a Master Gardener volunteer or Farmers Market Hopkins County Horticulture vendor? For more information, contact Hopkins County Farmers Market the Hopkins County Extension Office Master Gardeners, Pennyroyal at 270-821-3650.

Please Note ~ If schools are closed due to inclement weather, meetings and activities scheduled for that day could also be canceled. Call the office at 270-821-3650 to find out for sure. Homebased Microprocessor Workshop

This videotaped HBM workshop is required to become 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. a Homebased Microprocessor in Kentucky. It is the first in a series of steps which includes recipe approval (at a cost of April 16 $5.00 per recipe), verification of an approved water source, and annual certification by the Kentucky Food Safety Branch (with a certification fee of $50 per year). To qualify, farmers must live and farm in Kentucky. The final product must contain a fruit, Cost is $50 vegetable or herb grown by the farmer. Products may be sold from the farm, registered farmers markets or certified roadside stands. Once certified, Homebased Microprocessors may sell products such as canned tomatoes and tomato products, pickled Hopkins County Extension Office fruits and vegetables, salsa, barbecue sauce, pepper or herb 75 Cornwall Drive, Madisonville jellies, pressure-canned vegetables, and low- or no-sugar jams and jellies.

For more information or to register for the workshop, call Annhall Norris at 859-257-1812 or visit http://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/homebased_processing_micropressing/

Cooperative Extension Service Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, Agriculture and Natural Resources creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, Family and Consumer Sciences pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. University of Kentucky, Kentucky State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Kentucky Disabilities 4-H Youth Development Counties, Cooperating. accommodated Community and Economic Development LEXINGTON, KY 40546 with prior notification.