VOLUME 10, ISSUE 4 COUNTY GARDENERS EXTENSION EXPRESS

APRIL 1, 2017 Container Gardening Container gardening is a way to grow INSIDE THIS ISSUE: your own vegetables and herbs, whether you are short on space, new to gardening, or EVENTS 2 simply want an easy way to add to your existing garden area. Containers are vessels GARDEN CALENDAR 3 that will stand upright, keep growing media

CHRISTIAN’S CORNER 4 from washing away, and allow water to leave the vessel from the bottom. Small pots and cans that hold a quart or more can grow herbs, radishes, lettuce, strawberries, and other small . Tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, and other large plants need a container that will hold 5 gallons or more of soil. Old ice chests, bathtubs, barrels, and other large containers can support several plants.

Containers should be filled with a high organic-matter mix. Blend compost, peat moss, or other organic material with sand. The sand helps with drainage and

SPECIAL POINTS OF IN TEREST: provides weight for stability. Organic or man-made fertilizers supply needed nutrients. Water is the most limiting factor in container gardening because

roots are restricted. Container gardens often need to be watered twice on hot If you have comments about summer days. the newsletter or suggestions for future items, please contact:

Eddie M. L. Smith, Ph.D. Co. Coordinator/Extension Agent MSU-ES Pearl River County Phone: 601-403-2280 E-mail [email protected]

or Master Gardener Hotline

Christian Stephenson Co. Coordinator/Extension Agent Do you have gardening questions? Every Wednesday in April from 10:00 MSU-ES Hancock County a.m. until 4:00 p.m., the Pearl River County Master Gardeners will be operating a Phone: 228-467-5456 E-mail Gardening Hotline. Call 601-403-2284 and ask to speak to a Master Gardener. [email protected]

______Programs of Mississippi State University The Pearl River County Master Gardeners help extend the educational arm Extension Service are open to all people, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, of Mississippi State University Extension Service to the public by providing or group affiliation. If you have questions regarding MSU Extension’s non-discrimination policies, contact: Juli Rester, Human Resources horticultural information and conducting volunteer service projects based on Management, PO Box 9603, MS State, MS, 39762, 662-325-3713. university research and recommendations. Upcoming Events Page 2 April 2017 Celebrating Earth Day Every Day!— 12:00 noon until 1:00 p.m. Presenter: Lynette McDougald, Instructor, Plant and Soil Sciences. Description: April 22 is Earth Day but as gardeners and floral designers, we celebrate it every day in a number of 6 ways. Collected materials will be used to make crowns, create Easter Basket floral designs, and simple nosegays. Call your local Extension office to RSVP. Pearl River County Master Gardener Meeting— 12:30 p.m. Field Trip: The PRCMGA meeting will be held at Cindy 7 Dufrene's garden at 93 Cassaday Drive in Carriere. Cindy, a local LA Iris hybridizer, is expert on Water Gardens and LA Irises. Stone County Landscape Symposium— 8:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Perkinston Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, in Perkinston (about 5 miles below Wiggins on Hwy 49) in the multipurpose room at the student center 7 building. Topics Include: Christian Stephenson – What you need to know about DIRT!, Pat Drackett – Butterfly Plants, Jo Ann Vaz – All About Orchids, and Pat Drackett – Native Plants. Registration after March 31 and on-site - $12 (Lunch Included in fee). For more information or to pre-register call (601) 928-5286. Kids In the Garden— Bay St. Louis Community Garden. On the first Saturday of the month, the Hancock County Extension Service and Hancock County Master Gardeners welcome all elementary school age youth to come to the 8 community garden. This is a wonderful opportunity for youth to learn about plants, gardening and wildlife. Please call 228-467-5456 for more information. Easter Arrangement Program— 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. MSU Coastal R&E Center, 1815 Popps Ferry Rd., Biloxi . The 11 cost is $40. For more information and to register use the following link: http://www.coastal.msstate.edu/ 12 Hancock County Master Gardener Meeting— 1:30 p.m. Hancock County Extension Service Office. Tomato Troubleshooting — 2:00 p.m. Pass Christian Public Library. Tomatoes are the most common, and sometimes the most frustrating, vegetable grown in home gardens. This program will include information on growing tomatoes in Coastal 12 Mississippi including variety selection, fertilization, and many of the common insect and disease pests of tomato. Presenter is Hancock County Extension Agent Christian Stephenson. Easter Fun!— 12:00 noon until 1:00 p.m. Presenter: Vivian Cade, Extension Agent III, Lowndes County. Description: 13 Easter is coming! Your kids will be out of school for a few days and family and friends will be gathering. Vivian will share some fun ideas for crafts, food, and other things to do with your crew. Call your local Extension office to RSVP. Identifying Plant Diseases— 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Senior Center of South Pearl River County, Picayune, MS. The 17 presenter for this program is Dr. Eddie Smith, MSU Pearl River County Extension Agent / County Coordinator. No registration is required for this program. Tomato Troubleshooting — 6:30 p.m. Bay St. Louis Public Library. Tomatoes are the most common, and sometimes the most frustrating, vegetable grown in home gardens. This program will include information on growing tomatoes in Coastal 18 Mississippi including variety selection, fertilization, and many of the common insect and disease pests of tomato. Presenter is Hancock County Extension Agent Christian Stephenson. Protect Your Home from Termites— 12:00 noon until 1:00 p.m. Presenter: Dr. Blake Layton, Extension Professor, Entomology. Description: What can you do to protect your home from termites? Join Dr. Layton to learn to identify termite 27 infestation and damage as well as what can be done to prevent and remove termites from your home. Call your local Extension office to RSVP. Pearl River County Forage Field Day— 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. White Sands Research Unit, 2606 Hwy. 26 West, Poplarville, MS. Topics Include: Pest Management in Forages, Small Scale Pasture Irrigation, Grazing Management and 28 Fertility, Forage/Livestock Research Update, and Forage Crop Adaptability and Production. Call 601-403-2280 to RSVP. Lunch will be provided.

**10 a.m. every Wednesday: Homegrown Show on WQRZ 103.5 FM. Tune in to WQRZ to hear about programs offered through MSU Extension as well as information on gardening in Coastal Mississippi.

**9 a.m. every Friday: Extension Highlights on WRJW 1320 AM. Tune in to WRJW to hear about programs offered through MSU Extension as well as information on gardening in Coastal Mississippi.

MSU Extension will provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities or special needs. Please contact your local Extension office prior to a program or event to request reasonable accommodation. Garden Calendar: April Page 3 Planting Divide Violets, Shasta Daisies, Liriope, Ajuga, Mums and other Perennials. Plant Okra, Melons, Peas, Corn, Beans, Eggplant, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes. Set out Basil. Set out summer annuals if danger of frost is past: Ageratum, Allysum, Begonias, Geraniums, Dianthus, Celosia, Marigolds, Moss Rose, Petunias, Impatiens, Coleus, and Caladiums. Plant summer and fall blooming bulbs: Callas, Cannas, Dahlias, Gladiolus, and Gloriosa Lilies. Sow Zinnias for early summer blooms.

Fertilizing Fertilize Tomatoes with 10-10-10

Pruning Remove any freeze-damaged and dead . Prune Azaleas during or after blooming. Remove faded from Kurume Azaleas. Prune flowering shrubs after they finish blooming. If pruning can be done while the shrub is flowering, the trimmed off parts can be brought indoors for floral displays. Disbud roses and peonies for specimen flowers.

Mulch Always mulch in new plantings to help assure success.

Miscellaneous National Arbor Day is the fourth Friday of April.  and repair garden furniture and other hard construction (bird bath, bird houses, mailbox, deck, etc.). Buy Azaleas in bloom to be sure of color.

In Bloom Ajuga, Alyssum, Bleeding-Heart, Candytuft, Columbine, Daffodil, Daisy, Daylily, Forget-me-not, Grass Pinks, Iris, Jacob's Ladder, Lily-of-the-Valley, Pansy, Phlox, Divaricata, Primrose, Ranunculus, Scilla, Shooting Star, Sweet William, Thrift, Tulip, Vinca, Violet, Azaleas, Beauty Bush, Deutzia, Lilac, Spireas, Tamarisk, Viburnum, Weigela, Yellow Jasmine, Dogwood, Redbud, and most flowering . Christian’s Corner Page 4 Tung , fordii The tung tree, Vernicia fordii, is native to southern China, Burma, and . In their native environment these trees can grow as tall as 60 feet. In South Mississippi, these trees are often seen along roadsides and in home landscapes and tend to grow no taller than 40 feet. Tung trees have simple that may be either heart-shaped or have three -like lobes. They can be easily identified by a pair of red glands where the meets the .

Flowers of the tung tree are just over an inch across and pale pink with streaks of darker red at the base of the petals. The flowers bloom in early spring and due to the attractiveness of the flower and the early bloom they were frequently planted as ornamentals. Tung trees produce a large woody, pear-shaped which is initially green but turns dull brown as it ripens. Though the tree is very attractive, all parts of the plant are toxic and should not be eaten. Leaves of the tree can also cause irritation resulting in a rash similar to poison ivy. The nuts of the tung tree are able to last a significant time on the ground making them very successful at spreading.

Tung trees were introduced into Mississippi in the early 20th Century with the intention of establishing their production as a sustainable industry. Oil from tung trees has been used to waterproof wood, in and , making adhesives, as well as in insulators for electric wires. Tung oil is also used as a drying agent for inks and after processing, as a motor fuel. Tung oil trees were once referred to as the most profitable cash crop grown in its climactic area and a godsend for Gulf Coast farmers seeking a replacement crop for large areas of cut-over pine. Commercial production of tung oil trees in the began in the early 1900's with the center of production being the panhandle of Florida and between Poplarville and Picayune, Mississippi. Production of tung oil trees remained important for Coastal Mississippi through the late 1960s. Hurricane Camille in August of 1969 resulted in the destruction of as much as 40,000 acres of tung trees. This, combined with increased labor costs and competition from importers led to the end of large scale tung tree production. Tung trees were grown in Stone County in the mid-1990s but the largest orchard, located near Lumberton, MS was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. At the time that orchard produced 20 percent of the domestic supply of tung oil.