Extension News March 2024

Spring Garden

With longer days and temperatures on the rise, March is a great time to begin thinking about your spring gardens! It’s a great opportunity to get your children involved in the planning process. Draw out a plot and design your gardens or flower beds now. Talk about whether your gardens will be in full sun, partial sun, or shade, and which plants will grow best there. It is also a good time to test your soil and add any needed nutrients. Though it is still too cold for most vegetable and flower plants outdoors, you can start your seeds indoors using materials you likely already have. Rotisserie chicken containers, strawberry containers, and even clear clamshell-type food containers can be great for a mini greenhouse! Just layer a couple of inches of seed starting mix, sprinkle your seeds, gently cover them, and moisten the soil with a spray bottle. Then close the lid of the container and place it on a sunny windowsill. Kids can even enjoy decorating the outside with markers. Check your soil every few days to ensure that it is moist. Within a week or two, your seeds should have germinated, and the kids will have seedlings to care for. By the time the weather warms to allow for transplanting your plants outdoors, you should have nice, mature plants with strong roots. Be on the lookout for our 4-H Mini Gardens workshop coming this spring! Happy gardening!

EFNEP Report

EFNEP, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, offers free (income guidelines) nutrition classes to help families and youth cook healthy meals at home, be more active, save money on food costs, and handle food safely. In partnership with the Eat Smart, Move More NC initiative, EFNEP Educators help families and youth adopt positive health behaviors to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Here are the accomplishments from 2023 for Surry County.

Healthy Mouth, Healthy You

Are we visiting the dentist at least once a year, brushing our teeth for at least 2 minutes (2-3 times a day) and flossing? If so, we are helping not just our mouth but also our overall health.

According to the CDC “Oral conditions are frequently considered separate from other chronic conditions, but these are actually interrelated. Poor oral health is associated with other chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.”

Listed below are just a few of the many benefits of a healthy mouth:

• Treating gum disease can help keep blood sugar stable if we have diabetes.
• Being able to chew properly and without pain, will help us enjoy a variety of foods and receive all the necessary nutrients our body needs to stay healthy.
• Reduce the risk of oral cancer.
• Improved self-esteem.
• Being able to smile with confidence will make us and the people around us happier.

National Nutrition Month

Spring brings St. Patrick’s Day, signs of new green growth on our trees and grass, and delicious fresh greens in our gardens. Loose leaf lettuces are very easy to grow. Greens can even be grown in containers if you don’t want a traditional garden. I recycle plastic hanging basket flowerpots from the plants I purchase the previous season and plant a variety of seeds over a period of several weeks. Not planting all the seeds at the same time will ensure the fresh greens will be available the entire growing season.

A benefit of growing your own plants is being able to harvest them just before you want to eat them for ultimate freshness. As soon as the leaves are 2-3 inches tall, you can cut or gently break off the leaves as you need them without harvesting the whole plant. Once the plant reaches the desired size, harvest the remaining leaves. Rinse the lettuce under running water to wash. To dry, place the washed greens in a salad spinner, or pat dry with paper towels or a clean cloth. Store the clean lettuce in the salad spinner or in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Leaf lettuces tend to be mild and sweet. They can be mixed with cooked meats and other vegetables for a main dish salad. Cut the leaves into shreds and use them in tacos. Add lettuce to sandwiches, or skip the bread and use larger leaves as a wrap for a low carb option.

Salads are a great way to be creative in the kitchen. The possibilities are endless. Feeling extra creative, try making your own salad dressing. Not only are homemade dressings delicious, but you also know exactly what is in them compared to the long list of ingredients in many prepared varieties.

Going green by growing your own greens and making your own dressings will also save you some “green” money. A pack of seeds costs less than one bag of mixed greens and provides several more servings. An added bonus is the exercise gardening can provide, along with the excitement of seeing your garden grow. You don’t have to be a child to experience the magic and fun of seeing little green stems and leaves sprouting through the dirt. Enjoy the season and take advantage of the opportunity to grow some of your own leafy greens this spring.

Pig Power

National Pig Day is March 1st, and pigs are another remarkable animal in agriculture! A pig’s digestive system is similar to ours, and although you may think a pig's diet consists of slop made up of vegetable scraps or bread, this would not provide them with all the nutrients they need. In commercial operations, a pig’s nutrition is overseen by veterinarians and nutritionists to ensure they get the best possible care, with the majority of these being family run operations! A specific blend of things like corn and soybeans are common in a pig's diet today. You may also think pigs like to get dirty; however, they only do this to stay cool as they are not able to sweat to dissipate heat.

Pork production is a big part of NC Agriculture. NC ranks third in total hog production in the nation. At the end of 2022, there were 8.2 million hogs and pigs in North Carolina. Pigs are raised for pork products such as hot dogs, pepperoni, pork chops, pork loin, pork shoulder, bacon, and ham, along with other consumer goods you might not think of, including paintbrushes, leather, gelatin, medicines or medical uses, and crayons. Pork supports more than 44,000 jobs in NC and generates an economic impact of $10 billion for our state.

Source: https://ncpork.org/local-impact & www.agfoundation.org/news/facts-about-pigs

Dicamba Ruling Update

One of the biggest revelations within the field crop world has been around dicamba herbicide technology and various dicamba products recently. As of February 6th, 2024 the United States District Court for the District of Arizona ruled to vacate the federal registration of multiple dicamba herbicides used in over-the-top spray applications of cotton and soybeans. Since this was a federal-level ruling, this will also have implications for farmers here in North Carolina, among other states.

However, as of February 14th, 2024 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an “existing stocks order” for those dicamba herbicides whose labels were previously vacated. As a result, this order authorizes the limited sale and limited distribution of those products that are in the possession of growers or within the distribution channels of retailers. Growers will still have to follow the federal cut-off date to apply dicamba herbicides over the top of soybeans by June 30th, 2024. If you are interested in other herbicide options for over-the-top applications of soybeans, check out this article here:

Plants in Flower Now

Saucer Magnolia, Flowering Cherry, Forsythia, Star Magnolia, Spirea, Flowering Quince, Carolina Jessamine, Periwinkle, Thrift, Violets, Crocus, Daffodil, Hyacinths and Tulips

Gardening To Do

FERTILIZE

• Fertilize shrubs and shade trees.
• Fertilize asparagus beds early this month before spear growth begins.
• Apply the recommended amount of lime if this was not done in the fall.

PLANTING

• Plant small fruit plants, grape vines, and fruit trees before the buds break.
• Transplant or plant new trees, shrubs, and ground covers so their roots can get established before summer comes!
• Plant seeds of the following perennials: columbine, hollyhock, coreopsis, daisy, phlox, and dianthus (Sweet William).
• Set out transplants in mid-March: broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower.
• Plant these vegetable seeds: beets, carrots, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, Swiss chard, turnips, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
• Start annual flowers or warm-season vegetables inside your home that are not commercially available in early March.

PRUNING

• Finish pruning fruit trees, blueberries, grapes, and blackberries.
• Prune spring flowering plants such as winter honeysuckle, flowering quince, and camellias after their flowers fade.
• Prune roses late in March.
• Abelia, Mahonia, and Nandina can be pruned.
• Dead-head or pick off faded flowers of pansy and daffodil (they will flower longer if old flowers are removed).
• Trim ornamental grasses like liriope, Mondo grass, and pampas grass before new growth begins (weed eaters work perfect).

SPRAYING

• Spray peach and nectarine trees with a fungicide to prevent leaf curl.
• Spray all fruit trees with dormant oil to help eliminate some insects (after pruning).

LAWN CARE

• Fertilize with cool-season turf with 10-10-10, but not with slow-release fertilizer.
• Apply crabgrass preventer to your lawn to help control crabgrass in the turf.
• Mow tall fescue lawns as needed.
• Seed fescue and bluegrass, if not done in September.

PROPAGATION

• Continue to divide perennials like daylily, shasta daisy, gaillardia, and coreopsis

Local Seed Libraries Available

Seed libraries are collections of seeds that are stored and made available to members of communities for free. NC State Extension Master Gardener ℠ volunteers have placed six seed libraries across Surry County for our residents to enjoy.

Anyone who is interested in obtaining seeds may visit one of the seed library locations and “check out” seeds. Gardeners may take up to 3 seed packets. Take the seeds home and plant them. They are yours for free. The seed library locations are:

Mount Airy Public Library, 145 Rockford Street, #4759, Mt. Airy

Mount Airy Senior Center, 401 Technology Lane, Suite 200, Mt. Airy

Pilot Mountain Public Library, 319 W Main Street, Pilot Mountain