Burke County "Extension Master Gardener" Volunteers

It's that time of year again!!

Spotted Lantern Fly Summit: 2/27-29. In-person is in Harrisburg, PA, but you can join on-line. It's $35, register using this link: Tickets for virtual attendees are also available via this link.

2024 Spotted Lanternfly Summit 8th Annual SLF Summit. Providing research and regulatory information to those interested in learning more about spotted lanternfly.

Fence painting at the Extension

Congratulations Dustin Haigler, Freed Agricultural teacher!

The BOE had the pleasure of recognizing Freedom High School Agricultural Teacher Dustin Haigler tonight at the board meeting. Haigler was one of 24 CTE teachers from across North Carolina to be selected as a finalist for the first North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) 2022 Career Technical Education Teacher of the Year Award. The award honors CTE teachers for their dedication, innovation and ability to inspire students to achieve. Haigler was Freedom’s Teacher of the Year in 2021. He is a graduate of NC State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science and has been teaching for 10 years, with 7 of those at Freedom. He is involved with many professional organizations, including NC Farm Bureau Young Ranchers, National Association of Ag Educators and the NC Ag Teachers Association. He also leads his students in the state and national FFA Organization and travels with them for competitions. His students have won numerous FFA awards over the years.
In addition to being named Freedom’s Teacher of the Year, Haigler also is a past recipient of the Burke County CTE Teacher of the Year, runner up to the NC Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Ag Award and recipient of the FFA National Chapter Award each year since 2017. He is originally from Unionville and his wife, Olivia, also an Ag teacher at Freedom, have one daughter

Another adorable picture of Autumn helping a little one plant at the Bonnie Plants booth. (Used with parental permission)

More pictures from the plant sale.

It was a very successful day! Thank you to all of you who made it possible! Autumn from Bonnie plants was amazing! (Used with parental permission.)

We're ready for you! Come out today at the Burke County Fairgrounds 8-2:00!!

Know your w**ds!

27 Common Types of Weeds with Names & Picture Identification Find something in your yard but aren't sure if it's a w**d? Check out the most common types of w**ds to help identify your mystery plant!

This is one amazing way to prevent damage from below freezing temps!

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is starting to flower in lawns, roadsides, and sunny disturbed habitats. Long-tongued bees and European honey bees (Apis mellifera) pollinate its pink, tubular flowers. Warm days allow Henbit to form open (chasmogamous) flowers with nectar, while cooler days lead to more closed (cleistogamous) flowers that self-pollinate. This introduced w**d comes from Africa and Eurasia but you can find it across much of North America today. As you may know from personal experience, once Henbit becomes established in a yard, it can be quite hard to eradicate. It forms dense stands and each plant produces hundreds of seeds that form a considerable seed bank. Hand pulling and frequent mowing before flowers mature are some chemical-free means of control in lawns.

Henbit is an easy to identify wild edible. So while you’re pulling it out of your garden, feel free to munch on some of its stems and leaves. Like other members of the mint family, it has square stems. The leaves have rounded teeth and the upper leaves lack a petiole (leaf stalk) and wrap tightly around the stem. The specific epithet of the scientific name - amplexicaule - means “clasping the stem” in Latin.

Henbit has a nutty flavor and some people add it to salads or use it to make pesto. The best tasting plants can be found when it’s not in bloom, from late fall through mid-winter. Once it warms up in spring, though, this winter annual dies off, but it’s sure to return with cooler temps in late fall.

Just hold on almost there!

💜💜💜

Happy Hump Day!

Look around, beware and be knowledgeable.

This week's weather is warming up! Get outside and hunt Spotted Lanternfly egg masses. When you find them crush them! Use an old bank card, small rolling pin or putty knife.

If you are feeling like doing a bit of gardening in spite of the ice and rain and cold, have you considered winter seed sowing? Check out the links from Illinois Extension and Penn State Extension or the video from Univ. of Maryland Master Gardeners. I set these out last week.
https://extension.illinois.edu/news-releases/winter-seed-sowing
https://extension.psu.edu/starting-seeds-in-winter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6n0zKVUE8E&t=2275s
(Edited to add one more link)

Preventing and Managing Ice and Snow Damage to Landscape Plants Preparing Landscapes for Snow and Ice Snow in the Carolinas is often heavy, piling up on plants sometimes breaking limbs and branches. What to do before the storm to minimize damage: Select resilient plants that are resistant to wind damage. The narrower the angle of attachment of a branch to the tr...

homegrown.extension.ncsu.edu NYC may be the Big Apple, but NC is big apple business. We retrace the road apples take from seed to supermarket, and explore how North Carolina...

Remember to sign up for the 11/22 meeting! Check your email.

Informative article on leaf identification.

If you’re admiring the leaves in your yard this weekend or going on a hike, you might find some leaves like these. Read below to learn about each tree. Remember that leaves can vary quite a bit in shape and size in some species, so they’re just one of several clues to use in identification. Oaks, in particular, will hybridize in nature, making it tough to identify some trees without looking at features other than just leaf shape.

Mockernut Hickory (Carya tomentosa) is the most common hickory in the southeast. Each leaf typically has 7 leaflets, but some may have 5 or 9 on the same tree. The leaves of this native tree are hairy and give off an orange peel scent when crushed. Luna moth caterpillars feed on hickory leaves and form a cocoon within a curled up leaf. Who knows, if you “leave the leaves” of a Mockernut Hickory in your yard, you just might be treated to a luna moth next spring (see yesterday’s post).

Post Oak (Quercus stellata) is native to the southeast and relatively common in the Piedmont. It often grows in dry, rocky habitats. The leaves have a characteristic Maltese cross-like shape.

Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) leaves have a distinctive shape that resembles the silhouette of a tulip. Also called Yellow Poplar, this native tree grows in bottomland forests, yards, and parks across the eastern US. Their long, straight trunks once made them prized timber for building log cabins and canoes.

Southern Red Oak (Quercus falcata) grows in upland forests across the southeast. Given their tolerance for dry, sunny habitats, they’re also planted in yards. The leaves are highly variable in shape, but typically have three points on the terminal lobe. Stay tuned for a post on leaf variation in southern red oak sometime this winter!

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) trees grow in bottomland forests. Young American Beech retain their leaves through the winter (the technical term for this is marcescence). The leaves have a toothed margin and pronounced venation that makes somewhat of a wavy look to the top surface of the leaf. This is the tree that some people unfortunately use to carve their initials into its smooth, gray bark. This is not just unsightly, it can also lead to beech bark disease and the eventual death of the tree.

American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) grows in moist bottomland forests across the eastern US. It’s large leaves have a distinctive shape.

Eastern Red Maple (Acer rubrum) leaves turn beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange across the eastern US each autumn. This native tree grows in woodlands, fields, and parks.

Eastern Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) are common in roadways, yards, and woodland edges across the Eastern US. They have heart-shaped leaves with palmate veins (spread out like fingers from a common point at the base just above the leaf stalk) and a slightly swollen petiole (leaf stalk) at the base of the leaf. This leaf doesn’t have a pronounced heart-shaped base, but you can find lots of variation in extent of this trait both within and between Eastern Redbuds in the wild. There are numerous horticultural cultivars of this tree (Ace of Hearts, for instance) that may be more consistent and/or enhanced in this feature. See the comments for some pictures of other leaves. In spring, the fuchsia flowers of Eastern Redbuds are one of the first signs of spring.

Garden Photo of the Day by Clemson Extension Horticulture Agent, Barbara Smith: Ever wonder what's going on with your hydrangeas? Do your leaves have spots on them? The photo below is showing both Cercospora and Anthracnose fungal diseases. In the fall, clean up all the leaves after they've fallen to prevent the fungal spores from reinfecting the new foliage next spring. Also replace the mulch in the late winter before the new leaves emerge. For more information on caring for your hydrangeas, please see the following HGIC fact sheet link below.

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/hydrangea/

Gaston Co. Master Gardeners have graciously opened this event to the public. I have no doubt it will be a great informative program.
about a 50 min drive from Morganton.

This meeting is open to the public y’all!! And we would just love to meet you!! Just follow the directions on the poster and come join us!!

A complete easy as 1-2-3 guide to growing your own micro greens!

Grow Your Own Food (In 10 Days) Greg shows us how to grow your own leafy vegetables in the hot, summer months! 1020 Microgreen Growing Trays - https://bit.ly/2SZiSVlSugar Prince Pea - https...

Look for 👀 and report!

HOME The Asian longhorned beetle and spotted lanternfly are two insect pests that are getting close to North Carolina. ​If you have a pool, you can help by checking your pool filters for these two pests...

Remembering always
The Sacrifice

Good morning gardening friends 🌧️🌧️