Butterfly gardens

A beautiful flower garden that will attract butterflies.

A flower bed or garden can be eye catching and, with the right kinds of plants, can attract some of nature’s most colorful creatures. Planning, planting and tending a butterfly garden are great ways for youth to create an outdoor classroom with lots of possibilities for learning. Here are a few tips to help get started.

Location is very important.  All insects are cold blooded and cannot internally regulate their body temperature.  Butterflies will readily bask in the sun when it is warm, but few are seen on cloudy days.  It is a good idea to leave open areas for butterflies to sun themselves, as well as partly shaded areas with trees or shrubs for shelter when it’s cloudy or too hot. 

Butterflies like puddles. Males of several species congregate at small rain pools, forming puddle clubs. Permanent puddles are easy to make.  Bury a bucket to the rim, fill it with gravel or sand, and then pour in sweet drinks or water

Different types of butterflies have different preferences of nectar color and taste. A wide variety of food plants will give the greatest diversity of visitors. Try staggering wild and cultivated plants, as well as blooming times. Groups of the same plants are easier for butterflies to see than single flowers. Aster, butterfly weed, purple coneflower and verbena attract many species of butterflies.  Overripe fruit is attractive to butterflies as well. 

Water your garden with soaker hoses whenever possible. Overhead watering can wash nectar from the flowers and reduce the amount of available food.

Another way to attract butterflies to your garden is to offer food plants for females to lay their eggs. Some females are picky about the host plants where they will lay their eggs. To attract a particular type of butterfly, you may need to know the plant needs for the adult and the larvae or caterpillar. 

Butterfly gardens are a great source for learning about your own backyard environment.  They also offer enjoyment, photo opportunities and an outlet for artistic talent. By creating a garden habitat, you can help conserve butterflies by providing food, water and shelter to some of nature’s most enchanting creatures.  

Weed Control

Weeds in a garden

Everyone looks forward to that first ripe tomato or ear of corn picked from their own carefully tended gardens.  But after some vigorous hoeing on a hot humid day, some may be asking themselves if it is all worth it. 

Weeds compete with crop plants for water, nutrients and sunlight.  Some weeds, like quackgrass, can chemically inhibit vegetable plant growth.  Others host insect pests and pathogens.  All of these result in fewer fresh vegetables for your table. 

There are some preventive practices that effectively combat weeds.  Frequent hoeing or rototilling on a weekly basis helps eliminate weeds when they are small and easily removed.  By planting rows a little closer, vegetable crops provide more shade which also helps to reduce weed pressure.  After harvesting a crop, plant another in its place to continue using the space.

Mulching works very well in the home garden.  Use organic material such as grass clippings, leaves or straw to eliminate weed growth and build up organic matter to make the soil more fertile and friable.  Do not use grass clippings from a lawn that  was treated recently with the herbicide 2, 4-D.  Treated clippings can cause twisting of the vegetable plants and can even kill some sensitive vegetable crops.  Be careful about the kind of organic material you use.  Hay can introduce a considerable load of weed seeds into your garden. 

Black plastic mulch is of specific benefit to certain vegetables including tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and vine crops.  In addition to shading out and eliminating weeds, plastic mulches conserve moisture and promote early crop growth by helping to heat up the soil in spring.  Landscape fabric has the added advantage of being water permeable and can be used for multiple years; although it is more expensive than black plastic. 

Most importantly, do everything possible to keep garden weeds from going to seed.  One red root pigweed plant can produce 100,000 seeds that can continue to germinate over the next 15 to 20 years. 

Last of the season's classes!

These are the last of the spring's classes.  To sign up, go to Hardin County, KY Extension Office.  In the upper right corner, click on "Register for Classes"

Sweet Potato varieties

How to Grow: Sweet Potatoes* - May 7  This southern staple can be grown successfully in Kentucky.  Learn the tips and tricks to harvesting full-sized flavorful roots.  Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:00 p.m. $5

Make your Own Mosaic Pot – May 20 and 22  In this two-part class, you will decorate an 8-inch terracotta pot and saucer with mosaic tiles in the first class. Then, come back the next day and learn all about grouting. All supplies are included. Class size is limited to 25. Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:00 p.m. $35.

Payment for each of the Gardener’s Toolbox classes are required TWO WEEKS prior to the class date.  You will be registered on a first pay, first registered basis.  Cancellations will be fully refunded TWO WEEKS prior to the class date. Please let us know as early as possible if you have to cancel, we probably have others on a wait list.

Asparagus: a Springtime Treat

Nothing quite compares to the flavor of fresh homegrown asparagus during the months of April, May and June.  Anybody who is an asparagus lover and has some garden space should consider raising it.

 

Early spears waiting for the grill.

Asparagus does not require a lot of special attention.  When planting, be sure to purchase crowns that are one year  old.  You might want to try the male hybrids like Jersey Centennial, Syn4-51, Syn4-56, and Jersey Giant that are on the market now.  They are much better than some of the old standard varieties.

Spacing is critical.  The crowns should be placed 18 inches apart in the bottom of the trench.  The trench should be about 6 to 8 inches deep, 12 to 15 inches wide with rows ideally spaced three feet apart.  It is also a good idea to double dig the trench to loosen up the soil to a depth of 12 to 18 inches.

In the past, asparagus could not be harvested for the first three years but that has all changed.  During the first year the plants should be left alone.  For the second year, limit harvests to three to four weeks, then let the ferns grow.

This procedure is necessary so the root system will develop from its limited size and will store food reserves to produce growth next year.  Plants harvested too early after setting may become weakened and spindly.  During the third year the plants can be harvested all the way through April, May and June.

Harvest spears when they are 5 to 7 inches tall.  Break them off at soil level rather than using a knife, since cutting can easily injure the crown buds which produce the next spears.  It is a good idea to harvest early in the morning and use the spear

or refrigerate them immediately.

Each year in the spring, asparagus should be side-dressed with one pound of 5-10-10 per every 1000 square foot of area.  If good care is taken, the plants can supply tasty asparagus spears for up to 15 years.

Start your Seeds...

               Starting seed indoors enables you to select the exact varieties you want for vegetable or flower beds, whether an heirloom tomato or new zinnia variety.  There are other benefits from having a variety of home-grown vegetables and flowers.  One of the most satisfying is to say, “I grew these myself, from seed.”

Display Gardens at the Hardin County, KY Extension Office

               Vegetable seeds that are easy to start indoors include tomatoes, peppers, squash, cabbage, eggplant and cucumber.  Marigold and zinnia flower seed also are simple to start inside.

               Garden centers and mail-order catalogs offer many varieties from the newest and improved ones to favorite standbys.  To avoid buying too many seed, calculate how many plants of each variety are needed for the garden.

               For greater success starting seed indoors, don’t plant them too early and give them adequate, but not excessive, water and sufficient light.

               Seeds planted too early result in overgrown plants that are yellow, crooked and spindly before it is even time to transplant them outdoors. Thus, it is critical to properly time the planting of new seed so young seedlings will be large enough to transplant in the garden when the danger of a late frost is over.

               To determine when to start the seed, check the outdoor sowing time on the seed packet or last late frost date for your location. In Hardin County, the average frost-free date is May 1.  Plant the seeds three to four weeks prior to the recommended seed packet date, or time before the last late frost.   An exception is squash and cucumbers, which require only seven to 10 days for seedlings to grow large enough to transplant in the garden.

               When it’s time to plant seed, gently press potting soil into each small container;  add two seed per container at the depth recommended on the package, and put the containers in leak-proof trays.  Unless you are using a peat product, be sure containers have at least one drainage hole.

               Then, slowly water each small container to saturate the potting mix, using slightly warm tap water.  Never allow containers to sit in standing water. Throw away excess water that seeps out of the trays.  A kitchen baster is a good tool to remove surplus water.

               Put the leak-proof trays in a warm location such as the top of a refrigerator or freezer to help seed germinate, usually in seven to 10 days.  A sprout emerging from the potting mix indicates germination.

               Plants need a bright area to grow indoors, but unfiltered sunlight will dry out the containers too quickly.

               After the seeds germinate, move the trays to a south window or sunroom with filtered light. An alternative is to put  fluorescent bulbs three to four inches from the containers to provide light necessary for growth. Leave the lights on all the time, and occasionally rotate plants that begin to grow towards the light source. 

               It is critical for newly-germinated seedlings to have water available for the next two to three weeks, so frequently check the moisture content with your finger to keep from damaging tender roots.  Carefully and consistently water when the soil feels dry a little below the surface for the first two weeks.  You can slowly apply a water-soluble fertilizer the third week.  Be sure to follow instructions for the amount of fertilizer to use.

               To avoid common problems starting seed indoors, use a high-quality starter mix, don’t plant seed too early; select a warm area to germinate seed; provide a high-light environment for seedlings to grow; and keep developing seedlings moderately moist.

               For more information on other gardening or horticultural topics, contact the Hardin County Cooperative Extension Service by phone: 270.765.4121, email: Amy.Aldenderfer@uky.edu, contact us on Facebook, or on the web: www.hardinhort.org.

Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Spring Class list

Spring Horticulture Classes at the Hardin County Extension Office
A month's worth...

Making a Mosaic Pot - March 17 and 18, 2014

Making a Mosaic Pot - March 17 and 18, 2014

In this two-part class, you will decorate an 8-inch terracotta pot and saucer with mosaic tiles in the first class. Then, come back the next day and learn all about grouting. All supplies are included. Class size is limited to 25. Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:00 p.m. $35

How to Grow: Blueberries - March 19, 2014

Have you heard the health benefits of blueberries?  Seen what you have to pay for fresh blueberries?  Come to this class and learn if you have the right soil to grow your own. Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:00 p.m. $5

How to Grow: Cabbage, Broccoli and Cauliflower - March 25, 2014

Having trouble getting your cabbage to head? Know when to pick your broccoli for the best taste?  Learn all there is to know about the three biggest cole crops.  Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:00 p.m. $5

Vegetable Gardening 101 - April 15, 2014

Start with the beginning.  This class will get you started on your first vegetable garden.  We will discuss gardening in containers, square foot gardening, and how to plan a garden for yourself and your family. Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:00 p.m. $5