On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

• Now is the time to harvest your Irish potatoes.
• Don’t be too alarmed by leaf spots on ornamental trees and shrubs. Although they cna detract from the appearance of the plant and even cause some leaf drop, generally they will not kill the plant.
• Check your garden at least twice a week for insects and disease because warmer temps means disease and insects increase under these conditions
• If you work outdoors a lot, consider treating your boots and pant legs with tick repellant.
• Check your garden soil at 2 inches down if you feel moisture don’t water the garden. When you irrigate, water thoroughly once a week.
• Don’t rely solely on your rain gauge to decide on your irrigation schedule. The trend is to get intense rainfall in a short period of time, which means less infiltration into the soil.
• Blossom end rot is showing up in tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, this condition is a lack of calcium in the plant, water fluctuations is a major cause.

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

• Japanese beetles are here. Try shaking beetles off plants in the morning to limit their damage on plants.
• Be on the lookout for crabgrass in flower and shrub beds. Selective grass herbicide.
• Take bottom leaves off tomatoes below where actual tomatoes have formed to prevent leaf diseases
• Be cautious about using hay as a garden mulch. Herbicides used on pastures can persist in the hay and damage your vegetables.
• Vegetables may need top dressing if plants are a pale green and you haven’t top dressed them in the last three weeks
• Dieback in trees could indicate a severe problem. Contact your Extension office, the Forest Service or a certified arborist for assistance.
• When harvesting vegetables put them in the shade as soon as possible. Harvest early in the morning.
• Avoid using garden soil for container plantings. It’s heavy, doesn’t drain well, and may have weed seeds or fungal spores.

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

• Check garden for standing water after heavy rains open row ends to let the water drain out to prevent this excess water from damaging your garden plants
• Try growing veggies and herbs in containers. Quality medium, container with drainage holes, good sun, check moisture frequently.
• Check for squash bugs on squash plants
• Freezing is an easy way to preserve spring and summer fruits, including strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cantaloupe and other melons.
• Follow mowing safety guidelines that are in your owner’s manual
• Searching for garden answers on the web? Add NCSU or “extension” after your search terms to find reliable information.
• Before watering plants check soil media first if it’s moist, wait and check the next day.
• There are hundreds of species of bees and wasps in North Carolina and most of them are non-aggressive and help with pollination.

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On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

• After planting seed watch for crusting of soil after heavy rains soon after planting your seed this crusting of soil can hinder the emergence of your seed so lightly break up that crust so seeds cam emerge well.
• When spraying the vegetable garden for weeds, insects or disease, be sure to check the instructions for how long you need to wait until you can harvest.
• Maintain your fruit tree spray program according to label directions for good fruit this year.
• When purchasing products for weed, insect or disease control, consider buying a “ready to use” option. They require no mixing and usually have just enough product for the job.
• Protect yourself from the sun when doing garden chores Ex. Wide brimmed hat, sun mask,
• If you are shopping for a backpack spray, look for one with a hip strap. That distributes the weight better and makes it much more comfortable.
• Have two garden sprayers 1 Labeled weed control 2 Labeled Insecticides

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