I spy with my little eye…donation garden harvest! So far 550 lbs & counting

In the news...

2017 Master Gardener Training Core training this fall starts on September 14. Training will include lectures on topics ranging from basic botany to landscape design and maintenance. Every week we will have a hands-on activity that will reinforce concepts learned in class. The deadline to apply is September 1st. Applications are now being accepted online at: www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener/training

Orientation will be at the Lyon County Extension and Outreach office and classes will be at the Northwest Iowa Community College (NCC) in Sheldon.

Emerald Ash Borer Now confirmed in 52 counties in Iowa. Read

the June 27 press release of the most recent

confirmations.

Recipe of the Month Easy Roasted Vegetables

August is ripe with garden harvest and busy with summer activities. So here is an easy recipe to enjoy an array of

vegetables. Ingredients:

5 cups assorted vegetable pieces cut in chunks (choose

your favorites such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, onions, eggplant…)

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

* No dried Italian seasoning? Blend any of these: oregano, basil, rosemary - fresh or dried!

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees

2. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil

3. Spread vegetables in pan, sprinkle oil on vegetables, stir then sprinkle with seasoning, pepper, salt and stir again

4. Bake uncovered 45 minutes, turn every 15 minutes

5. Serve while hot

1 cup servings serves 5

Recipe from Spend Smart Eat Smart

August 2017

Garden to Table News from the Yard, Garden and Locally Grown

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Click underlined

links for more information

on the topic…

Donation Garden Harvest—Rock Rapids—every Monday 5:30pm

1 2 Donation Garden Harvest—Rock Rapids—every Wednesday 8:30am

3 4 5

6

National Farmers’ Market Week

7 Continue harvest-ing beans, squash, cucum-bers, and toma-toes to keep plants productive

8

National Sneak Zucchini onto

your neighbor’s porch day!

9

Cooking with herbs

Osceola Community

Hospital-Sibley

10 Iowa State Fair

Begins Cooking with the family—Forster Community Ctr-Rock Rapids

11 12

13 14 Harvest and dry

herbs for use through the

winter

15 16 17 Cooking with

herbs Multi-purpose building-Sioux

Center

18 19

20 21 Solar Eclipse!

22 Pick up windfall apples to reduce pests

23

24 Seed grass

25 Harvest potatoes and onions as the tops yellow and die

26

27 28 Plant seeds of lettuce, spinach, and radish for harvest in fall.

29 30 Take advantage of garden center sales

31 1

Deadline to apply for Master Gardener class-2017

2

3 4 5 Plant evergreen trees and shrubs

6 7

8 9

AUGUST 2017 GARDEN TO TABLE NEWSLETTER PAGE 2

Volunteer Service Opportunities

Volunteer this summer at the ISU Home Demonstration pantry garden in Rock Rapids. Whether for a

day or throughout the summer—your help is needed to harvest and pack fresh produce for delivery to area food pantries.

Help administrate the 2017 Master Gardener Training at NCC this fall - fun opportunities as we do a

flipped classroom!

Volunteer some time at the Heritage Village in Sioux Center. Call Ron Oostra for more information, 712-

441-7747.

Answer yard and garden questions either in the office or accompanying me on site visits.

Continuing Education

Attend Master Gardener classes this fall for refresher courses.

Webinar: Meet Our Native Pollinators Friday, September 1, 2017 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Pollinators have been in the news alot in the last couple of years. While many of us are familiar with the

European honeybee, we are not so familiar with our native pollinators. Join Molly Keck, Texas A&M

AgriLife Extension as she introduces us to some of our native pollinators, their habitats, and ways to

preserve them. Moderated by Dani Carroll and Sallie Lee, Regional Extension Agents, Alabama

Cooperative Extension System. Click here to login as a guest and participate in the live event. Note: on

September 1, the link to the live webinar opens about 15 minutes before the webinar. If you try to log in

earlier, you will get an error message.

Here are links to previously offered webinars if you need continuing education options:

https://learn.extension.org/events/1427#.VQhQ1E1ASvE – growing raspberries and blackberries using IPM

https://learn.extension.org/events/867#.VQhR0U1ASvE – growing healthy shade trees with IPM

https://learn.extension.org/events/1947#.VQhR-k1ASvE – growing apples using IPM

https://learn.extension.org/events/1126#.VQhSJk1ASvE – growing cucurbits using IPM

https://learn.extension.org/events/1946#.VQhSRE1ASvE – growing conifers using IPM

Just a reminder, hours need to be reported by December 31st at

https://mastergardenerhours.hort.iastate.edu/vrs/sec_Login/ Thanks!!

AUGUST 2017 GARDEN TO TABLE NEWSLETTER PAGE 3

Checking in on my garden tomatoes

In my family, we love to eat tomatoes and look forward to the

day when we can start harvesting our crop. Sadly, some of our

first harvestable tomatoes were taken by a very common dis-

order called blossom end rot.. Blossom end rot begins as a

sunken, dark spot on the blossom end of the tomato. It is often

found in early developing fruit.

Blossom end rot is caused by the plant’s inability to provide

enough calcium to the rapidly-growing fruit. This can happen

when there are wide fluctuations in moisture. The best way to

prevent blossom end rot is to avoid inconsistent watering. Try

to maintain an even moisture supply throughout the root zone

by watering regularly especially during dry weather (most veg-

etables need about one inch of water per week). Also, do not

over-fertilize plants. Excessive nitrogen can make blossom

end rot worse. Blossom end rot can also affect other produce such as peppers and summer squash. Happily, the

peppers have been perfect so far this year and I have not noticed any rot on our later tomatoes.

While keeping an eye out for blossom end rot, I noticed some leaf spots on a few tomato plants. Our tomatoes have

had this before - Septoria leaf spot. This fungal infection is probably the most common foliar disease seen on

tomatoes. It shows up as small, circular spots that have light colored centers with dark edges. Symptoms first appear

on the lower, older leaves then move upward on the plant. The spores of the fungus spread to new leaves by the

splashing of water. Infected leaves turn yellow, shrivel and fall off. This disease generally appears after the plant has

set fruit. Septoria leaf spot affects the leaves not the fruit although with significant leaf loss, you can see a reduction in

yield. Good cultural practices help control Septoria leaf spot. Remove affected leaves and dispose of any debris on the

ground around the plant (the fungus survives the winter in tomato debris). Watering at the base of the plant to avoid

wetting leaves will also help reduce the spread of the fungus.

Early blight is another fungal disease that causes leaf spots and often shows up this time of year. Tomato

plants may become infected with both early blight and Septoria leaf spot. As with Septoria, early blight will first affect

the lower leaves. Brownish, black spots up to a ½ inch in diameter form on the leaves and will often run together creat-

ing larger, irregular shaped blotches. With early blight, the leaf spots can also develop dark, concentric rings giving it a

“target” appearance. Plus, the fruit may be affected developing sunken areas near the stem end that take on a black,

velvet-like look. Control for early blight is the same as for Septoria leaf spot.

Misshapen fruit can also cause concern for home gardeners. Irregular bulges or leather-like scarring forming on

the blossom end of the tomato is a condition called catfacing. This occurs when cold weather strikes at the time blos-

soms are developing. This results in the death of certain cells creating deformities in the fruit. Catfacing is most often

found in the larger tomato varieties such as “beefsteak” cultivars. Though your tomato may look odd, the fruit are still

fine for eating – just trim away the affected areas.

Exposure to herbicides can also result in misshapen fruit. Tomatoes are very sensitive to chemicals such as

2,4-D and other growth regulator herbicides. Just a small amount drifting onto the plants can cause damage. Leaves

will become distorted and tend to take on a thick, rubbery, appearance. To avoid injury to tomato plants by herbicide

drift; do not spray during windy conditions and direct the spray as close to the ground as possible. Contaminated

plants should be disposed of as the fruit may have chemical residue.

If your tomato plants are afflicted with a disease this season, keep in mind that many pathogens can persist in the soil

from year to year. So, remember to always rotate your crop to a new growing area each year. As closely related plants

can carry the same diseases, rotate by family groups. Vegetables in the tomato family include potatoes, eggplant, and

peppers. The Iowa state University Extension and Outreach publication, Tomato Diseases and Disorders, provides

more information on tomato problems that the home gardener may encounter.

AUGUST 2017 GARDEN TO TABLE NEWSLETTER PAGE 4

Lawn care to do now for a beautiful yard next year

I hate to mention it but August signals the nearing of summer’s end and fall will soon be here. As we transition into the

new season, it is a good time for homeowners to carry out a few lawn care tasks.

Seeding: Mid-August through mid-September is the best time to seed in a new lawn

or overseed areas in need of some help. The warm soil temperatures promote fast

seed germination plus, the mild days and cool nights bring favorable conditions for

the seedlings to grow. There is also less competition from weeds as few weed seeds

develop at this time of year. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach has

two publications that help make choosing the right seed mix and how to apply it

easier: Selecting a Grass Species for Iowa Lawns & Establishing a Lawn from Seed.

Lawn Aeration: Aeration helps alleviate soil compaction, which will improve air, water and nutrient movement

through the soil. This, in turn, promotes better root development in your grass. In Iowa, April and September are the

best months to aerate. For well-drained soils, aerating twice a year is usually not needed. Lawns that have cool-

season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass are best aerated in the fall. Aerating in the fall works well as the grass is

still actively growing and will easily recover. A core aerator does a better job at reducing compaction then a spike-type

aerator. Core aerators remove small plugs of soil ranging from one-half to five-eighths of an inch in diameter and

about 3 inches long. The plugs can be raked up from the lawn or, preferably, left to deteriorate.

Fertilizing: Fall is an important time to fertilize your lawn. Though the leaf growth may be slowing, the grass

roots are still growing. In general, a single application of fertilizer in late-October or early-November containing 1

pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet may be sufficient for low maintenance lawns. Highly maintained lawns may

need additional fertilizer in the spring (0.5–0.75 lb/N per 1,000 square feet), September (0.75–1 lb/N per square feet),

and late-October/early-November (0.75–1 lb/N per 1,000 square feet). For more information of fertilizing your lawn,

see ISU Extension and Outreach publication Lawn Fertilization.

Keeping up the vigor of your lawn will help reduce weeds and attacks from pests and diseases. Follow good

cultural practices such as proper mowing, fertilizing and watering to keep your lawn looking hearty and healthy. The

following publication offers best practices to ensure a healthy lawn through the fall months and into the springtime:

Fall Tips to Ensure a Healthy Green Yard in the Spring.

AUGUST 2017 GARDEN TO TABLE NEWSLETTER PAGE 5

August 9 Cooking with Herbs. Osceola Community Hospital-Sibley 6:00pm-8:00pm. This is a hands-on cooking class featuring tips & recipes using fresh herbs. Register at 712-754-3648. Fee: $15/person. August 10 Cooking with the Family. Forster Community Center-Rock Rapids 6:00pm-8:00pm. This is a hands-on cooking class where parents and children cook together using healthy, kid-friendly recipes and garden-fresh vegetables. Children under 16 must be accompanied d by an adult. Pre-register at 712-472-2576 by August 8. Fee: $15/family. August 17 Cooking with Herbs. Multi-Purpose Building-Sioux County Fairgrounds 6:00pm-8:00pm. Same class as August 9 but pre-register at 712-737-4230 by August 14.

September 14 A Little Bit of Everything. Join the Practical Farmers of Iowa field day at GoodEetens Produce Farm. Come talk produce with Michael and Darla Eeten as we take a tour of their small farm in Everly, IA. Explore the high tunnels, outdoor rotational vegetable fields and strawberry beds. The Eetens’ experiment with no-till plus, raise guinea hogs and chickens for weed management and manure. We’ll also learn about their CSA. Location: GoodEetens Produce Farm (1655 280th St., Everly, IA 51338) Time: 1pm-3pm A light lunch will follow the field day. RSVP for meal to Debra Boekholder, debra@practicalfarmers.org

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach programs are available to all without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex,

marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

For questions, comments or to contribute an article or photo Contact: Margaret Murphy, Horticulture Educator & Regional Food Coordinator

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach - Lyon, O’Brien, Sioux and Osceola Counties (712) 472-2576 / mmurphy@iastate.edu

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Powdery Mildew Excerpt from ISU Extension and Outreach Horticulture ans Home Pest News

As its name suggests, powdery mildew is visible as a light gray or white dusty coating on leaves, stems, flowers, or fruits. It can occur on nearly all kinds of plants, but each plant is affected by a different pow-dery mildew fungus. For example, the fungus that causes powdery mildew on lilac will not infect roses. Powdery mildew is usually favored by moderate temperatures and humid (but not wet) conditions. It tends to be more severe in the shade and in areas with little airflow. Because of this, putting plants in full sun and cultural practices that promote airflow

(such as pruning and appropriate spacing) can help to minimize powdery mildew problems. Keeping plants in good vigor helps them to resist infection. The best strategy for controlling powdery mildew in most plants is pairing the plant with a good site. For example, for lilacs, peony or roses, avoid location with long periods of shade during the day. On some plants such as lilac, powdery mildew does not cause serious damage to the plant and can be tolerated. On other plants, damage may be severe and chemical controls may be desired. Many fungicides are labeled for use against powdery mildew on ornamentals, but they are most effective when used preventatively (before infection occurs) and good cover-age of the plant is essential.