CARTHAGE, Mo. —
Every year it’s the same thing. Did we plant the garden too soon? Will we get an April windstorm, gully washer or late freeze?
Gardening experts advise not planting until at least 10 days after the last average freeze date in your planting zone (except for cool-weather plants such as peas, spinach and lettuce). Around here, that’s between April 1 and 15. Others say don’t plant until the ground temperature has warmed to above 50 degrees for several days. Still others won’t plant seedlings until around Mother’s Day.
I’m impatient. I planted our two raised beds about two weeks ago, and a tiny patch of lettuce and onions before that. Raw spinach makes my allergy-prone husband’s tongue look like a relief map of the Grand Canyon, but I still planted a small row for me.
The strong winds we had last week were not conducive to growing tender transplants, but I’m hoping they had enough time to establish some strong roots before the winds sucked every bit of moisture out of them. We did our best to keep them watered.
One of the best sources I’ve found for good local gardening advice is the Master Gardeners help line at the Missouri University Extension Service. The help line is operated by volunteers who have completed the 30-hour Master Gardener course under the supervision of Jasper County’s Extension agents, Ed Browning and Janet LaFon.
The help line is open between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from April 12 through Aug. 15.
LaFon said that even if you have been gardening for years, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask questions.
“We can’t carry it all around in our heads, any of us,” she said. “The volunteers have well-documented sources from which to gather research-based information.”
She said people can call the help line (417-358-2158) or visit the office in the basement of the courthouse and talk with a volunteer face to face.
If the volunteers don’t have an immediate answer, they will do their best to solve the problem, call you back or send you to one of the hundreds of Extension Service publications related to the topic.
As Master Gardeners, they want to learn, too, and they enjoy helping people. If you are a do-it-yourself type and have Internet access, go to www.extension.missouri.edu and click on the “lawn and garden” link, and you won’t have to leave the house.
Browning said most questions relate to identification of an insect, disease or invasive weeds affecting plants, and gardeners often bring in samples so the volunteers will know exactly what they are dealing with. Other questions include lawn renovation, how and when to fertilize, and reading soil tests.
“Many are doing first-time gardens this year,” Browning said. “They see it as a way to save money, to get better quality produce, and a piece of that is getting organic produce rather than using pesticides.
“They want to know when to plant, how much to plant, whether to plant heirloom or hybrid varieties. Heirlooms have better flavor but are more susceptible to diseases, while hybrids produce a more substantial crop and earlier crops in a short period of time.”
Even with our relatively accurate 10-day forecasts, the vagaries of weather can still affect our best gardening efforts. So many factors are involved: the temperature at which seeds germinate, the hardiness of the plants, the temperature at which they do best, and the length of time to maturity.
Corn, for example, can be seeded if the soil temperature is at least 60 degrees, but it sprouts much faster (in four to five days) if the temperature is around 78.
But as I said, I’m impatient. So every year, I run this race to pick that first red, ripe tomato no later than July 4. Who can celebrate Independence Day without a fresh tomato from the garden? So I take chances and hope for the best; surely one of those 30 transplants will produce a winner.
Carthage, Jasper County
Jo Ellis: Help line offers advice on gardening
- Carthage, Jasper County
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Carthage attorney, reformer of revenue department, dies
James R. Spradling, a Carthage attorney who was noted for his reform of the Missouri Department of Revenue in the 1970s, died at 5:50 a.m. Monday at McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital.
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Steadley trust planning session attracts 40-plus Carthage leaders
Carthage officials and representatives of organizations in the community gathered Friday to start a process aimed at identifying future needs that can be addressed by funding from the Steadley Memorial Trust. Discussions were led by Ralph Ochsner, a Kansas City-based consultant hired by Steadley directors to oversee the effort.
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Bondswoman charged with false imprisonment
A bail bondswoman from Carthage is facing a charge of false imprisonment for allegedly attempting to put a man in jail without a judge’s order, then taking him home and handcuffing him to the banister of a staircase until a friend of the man paid her his bond money.
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Man’s last statement to be given to defendant
A judge ruled Monday that the Jasper County prosecutor must provide attorneys for Darren J. Winans with a videotaped statement co-defendant Matthew D. Laurin made about the Sheldon murders shortly before killing himself.
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Carthage proposes 1.6-cent rise in city property tax
A drop in the assessed value of Carthage real estate will translate to an increase of about 1.6 cents in the city’s proposed property tax rate.
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Open house to celebrate projects at courthouse
Projects completed last year at the Jasper County Courthouse will be celebrated in ceremonies Thursday in the courthouse lobby.
County officials will join representatives of local chambers of commerce and others for a ribbon-cutting and open house to mark the opening of a Route 66 display in the lobby and a new “peace star” atop the building. -
State budget cuts reduce county funds
County officials are bracing for more state budget cuts to translate into a loss of county revenues.
In an effort to balance Missouri’s budget, the state earlier this year cut the amount it reimburses county assessors for work to determine property values. The budget approved by lawmakers for fiscal 2011 calls for cutting the amount the state reimburses counties to house prisoners bound for state lockup. -
Jo Ellis: County home to rare yellowwood tree
In late spring, drifts as white as snow fill the gutters and curbs on the east side of the Jasper County Courthouse. It isn’t snow, of course; it’s the fallen petals of the yellowwood tree that grows squarely in front of the door to the Jasper County Extension office.
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Jasper County Commission gets building project update
Plans to close out one building project and start another were reviewed by the Jasper County Commission last week.
Darieus Adams, Western District associate commissioner, met Thursday with officials of the firm who designed a $292,400 project to upgrade the lighting and make other changes to make four county-owned buildings more energy efficient. -
Two men running for associate judge in 39th Circuit take case to court
Two men running for associate judge in Missouri’s 39th Circuit began battling it out in a Jasper County courtroom this week.
Jasper County Circuit Judge Gayle Crane heard arguments Wednesday concerning the disclosure of documents sought by Robert “Bobby” George, Aurora, the current Lawrence County prosecutor. - More Carthage, Jasper County Headlines
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