Each year, insects continue to challenge apple growers in western North Carolina. Marvin Owings, Extension director of the Henderson County Center, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, said county growers deal most with Lepidoptera type insects such as codling moths and oriental fruit moths as well as a different pest called plum curculio. Codling moth Jim … Read more
Okay, I confess it, I adore seed indexes. No, just watching an online website but a FACTUAL, in print paper seed catalog with 20 assortments of pumpkins, berry shrubberies of all kinds, and sheets of propositions on herbs and seasonings. In general, they start incoming in the middle of January when we’ve remained frozen in … Read more
Fruit trees often set more fruit than they can support or develop adequately, especially if the trees were not properly pruned during the previous season. Excessive fruit competes with each other for carbohydrates (stored energy) and remains small. This carbohydrate drain, or “sink,” can also weaken the tree and make it more susceptible to pests … Read more
A healthy plant possibly means fewer insects Like most anywhere in the USA, fruits, and vegetables are grown in the Danville, Virginia, area, and occasionally, growers will inquire about growth problems to local Extension agent Stuart Sutphin. However, when it comes to blueberries, the silence is deafening. “I know people around here raise blueberries,” he said, … Read more
The Secrets of Successful Gardening You can hardly find a person who doesn’t want to savor the home-grown vegetables, fruit, and berries. It’s well-known that the food you can buy at the supermarkets is not always high-quality. The organic samples are extremely expensive. That’s why more and more people start gardening in the expectation that … Read more