October 2016

Beginning September 1st, there has been a new agent in

the Jefferson Parish office. We want to take the time to

introduce Anna Timmerman to the GNO Gardening com-

munity! Anna will be working across parish lines so

many of you will have the opportunity to introduce

yourselves and work with her in the future.

Anna is originally from the family farm in Nunica, Michi-

gan. She was an active member of the 4-H and FFA or-

ganizations in the area, and grew commercial vegeta-

bles , cut flowers, and herbs for farmers markets and

restaurants throughout high school. She attended Michi-

gan State University for Crop and Soil Sciences and

worked for several years in the Weed Science Lab on

campus and in field trials.

After a move to Chicago to get her BFA from the School

of the Art Institute of Chicago, Anna worked for Michelin

-ranked restaurants and celebrity chefs; producing vege-

tables, microgreens, herbs and honey on urban farm

plots, rooftop gardens, and under grow lights during the

winter months. She was assistant gardener under Bill

Shores and appeared on several PBS shows, The Food

Network, and on local media giving gardening tips to

viewers.

Anna has been gardening for five years in the New Orle-

ans area, running a small landscaping company focusing

on sustainable landscape techniques, edible landscap-

ing, native plants, and pollinator gardens. She cared for

over thirty gardens, including restaurants, historic

homes, botanical collections, the gardens of Langlois

School of Cooking, the Pitot House Museum, the Civil

War Museum, and Xavier University of Louisiana’s Stu-

dent Organic Farm.

Anna is an active member of the Herb Society of Ameri-

ca’s New Orleans Unit and currently serves on the Board

of Directors. In the past, she has served as a member of

the National Junior Horticultural Association Youth

Board and the Michigan FFA Foundation.

Outside of horticulture and gardening Anna is also a pro-

fessional painter, working in traditional and modern

tempera with a focus on landscapes and botanical de-

signs. She also has a passion for showing livestock and

attends livestock shows throughout the country showing

rare breed Blanc de Hotot and Dwarf Hotot rabbits

through the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association.

If you see Anna at the Fall Garden Show or at other

events in the future, please take a moment to introduce

yourself!

Welcome New Agent Anna Timmerman!

October Vegetable Planting Guide

Crop Recommended Variety Planting Depth Spacing

(inches)

Days Until

Harvest

Beets Bull’s Blood, Detroit Dark Red, Red

Ace F1, Ruby Queen

1/4 inch 2-4 55-60

Broccoli (transplants) Packman, Windsor, Greenbelt, Arca-

dia, Diplomat

3-4 inches

(transplants)

18-24 70-90

Brussels Sprouts

(transplants)

Long Island Improved, Royal Marvel,

Jade Cross

3-4 inches

(transplants)

12-15 90

Cabbage Blue Vintage, Platinum Dynasty, Asia

Express, Farao, Tendersweet

1/8 inch 12-15 65-75

Chinese Cabbage Minuet, Rubicon 1/4 inch 8-12 60-80

Carrots Purple Haze, Thumbelina, Apache,

Atlas, Nelson F1, Bolero F1, Rainbow

1/8 inch 1-2 70-75

Cauliflower

(transplants)

Snow Crown, Freedom, Incline, Sky-

walker, Cheddar, Graffiti

3-4 inches

(transplants)

18-24 55-65

Collards Georgia Giant, Champion, Top

Bunch, Flash

1/8 inch 6-12 75

Kale Toscano, Redbor, Winterbor, Star-

bor, Red Russian

1/8 inch 12-18 50

Kohlrabi Vienna, Early Purple Vienna, Early

White

1/8 inch 6 55-75

Lettuce Allstar Gourmet, Oakleaf, Muir, Red

Lollo Rossa, Tango, Buttercrunch,

Black Seeded Simpson

1/8 inch 2-10 30-70

Mustard Greens Red Giant, Greenwave, Savannah,

Tendergreen

1/8 inch 6-12 35-50

Snow Peas Oregon Giant, Super Sugar Snap 1/2 inch 2-3 60-70

Spinach Space, Carmel 1/8 inch 2-6 15-30

Radishes French Breakfast, Rover, D’Avignon,

Ping Pong

1/8 inch 1 22-28

Shallots Saffron, Conserver, Camelot 1 inch 3-6 50

Swiss Chard Bright Lights 1/4 inch 8-12 45-55

Turnips Southern Green, Top Star, Tokyo 1/8 inch 2-6 40-50

Plant of the Month—Anna Timmerman

Asclepias curassavica—Tropical Milkweed is the most common Milkweed sold in the Greater

New Orleans Area. There has been a movement to plant milkweed in many places in an attempt to help

boost Monarch butterfly populations. New Orleans is an important stopover point in their annual migration

to Mexico, and in recent years, we tend to see a year-round resident population overwintering with us. Cat-

erpillars will emerge and eat all available milkweed well into December. Tropical milkweed is colorful, pro-

lific, and lasts a long time in the landscape.

Recently, research has come to light that planting

Tropical Milkweed can be detrimental to Monarch

populations. While many native milkweeds are not

available at garden centers yet, planting this tropical

alternative is often the easiest choice. However, in re-

gions such as New Orleans where the plants do not die

back in a frost, there is a potential for problems to

arise.

Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) is a danger wherever

Monarch caterpillars congregate and utilize the same plants for many months. A parasite by nature, OE is a

single-celled organism that infects caterpillars as they feed. While in the chrysalis, the OE organism begins to

produce spores, and the adult butterfly that emerges is covered with them. Infected butterflies are often

weak, deformed, covered with spores, and do not live long.

To break the lifecycle of the OE organism, several things can be done. Cutting back the Tropical Milkweed

between batches of caterpillar helps to disrupt the parasite. It is recommended that you cut the plants back

several times each growing season to shock the plant into producing fresh, healthy leaves. Where freezing

and low temperatures don’t exist or are rare events (such as the South Shore), cutting back all Tropical Milk-

weeds in the landscape helps to break the OE cycle and encourage Monarchs to complete the journey to

Mexico and not to stop and overwinter in New Orleans. October is a great time to check your plants for cat-

erpillars or butterfly eggs, and if there are none, cut the plant completely back to the ground.

Planting native milkweeds helps to reduce the preva-

lence of OE but since most are not in nursery trade

yet, we have to work with the species available to

help provide adequate habitat and food for the Mon-

archs. Research is being done on natural and biologi-

cal controls for OE in the environment even as butter-

fly populations continue to decline. Ultimately it is up

to gardeners and Monarch enthusiasts to decide if

planting Asclepias curassavica is worth the extra trou-

ble or the potential benefits in their gardens.

Volunteer Spotlight

Is Your Front Yard Fabulous?

Enter the Jazzin’ Up the Neighborhood Garden Contest! NOLA.com| The Times-Picayune, the LSU AgCenter and the Metro Area Horticulture Foundation are looking for the best front yards in the New Orleans area for the second annual Jazzin' Up the Neighborhood Garden Contest. Entering is simple, and the prizes are definitely worth a few points and clicks.

TO ENTER: Email a short description of your garden and a few snapshots. Be sure to include your name, phone number and the location of your garden. Send to insideout@nola.com.

The gardens will be judged on first impression and overall design; use of color and texture; maintenance; plant selection; sustainability and creativity. Our judges are Dan Gill, Lee Rouse, and Anna Timmerman from the LSU AgCenter, Kevin Taylor of Southern Accent Landscaping & Lawn Care and the Metro Area Horticulture Foundation, and Susan Langenhennig, the Times Pic-ayune Home and Garden Editor.

DEADLINE TO ENTER: Nov. 4, 2016. Winners will be announced in December.

If you have any questions about the contest, please email insideout@nola.com. To read the offi-

cial rules and read about our prizes, visit nola.com/homegarden.

Volunteer of the Month– Clarice Perdue

Our Volunteer Spotlight falls on Clarice Perdue during the month of October! Clarice is a graduate of the

2010 Master Gardener class. Clarice discovered her love of gardening early in life, saying that “the beauty of

my Grandmother’s garden delighted me. She was a talented gardener with many beautiful manicured flower

beds and one peaceful natural area.”

Clarice has been helping in the LSU AgCenter Office in Jefferson Parish several days a week, fielding calls

from homeowners, printing educational publications, and helping to organize educational materials. She says

that her favorite activity in the Master Gardener program is volunteering at the AgCenter because “It allows

me an opportunity to meet many home gardeners and to discuss their specific gardening questions.” Clarice

has also done several home visits which she enjoys very much.

Clarice is redeveloping a new garden bed from scratch at home

this fall, and is looking forward to working outdoors on clean-up

projects once the weather cools off. Her advice to anyone think-

ing of becoming a Master Gardener is to meet as many current

members as possible, attend a Master Gardener meeting as a

guest to get a feel for the organization, and to access LSU

AgCenter publications and the Master Gardener handbook

online, saying “it is an excellent overview of the program!”

Zombie Plants—Lee Rouse

It was October 31st, and I was standing at my kitchen window. Gazing into backyard, under dreary gray skies, I was admiring how beautiful and well-kept of a compost bin I was able to maintain over the past months. It had taken many dedicated weekends of adding and stirring, adding and stirring. I knew the time was approaching that I must leave the pile alone and let it rot over the next few months.

I snapped out of my daze and continued chop-ping the okra, celery, and onion that was to be added to the gumbo I was preparing for dinner. After finish-ing, I gathered up all the vegetable scraps. They all needed to go to the compost pile but it was far too much for me to carry in one trip, so second would be needed. I filled my kitchen pale for the first trip, opened the kitchen door, and started toward the compost pile.

Approaching the pile I was immediately star-tled by the single tomato plant that was now growing in the middle of the compost pile. I thought to myself, I don’t remember seeing this plant. Has it always been here? Tomatoes can’t grow out of a compost pile. This is the resting place for all unwanted and un-used vegetable scraps, right? Slightly perturbed, I made my way back into the kitchen to grab the sec-ond pale of vegetable scraps. As I made my way to the pile under the gloomy sky above, I dropped my pale and let out a blood curdling scream. There were 20… 30… 40 plants now growing out of the pile. How could this be, I thought, they are supposed to be dead plants? But I was wrong; as I hovered over the dis-posed potato that had now begun to sprout; I realized I was staring into the eyes of the undead.

As scary as this scenario may seem, it is a fact that some plants thrown into a compost bin tend to grow from what was thought to be dead. But don’t be fearful of these plant; be thankful, for we now have free plants to put back into the garden. To trans-plant these seedlings that sprout from the compost pile is not just economically beneficial but it also plays on our scientific and experimental interests. As gar-deners we are constantly looking for new plants and cheap plants, and “Zombie Gardening” could be the answer.

“Zombie Gardening” is a new name for a prin-ciple that has been around for hundreds of years. When we create open air compost bins, sometime we create a situation that lends itself to growing plants rather than composting them. With our need and passion to reduce waste, what better way to add to our arsenal of green tools, than to practice the art of zombie gardening?

Our undead plants can come about in two ways. The first is seed. When we take our vegetable scraps from the kitchen to the bin, we are putting the seeds of some plants in an ideal environment. Most compost bins are kept fairly moist; this will be suffi-cient moisture to start the germination process. Also when the microorganisms are performing their du-ties, they will create heat in the bin. This is why we will still have plants germinating out of our compost bins, even when it is chilly outside. Let’s not forget that when we compost, we are trying to create rich fertile organic-matter. We now have nutrients, good media, adequate moisture and heat. When we pur-posely start seed, these are the same four compo-nents that we insure are present.

Not only are we saving a little money by keep-ing these plants, but we are provoking the mad scien-tist side of our brain. These plants are from seed, seed is the sexual form of reproduction that plant use to maintain genetic diversity. Your new plant that is growing out of your compost bin will not be ge-netically identical to the vegetable that you originally put in the bin. This is where the fun or aggravation begins. You may end up with a fantastic new variety of tomato. It may taste better, grow faster or bigger. You could also end up with a tomato very similar to the one that you put in the bin; this would be a good outcome as well. But you may end up with a tomato that has less flavor, grows slower, and it extremely susceptible to insects. Let’s hope that is not the case, but when it comes to uncontrolled seeds production, it is always a toss of the genetic dice.

The second way we can obtain our undead plants is by putting plants in the compost bin that were never dead to begin with. This is a form of vege-tative propagation. These plants still have the ability to obtain water and nutrients. They can easily sprout roots and then new leaves. This group of plants tends to include the roots crop, bulbs, and leafy greens. Like the seeds that germinate in your compost bin, the

vegetatively propagated group has all four compo-nents necessary to grow as well. (Nutrients, good me-dia, adequate moisture and heat)

When these seedlings sprout from their grave, first, find a good area of your yard that you would like

to plant them. Next, carefully remove the plant; try to keep the roots as intact as possible. Plant these seed-lings in your yard just like the ones that come in the plastic pots. Try to minimize the amount of time that the plant is out of the ground. Finally, thoroughly wa-ter in your new plant and treat like any other plants that you would have purchased from the nursery.

Don’t be scared of your zombie plants like I initially was. Utilize these plants in your garden. We should not be fearful of zombie gardening, for there are too many other nightmares that can happen in our gardens to pass up free plants. Weather they come from seed or there is new growth coming off of an old plant, they are still free, and free for gardens is should never be a scary thing.

Zombie Plants—Lee Rouse (continued)

Gardening DIY Project

Storing hand tools in builder’s sand

can help prevent rust. Use an old

terra cotta pot, cover the hole in

the bottom with duct tape, and fill

with builder’s sand. Store your

tools handle side up. The sand nat-

urally scours rust off of the tools

and prevents future corrosion. And

it looks attractive in your tool shed!

The Greater New Orleans Iris Society (GNOIS)

October 15, 2016 Louisiana Iris Plant Sale

10 am—Noon @ Longue Vue

The Greater New Orleans Iris Society (GNOIS) will be holding their annual Louisiana iris bare root

plant sale on Saturday, October 15, 2016, from 10 AM until noon under a canopy behind the Play-

house at Longue Vue House and Gardens, 7 Bamboo Road in New Orleans. Admission to the plant

sale and parking is free and open to the public.

Many of the area’s nationally recognized Louisiana iris hybridizers have donated irises for the sale

from their personal collections. Hundreds of plants will be available for purchase that represent

over one hundred different colored irises, all locally grown. A photo of the iris flower will be dis-

played on each container that holds the iris rhizome for sale, making it easy for customers to create

the palette of colors that they would like to have for their garden.

Louisianan irises should be planted in October for them to bloom next spring. Louisiana iris garden-

ers from the New Orleans area will be available at the plant sale to answer any questions on

planting and growing irises.

Proceeds from the plant sale will go to local GNOIS iris plantings for public display. The society is

dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Louisiana irises by bringing together iris gardeners

to share their knowledge and ideas, by its Louisiana Iris Species Preservation Project, iris plantings in

public gardens and through its Louisiana iris plant sales.

More information can be found on the GNOIS facebook page or website at

www.louisianairisgnois.com

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Fall Garden Festival

At the New Orleans Botanical Garden

Join garden lovers at this year’s Fall Garden Festival to celebrate the event’s 21st anniversary! The annual Fall

Garden Festival is an educational experience for home gardeners and professionals.

The festival includes plant and garden product exhibits, sales throughout the garden, a Children's Fun Fest

activities area, educational programs, scarecrow contest, live music, arts and crafts, and more. Educational

programs will take place at the Garden Study Center and are free with admission to the Festival. There will be

live music each day for patrons to enjoy!

This event is sponsored by the New Orleans Botanical Garden, New Orleans City Park, the New Orleans Bo-

tanical Garden Foundation, and Friends of City Park.

Admission: $8 for Adults

$4 for Children ages 5-12

Children under age of 4 year old and Friends of City Park receive free admission.

When: Saturday October 8th from 10am to 5pm & Sunday October 9th from 10am to 4pm

Where: New Orleans Botanical Gardens, New Orleans City Park

Contact: Susan Capley, New Orleans Botanical Garden Education Director

SCapley@nocp.org or call (504) 483-9473

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Herb Society of America– New Orleans Unit

Fall Herb Sale– October 15th 2016

9 am– 3 pm @ 2202 General Pershing, NOLA

Offering a variety of unusual herbs, butterfly plants,

citrus trees, native trees, salvias, native plants, and

more! Members will be on hand to answer questions

about growing and using herbs.

As we transition from season to season, our beloved trees and shrubs are going to sleep for the winter, or so it seems. It appears that no growth is occurring this time of year, and that is correct if you are only looking at the above ground portion of trees and shrubs. Because we don’t see any new foliage growth it would seem that now is unfavorable time to plant. But in fact, now is actually the most opportune time to plant trees and shrubs.

We really want to plant trees and shrubs in the late fall (October- December). The reason why these plants should be put in the ground this time of year is because soil temperatures stay relatively constant and much higher when compared to the air temperatures above. Though the plant may seem to be dormant for the winter, this is only true for the part of the plant that is above the soil line. The roots are growing during the win-ter but very. During this time of year when just the roots are going, they do not have to provide the above-ground portion of the tree with any nutrients or water as they would in the warmer parts of the year.

(continued on next page…)

Fall Planting Tips– Lee Rouse

Planting in fall gives trees and shrubs an additional 4-5 months of root growth before the roots have to perform any major tasks. Because the roots have time to spread out in the soil, this will help to ensure our success in the garden. This is due to the fact that the more roots present, the more the plant is able to take up water during our dreadful summers. On the contrary, if we were to have planted the same plant in spring, this plant would have a minimum amount of time to put out roots before the scorching hot summer comes along.

Planting trees and shrubs in fall or early winter will be much better for our gardens. The plants will have the appro-priate amount of roots needed when summer come along. This also means that we, as gardeners, will not have to be out in the yard as much hand watering thirsty plants. So get your trees and shrubs planted now in the fall and enjoy the ease of gardening in the summer.

Fall Planting Tips– Continued

Bark Lice! Don’t Panic.—Lee Rouse

When looking around in your landscape in mid to late summer, you may find certain trees with silvery webbing around them. A concerned gardener’s first instinct is to panic. There is no need to run to the shed and scour the arsenal of pesticides you may have in order to kill this web causing pest. As responsible gardeners we should always properly identify pests before reaching for the chemicals. If you happen to have these webs on your trees, then you have an insect that falls into the category of beneficial.

The culprit here is, in fact, not a spider, but an insect that is commonly referred to as Bark Lice. The proper name for this insect is psocids. These small, soft bodied creatures range in length from 3 to 6 millimeters. They live under the webbing and may or may not have wings.

The webbing they produce on the trunk and branches is used to protect themselves from environmental conditions and predators. Dan Gill, consumer horticulture specialist with the LSU AgCenter, says, “The webbing looks alarming as it spreads on the tree from the ground to the upper branches. Here’s the good news: bark lice are in no way harmful to the trees. The insects feed on or-ganic debris lodged in the bark such as molds, pollen, fragments of dead insects and similar materials.”

Still, with a name like bark lice, most people would conclude that this insect is detrimental, harmful, or at the very least unsani-tary and gross, but in fact it is considered to be beneficial. This is because it consumes the excess algae, fungi, mold, and dead insect parts that are logged in-between the crevices of tree bark. Don’t worry and draw down your weapons when it comes to bark lice.

October Gardening Checklist

Control caterpillars on cool season vegetables and bedding plants with applications of Bacillus thuringiensis (or BT for short). This bacterium is deadly to caterpillars but harmless to other organisms. Control aphids with insecticidal soap or horticultural oils. Apply pre-emergence herbicides to the lawn this month to control cool season annual weeds such as henbit, chickweed and annual blue grass. These herbicides that prevent weeds from growing must be applied before the weeds show up in the lawn. Make compost piles from fallen leaves or use them for mulching Purchase and plant strawberry plants this month in your vegetable gardens (or even in flowerbeds) in full sun with good drainage. Recommended cultivars are ‘Festival’, ‘Camarosa’, ‘Camino Real’ and Chandler. Collect seeds from your warm annual flowers to plant next year. A few that have seeds relatively easy to harvest in-clude cosmos, cleome, sunflower, abelmoschus, balsam, amaranthus, wheat celosia, marigold and zinnia. Do not save seed from hybrid cultivars. October weather can be dry; water plantings as needed. Pay special attention to any newly planted areas. It is generally best to water direct seeded beds of flowers or vegetables lightly every day to make sure the seeds do not dry out. Wa-ter in newly planted bedding plants with a half strength fertilizer solution to get them off to a good start. Make every effort to pull up or otherwise control warm season weeds going to seed now. If you let the flowers set and drop seed your problems will only be worse next year. Do not put weeds with seeds on them in your compost pile. Fall is an excellent time to plant many herbs in the garden. A few herb plants provide a lot of harvest, so don’t plant more than you can use. Herbs to plant now include parsley, sage, thyme, dill, cilantro, rosemary, oregano, borage, fen-nel, nasturtium, French tarragon, chives, mint and catnip.

Your Local Extension Office Is Here To Help!

Email us your questions at GNOGardening@agcenter.lsu.edu

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For more information visit LSUAgCenter.com