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Vol. 8 No. 85
Hydroponic gardening is productive, green and tasty!
Tom Castronovo/Photo
Wendie Blanchard, right, program director and founder of Arthur & Friends, checks out the root mass of two hydroponically grown
mescaline mix lettuce heads, as Michele Samski, back left, and Teri Curtain transplant Red Romaine lettuce.
By Tom Castronovo
Executive Editor
Have you ever thrown
away herbs or fresh lettuce
because they’ve gone bad in
the refrigerator? I have.
Have you ever tasted
hydroponically grown produce?
I will answer yes to this question
as well. Hydroponically grown
produce is delicious and
nutritious. You can definitely
tell the difference.
So, what is hydroponics?
After a little homework I
found out that hydroponics is
from the Greek words hydro for
water and ponos for labor. It is a
method of growing plants using
mineral nutrient solutions,
in water, without soil, in an
environmentally sound way.
I also found out that
researchers discovered in the
19th Century that plants absorb
essential mineral nutrients as
inorganic ions in water. In
natural conditions, soil acts as
a mineral nutrient reservoir but
the soil itself is not essential
to plant growth. When the
mineral nutrients in the soil
dissolve in water, plant roots
are able to absorb them. When
the required mineral nutrients
are introduced into a plant’s
water supply artificially, soil is
(Continued on Page 16)
2 May, 2010
Garden Center direCtory
Gardener News
Gardener News
May, 2010 3
Around The Garden
By Tom Castronovo
Gardener News
Saturday Matinee Preview
This month I’m going to step out of the garden to write about an amazing experience I had in New York City.
On an early-April afternoon I headed into the Big Apple to see an old friend perform in “La Cage Aux Folles.”
My friend is five-time Emmy Award-winner Kelsey Grammer.
I also wanted to see Xochitl Olivas, Kelsey’s long-time assistant. I hadn’t seen her in a few years. She’s a
great person.
I had no idea what to expect. My first stop was the “Will Call Window” to pick up my tickets. My seats were
in the orchestra, first row, center stage. Wow!
The only people in front of us were a small group of very lucky theatergoers who got to watch the production
from a unique vantage point: at one of four cabaret tables located in the front of the orchestra. There, they (believe
me) experienced “La Cage” in a very interesting way. The Cagelles positions were very dangerous, if you know
what I mean (great audience participation). I think every one of those theatergoers were on the edge of their seats
throughout the entire show. You had no idea what was going to happen next. Let me also tell you, even the first
few rows in the orchestra seats were part of the show.
During most of the show, I was laughing so hard that tears ran from my eyes and my gut hurt. The show was
incredibly funny. There was glitter, feathers and roller skaters. I even thought I saw John Wayne. It exceeded all
my expectations!
Kelsey stars as Georges, the suave owner of a glitzy drag club on the French Riviera. In the show, he is
partnered romantically with his co-star, Albin, played by Douglas Hodge. Albin moonlights as the glamorous
showgirl ZaZa.
The pair live a charmed life above the club. The fun begins when Georges’ son, Jean-Michel, announces his
engagement to the daughter of a conservative right-wing politician who joins them for dinner.
Kelsey and his co-star Douglas Hodge were awesome together. The entire cast received a sensational standing
ovation at the end. This energizing show is a must-see. I’d like to write more, but, I don’t want to give too much
away.
After the show was over, hundreds of fans waited by the stage door, just down the street from the front
entrance of the theatre to see Kelsey. He was a perfect gentleman and signed a lot of autographs and smiled for a
few photos. Then it was off to dinner down the street in the opposite direction. After dinner, Kelsey headed back
to his dressing room for a nap. He had to rest up for the 8 o’clock show. I will definitely see the show again!
The original production of “La Cage Aux Folles” was one of Broadway’s biggest hits of the 1980s. It opened
August 21, 1983 at the Palace Theatre, where it played for over four years and 1,761 performances. The show won
six Tony Awards in 1984, including Best Musical, Best Score (Jerry Herman) and Best Book (Harvey Fierstein).
I think this 2010 production can be one of Broadway’s newest and biggest hits.
Some of Kelsey’s credits include; Broadway: Macbeth, Othello. TV: An initial six-episode role as Dr. Frasier
Crane on “Cheers” developed into the cornerstone of Grammer’s career. He continued playing the celebrated
character in two additional TV series (“Wings” and “Frasier”) over a span of 20 years, tying the record for
longest-running television character. For the role, Grammer won four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes and
received an unparalleled 16 Emmy nominations, eight Golden Globe nominations and 16 SAG nominations. He
won his fifth Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for Sideshow Bob on “The Simpsons.” He has
also lent his voice to the films “Toy Story 2,” “Anastasia” and “Teacher’s Pet” and “Father of the Pride,” “Gary
the Rat” and the Emmy-nominated “Animal Farm.” Film: “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Fifteen Minutes,” “Down
Periscope,” “Even Money,” “Fame,” “Crazy on the Outside” and “Bunyan and Babe,” among others. Other TV
credits include “Hank,” “Back to You,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Benedict Arnold,” “Mr. St. Nick,” “Kennedy,” and
“George Washington.” With his TV production company, Grammnet, he has produced such hit television shows as
the Emmy-winning “Medium” for NBC and “The Game” and “Girlfriends” for the CW network. He has directed
single episodes of “Everybody Hates Chris,” “My Ex Life” and “Out of Practice.” He directed several episodes
of “Frasier,” earning a Directors Guild of America nomination.
Douglas Hodge (Albin, also known as ZaZa) makes his Broadway debut with “La Cage.” He is a British
Olivier Award-winning actor, director, and musician who trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art.
The production also stars Fred Applegate as Edouard Dindon/M. Renaud; Tony nominee Veanne Cox as
Mme. Dindon/Mme. Renaud; Chris Hoch as Francis; Elena Shaddow as Anne; A.J. Shively as Jean-Michel;
Christine Andreas as Jacqueline; Robin de Jesús as Jacob; with Heather Lindell as Colette; Bill Nolte as Tabarro
and David Nathan Perlow as Etienne.
Also starring as the dangerous Cagelles are Nick Adams as Angelique, Nicholas Cunningham as Hanna, Sean
Patrick Doyle as Chantal, Yurel Echezarreta as Phaedra, Logan Keslar as Bitelle and Terry Lavell as Mercedes.
The production also features Christophe Caballero, Todd Lattimore, Dale Hensley, Caitlin Mundth and Cheryl
Stern.
If you go, “La Cage” is at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street). The best way to get seats is
through Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200, or at the Longacre Theatre box office (220 West 48th Street).
Next month, I promise to go back into the garden.
As always, I hope you find the information in the Gardener News informative and enjoyable.
Until next time…Keep the “garden” in the Garden State.
-Tom
Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News, as well
as a member of the Garden Writers Association. He is a horticultural and community educator
dedicated to providing inspiration to gardeners everywhere while illuminating the most up-to-the
minute horticultural approaches.
Robert Belleck
Water Garden Specialist
4 May, 2010
When I was growing up,
my mother’s favorite flower
was a lilac. Every Mother’s
Day, I would walk to the back
of our nursery and find the big
lilacs that we had growing. I
would cut five or six flowers
and make a giant bouquet for
her. I probably was making
my dad look bad, but it was
mom’s special day, not my
dad’s. Mom raved about the
lilacs and the cut bouquet was
given a prominent location
in the center of our kitchen
table. I continued with these
bouquets for many years. The
lilac bushes are long gone,
but the memories still remain.
The traditional, oldfashioned lilac, Syringa
vulgaris, may have beautiful
fragrant flowers in the
spring, but the flowers only
last a week or two. They are
somewhat problematic for the
rest of the year. They are
subject to powdery mildew,
they stop flowering on older
wood, and need proper
pruning. Things have since
changed dramatically in the
lilac world.
I had a few customers
early last spring ask if we
had the repeat blooming
lilac. I was a bit baffled, as
Gardener News
The Great Plant Escape
By David Williams
Plant Enthusiast
Blooming Back at You.
I never heard of one before,
and thought the customer was
confusing it with the repeat
blooming “Endless Summer”
Hydrangea. I had forgotten
about those questions until a
sales rep came to our nursery
last September and asked if I
wanted to look at some plant
samples. He opened the back
of the truck and I saw a dwarf
lilac in a container in full
bloom. Wow! I was impressed.
“Meet ‘Bloomerang®’”, he
said.
Syringa x Bloomerang®
is an amazing new dwarf
purple flowering lilac that
flowers for months, not
weeks. It’s similar in shape
and size to the Korean lilacs,
but the flowers are larger,
and invoke memories of
the traditional lilac. The
leaves are smaller than the
traditional lilac, slightly
glossy, and tend to be mildew
resistant. One of my mom’s
favorite lilac attributes was
the fragrance. Bloomerang®
does have that distinctive
lilac aroma, although it isn’t
as strong as the old fashioned
varieties. Considering there
are almost four months worth
of flowers, I feel that slightly
less fragrant isn’t a bad thing.
The growth habit on
Bloomerang® is tighter and
shorter than the traditional
lilac. It will grow four to five
feet and close to six feet wide.
With pruning you should be
able to maintain it to about
three to four feet tall. Since
Bloomerang ® blooms so
heavily in May, it’s important
to trim off the spent flowers
when its first flowering is
done. This will speed up
the re-bloom time, and help
keep a nice tight growth
Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!
It’s in the news
Tom Castronovo/Photo
Chris Christie, the 55th and current governor of New Jersey, looks over the April
Gardener News just after a press conference in Somerset County. Upon his election to the
governorship in November 2009, Christie became the first Republican to win a statewide
election in New Jersey in 12 years. Christie, an attorney, previously served as United States
Attorney for the District of New Jersey. As the chief federal law enforcement officer in New
Jersey from January 17, 2002 to December 1, 2008, Christie earned praise from leaders
in both parties and drew national attention for his efforts in battling political corruption,
corporate crime, human trafficking, gangs, terrorism and polluters. Regardless of party
affiliation or political influence, when laws were broken, Christie took action.
habit. It could take until midSummer to start again, but
then it should bloom until
frost. It mixes well into the
border, or you could use it
as a foundation plant. I’m
also thinking of using it as a
container plant on my deck.
The delicate lilac scent will
add ambiance to your late
night gatherings.
Even with a winter as harsh
as the last, Bloomerang®
would be a success story. It
is hardy to an extreme cold
of -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Feel free to buy one for any
of your friends between
here all the way to Maine.
Bloomerang® needs to have
full sun for a minimum of
six hours daily. Although it
is resistant to some root rots,
it prefers well-drained soil.
Deer generally will not like
Bloomerang® but I always
recommend using a deer
repellant when installing any
new plant into the garden.
Bloomerang®
is
a
low-maintenance
shrub.
Butterflies will seek out its
scented lavender-colored
flowers.
Bloomerang’s®
blossoms can be used as a cut
flower. Now everyday can
be Mother’s Day, since you
can make a bouquet to delight
yourself or your mom in
spring, summer or fall. This
is the first year it’s available
at the garden center, so don’t
wait long, or someone else
will be enjoying it in their
garden and you’ll miss out.
Editor’s Note: David is a
fourth generation partner
at Williams Nursery in
Westfield. He is a member
of the New Jersey Nursery
and Landscape Association,
the Union County Board
of Agriculture, a board
member for the Friends
of Mindowaskin Park
and President for Garden
Centers
of
America
(GCA). David also recently
concluded a four-year
term on the Rutgers Board
of Managers. He can be
reached at (908) 232-4076.
Gardener News
When people think of
early spring and some of
those first warm days, the
smell of green grass, and
the start of baseball season,
thoughts also turn to eating
outside and enjoying some
time with friends and family.
After a long six months of
dining cooped up indoors and
being forced to rely on exotic
faraway places for “only the
freshest local ingredients,”
(that has to be the most tired
and overused line in the
restaurant industry) it is time
to roll around in the newness
of spring and actually eat
something that is fresh.
Really fresh. “So fresh it will
make you blush” fresh. Bring
on the asparagus.
And not just any
asparagus.
Fresh-picked
asparagus. And just so we
are clear, fresh-picked does
not mean “misted every half
hour for the last week after
it has been shipped in from
Peru, Mexico, or if you are
lucky, California.” It means
cut that morning and served
before the sun goes down (or
ideally as the sun is going
down). Fresh asparagus is
almost brittle. When it is
bent, it should snap and then
May, 2010 5
The Town Farmer
By Peter Melick
Agricultural Producer
A delicacy since ancient times
immediately bleed moisture
from the newly broken pieces.
That is fresh asparagus.
Here in the Garden State,
locally grown asparagus is
available usually from mid- to
late-April through the end of
June. As with most produce
grown in New Jersey, it will be
available first in the Southern
regions of the state, and then
be harvested throughout the
entire state approximately
two weeks later. The first
part of the asparagus plant
to emerge in the spring is
the actual spear itself. This
grows up from the “crown,”
or root, which overwinters
under the soil. These crowns
will then send up new spears
repeatedly throughout the
growing season.
Asparagus
is
very
dependent on temperature
for production. Early in the
season, when temperatures
are usually cooler, a grower
may wait three or four days
between harvests.
But
later in the season, when
temperatures increase, cutting
asparagus once a day may
not be enough. In the middle
of June, most growers will
discontinue the harvest of
asparagus. This is done so
that the plants can generate
enough energy to sustain
themselves through the
winter. After harvest stops,
any new spears then develop
into ferns. As these ferns
start to go dormant in the
fall, the energy and nutrients
contained in the ferns travels
back down into the crown,
where it is stored until spear
growth resumes in the spring.
During the winter, these
once green and lush ferns
become brown and dry and
are usually either mowed or
burned off so that there is a
clean field ready for harvest
in the spring.
Because asparagus is
a perennial crop, it takes
four years to come into full
production.
Usually, the
asparagus crowns are planted
early in the spring. These
are planted in a six-inch-deep
trench and are gradually
covered over throughout the
first growing season until
there is a ridge of dirt over
each row. During the first
growing season, asparagus
is not harvested at all. It
should not be harvested at
all during the second year
either. All of the energy that
is produced during this time
should be allowed to transfer
back down into the crown
at the end of the season. In
the third growing season,
asparagus can be harvested
for a two-week period at the
start of the growing season.
Then it should be allowed
to grow for the remainder of
the season. Finally, in the
fourth and any subsequent
seasons, it can be harvested
right up until the middle of
June. An asparagus bed, if
properly cared for, will last
indefinitely.
So now that May is here
and warmer weather is here
as well, it is time to get out
and enjoy the sounds and
smells and tastes of spring.
Fresh-picked, locally grown
asparagus is only here for a
couple of months, so enjoy it
while it’s fresh.
Editor’s Note: Peter is
co-owner of Melick’s Town
Farm in Oldwick. He currently
serves on the Tewksbury
Township Committee, is a
10th-generation New Jersey
farmer, a director of the New
Jersey Farm Bureau, and
is a past president of the
New Jersey State Board of
Agriculture. He also has been
featured on NJN, News 12
New Jersey and on the Fox
Business Network. Peter can
be reached at (908) 310-1703.
6 May, 2010
Gardener News
IN MEMORIAM
“America’s best known horticultural legend”
RALPH L. SNODSMITH
1939-2010
As the popular host of The Garden Hotline®, Ralph Snodsmith has been heard on
WRKL, WLIR, WRCR, the WOR Radio Network, and ABC Talkradio Weekend.
In his eight years of appearances on Good Morning America as gardening editor,
Ralph Snodsmith educated Millions of Americans about plants and their proper care.
In 1982, for his contributions to broadcast journalism in the field of horticulture,
he was honored with the Willard H. Allen Agricultural Communications Award
by the New Jersey Agricultural Society.
In 1992, he was presented with the American Horticultural Society
Communications Award.
Ralph Snodsmith was on the air for 35 years!
He will be sadly missed by everyone in the gardening world.
Gardener News
By Jan-Marie Traynor
Contributing Writer
It’s just around the corner
now, finally. Summer! All
our students have started
their summer jobs – although
truthfully most of them
really never stop working as
they juggle work and school
throughout the year. We have
students working with leading
landscape professionals,
helping at garden centers,
growing plants at nurseries,
working in greenhouses,
mowing lawns, designing
landscapes and more. In fact,
this year we are sending our
first Monrovia intern off to
northern California. Gwen
Heerschapp, an outstanding
student and 2009 -2010
President of the CCM
Nursery and Landscape
Club will spend nine weeks
in Valencia, Calif., learning
about all aspects of the
nursery production business
from the ground up. Gwen
is graduating this year and,
after her internship, will be
headed for Cornell.
May, 2010 7
Where are we?
This year’s graduating
class will be the first to
take advantage of the
newly signed articulation
agreement we have in
place with Delaware Valley
College in Doylestown,
Penna. This agreement
guarantees that graduates of
our program are accepted
with full junior status when
transferring to Delaware
Valley. Of course, almost
since the beginning our
credits have been fully
accepted at universities
across the country but it
is nice to have the written
agreement.
Construction
has
begun on our new LEED
Facility with completion
planned for January 2011.
Regular readers may recall
that this high-tech facility
will feature a green roof,
solar panels, rain water
harvesting, and geothermal
heating system.
I mention these facts –
our Monrovia intern, the
articulation
agreement,
and the new facility – to
illustrate just how far the
field of horticulture has
advanced. Landscape and
horticulture professionals
today need to know so much
more than ever before.
They must understand the
impact of their actions on
the environment in ways
we never thought about
30 years ago. A landscape
professional today almost
without fail will need
to spend some time in a
classroom either in credit
classes such as those we
provide or the non-credit
courses provided through
Rutgers
Continuing
Education
Division.
Whether the courses are
short or take an entire
semester to complete, they
will be needed to help the
landscape
professional
be the best they can be.
Course work and “book
learning” do not replace
hands-on skill preparation,
but in the world of the
landscape professional the
two compliment each other
perfectly.
The
landscape
professional you hire
probably spent time this past
winter between snowstorms
attending workshops and
seminars. He or she went to
professional meetings and
learned – because the good
ones will tell you that the
learning never stops. If you
are looking for a landscape
professional, avoid the
temptation to hire based
solely on price. You are
considering an investment
in your (likely) single
most valuable possession
– your home. Spend time
with them – make sure
you understand them and
trust them. Ask the hard
questions about price. Let’s
face it, we are all more
money-conscious
these
days. But also respect that,
as an honest professional,
the landscaper you hire has
had to make a considerable
investment in himself, his
employees, and his business
to get to where he is. It is
OK to shop around, but be
sure that you provide each
professional you talk to with
the same opportunity. Ask
for references and call the
references provided – happy
customers are often very
proud of their landscapes
and will give you the best
information. Be sure the
landscape
professional
you hire is fully insured
– ask for a copy of their
insurance certificate – an
accident occurring on your
property may end up as a
claim on your homeowners
insurance otherwise.
If the cost to install the
entire plan is above your
budget, ask if the job can be
staged over several years.
Staging the job will allow
you to spread the costs out
while still achieving a great
finished landscape. A true
professional will be able to
work with you to guarantee
that, when the job is done,
you are satisfied.
Editor’s Note: Jan-Marie
Traynor is coordinator
of the Landscape and
Horticultural Technology
Program at the County
College of Morris. Learn
more at http://www.ccm.edu
or phone (973) 328-5363
8 May, 2010
Gardener News
Gardener News
May, 2010 9
ARS Strawberries Make Commercial
and Home Growing Easy
By Stephanie Yao
Commercial growers and home
gardeners nowadays have many great
strawberry varieties to choose from, thanks
to Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
scientists.
Many of the popular varieties grown
for commercial production and by home
gardeners were created by ARS scientists
with the agency’s Genetic Improvement
of Fruits and Vegetables Laboratory in
Beltsville, Md. The ARS strawberry
breeding program--the longest continually
running strawberry breeding program in
the United States--celebrates its 100th
anniversary this year.
In fact, three of the most popular
strawberries featured in a marketing email
from a popular gardening catalogue this
spring--Earliglow, Tribute and Northeaster-were developed by ARS scientists.
Earliglow, which was released in 1975,
set a new flavor standard for strawberries.
The berry is perfect for fresh eating, bitesized and very sweet. High-yielding and
very disease resistant, Earliglow is an
excellent choice for beginners and home
gardeners.
Tribute, released in 1981, produces
fruit multiple times during the growing
season. This variety is also easy to grow,
yielding large amounts of firm fruit in the
spring, summer and fall.
Dandelions are the most
widely recognized lawn
weed. The bright yellow
flowers that turn into “puff
balls”have been ruining
lawns for many years. They
have an uncanny ability to
return each year, even if you
think you killed them the
prior year. Since all plants
want to continue to survive,
the dandelion’s puff balls
can travel near and far when
Mother Nature blows their
seeds of life to plant new
generations.
My father called me a
few years ago telling me
he had just finished picking
1,247 dandelions. I am
sure he had a good time,
being out in the fresh air,
but I reminded him that
they would return since the
plant and roots still existed
in the lawn. He knew that,
but, he did say it was fun.
Even adults act like kids
sometimes.
Dandelions thrive and
bloom usually in late spring
when moisture is abundant
and the warming of the
soil promotes their growth.
The best thing to combat
dandelion establishment is
a thick, healthy growing
Northeaster, released in 1994,
is prized for its high-yielding large,
beautiful, aromatic fruit. The berries
ripen early and freeze well. Northeaster
is an ideal garden variety, growing well
in light or heavy soils.
Several other notable varieties have
been released by the ARS strawberry
breeding program. Blakemore, released
in 1931, was the first variety firm
enough for shipping, making it possible
for consumers all over the country to
enjoy fresh strawberries. The release
of Steelmaster in 1954 saved the early
strawberry industry from the devastating,
root-rot disease called red stele.
Throughout its history, the ARS
strawberry breeding program solved
problems plaguing growers and
consumers. According to plant geneticist
Kim Lewers, who currently oversees
ARS strawberry breeding at the Beltsville
lab, the program is now focused on
producing nutritious, flavorful, diseaseresistant varieties suitable for local yearround production.
ARS is the principal intramural
scientific research agency of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA). This
research supports the USDA priority of
promoting international food security.
Editor’s Note: Stephanie Yao
works for the Agricultural research
service, USDA. She can be reached
at (301) 504-1619 or by e-mailing
stephanie.yao@ars.usda.gov
Turf ‘s Up
By Todd Pretz
Professional Turf Consultant
Here come the Dandelions….
lawn, limiting their ability to
thrive. Applying grass seed
to bare spots or over-seeding
to thicken up an existing
lawn is nature’s way of
controlling these weeds.
The next step is a sound
lawn maintenance program
following best management
practices.
This includes
proper fertilizing, watering,
mowing and monitoring to
control weeds if necessary.
If your lawn is not getting
enough fertilizer, the grass
will be under stress, giving
dandelions a better chance
of moving in. Do not water
too little or too much to
promote poor grass growth
and weed establishment;
about one inch per week is
sufficient for healthy growth
in the absence of rainfall.
Usually, you do not need to
irrigate in the spring when
rain is normally plentiful.
Be sure that your mower
blade is sharp and that you
are mowing high enough so
that you are not scalping the
grass. A height of two-anda-half to three-and-a-half
inches is ideal to crowd out
lawn weeds. You also can
take a soil test and be sure
that your soil pH is in the
proper range for your lawn
to thrive. Your pH should
be in the range of 6.0 to 6.8
for optimum growth. Apply
a calcium product if pH
adjustment is required.
If dandelion weed
controls are needed there,
are a few choices. There
are weed-and-feed products,
which contain fertilizer with
two or three weed controls.
They feed your lawn for
optimal growth while the
weed killers eradicate
broadleaf weeds such as
dandelions and more. There
are also lawn weed-control
granules, which do not
contain any fertilizer, for
controlling broadleaf weeds.
These products are selective
and will not hurt your lawn
grasses, provided the label
directions are followed.
Remember, these products
only control broadleaf
weeds, not grassy weed like
crabgrass. The dandelion
plant may take three to four
weeks to completely die, so
have patience.
Many
homeowners
have poor results and are
disappointed with their weed
controls for the following
reasons. Be sure to apply
controls when the weeds are
actively growing and many
leaves are exposed. When
applying any weed control
granules, do not mow the
lawn for two days before OR
two days after application.
Apply your weed controls to
grass that is moist from dew
or perhaps a light sprinkling
so they stick to the weed
leaves. Do not water for
two days after application
or if there is rainfall
scheduled for two days after
application. Do not apply if
the temperature is above 85
degrees or grass injury may
occur. Do not seed for four
weeks after application of
any weed-control products.
Organic methods of
control include applying
corn gluten in early spring
to prevent dandelion plants
from establishing. Or, you
can dig each plant out, being
sure to get the roots and all.
For those of you that like
dandelions, you can make
dandelion wine or salad!
Happy spring!
Editor’s Note: Todd
Pretz is Vice President
of Jonathan Green, a
leading supplier of lawn
and garden products in
the northeast. For more
information, please visit:
www.jonathangreen.com
10 May, 2010
When Frederick Law
Olmsted and Calvert Vaux
submitted their plan, The
Greensward Project, now
known as Central Park, I’ll
bet they never dreamed of
the high seas compliment
they would receive.
Recently, my family took
a vacation to the Caribbean
onboard the Oasis of the
Seas. Royal Caribbean’s
newest ship, this vessel
has redefined grace and
elegance and offers just
about anything you could
ever want or imagine on land
or sea. Complete with an
ice-skating theatre, a zip line,
Boardwalk, a FlowRider
(ask your kids), Aqua
Theatre, the only carousel on
the ocean (11,000 pounds),
rock-climbing walls and
unprecedented
onboard
amenities. Of all these, I must
admit, it was the verdant
Central Park that impressed
me most.
The largest cruise ship in
the world, at 220,000 tons,
the Oasis of the Seas also
has the world’s first, true,
at-sea park. “Open to the sky
and flanked by five decks of
balcony staterooms,” Central
Park offers fine dining, retail
shops, an art gallery, living
walls (five stories high) and
crystal canopies set within
meandering
pathways,
allowing natural light into
the Royal Promenade below.
It was these crystal canopies
that intrigued me most. At
first glance the canopies
looked, to me, like an inverted
bottom of a boat. Depending
on where you stand inside
the park or looking down
from a deck above, I later felt
that they could be interpreted
as a butterfly’s wing or
perhaps leaves. However,
the crystal canopy that
surrounds and houses The
Rising Tide, a bar that moves
vertically between the Royal
Promenade and Central Park,
looked like the exoskeleton
of a trilobite.
“The concept of the park
was co-created by designers
Gardener News
Unique Plants
By Bob LaHoff
Nursery Specialist
A Nautical Landscape
from three firms: Wilson
Butler, a long time Royal
Caribbean partner, which had
overall responsibility for the
park’s technical design and
execution; Waterfield Design
Group, which created the
park’s landscape architecture,
grading and storm drainage
design; and architectural
design consultants Atkins
Global.”
Neighborhood
dining opportunities, a central
market café (where my
daughter and I had breakfast
every morning), a sculpture
garden and trellis bar are
more of what awaits you at
every turn. There are side
paths that take you through
a Pergola Garden clothed in
Black Pepper, Piper nigrum,
and a twinkling colonnade
of towers where Star
Jasmine, Tracheiospermum
jasminoides, is showing its
aggressive upward mobility.
All of this takes on a
completely different feel as
night approaches.
One of the last pieces of
the puzzle for the Oasis of
the Seas was the planting
of Central Park. The cruise
line signed a contract
with Finland’s Aker Yards
(now STX Europe) and
because of the extremely
cold temperature of Turku,
Finland, and the harsh
conditions that an Atlantic
crossing can sometimes
serve; the tropical plants
were not installed until
the ship reached Port
Everglades, Florida. Upon its
arrival, a team of 60 workers
(gardeners and landscapers)
was given the daunting task
of installing some 12,000plus plants into 49 planting
areas, in 2,200 aluminum
containers (a modular
design) in only four days.
One of three cranes in the
United States was needed
to lift 30-foot trees into
the park. The hardscaping
was finished, I am told, in
Finland. Retaining walls,
bridges, sculptures and
landscape lighting were
all completed in Finland.
However, in addition to the
plant installations, a highly
efficient drip irrigation
system was also installed
in that four-day period,
another example of Royal
Caribbean’s commitment to
environmental stewardship.
Privileged to receive a
private tour of Central Park
by their chief landscape
specialist, Laszlo Turos,
I learned the stats and
thinking that helped create
this wonder at sea. Eightytwo metric tons of soil were
used to plant over 12,000
plants representing some 96
species. The Oasis of the Seas
employs 2,161 crewmembers
from 71 different countries.
These people are responsible
for over 5,000 guests, and
yet, Laszlo and just three
other people (two from
the Philippines and one
from Russia) have the
responsibility of maintaining
the park. Originally the
thought of having a great
lawn, similar in style to that
of Central Park in New York
City, was slated. However,
given the tropical atmosphere
and high traffic, that thought
was shelved. Within the park
onboard there are hundreds
of insect stations which they
monitor daily. The ship works
hand in hand with the USDA
(United States Department of
Agriculture), identifying any
pests they may encounter.
Initially, the Oasis had
bamboo installed. However,
these were removed as
bamboo acts as a host for
certain undesirable insects.
Laszlo was quick to point
out that he was happy to see
the bamboo go, as they were
a maintenance nightmare,
constantly shedding their
bark and making a mess of
Deck 8. Another interesting
tidbit: all the plant material
must be a minimum of three
meters from any structure.
Fire codes dictate this and
thus there is some pruning
involved with the Shady
Lady, Bucida buceras, trees.
The modular design,
which defines this nautical
landscape, must be able
to withstand some tough
climatic conditions. Consider
heat tolerance, sunlight (everchanging on this vessel),
15-20 mph head winds,
a vortex which is created
as the park is open to the
outside and sits some eight
decks deep; tucked within
the ships center, tolerance
to 5,000-plus guests walking
in and around the park, not
to mention chlorine from
the pools above and the
salt water around the ship.
It makes you wonder what
plants could survive all this.
The Rising Tide Bar had
huge sweeps of Mondo Grass,
Ophiopogon japonicus, and
Liriope, Liriope muscari,
wrapped around the outside.
Staple plants, even in New
Jersey, these were doing quite
well. Thinking outside the
box, Janet Craig Compacta,
Dracaena deremensis, used
as a border reminded me of
a hardier alternative Rohdea
japonica. A dramatic mass
planting of variegated Snake
Plant, Sansevieria trifasciata
‘Laurentii,’ was set behind
a bright red bench. Other
colorful
punctuations
included: Ti Tree, Cordyline
terminalis, Shell Ginger,
Alpinia zerumbet, and
Oyster
plant,
Rhoeo
spathacea, whose undersides
were purple. There were
also waves of Anthurium,
Spathiphyllum, Kalanchoe
and Philodendron all of
which are commonly found
houseplants in New Jersey.
Vertical, living accents
throughout the 49 planting
areas included: Bay Rum,
Pimenta racemosa, whose
great peeling bark caught
my attention more than
once, Mangosteen, Garcinia
spicata, had an appearance
similar to that of rubber
tree or possibly a Southern
Magnolia, and Banana, Musa
acuminata, whose big leaves
let you know you’re in the
tropics. All these wonderful
and exciting plants popped
in the landscape because of
the subtle, but deliberate,
evergreen,
foundation
borders of Mock Orange,
Pittosporum tobira, and
Lady Palm, Rhapis excelsa.
Last, but not least, it was the
Shrimp Plant, Pachystachys
lutea, with its paper-like
flowers held above its
foliage; that caught the
attention of our daughter and
made us all giggle every day.
The Oasis of the Seas
delivered an unforgettable
vacation. Literally a moving
city with over 7,000 people
on board, never once did
the ship feel crowded. Fun
for both kids and adults,
there was as much outdoor
space as there was indoors.
I am looking forward
to the Allure of the Seas;
Royal Caribbean’s next big
adventure, whose 225, 282
gross registered tons is slated
to debut in late-2010. And
yes, there is talk of a park on
board also…stay tuned!
Editor’s Note: Bob LaHoff
is co-owner of Hall’s
Garden Center and Florist
in Union County, a member
of the Union County
Board of Agriculture, the
New Jersey Nursery and
Landscape Association,
the American Boxwood
Society, the European
Boxwood Society, the
Metro
Hort
Group,
Inc., the Garden Writers
Association, a lifetime
member of the Conifer
Society and past member
of the retail council for
Monrovia
Growers.
He can be reached at
(908) 665-0331.
Gardener News
May, 2010 11
Dahlias bring brilliant
colors and beauty in the
garden and to the landscape all
summer long and into the fall.
Many varieties make for great
cut flowers that usually will
last up to a week in a vase.
Dahlias come in a wide
selection of colors and sizes.
You can find little petite
Dahliettas that are 12 inches
high, up to as large as six
feet tall with huge, dinner
plate-sized flowers. Dahlias
can come from seed or tubers.
They are tender plants, so you
must plant them when there
is no longer a danger of frost.
Soil temperatures need to
reach 55 degrees to 65 degrees
for successful growth. Dahlias
prefer being planted in well
drained soil, but can tolerate
most types of soils. They
prefer a soil pH of 6.2–6.5.
If you are growing tuberous
Dahlias, you will need to dig
up Dahlias in October before
the hard frost hits.
How to plant seedling
varieties? Seedling varieties of
Dahlias are, for the most part,
dwarf varieties and are used as
bedding plant annuals. Because
seed varieties of Dahlias are
fairly inexpensive and easy to
seed, most gardeners start fresh
every spring instead of digging
up their tubers in the fall. They
do tend to develop a tuber in
the first year of planting. In
this part of the country, it is
best to start seeding indoors.
They should be started roughly
eight weeks before planting
outdoors. Start with small pots
and keep the soil damp but not
soggy. Make sure they are in a
warm environment, generally
70 to 80 degrees is ideal.
When planting from tubers,
dig a hole about a foot deep and
a foot wide. Mix a shovel full
of compost, a handful of bone
meal, and a little dolomite lime
to the soil which was removed.
Fill the planting hole with the
soil mixture until it is about
six inches deep. Then place
the tuber horizontally in the
bottom of the hole with the eye
pointing upward.
Then fill the rest of the
hole with the remaining soil
and water thoroughly.
Many of the taller varieties
will need to be staked. As they
grow stake and tie accordingly.
Dahlias are heavy feeders, so
it is recommended to apply a
bloom-boosting type fertilizer
regimen for more prolific
flowers at least once every two
weeks.
Proper watering techniques
will help guarantee success all
season long. Make sure to
adjust the frequency during
the hot summer months. To
promote a compact, bushy
growing habit with more
flowers, pinch back the new
growth when your Dahlia is
about a foot high. If your goal
is to produce massive flowers,
remove all of the side buds at the
end of each branch throughout
the growing season. If you
want your Dahlia to provide
a continuous, extended flower
show, you will need to remove
the spent buds promptly.
The tender new growth of
a Dahlia is a favorite entree
of slugs and snails. Take
the necessary precautions to
protect your plants from this. If
you decide to cut the flowers,
cut them early in the day when
they are first opened. Place
them in water which has set for
24 hours to allow any chlorine
to dissipate, and change the
water daily. Cut Dahlias will
last from five to seven days.
Dig up tubers in the fall
and store them in a cool, dry
place for the winter. Prior to
digging, your Dahlias will
need about a week to produce
new sprouts on the tuber. The
production of these new eyes
can be stimulated by cutting
the stem back to a six-inch
stub. The tubers will be easiest
to divide if they are harvested
after a week or two after.
Dig a circle about 12
inches around the plant stub,
and lift the clump carefully
out of the ground. (Be careful
not to damage the tender new
sprouts) Use a gentle spray
from your hose to clean and
remove the remaining soil from
the clump. Allow the clump to
dry for a day in a cool, dry
place. You are now ready to
divide the clump. Store the
individual tubers or store the
clump and do your dividing in
the spring.
To produce a new plant,
each tuber must have an eye
(the new growth bud) which
appears at the point where the
tuber connects to the main
stalk. (Each tuber on the clump
will not necessarily have an
eye.) Using a sharp clean knife,
carefully separate tubers.
Discard any damaged tubers
and any that don’t contain an
eye. Place the tubers in a bed of
sawdust or vermiculite, inside
a cardboard or wooden box.
Store them in a dry area
where the temperature will
remain at about 40 degrees F.
Check
your
tubers
periodically during the winter
for signs of shriveling or
mildew.
People are fickle, a
newsflash that should
come as no surprise to
anyone. Of course, this
applies to gardeners and
their wavering appreciation
of a particular plant. As
a gardener, I am certainly
not an exception to the
rule. I typically try to use
a plant in several locations
before deciding whether
it is an appropriate plant
for garden use, or simply a
plant that has been heavily
promoted, but lacks the grit
to be a great garden plant.
Occasionally, I simply fail
to test it sufficiently in
order to understand its true
garden worth. My latest
rediscovery of a plant that
I had dismissed is Acorus
gramineus,
commonly
called Sweet Flag.
Acorus gramineus is an
ancient plant, considered
in fact to be one of the
oldest surviving genera of
monocots. Acorus received
its name from its larger
cousin, Acorus calamus,
also known as Muskrat Root.
During the first century
C.E., a Greek Physician
named Diascorides wrote a
5 volume study on herbal
science and the associated
medicinal effects of plants.
He mentioned that Acorus
(referring to A. calamus)
was helpful in reducing
inflammation of the eye,
leading scholars to suggest
its name was derived from
the Greek Acoron meaning
pupil. In addition, Acorus
calamus has also been
used in flavoring alcoholic
beverages and perfumes,
and was much beloved
by Muskrats, hence its
common name. To the
contrary, Acorus gramineus
is poisonous and was not
prescribed in medicinal
uses, but it is deer resistant!
Most people often consider
A. gramineus to be a
grass, due to its slender,
grass-like foliage. In fact,
gramineus means ‘like
grass’. Historically, it has
been classified as a member
of the Arum or Araceae
family until only recently.
It is now reclassified as
the single genus in the
family Acoracea, due to the
presence of a true spath in
the flower.
Acorus gramineus is
native to Japan along with
other portions of Eastern
Asia. It typically grows to
6-12” in height and inhabits
moist or flooded locations.
Aside from being deer
resistant, it is also has the
advantage of being largely
evergreen and holds its
upright form well during
the winter months.
By
contrast, Acorus calamus
grows to 2’ in height, burns
badly during the winter and
collapses under snowload!
When I first began to use .A.
gramineus, I believed it be a
plant that was only suitable
for wet or moist locations.
Three years ago I visited
Ginter Botanical Garden in
Richmond Virginia during
late August. They had a
selection, A. gramineus
‘Ogon’ growing in full sun
on a dry embankment and
the plants looked great.
I have since learned that
Acorus is very adaptable. It
can literally be submerged
in water and treated as an
aquatic or grown in average
garden soil. For sites that
are water logged during the
spring and bone dry during
the summer, such as swales
or rain gardens, it is an
ideal choice. It can also be
grown in full sun or in light
shade with equal success.
It is slow to spread and I
have never known it to need
dividing. In other words, it
is hard to fail!
There are also numerous
selections or cultivars of this
plant available in the trade.
I previously mentioned the
selection named ‘Ogon’; it
has very attractive chartreuse
colored foliage that typically
reaches 12-14” in height. At
Rutgers Gardens we have
grown it as a container plant
or planted in the ground in
both sun and moist shade
locations with equal success.
The other popular cultivar
is A. gramineus ‘Variegata’,
which has white strips
The Professional Grower
By Tim Hionis
Greenhouse Specialist
When and how to plant and care for Dahlias
One Tough Plant
Editor’s Note: Tim
Hionis has been growing
plants for over 20 years,
and is co-owner of
Hionis
Greenhouses
and Garden Center in
Whitehouse Station, NJ.
He can be reached by
calling (908) 534-7710.
running vertically down the
leaf.
Less known is A.
gramineus ‘Aurea Nana’, a
dwarf form to 4” that looks
great in-between stepping
stones.
Why I initially lost
favor with this plant I am
uncertain. However, in the
last few years Sweet Flag
has proven to me that it has
the necessary grit to be a
great garden plant!
Editor’s
Note:
Bruce,
foremost a lover of plants
since birth, is director of the
Rutgers Gardens, an adjunct
professor in Landscape
Architecture at the Rutgers
School of Environmental
and Biological Sciences,
an instructor for Rutgers NJAES Office of Continuing
and Professional Education
and chairperson of the
Garden State Gardens
group. He is a member of the
Garden Writer’s Association
and the New York Hortus
Club. He can be reached at
(732) 932-8451. For more
information, please visit
www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu
12 May, 2010
Gardener News
is
Now Accepting Nominations
for its
2010
Person of the Year Award.
Do you know someone in the “Green Industry”
whose contributions deserve recognition?
This person must be from the landscape,
nursery, garden center or gardening industries
who best epitomizes concern for, involvement
in, and dedication to those pursuits. Or a person
who performs exemplary outstanding service to
the green industry.
The deadline for receiving nominations for 2010
is November 1, 2010.
Gardener News annually bestows our
“Person of the Year” Award in our
January edition.
To download the form, please visit
www.GardenerNews.com and click on the
“Person of the Year” link on the left side.
Thank you!
Gardener News
The Landscaper
By Evan Dickerson
NJNLA
My Landscape is Always a Work in Progress
It’s a new season, and we are all hopeful that “downturn” is a term in the past. Now is
the time to make improvements in one of the most valuable parts of your property, your
landscape. Some folks have put off renovations and instead said they will just “put lawn in
there now till we can afford the rest of the landscape.” Of course, you can understand the
economics of a decision like this, but a little more planning could come up with a better
long-term solution.
If you have a landscape plan in place, this could be implemented in phases, many of
which will be comparable in cost to installing a lawn. If not, your landscape professional
can come up with a plan and has the expertise to phase it in. We find that this usually comes
in the form of three segments.
The first step is to take a soil test not only of the lawn areas but also the bedding areas.
These test results will allow the proper amendments to be applied. We have found that
installing the key or specimen plants and defining the bed areas can be Phase One. Even
if smaller plantings and ground cover are called for, the beds can be prepped with soil
amendments and a light mulch layer will help keep weeds in check. The majority of the
lawn space can also be installed at this time. If this is a renovation, the existing lawn areas
can be put on a program for improvement. Consistent weed control is always a concern.
Certainly, an application of a chemical control is the most common way to provide a
weed-free environment. However there are alternatives that will minimize the amount of
pesticides used on our properties. Good cultural practices can impact the amount of weed
growth in the landscape as well. Proper mowing height can help minimize the abundance
of weeds.
A full, healthy lawn cut at two-and-a-half to three inches will not be as susceptible to
weed growth. Soil testing will show the calcium/magnesium ratio in the soil. Raising the
calcium on lawns with an out-of-balance ratio can impact some weed growth as well. There
are a few corn gluten products available offering a natural alternative. Corn gluten is a
dried protein separated from corn during the manufacture of starch for the food industry. It
is a common ingredient found in pet food. When applied to your lawn or beds, this product
inhibits root development in seedlings. Germination occurs, but the seedling dies from lack
of a root system. We can affect the germination of crabgrass, creeping bentgrass, smart
weed, dandelion, redroot pigweed, purslane, lambsquarter, foxtail, barnyard grass and
Bermuda grass. These are the most prevalent weeds in your landscape.
When time and finances allow, the second phase can begin. This usually entails installing
the next layer of the landscape, including lower-tier and supporting plants. These shrubs and
ornamentals are then installed in the bed areas, which had been previously prepared and
now consist of a better growing medium.
Once the major components of the planting beds are completed, the final phase usually
contains installing the perennial and ground cover areas and finalizing the lawn spaces.
Although the lawn areas have previously been installed, this phase will bring the final
delineation to the lawn and bed areas. Since a plan is already in place, these areas should be
defined. However, as time has passed since the initial lawn installation, it will be obvious
if there are any areas which will not support a healthy stand of turf. Many times, drainage
problems, soil issues and exposure will dictate adjustments which may need to be made in
the original plan. Drainage issues should have been addressed in a new installation, but on
a renovation these issues could crop up later. Making sure water drains off bed and lawn
areas within a few hours is important.
Re-grading and even drain installation may be needed to accomplish this. Soil issues
may come in the form of pH adjustment, hard compacted areas and even low fertility. The
previous soil test and the accompanying recommendations will have started a positive
change in these areas. However, it often takes more than one application to afford the
needed changes. If a phased-in landscape takes more than a year to accomplish, a followup soil test would be warranted to show what has gone right in the soil. If exposure is a
problem, this will be evident right away. Any areas which are too shady to support turf can
have ground cover installed. This will help the lawn spaces thrive as these ground covers
will grow well in the shady areas and will help hold moisture around the turf. If there were
any major changes in a renovated landscape, such as construction or tree loss which can
affect the exposure, then adjustments in the varieties of plantings and seeding will need to
be taken into account.
As you can see, sometimes taking a prudent, patient approach to renovating an existing
or installing a new landscape can be a successful and efficient use of your resources.
Evan Dickerson is a senior director of the New Jersey Nursey and Landscape Association.
He can be reached at (908) 753-1490. To learn more about the New Jersey Nursey and
Landscape Association, please visit: www.NJNLA.org
Gardener News
Landscaper directory
May, 2010 13
WE HAVE
BULK COMPOST
311 Roycefield Road, Hillsborough (Just off Dukes Parkway West) Visit Our Showroom
& Display Area
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Phone: (908) 665-0331
Fax: (908) 665-9804
email: hallsgarden@earthlink.net
www.hallsgarden.com
Serving Central
New Jersey
14 May, 2010
Business directory
Longer-Lasting Flowers: Fresh Ideas
from ARS Researchers
By Marcia Wood
Tomorrow’s fragrant bouquets and
colorful potted plants might last longer,
thanks to floriculture research by
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
plant physiologist Cai-Zhong Jiang.
His investigations might help boost
the vase life of favorite cut flowers and
shelf life of prized potted plants.
Jiang is with the ARS Crops
Pathology and Genetics Research Unit
at Davis, Calif. He’s collaborating
with researchers from the University
of California-Davis (UCD) and
elsewhere.
In ongoing studies, Jiang, UCD
colleague Michael S. Reid and
co-researchers have shown that
spraying low concentrations of
a compound known as thidiazuron
(TDZ) has significant, sometimes
spectacular effects in extending
the life of potted plants’ leaves and
flowers. For example, in tests with
greenhouse-grown cyclamen plants,
TDZ-treated plants had a significantly
longer life than did unsprayed plants,
according to Jiang. Leaves of TDZtreated cyclamen plants took longer
to yellow and fall off than those of
untreated plants.
TDZ, a synthetic version of a
naturally occurring plant compound
known as a cytokinin, is not new.
But preliminary studies with cut
flowers, reported by Reid and
co-researchers in 2000, were the first
to demonstrate the value of TDZ for
a commercial floricultural species-in that case, alstroemeria. The
cyclamen experiments conducted by
Jiang and collaborators are the first
to show the leaf-saving and blossomboosting effects of TDZ with potted
floricultural plants.
Jiang and colleagues reported
some of their TDZ findings in
Postharvest Biology and Technology
earlier this year, and in Acta
Horticulturae in 2009.
Though commercial use of TDZ
on cut flowers and potted plants
seems promising, the researchers’
deeper interest lies in determining
precisely how TDZ affects genes and
proteins inside the plants.
ARS is the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s principal intramural
scientific research agency.
Editor’s Note: Marcia Wood works
for the Agricultural research
service, USDA. She can be reached
at (301) 504-1662 or by e-mailing
marcia.wood@ars.usda.gov
Gardener News
Gardener News
May, 2010 15
16 May, 2010
Gardener News
Hydroponic gardening is productive, green and tasty!
no longer required for the plant
to thrive. Almost any terrestrial
plant (one that grows on land)
will grow with hydroponics.
Let me now tell you why I am
so charged up about hydroponics.
When I was in the greenhouse
during Springfest this past
March, I saw what I thought was
a giant vegetable garden growing
on tables with lots of rubber
hoses and flowing water. After
a closer look I found out that it
was a vegetable garden. I was
amazed. I’d never seen anything
like it before. The exhibit was in
the corner just inside the front
entrance. This area definitely had
my full attention. Springfest was
four days long and all four of
those days the hydroponic exhibit
was crowded. I decided that I
had to go back to the greenhouse
after Springfest was over to
(Continued from Page 1)
meet the folks responsible for
this incredible way of growing
produce.
I just couldn’t imagine
growing a vegetable garden
without having to work the soil
and get my hands dirty. No more
worries about too much water;
or too little water; or how much
fertilizer; or when to fertilize; or
the labor of cultivating; and how
much space to give each plant.
Wow!
So, on a beautiful April
morning, I did just that.
I drove back to North Jersey
from Central Jersey. It took me
an hour and 20 minutes. As I
entered the greenhouse I was
greeted by Matt Moore. He was
working on a plumbing problem
with one of the tables. It was
nice that he took the time to say
hello to me. Then I met Wendie
Blanchard, a very wonderful and
caring person. Blanchard is the
program director and founder of
Arthur & Friends. This program
provides meaningful community
employment
and
training
opportunities for individuals with
disabilities and disadvantages
so that they may live, work,
and fully participate in their
communities. The program is
sponsored by the Northwest
New Jersey Community Action
Program, Inc. (NORWESCAP).
Arthur and Friends is
located in the 3,000-squarefoot greenhouse at the Sussex
County Fairgrounds in Augusta.
The location is ideally situated,
allowing workers easy access to
public transportation so they can
independently get to work. The
Fairgrounds is also a familiar
location to many in the Tri-State
Region. It is best known as the
home of Springfest (also known
as the garden lover’s flower
show) and New Jersey’s largest
annual agricultural fair- The
New Jersey State Fair® Sussex
County Farm and Horse Show.
Arthur
and
Friends
started in February 2008 when
NORWESCAP, a 46-yearold non-profit organization
headquartered in Phillipsburg
that fights poverty through jobtraining programs, sponsored an
idea by Blanchard. She wanted
to create a place where her
nephew Arthur, of Newton, who
has Down syndrome, could grow
food hydroponically and make
new friends.
Arthur
and
Friends,
which is heavily funded by
NORWESCAP, began on Steinitz
Farm in Wantage, but within six
months of operation, Sussex
County Fairgrounds officials
offered its greenhouse for the
program’s use.
NORWESCAP
offers
services in the counties of:
Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic,
Somerset, Sussex and Warren.
In
the
fairgrounds
greenhouse, Arthur & Friends,
31 in total, grow produce using
hydroponics technology with
help from Rutgers. The process
uses 10 percent of the water
needed on an actual farm. I’m
impressed.
Arthur & Friends participate
in a four-tier training program
that teaches them how to
plant, care for, harvest and sell
hydroponically grown produce.
They gain the necessary skills
needed for employment in the
agriculture, management or sales
industries. After completion of
the program, Friends will work
with staff to find unsubsidized
and meaningful employment.
Several new Arthur and
Friends programs are in the
works, including greenhouses
in Hackettstown, Orange,
Bridgeton,
Newark,
and
Somerset.
“Our intention is to replicate
this
(Continued on page 23)
Gardener News
CASE FILES
From the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County Garden Help Line
May, 2010 17
What’s on your plate?
By Milo L. Shammas
During the mid-19th Century, the
By Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Union County Agricultural Agent German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach
stated that “man is what he eats.” It is true,
and Master Gardeners, MC Schwartz and James Keane
Q. A friend of mine recently gave me a rain barrel. How do I install it?
--A Plainfield Preservationist
A. What a thoughtful gift! A rain barrel has many benefits. Importantly, it allows
you to capture and reuse water on your own property. Rain barrel water is great for
indoor plants, your ornamental gardens, lawn and birdbaths. The barrels have the
capacity to collect hundreds of gallons of water each year – reducing your reliance on
public or private water supplies and, in turn, reducing your water bill.
Some items you may need to install the rain barrel are: a downspout elbow
(plastic or metal), materials to build a platform for the barrel and a hose for overflow.
Prepare the area under the downspout by leveling the ground and adding sand or
crushed stone, if necessary. It’s important to level the ground so that the rain barrel
does not tip over.
Rain barrels must be elevated above ground level to create adequate water
pressure. Create a platform for your rain barrel using bricks, cinder blocks or pressuretreated wood. Next, cut the downspout above the barrel, leaving enough space to
re-attach a downspout elbow. Place the rain barrel on the platform and direct the
downspout into the container.
You will need about 10 feet of 1.25-inch sump pump or garden hose to attach to
an overflow spout. Ideally, the overflow should be directed toward a lawn or mulched
ornamental landscape bed. The overflow should be directed at least six feet away from
a house or building foundation with a basement or two feet from a crawl space.
There are a few caveats. Never use rain barrel water for cooking or drinking.
If you plan to use the rain barrel water for a vegetable garden it should be tested
by a certified water testing laboratory throughout the growing season. If the water
is determined to be safe for use in a vegetable garden, it’s best to use a drip-line
irrigation system.
To avoid mosquito problems, add a mosquito “dunk” to the barrel to prevent
breeding. Screens can also be used to keep mosquitoes out of the barrel. Try to use
the water within a week or before the next storm event – whichever comes first. And
in the winter, disconnect the barrel and store inside.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension has two new fact sheets “Rain Barrels Part 1:
How to Build a Rain Barrel Bulletin” E329 and “Rain Barrels Part 2: Installation
and Use” FD1118, written by Environmental and Resource Management Agents
Michele Bakacs and Mike Haberland. The fact sheets give detailed instructions with
photographs. They are available on our website: www.njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs .
Q. We have a large stand of bamboo across our driveway that is slowing creeping
into cultivated garden beds. I have tried removing it, but the plant’s underground
rhizomes are making it very difficult. Would a weed-killer work? --Bamboo-zled
in Berkeley Heights
A. Bamboo is considered a grass of which there are two types – running bamboo
and clump bamboo. The hardiest variety is the running bamboo, which sends out
underground rhizomes that have a tendency to become very aggressive.
Exclusion is one way to hold back the spreading of underground rhizomes. Root
barriers made of concrete, thick polyethylene materials, plastic or pressure treated
wood need to be installed at least 30 inches deep. This attempt to contain the bamboo
may prove futile as the barrier only deflects the rhizomes. Install the barrier with the
top slanted outwards and an inch or two above the ground. That way you can see any
rhizome that emerge and remove them when they are small.
A University of Florida Extension fact sheet entitled Bamboo Control states that
“in order to control these varieties, the entire rhizome network must be exhausted and
killed. This makes management of bamboo intensive and difficult.”
Frequent, intensive mowing, on a schedule similar to home lawns can be
effective, but will likely take one or two seasons of rigorous mowing before control
is achieved. Mowing, combined with an herbicide, however, will render the best
result. Though there are no herbicide labels deemed effective for bamboo control,
Roundup (glysophate), will help weaken the plant. As indicated in Bamboo Control,
“research has shown that for herbicides to be effective, the bamboo should be mowed
or chopped and allowed to re-grow to a height of approximately three feet.” Roundup
can then be applied directly to the leaves. Note, however, that one application will not
do the trick. More likely you will have to mow and spray as many as four times for
complete control. Persistence (and a strong back) are essential.
Editor’s Note: The Union County Master Gardener’s HELP LINE fields
hundreds of citizen inquiries a year – offering assistance with their indoor as well
as outdoor gardening and pest control questions. Responses to resident phone
calls and on-site visits comply with current Rutgers NJ Agricultural Experiment
Station recommendations. Union County residents can call (908) 654-9852 or
email mastergardeners@ucnj.org for assistance. A complete listing of Rutgers
Cooperative Extension (RCE) offices where you can contact a Master Gardener in
your area can be found on page 26 of the Gardener News. Free RCE fact sheets
are available at www.njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs.
because whatever one eats is transformed
into their own flesh and blood.
World food habits are changing, and
now more and more people are becoming
health conscious with regard to consuming
food. People are learning that fast food
or junk food, which is soaked in oil, is
injurious to our health. It is proven that
replacing chemical fertilizer with biofertilizer has far-reaching consequences
such as reduced environmental pollution,
cost benefits, increased yields and highquality produce.
Recycling! At what cost?
Lately, government has been
extensively promoting use of biosolids as
fertilizers as a measure to dump away the
huge piles of dried sludge. Questions have
been raised from time to time on safety
and quality of these biosolid-based organic
fertilizers. But the answers to the questions
do not give clarity on the issue of them
being totally safe. Moreover, a century is
gone since the first official use of biosolids
as fertilizers. The policies and the quality
control measures are still not in place.
Let’s know what this much debated
Biosolid based fertilizer is!
The term biosolids was introduced in
1991, mainly to designate those sludges that
were suitable for use on the land. Britannica
Concise Encyclopedia (2008) defines
biosolids specifically: “For use as a fertilizer
in agricultural applications.” The EPA
defines biosolids as “nutrient-rich organic
materials resulting from the treatment of
domestic sewage in a treatment facility.
When treated and processed, these residuals
can be recycled and applied as fertilizer to
improve and maintain productive soils and
stimulate plant growth.”
What’s in biosolids that makes
opponents squirm? Pharmaceuticals,
steroids, flame-retardants, metals, hormones
and human pathogens, among other things.
Whether or not these present heath hazards
when used as fertilizer, however, is a
question that remains unresolved. Of the
various metals found in biosolids, cadmium
and lead are of the greatest concern to
human health.
Heavy Metals and Bugs
The greatest accumulation of cadmium
in the food chain is in the leaves of certain
plants and in the livers and kidneys of
animals that live in or near the soil amended
with biosolid waste-based fertilizer. A
report from University of Washington states
that there is no question that certain heavy
metals are very toxic to people and animals.
In excess, others can kill plants. Some
examples of toxic metals include lead,
mercury and arsenic. Exposure to lead can
result in brain damage to children. When
leaded gasoline and leaded paints were
commonplace, many kids in urban areas
suffered from excess lead levels. Even
today, a large portion of children in inner
cities have blood lead levels above the
recommended level.
Pathogens are disease-causing
microorganisms that include bacteria,
viruses, protozoa, and parasitic worms.
Pathogens can present a public health hazard
if they are transferred to food crops grown
on land to which biosolids are applied,
contained in runoff to surface waters from
land application sites, or transported away
from the site by vectors such as insects,
rodents, and birds. For this reason, federal
and state regulations specify pathogen and
vector attraction reduction requirements
that must be met by biosolids applied to
land.
Time for action
The contaminated milk and the recent
ruling by U.S. District Judge Anthony
Alamo raise new doubts about a 30-year
government policy that encourages farmers
to spread millions of tons of sewage sludge
over thousands of acres each year as an
alternative to other kinds of fertilizers.
About 7 million tons of biosolids are
produced each year as a byproduct from
1,650 wastewater treatment plants around
the nation.
Increasingly, incidents can be found
where the people of America have come up
front and shared their firsthand experiences
about the health hazards and concerns due
to biosolids getting into their plates from
the ground
The Issue
The most common criticism of the use
of biosolid-based fertilizers as an alternative
to common organic fertilizer are as follows:
• May contain metals, including copper,
mercury, and arsenic which are potentially
dangerous to human and animals. The
degree to which these metals move into
groundwater and surface water, and the
resulting effects on plants and animal life,
are not known.
• The quantity and the standards these
biosolid waste-based fertilizers cannot be
measured in general due to differences in
sources.
• Toxic heavy metals may build up in
soils, and lead to the long-term effects on
humans and animals. Such data has not
been assessed to date.
• The consequences of using the
by-products of human waste (pathogens)
to fertilize the crops that people eat are
unknown.
The National Academies’ National
Research Council issued a report in July
2002 that said the Environmental Protection
Agency should update the standards that
govern using treated sewage sludge on
soil. The NRC concluded that not only
were current standards based on outdated
science, but that more rigorous enforcement
was needed.
Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Milo Lou
Shammas, Founder and Formulator of
Dr. Earth, Inc., invented the very first
pro-biotic™ fertilizer. Milo was the first
inventor to incorporate his 7 Champion
strains of beneficial soil microbes and
fungi into his pro-biotic “for life” organic
fertilizer formulas. It is with this early
discovery that Milo recognized that the
bioavailability of nutrients in the soil is
completely dependent on the biological
activity in the soil. In 1992, he took his
invention to market and started the Dr.
Earth brand of fertilizers, insect sprays
and soils. To learn more about Milo,
please visit www.drearth.com
18 May, 2010
Gardener News
Cultural Concerns…. The Root Collar
It is common knowledge among arborists that many, if not most, tree problems are
caused by what are referred to as cultural conditions – that is, non-living factors such
as the environment, weather conditions and planting practices, among others. Planting
a tree incorrectly or in the wrong environment predisposes the plant to attack. A major
condition affecting trees today are root collar disorders. A tree’s root collar is the area
where the roots join the main stem or trunk. This area is typified by a flare leading to
the major roots.
The root collar is part of the tree’s trunk. Unlike roots, the trunk is not specialized
to resist constant soil moisture. This water inhibits the movement of both oxygen and
carbon dioxide in and out of the inner bark. Over a period of years, the lack of effective
gas exchange will kill bark cells. This interferes with the movement of food to the roots
and back up to the shoots, eventually leading to root dieback, causing reduced water
uptake for the entire tree.
Often root collars are buried during landscaping projects, when fill soil is distributed
around the tree. When trees are transplanted, they may settle in the planting hole or
be set too deeply. Some trees arrive from the nursery with excess soil against the root
collar. Your nurseryman or tree expert can tell the difference and suggest treatment.
Excessive mulch may also lead to death of the root collar. Mulch layers should not
exceed four inches in thickness and should never be placed against the root collar. I am
all for mulching; just remember: Wider, not Higher!!!
Symptoms of root collar disorders are often first observed as foliage yellowing,
early leaf coloration and drop, and dieback in the upper crown. Some trees will show
no symptoms at all prior to their death during a hot, dry period of summer. Secondary
invaders such as canker fungi and insect borers often invade trees stressed by root
collar problems. These cankers may cause sunken areas near the soil line. Since a
disruption of translocation has occurred, some of the growth regulators responsible for
hardening off in preparation for winter may not have reached the above-ground portion
of the tree. Dieback due to winter injury thus may also be a symptom of a root collar
problem, which becomes apparent in the spring.
Most tree and shrub species can develop problems from root collar burial. Very
sensitive plants include sugar maple, certain oaks, dogwood, Japanese black pine and
Eastern white pine.
The easiest way to check a tree for a root collar disorder is to look for natural root
flare. If the flare is visible, the problem is most likely elsewhere. If no root flare is
present, an excavation should be made or the soil should be probed with a stiff wire to
locate the buttress roots. This should be done within two to four inches of the trunk.
Care should be taken not to damage the bark.
If a tree is severely declining from a root collar disorder, removal is recommended
before it becomes hazardous. If decline symptoms are detected early, remedial actions
can be taken which may save the tree.
First, all soil or mulch in contact with the root collar must be removed. Root collar
excavations MUST be done by carefully using small digging tools and a brush, or
better yet, an AirSpade. A layer of mulch up to four inches thick is appropriate on top
of the soil, but not against the bark.
The second action to be taken is fertilization. Recommendations should be based
on soil analysis.
The third action is to provide appropriate irrigation during dry periods. Most tree
species require a lot of water during the growing season. Care should be taken not to
over-water. Irrigation water should never be applied directly to the trunk or root collar
area.
Trees and shrubs with buried root collars may decline and are more susceptible to
attack by secondary pests. It is best to treat the situation as soon as it is discovered by
means of a root collar excavation. Other actions such as fertilizing and mulching will
promote tree health, thus improving chances for recovery.
…….Till Next Month, and as always, I hope you learned something.
Editor’s Note: Robert graduated from SUNY College of Environmental Science and
Forestry and Syracuse University with degrees in science education and forest biology. He
is an ISA Certified Arborist and a New Jersey Certified Tree Expert.
Gardener News
May, 2010 19
Woken out of a sound
sleep (I get up at 5 a.m.),
the window in my upstairs
bedroom was rattling and
I heard this really grating
high pitched clanging noise
coming through the forcedair heating vent in the floor.
Whoa... I hope my
furnace isn’t going to
explode! I jump up, turn
on the light, slip into the
sheepskin slippers, throw on
the LL Bean fleece hanging
over the door and scramble
downstairs, my feet hitting
the runners like a paradiddle
on a snare drum. I go to the
basement door and, YIKES,
it is really loud! I flam
(another drum rudiment)
down the basement stairs,
check the heater out and
quickly surmise it is not the
heater. It is my floor moat
SUMP PUMP! Water is
pouring into the moat, filling
the sump hole and the pump
has been obviously going
hellbent for leather for quite
a while because it is HOT!
Ahhhh, it’s 2 a.m. Way
too early to start my day. But
what choice do I have, right?
Oh well, I move a small
cart with my HEPA filter and
laundry stuff out of the way,
way Mom drives to work.
Wow, it is deep! I am glad
have a truck that is high
The Miscellaneous Gardener Iabove
the road. I would hate
to drive my car through this.
By Richard W. Perkins
Nothing like stalling out in
the middle of a giant road
Freelance Writer
pond. So, I will call Mom
at 6:15 a.m., because that
is the time she is sitting in
2am....and What is That Sound?!
her chair and having a cup,
my fairly heavy dehumidifier Western Maine and New in the morning is what I’m and will tell her to take High
gets moved and now I am in Hampshire, including the doing. Anyway, after getting Street instead. It is going to
a position to do exactly what following areas in Western black, smelly, slimy stuff stop raining... right? Thanks
I am dying to do at 2 a.m. Maine:
Androscoggin, pretty much all over me for reading and see ya next
on a Tuesday – clean out the Central, Sagadahoc, etc., etc., and everything else, I have month.
trap on my sump pump so through Wednesday evening. a very nice looking sump
my basement doesn’t flood. Rain which will be heavy pump operation that I will Editors Note: Richard
is
an
avid
I love my 100-year-old home at times may cause rapid pour some bleach into this Perkins
horticulturist,
a
member
and I love Maine, but after rises on rivers and streams weekend. I put everything
two-and-a-half straight days through Wednesday across back in place, plug it in, of the Maine Writers &
of rain, I am hoping that Noah the region. Precautionary/ drop the float and viola, it Publishers Alliance and the
isn’t going to be pulling up preparedness actions: a works and is whisper quiet. Seacoast Writers Association.
to the town dock and sending flood watch means there I just might take a quick He can be reached at
my cats an invitation.
is a potential for flooding hot shower and snuggle back rwptis99@aol.com
Ewwww, the pump and based on current forecasts. down for an hour...yawn...
No one covers
the hole sure is greasy and You should monitor later or maybe not. I take the hot
slimy. I guess I’d better clean forecasts and be alert for shower and at 4:30 a.m.,
“Gardening”
the whole kit and caboodle possible flood warnings. check out some of the local
in New Jersey
here. And, oh what the heck, Those living in areas prone to low-lying areas, especially
where’s the coffee!? I plod flooding should be prepared the one on the way to Mom’s like the Gardener News!
upstairs, make some coffee to take action should flooding house. Wow, it’s high tide
and check the “Bath” weather develop.
and the Kennebec River is
For more information
report on the computer and it
Yeah, yeah, I’m taking covering part of Commercial
visit us online at
states: SEVERE WEATHER action all right, cleaning the Street to the north and a
ALERT: The flood watch gross sump pump hole in section of Washington Street
GardenerNews.com
continues for portions of the basement at 2:15 a.m. to the south, which is the
Summer is just around the
corner everyone. We made it! It
was nice to have a bit of an early
spring this year, finally. First things
first: clean, clean, clean your grill.
Just do it! I neglected to do so
earlier this year and I paid dearly.
My grease-encrusted grill caught
on fire and ruined dinner, not once
but twice. Not good. I kept putting
it off and it finally caught up to
me. I had to literally take the whole
thing apart, it was so dirty. We use
it a lot. Anyway, just a bit of advice
for you. Just think, a clean grill is a
happy grill.
Okay, now the question of
what to grill. Veggies. For all you
gardeners out there, this one will be
right up your alley. We’re going to
make a grilled vegetable Napoleon.
Napoleon just means we are going
to stack it up like a layered tower.
This is easy and works well as a
dinner, side dish, appetizer or salad.
It may be served either hot or cold as
well. We will be making a balsamic
reduction to drizzle on top or around
the vegetables. Also, I implore you
to go buy a good bottle of extravirgin olive oil. It may cost a few
bucks, but it is worth it and a little
goes a long way. You can spend 50
bucks at Williams-Sonoma on some
ultra premium oil or, for three to
four dollars, buy yourself a bottle
of Goya 100- percent first-pressed
olive oil from any grocery store. As
for the balsamic, just buy something
halfway decent like colavita.
stems removed
Fresh ground black pepper
Kosher or sea salt
Balsamic reduction, from article,
as desired
1 bag of baby arugula
-place cut vegetables on a large
platter, don’t overlap
-drizzle with olive oil, salt,
black pepper, and chopped garlic
-using your hands, gently
spread oil and garlic so that all
vegetables have a light coating
-grill over medium heat
until nice grill marks appear and
vegetables have just lost their
“crunch”
-once finished, transfer to a
clean plate to assemble
-place on top of a bed of baby
arugula, alternating vegetables, and
placing a basil leaf between each
layer, as well as placing the slice
of mozzarella near the middle of
the tower
-drizzle with olive oil,
balsamic, salt and freshly ground
black pepper
From the Deep
By Craig Korb
Executive Chef
Greetings from the beautiful Jersey shore!
For the balsamic reduction,
place 1 cup of balsamic and a half
of a cup of dark brown sugar in a
sauce pan, bring to a simmer and
reduce mixture by about one half.
Let it cool at room temperature
until ready to use. When grilling
your veggies, make sure your grill
is clean, hot and lightly oiled, using
a spray or by applying it to a clean
rag that has been lightly coated with
oil. Start off with the grill being
hot and turn down to a medium
temperature once the veggies have
all been placed on the grill. I use
tongs for turning the veggies but a
spatula works fine too. With tongs
you run a slight risk of tearing or
gouging the veggies, which isn’t
as eye-appealing. When assembling
the tower, try to use as many
different colors of vegetables as
possible. The addition of a nice slab
of fresh mozzarella in between the
grilled veggies is nice as well. Also,
I am a huge fan of throwing some
fresh herbs in between. The obvious
first choice would be basil, but
fresh oregano, rosemary or thyme
work well also. Some examples
of grilling vegetables include,
but aren’t limited to, all colors
of peppers, eggplant, zucchini
or yellow squash, portabella
mushroom, onions, and tomatoes.
Certain veggies like tomatoes and
onions should be cut extra thick so
as not to fall apart or burn during
grilling.
Another nice thing to do is to
serve the grilled layered vegetables
on a grilled balsamic marinated
chicken breast over a bed of baby
arugula dressed with some olive
oil and the balsamic reduction, or
as a side dish for grilled steak or
seafood. The vegetables should be
marinated lightly in olive oil, freshchopped garlic and salt and freshground black pepper for at least
15 minutes. One more tip is to try
to lightly shake off any excess oil
before grilling, as too much oil will
cause the grill to flame up, possibly
burning the food or yourself. I’m
providing a basic recipe that is
simple and tasty. So experiment a
bit by trying different combinations
of vegetables to see what you like.
Good luck and have fun!
One more thing, just a reminder
to get yourselves back to the beach
soon. The boardwalks are open,
the bay is full of boats and it’s just
about summertime. Lastly, I would
like to congratulate Chef Eric of
Bistro 44 in Tom’s River on his win
on the show “Chopped.”
Grilled vegetable Napoleons
(serves 2-4 depending)
4 portabella mushroom caps, stem
removed and black scraped from
underneath using a spoon
1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise
approx. 1/2 inch thick
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, quartered with stems,
ribs and seeds removed
1 zucchini squash, sliced
lengthwise like eggplant
1 lb. ball of fresh mozzarella, cut
into 1/2 inch slabs
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves only,
Editor’s Note: Craig Korb is
executive chef at The Crab’s
Claw Inn, Lavallette, New
Jersey. He has an Associates
degree in Culinary Arts and
a Bachelors degree in Food
Service Management from
Johnson and Wales University.
For more information visit
www.TheCrabsClaw.com or
phone (732) 793-4447.
20 May, 2010
By Jeannie Geremia
Garden Club of New Jersey
All gardeners have a
gardening map in our head
that constantly sends signals
to our little gray cells of
our garden with different
configurations, and with
ideas popping in and out.
This is an ongoing activity
that percolates throughout
the year, whether we’re
waking or sleeping. But
never more so than in spring
time.
We’re thrown into high
gear and do daily battle with
ourselves as to where we
should be at any given time.
The map is like a gigantic
magnet pulling us to “get
out there” and prune, plant,
weed, and just enjoy the fruits
of our labor. Meanwhile, no
matter where we are headed,
our brain is thinking about
our route (that map again),
and all the garden centers
we have to visit going to and
from our destination. In fact,
we can’t take the same road,
going and coming, so we
can visit more places. And
finding a new garden center
is pure joy. The excitement
builds as to what new plant
awaits us, and we get a little
giddy just thinking about it
with revisions of our garden
map ever present.
The first piece of
advice is when you do see
that “special beauty” for
your garden, don’t hesitate
and figure it will still be
there next week. I’ve just
learned that you may be
Gardener News
The Gardening Map
disappointed to find your
garden center is sold out and
can’t order more. I went to
Four Seasons Greenery in
Whitehouse, as they always
carry unusual varieties of
even our common plants,
and was told by Sharon
Orlando, their manager and
a Master Gardener to boot,
that she was so disgusted in
being shortchanged on her
orders from her grower, as
they were accommodating
new customers from a
couple of major growers
who just recently went out of
business. So, my gardening
friends, if you see it and
love it, get it, and SUPPORT
your local growers and
garden centers. Too many
local wholesale and retail
growers are hurting in this
tough economy.
Things
are
still
happening on the Helleborus
front, as I received some
gorgeous catalogs from
Greg Soles, North American
Representative for Heuger
Co. of Germany, and the
breeder of the outstanding
HGC Hellebores. Greg
is contacting Director of
Rutgers Gardens Bruce
Crawford and, hopefully,
Rutgers Gardens will be
included in Heuger’s field
trial sites. The second piece
of advice is to make sure
your newly purchased
hellebore is not root-bound,
as I discovered that the HGC
“Spring Promise” plants and
the HGC “Silver Moon”
plants were extremely rootbound and need to be popped
out of their pots, roots gently
pulled apart, and planted
or repotted immediately. I
mentioned this to Greg Soles
and he speculated that they
are probably hellebores left
over from Yoder Brothers’
collection prior to their
going out of business. The
good news is that they’re
still fine plants, and will
do nicely once they can
breathe. It’s a good idea
to check any perennial you
buy and make sure it’s not
root-bound or plan to plant
it ASAP.
You’ll be happy to learn
that the Garden Supply
Company
did
rectify
their colossal mistake of
misidentifying our “good”
caterpillars, the Monarch and
Eastern Black Swallowtail,
for the “bad” caterpillars,
the Cabbage Lopper, Tomato
Hornworm, Gypsy, and
Tent Caterpillars. They
immediately removed the
“good guys” from their
website and new spring
catalog and substituted
a picture of the Tomato
Hornworm and changed
their ad content to reflect “a
live and let live” philosophy.
They suggest spraying
the chemical compound
judiciously on your prized
plants, not in a 10,000 square
feet area as previously
advised, and to not worry
about every little bite as
the eating binge only lasts
briefly, with the end result
being beautiful butterflies
and moths. Thank you,
Garden Supply Company.
May is just a whirlwind
of activity and that garden
map is pulling us in every
direction with our brains
on overload contemplating
which plant sale, garden
tour, flower show and garden
event to attend.
Here
are
a
few
suggestions:
 Frelinghuysen
Arboretum’s Plant Sale in
the tent on May 1.
 The Garden Club
of Fair Haven is presenting
a Small Standard Flower
Show, entitled “Simply
Spring” at the Youth Center,
in Fair Haven on May 6.
Phone: 732-741-3506.
 Rutgers
Gardens
Spring Flower Fair is May
7, 8, 9.
 Garden Club Plant
Sales include GC RFD on
May 6-8 in Middletown;
Maplewood GC’s on May
6-8, Maplewood; GC of
Montclair, at the Presby
Iris Gardens on May 7-8;
Sun Dial GC, Hillsdale
Railroad Station on May 8;
GC of Essex Fells, Essex
Fells, WAFA Plant sale at
Rutgers Gardens on May 9,
phone 973-228-4646; GC
of Fair Haven plant sale at
the Fair Haven Fire House;
River Road, Navesink, GC
is sponsoring a Reeves-Reed
Arboretum bus trip on May
11, from Middletown, call
732-291-2288; New Vernon
GC is presenting a Standard
Flower Show on May 24 in
New Vernon; and the GCNJ
is offering Flower Show
School, Course 1 on May 25
New Chief Executive Officer of Kings Super Markets, Inc.
(PARSIPPANY) - Kings Super Markets has just announced that Judy Spires has joined the company
as President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Spires was hired in connection with the succession plan
of Bruce Weitz, who served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Kings Super Markets since
April, 2006.
Ms. Spires is a seasoned food retail executive with over 30 years of leadership and managerial
experience. Prior to joining Kings, Ms. Spires was the President of ACME Markets, a Northeast based
supermarket chain owned by SuperValu.
Jim Demme, Chairman of Kings Super Markets said, “Judy Spires is a seasoned food retail executive
with an impressive track record of success in virtually every area of the store and management. I’m
excited to partner with Judy in continuing to grow Kings while offering exceptional service to our
customers. I would also like to thank Bruce Weitz for the commitment and passion he exhibited in
leading the company over the past four years. I support Bruce’s decision to pursue other endeavors
and am pleased that he will remain a major shareholder going forward”. Ms. Spires said, “I am excited
to join Kings and work with the entire team in continuing to grow the company. Bruce Weitz and the
executive team have done a terrific job with Kings over the past few years. I have been a big fan of the
company for many years and I look forward to working with Jim Demme and all of the very talented
Kings associates in achieving continued success.”
Kings Super Markets is a 25 - store chain based in Parsippany, NJ with stores serving Northern New
Jersey and Long Island.
and 26 at Holly House, with
exam day on May 28.
My third piece of
advice is to encourage your
organization to support
your local parks, gardens
and arboretums, it will be
mutually beneficial. For
instance, if your organization
chose to become a member of
the Friends of Frelinghuysen
Arboretum, not only would
membership entitle you
to use their facility for a
meeting, but you would have
a guided tour or program
of your choice. Lesley
Parness, Superintendent of
Horticultural Education, just
told me of their amazing
library program entitled
Archetypes of Botanical
Literature, one-and-a-half
hours long and lets you view
their fabulous collection
of rare botanical books
dating back to the 1500s.
Included in their collection
is a field guide copy that
the Pilgrims brought over
on the Mayflower. Lesley’s
e-mail address is lparness@
morrisparks.net.
“Get Out There” and
become involved!
Editor’s Note:
If you
are interested in joining
a Garden Club and
learning more about
the many opportunities
and programs offered by
GCNJ, please contact Mary
Warshauer at 732-5301310, call Holly House,
GCNJ’s Headquarters at
732-249-0947 or e-mail
GCNJInc@aol.com.
Horticulturist Ray Rogers Speaks on
“Coleus: Red-Hot, Easy and Versatile”
One of the most colorful additions to
any garden is modern coleus, which comes
in numerous varieties and can be used as
shrubs, flowering plants or even groundcover.
Horticulturist Ray Rogers, president of The
Coleus Society and author of “Coleus: Rainbow
Foliage for Containers and Gardens,” will
share his knowledge and passion for these
bold plants in a presentation sponsored by The
Gardeners of Watchung Hills on Tuesday, May
25, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 725
Mountain Ave. (at Plainfield Ave.), in Berkeley
Heights. The event is free and open to the public,
with refreshments at 7:30 p.m. and the hourlong program at 8 p.m. For more information,
contact Cynthia Amorese, president of The
Gardeners of Watchung Hills, at (908) 665-8072
or camorese@comcast.net.
Gardener News
May, 2010 21
22 May, 2010
Gardener News
Preparing Your Harvest
By Cherry Huntoon
Kings Cooking Studio
Celebrate Strawberries and Salads
My column last month introduced you to the concept of recognizing specific foods as “National (Insert
Food Here) Month.” I received several positive comments and was asked to provide more of the same.
I trust you will humor me once more as I advise you that May is both National Strawberry Month and
National Salad Month. And since I was toying with the idea of focusing on strawberries for this month’s
column, I thought that would be a perfect combination.
Growing up in the country in Michigan, it seemed that everyone had a vegetable garden, as well as a
strawberry patch. And folks in the cities knew where to find the best pick-your-own farms. Who can forget
the delicious sweetness of a great big strawberry just picked from the vine? Dirt? What dirt? Every child
knows that you just wipe the berry on your shirt and you are good to go.
I hope you will enjoy the following recipes that include a wonderful spinach and strawberry salad and
my all-time favorite “Mile High Strawberry Pie.” Does anyone out there remember the Big Boy restaurant
chain? It is very popular in the Midwest, where their fresh strawberry pie is truly a thing of wonder. The
recipe below comes close to matching that delicious, fresh flavor that I remember enjoying as a child.
Either recipe, or both, will make a welcome addition to your special Mother’s Day meal.
STRAWBERRY AND SPINACH SALAD
Ingredients
¼ - Cup Raspberry Vinegar
1 – Tablespoon Minced Shallot
½ - Cup White Sugar
¼ - Teaspoon Sweet Paprika
¼ - Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
½ - Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
3 – Tablespoons Poppy Seeds
1 - Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
½ - Cup Slivered OR Sliced Almonds
1 – Large Container Fresh Strawberries
12 – Ounces Fresh Baby Spinach
Method:
Combine the vinegar, shallot, sugar, paprika and Worcestershire sauce in a blender. Pulse several times
until completely blended and no large pieces of shallot remain. With the blender running, slowly drizzle
in the oil, until the mixture emulsifies (thickens). Empty the dressing into a glass bowl. Stir in the poppy
seeds. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the butter. Adjust the
heat so the butter does not brown. Stir in the sliced almonds when the butter has melted. Sauté the almonds
until they are a nice golden brown. Remove from the heat to cool.
Wash and dry the strawberries. Remove the stems and cut the berries in half or slice them, if you prefer.
Wash the spinach and spin it dry.
When ready to assemble the salad, place the spinach, strawberries and almonds in a salad bowl. Toss to
combine. If the dressing has started to separate, whisk it briefly to thicken it again. Pour half of the dressing
over the salad and toss. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
MILE-HIGH STRAWBERRY PIE
Ingredients:
1 – 9 or 10 Inch Pie Shell
1½ – Quarts Fresh Strawberries
1 – Cup Sugar
3 – Tablespoons Cornstarch
1½ - Cups Cold Water
1 – 3 Ounce Package Strawberry Jell-O
2 – Cups Whipping Cream
2 – Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1 – Teaspoon Vanilla
Method:
Have the pie shell ready. If using pre-made or frozen pie shell, bake it according to package directions
and set aside.
Clean the strawberries and set aside. Do not cut or slice them.
Combine the sugar, cornstarch and water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring
constantly, until the mixture is thick and clear.
Remove from the heat and add the dry Jell-O mix and combine thoroughly. Cool at least 15-20
minutes. Do NOT refrigerate or let the mixture solidify.
Pour a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pie shell – less than 1 cup.
Fill the shell with the whole berries. Pour additional sauce evenly over the berries. You may have some
sauce left over.
Chill at least two hours before serving.
When ready to serve, place the whipping cream in a chilled bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the
cream until it gets foamy. Sprinkle the powdered sugar over the cream. Beat on high for 15-20 seconds,
and then add the vanilla. Continue beating on high until soft peaks form.
Top the pie with whipped cream before serving or cut the pie into slices and top each piece with
whipped cream.
Editor’s Note: Cherry Huntoon is director of the Kings Cooking Studio. For more information
or to receive a brochure about the cooking classes at Kings call: (973) 258-4009
Nothing’s Fresher…
South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh
E. Weathers, right, proudly tells Tom Castronovo,
executive editor, publisher and a featured columnist
for this newspaper, that agribusiness is the number-one
industry in South Carolina, providing almost 200,000
jobs in his state, during the April Eastern Produce
Council’s dinner in West Orange. He also explained that
a recent “Certified SC Grown” branding and marketing
program study showed that 90 percent of the shoppers
surveyed would purchase South Carolina products if
they are competitively priced and of good quality. The
South Carolina Department of Agriculture sponsored the
dinner. It was the Department’s 39th year marketing their
state’s peaches, tomatoes and watermelons to the New
Jersey-based council.
The South Carolina Department of Agriculture
(SCDA) is a state agency established by the South
Carolina Legislature in 1879. The commissioner of
agriculture, who is elected in the general election every
four years, heads the agency.
The mission of the South Carolina Department of
Agriculture is to promote and nurture the growth and
development of South Carolina’s agriculture industry
and its related businesses while assuring the safety and
security of the buying public.
The Eastern Produce Council is a nonprofit
organization with over 425 members from 18 states and
Canada directly involved in the produce industry. The
organization is dedicated to the use of fresh fruits and
vegetables – “Our Most Natural Food.”
Gardener News
May, 2010 23
In the wake of the passage
of this country’s first health
care reform act, we see that
there is a clear divide among
opponents and proponents.
We see a politically charged
topic overwhelm the media
outlets. We see some of
the biggest protests of this
decade, for and against the
law. Each side believes that
they are correct and the other
side is morally and ethically
bankrupt, stooges for the
political party that holds that
view.
Needless to say, it will take
years to figure out the impact
on our economy and the
benefit to our society, if there
is one. Surely, the passage of
the bill into law was meant
to improve health care. It is
very difficult to believe that
any senator, congressman, or
even the President would do
something knowing it was
wrong from the start. Two
sides firmly believe they are
right. Two sides are allowed
and required passionate
debate that shapes bills into
law. After all, that is the
vision of what our founding
fathers subscribed.
Debate will continue, to
be sure, into the November
United Fresh Produce
Association has launched
an initiative to put a salad
bar in every school. You can
find details at http://www.
unitedfresh.org/programs/
salad_bar_campaign2010.
Here is the premise: when
given choices of goodtasting, healthy foods, kids
will more likely eat more of
them and try new things. It
seems so simple. With more
than 100,000 schools in our
country, how good would
that be? What a terrific start
to ending a vicious cycle.
No matter which way
you sway on healthcare, we
need action to take care of
our health. We have to start
with the children to end
the cycle. We have to set
the example. No more easy
way out.
Passionate About Produce
By Paul Kneeland
The King of Produce
Real Health Care
elections at least and probably
into the 2012 presidential
elections. Sides will be taken
and views will be demonized.
The simple question is this:
Have we done what is right?
There are also proposed
bans on salt, and proposed
taxes on beverages that
contain sugar. One movement
years ago removed MSG from
food. Another required the
posting of calorie information
for all food on menus of
restaurants. There are some
who are trying to ban highfructose corn syrup. In July
2008, New York City banned
trans fats, followed by many
cities in the country.
Beverage
companies
came together recently to
remove all high-calorie
beverages from school
vending machines, reducing
the calories by 88 percent.
The “big three” have put
out prominent television
commercials to let everyone
know what they did.
Whether you agree
or not on more regulation,
government or self-regulation,
one commonality that almost
all can agree upon is that
we need to get healthier as a
nation. We have to start with
our children. We have to stop
this vicious cycle.
A must-see on ABCTV is “Jamie Oliver’s Food
Revolution,” a new show
geared toward changing
eating habits of school kids.
Renowned British chef
Jamie Oliver reveals the
food guidelines used in a
school cafeteria. The pilot of
the series had kids choose
between pizza or freshly
made chicken. More than
90 percent of the kids chose
pizza. When shown how
some chicken nuggets are
made, grinding the carcass of
a chicken that had some meat
on it and using a binder to
create the nuggets, amazingly,
kids still wanted the nuggets.
It was disgusting to watch
and was as eye-opening and
as shocking to me as it was to
Chef Oliver.
Let’s face it, the poorest
communities are the ones
most affected by obesity.
Processed food is cheap
and plentiful. Fast food
is cheap and it is not by
accident that the restaurants
are on nearly every corner
in those communities. We
cannot break the cycle if we
don’t know any better. When
healthy food costs more
than non-healthy food, poor
families make the choice that
seems so obvious to them.
Editor’s Note: Paul Kneeland
is the Vice President of
Produce and Floral for
Kings Super Markets. He
has been in the food business
for 26 years, has a degree
in Business Management
from Boston College and is
certified in food safety with
ServSafe. He can be reached
at pkneeland@kingssm.com
Hydroponic gardening is productive, green and tasty!
(program) in every county
in New Jersey,” Blanchard
said. “We currently provide
hydroponically grown produce
to restaurants, stores and to the
public in and all around the
Sussex County area.”
Produce grown by Arthur
& Friends includes: fresh herb
bouquets, assorted microgreens, Swiss chard, kale, Bibb
lettuce, Romaine lettuce, red
Romaine lettuce, red Oakleaf
lettuce, Mesclun mix, Asian
greens, basil, arugula, parsley
and cilantro. Their produce
selections can vary from time to
time, so it’s always best to check
in with them.
Arthur and Friends welcomes
visitors and shoppers. Stop by
and learn how hydroponics
works or select from the wide
assortment of freshly harvested
greens for the family table.
The program is funded in
part by the Kessler Foundation,
which is a public charity
dedicated to improving the
lives of people with physical
disabilities caused by stroke,
multiple sclerosis, injuries to the
brain and spinal cord, and other
chronic conditions.
Here’s how this hydroponics
system works. The friends start
(Continued from Page 16)
off with pelletized seeds (a seed
enclosed in a clay-based round
pellet, which makes the seeds
easier to handle). They use
pelletized seeds for all their head
lettuces and untreated seeds for
their leaf lettuces, herbs and
Asian greens.
Next, they place a very
small funnel into oasis cubes
made of corn and potato starch.
These cubes don’t provide
anything to the plant other than
support for the plant and its
roots. The material retains water
but doesn’t supply any nutrients.
Planting begins with placing
the seeds into the funnel, which
in turn easily slide into oasis
cubes (204 per sheet). The
seeds are then watered for a
full hour, every four hours in
their propagation table (a timer
regulates the watering). The
plants don’t require any nutrient
until they have formed their first
“true” leaves. Plants spend 10
to 14 days in the propagation
table, where they begin to leafout and develop a root mass.
Once the roots become visible
at the bottom of the cubes, they
are carefully broken apart and
placed in the nursery.
The nursery has 60 spots
in each gully (sturdy injection-
molded, partially recycled
plastic tubular trays) where
the baby plants spend about
14 days and develop mature
leaves and strong roots. During
this time, they are receiving
nutrients. Once the plants have
reached “adolescence,” they are
transplanted for a final time into
the finishing tables. These tables
have gullies that hold 18 plants,
and there they remain until
harvest. Finishing takes another
10 to14 days depending on the
plant variety.
In soil, vegetables grow a
large root system to search for
food and water. In hydroponics,
food and water are fed directly to
the roots. This enables the plants
to spend more energy growing
the part above the surface, thus
growing two times faster.
I learned that most
hydroponic plants will do well
with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 and
can be measured using a pH
meter. It’s not always necessary
to be exact with the pH. This
is because plants will be able
to absorb the nutrients within
a pH range. There are many
factors like temperature, and
the exact nutrient composition,
that will affect how the plant is
able to absorb the nutrients at a
particular pH. These factors can
change daily. That’s why it’s
best to just be within a particular
pH range, rather than an exact
pH all the time. Even the adding
of pH adjusters to your nutrient
solution will affect the nutrient
composition, so the less you
need to add, the better.
I also learned that healthy
roots simply grow healthy
plants. Also, unhealthy roots
can invite unwanted pests and
disease that can be damaging to
the plants.
Generally healthy roots will
be white in color, and quickly
growing. Discoloration usually
means there’s a problem. You
want to see thick, white hairy
roots. However the color of a
nutrient solution might color
the roots, turning them yellow
or brown. This is also true
about many different nutrient
additives. Older, more mature
plants may have a darker creamcolored root system.
I learned a lot about
hydroponics in my almost twohour visit.
A special thank you goes
out to three of Arthur’s friends:
Michele Samski, Teri Curtain
and Colleen Locascio, for their
hospitality, and for sharing their
working hydroponics skills with
me. I learned a lot.
Just as I was leaving,
Blanchard made a comment
that made a lot of sense to me.
You see, I am a true gardener
at heart. She said: “Life is
not a television set, life is a
garden. This greenhouse is an
opportunity for growth and
developing the spirit of skills
and people.”
When you get right down to
it, she’s right!
If you are interested in
volunteering with or donating
to Arthur & Friends, or if you
would like to purchase some
Arthur & Friends produce, please
contact Wendie Blanchard at
wendieblanchard@mac.com or
by phone at 973- 579-1996.
Remember…every garden
starts with a vision!
Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo
is executive editor and publisher
of Gardener News, as well
as a member of the Garden
Writers Association. He is a
horticultural and community
educator dedicated to providing
inspiration to gardeners
everywhere while illuminating
the most up-to-the minute
horticultural approaches.
24 May, 2010
Gardener News
Did you know? Now you will!
By Pat Donovan
Contributing Writer
A couple of times a year,
I have a good idea. Only a
couple. This one came to me
during a fall clean-up on a
client’s property. Perfect
timing for a good idea. It took
my mind off the fall cleanup. I don’t really mind the
clean-ups, but I would rather
be informing an interested
audience of some interesting
facts. So here we go.
This brings up the title of
this article. “Did you know”…
that there is an indicator on
your vehicle dashboard that
informs the vehicle operator
which side of the car the fuel
door or fuel access is on? Did
you know…that the grass strip
between your sidewalk and
the curb is called the parkway?
While we are discussing
parkways, why is it, we drive
on parkways and we park
on driveways? I never said
all of the facts documented
herein would be valuable to
everyone. Anything worth
learning is worth learning
correctly and learning well.
The garden industry, or
what is now known as the
“green industry,” is a virtual
plethora of “did you knows.”
The “green environment”
affects everyone on this earth,
from the air we breathe to
the food we eat. Think of
another segment of our lives
that is more important. This
is assuming that all those
who read this article eat and
breathe. We might as well add
“reads” to the list, otherwise
it kind of makes continued
writing senseless.
In conversations with
people in this “green industry,”
I have found that there are
many different opinions on
many subjects, some true and
some drastically inaccurate.
Some of the falsehoods are
told so often that they are
believed to be true. It’s kind
of like that big fish you caught
when you were 10 years old. It
was like a gazillion feet long,
right? Well, it sure seemed
huge back then.
Did you know that
discharging your grass
clippings and not picking them
up does not contribute to thatch
and is actually beneficial for
your lawn? Many homeowners
continually remove grass
clippings from their lawns and
discarding them increasing the
flow of material into landfills
unnecessarily. This is one of
the most well known facts out
there today, but grass clipping
collection continues.
So,
if so many people continue
to believe what is so well
documented, what’s out there
that we really don’t know?
I used to tell clients in my
previous employment that
“ignorance does not make you
innocent.” Because you are
unaware of a specific law or
violation, that does not make
you innocent.
Let’s take a look at some
“did you knows” to see how
astute we really are. More
importantly, how can your
being unaware of some facts
affect you.
Did you know that it is
possible to identify how many
owners have owned a used
motor vehicle prior to you
purchasing it by the vehicle
registration number? The first
number on your registration
indicates how many people
have owned the vehicle prior
to you purchasing it.
Did you know that
according to the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR)
title 49 section 393.82 every
bus, truck and truck tractor
must be equipped with a
working speedometer accurate
to 5 mph at a speed of 50
mph?
Did you know that each
truck, truck tractor, and bus
must be equipped with a
fire extinguisher? It is also
a requirement to have a
specific type of extinguisher
according to your carried load.
Two (2) different types of
extinguishers may be required
in some cases. Check out CFR
title 49 sections 393.95 sub
part H.
You may be interested
to know that it is also a
requirement to carry spare
fuses to operate any part or
accessory. You are required
to carry one fuse of each type
and size for those parts and
accessories (393.95 Sub Part
H (b) of the CFR.
Did you know that you are
required to have warning flags
displayed on your vehicle
when transporting projecting
loads? This means; any motor
vehicle that is transporting a
load which extends beyond
the sides by more than 4
inches or more than 4 feet
beyond the rear must have
the extremities of the load
marked with red or orange
florescent warning flags.
Each flag must be 18 inches
square CFR 393.87 (a). Did
you know that; transportation
of heavy vehicles, equipment
and machinery which operate
on wheels or tracks, such as
front end loaders, bulldozers,
tractors, and power shovels,
and which individually weigh
10,000 pounds or more are
required to be secured? This
does not exclude equipment
under 10,000 pounds. Section
393.130 and 393.128 of the
CFR spells the requirements
out in length, but basically
anything you carry should
be secured. There are even
regulations (in great length)
for carrying large rocks and
boulders in or on your vehicle,
393.136 of the CFR.
Did you know that
subpart B CFR 383.21 states
that no person who operates
a commercial motor vehicle
shall at any time have more
than one driver’s license?
Hey Jethro, did you
know that according to
CFR 393.84, the flooring in
all motor vehicles shall be
substantially constructed,
free of unnecessary holes
and openings, and shall be
maintained so as to minimize
the entrance of fumes, exhaust
gases, or fire? Floors shall
not be permeated with oil
or other substances likely to
cause injury to persons using
the floor as a traction surface.
This means you have to have
the holes in the floor repaired,
as well as your brakes. No
longer is it acceptable to use
your feet as brakes, like the
Flintstones.
Did you know that New
Jersey Department of Labor
laws, statute 12:58-3.2 clearly
indicates that minors under
the age of 16 years shall not
be employed, permitted or
suffered to work in, about,
or in connection with power
driven machinery. “Power
driven machine” shall include:
Power tools, including but
not limited to, power lawn
mowers, power wood working
and metal working tools.
The Statute elaborates
but, the moral of the story is,
minors cannot operate power
equipment. Hiring a minor
to cut grass in the state of
New Jersey is illegal! It never
made much scene to me that a
minor is prohibited from using
a back pack blower but, go
ahead, drive 65 miles per hour
in a Mustang on the Garden
State Parkway at 16 years of
age…legally!
Do you by chance have
any of those very small dark
spots on your car, fence,
house, vinyl siding? Have you
ever heard of artillery fungus?
You can look this one up on
your own. Check out “artillery
fungus” on the internet. There
is a ton of information on this
topic. I wrote early on in this
article that some of the facts
contained herein would not be
worthy to everyone.
Did you know that Motor
Carrier Inspectors do not
need reasonable suspicion or
probable cause to stop a vehicle
to inspect it? Do you also
know that; the only agencies
authorized to enforce the
Code of Federal Regulations
in the state of New Jersey are
the New Jersey State Police
and the Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey Police?
This does not mean that a
local police officer having
reasonable suspicion or belief
that you are in violation of
a specific law or violation
cannot summon one of these
enforcement agencies to the
scene of an incident to have
you inspected.
Look at your New Jersey
driver’s license. On the top
right corner of the back of your
license you will see an outline
of the state of New Jersey.
If you are fortunate enough
to have in your possession, a
jeweler’s glass (very powerful
magnifier), you will see that
this outline is written in the
lettering GARDENSTATE
G A R D E N S T AT E
GARDENSTATE… This is
just one more way to keep
the Garden State in our New
Jersey lives.
As I have mentioned in
previous articles, local laws
and motor vehicle regulations
are put in place to protect
the public, which happens to
include everyone, even those
involved in business in the
green industry. If you think
back to when motor vehicles
were first driven on roads,
there were likely no laws or
rules. How do you think these
rules came about? Contrary to
what some might think, I was
not around back then, but I’m
thinking government officials
realized that vehicular activity
had to be regulated and that is
how we got here today.
It is important to realize
that it is extremely difficult to
comply with every law, rule,
ordinance and every other
government regulation that is
documented to be enforced.
However, it is a good idea
to attempt to make yourself
aware of the ones that may
have an effect on you. Look
beyond what laws might
affect you in a negative way.
Look at how they can affect
you in a positive way. Are
you ever on the opposite side
of these laws? Can you be an
innocent bystander and suffer
the consequence of someone
else’s ignorance of rules or
laws? Everyone wants the
law on their side in some
situations. We just don’t get
to pick and choose when the
law applies to our particular
case. If you want the laws
of Mother Nature on your
side in most circumstances,
then other societal laws must
prevail as well.
In closing, I hope some
of this information is helpful
in your daily life. I think the
thing we all want most is to
arrive home safely everyday
and be with our loved ones.
Following the rules is just part
of that routine.
Editor’s Note:
Patrick
D. Donovan is a retired
Police Officer of 27 years
specializing in emergency
services and fatal accident
investigations. He is also
a Certified Nursery and
Landscape Professional,
a
licensed
pesticide
applicator, a licensed
pesticide business, a licensed
NJ Home improvement
Contractor, certified by
the Interlocking Concrete
Pavement Institute, certified
Allen Block installer and
has served on many local
boards and associations
in the community. Patrick
is also the president of a
Transportation/Occupation
safety consulting company
called Risk Prevention
Consultants. Contact him at
info@classiclandscaping.net
Gardener News
May, 2010 25
New Jersey Department of Agriculture News
NY JETS, NJ AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT HONOR SUMMIT HIGH SCHOOL FOR EXCELLING IN NUTRITION
School wins NJDA, Jets, Dairy Council Eat Right, Move More Contest
(SUMMIT) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher and New York Jets offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson recently visited
Summit High School to celebrate the school’s outstanding nutrition programs.
Summit High School was one of six winners in this year’s Eat Right Move More Program, a partnership between the Jets, the Department of
Agriculture and the American Dairy Association & Dairy Council’s Fuel Up to Play 60 campaign, which encourages New Jersey school children to take
advantage of healthy foods in their school cafeterias and become more active. This year, schools had to show strong support and use of locally-grown
products in their school meal menus, as well as demonstrate efforts to improve nutrition and physical activity among their students.
“Summit High School has done a great job of creatively incorporating the state’s school nutrition standards into its lunch menu, but they’ve taken it
one step further by also using Jersey Fresh produce in their meals,” said Secretary Fisher. “We hope this visit with a professional football player who
must eat healthy to perform well inspires the students to always keep in mind the importance of good nutrition.”
This is the fourth year of the Eat Right, Move More Program, with Ferguson as spokesman. The campaign features posters of Ferguson in every
school telling students, “Eating healthy meals helps me play my best. Your school cafeteria has a variety of nutritious foods to keep you going all day
long. So let’s get up and Eat Right and Move More!”
“Every time I visit a winning school I am impressed with the creativity of the menus,” said Ferguson. “I hope Summit High School’s commitment
to developing unique menus and leading healthy lifestyles inspires more schools to do the same.”
Jersey Fresh is featured prominently on Summit High School’s lunch menu. Either the Jersey Fresh logo or “NJ” is placed next to menu items
featuring locally grown products. Today’s selection is tuna salad with tomato, cucumber, carrots and bagel chips. Every day, students can get Jersey
Fresh salad and fresh fruit.
“We find that the quality of the produce is higher when we can bring in seasonal local produce, as the turnaround time for freshness is faster from
field to plate,” said Tina Cappello, Summit Food Service Director for Pomptonian Foods, the district’s food service company. “Helping New Jersey
growers is an added benefit.”
Cappello said they also use whole wheat rolls for just about all of their sandwiches, both hot and cold. They try to have many healthy choices
available to that there is something for everyone. Everyday, there is low-fat yogurt, cheese for sandwiches, pasta, pizza, 100 percent fruit juices, whole
grain cereal and fruit and granola yogurt parfaits. In addition, the school incorporates nutrition education into its physical education and health classes.
Other winners in this school year’s Eat Right, Move More contest were: Brookside School in Allendale; Elmwood Park Memorial High School
in Elmwood Park; Cold Springs School in Gloucester City; Old Turnpike School in Tewksbury; and the grand prize winner, Harrison High School in
Harrison. Harrison High School was visited by Ferguson in November, representatives from the school were honored during the December 20 Jets game
at the Meadowlands, and the school received a $5,000 grant for cafeteria upgrades made possible by the Jets and the American Dairy Association &
Dairy Council’s Fuel Up to Play 60 campaign.
The other winning schools will receive similar visits by Jets players over the next two months.
Programs funded by the New York Jets Foundation touch the lives of countless young men and women in the tri-state area. Over the past ten years,
the Jets and their charitable foundation have donated or raised more than $10 million to promote youth health, fitness and education, particularly in
disadvantaged communities. From fighting childhood obesity through the Generation Jets: Be Lean & Green initiative to launching a football team in an
urban high school, urging students to eat right and move more, and supporting the efforts of the Alliance for Lupus Research, the New York Jets invest
in programs that make a difference in the lives of others. In addition to the Jets Foundation, which supports their own extensive youth initiatives, the Jets
partner with numerous established charitable organizations and participate in causes sponsored by the NFL.
The Department of Agriculture’s school nutrition policy is the most comprehensive in the nation and covers pre-kindergarten through 12th grade
students. The policy limits fat and sugar content in foods offered in a la carte lines, snack bars and vending machines, school stores and as part of
on-campus fund-raisers.
More than 673,000 students in both public and private schools participate in the National School Lunch Program, administered by the Department
of Agriculture.
For more information about the Department’s school nutrition programs, visit www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/fn/childadult/school.html.
Rutgers NJAES Strawberry Selections for NJ Farmers and Gardeners
By Peter Nitzsche
Morris County Agricultural Agent
Many years of work by
Rutgers professor Dr. Gojko
Jelenkovic at the Rutgers
New Jersey Agricultural
Experiment Station resulted
in four advanced strawberry
selections being placed on
grower’s in test plots on
farms in the fall of 2009. A
team of Agricultural Agents,
Specialists, and Researchers
have been working together
over the past two years,
funded in part by a generous
grant from the NJ Small
Fruits Council to make this
release possible.
Dr. Jelenkovic has been
breeding strawberries with the
aim of improving fruit quality,
yields, disease resistance and
most importantly flavor. The
goal of the current project
is to complete final testing
of selections from his work
and get them into the hands
of farmers and gardeners
and into commercial nursery
production.
The first step in the
release was to test the
material to ensure it contained
no viruses. The tests were
completed in the fall 2008 and
fortunately all the material
tested negative for viruses.
The clean material was then
put into tissue culture to
further propagate disease free
material. The tissue culture
process yielded over 2000
stock plants. These stock
plants were grown in hanging
baskets at the Rutgers
EcoComplex demonstration
greenhouse for the production
of runner tips.
The runner tips were
harvested in July and August
of 2009 and used to produce
over 5,800 plugs plants which
were planted into two NJ
replicated field trials (Snyder
Research and Extension Farm,
Pittstown, NJ and Earth Center,
North Brunswick, NJ, and one
with cooperator Dr. Jeremy
Pattison North Carolina State
University. Plugs were also
planted in observation plots
on 6 NJ farms.
As part of this project,
a patented cultivar ‘Avalon,’
which was released several
years ago has been propagated.
This cultivar was originally
bred for matted row production
but was never propagated
commercially. Stock plants
of ‘Avalon’ were planted in
matted row beds at Snyder
Farm (Figure 4.) and at the
Earth Center. The plants have
filled the beds with runners
and there should be over 3,000
dormant plants available. The
plan is to dig these dormant
plants in early spring 2010
and offer dormant plants to
growers and possibly sell
‘Avalon’ plants to gardeners.
Smaller numbers of the of
the selections were planted in
these matted row nurseries to
evaluate how the selections
perform under mated row
culture trials at the research
farms and on grower farms.
The goal of this program is
to release strawberry cultivars
with outstanding flavor,
improved fruit quality, and
yield to benefit NJ growers.
The work to date shows great
progress in meeting that goal.
Editor’s Note: Peter Nitzsche
is County Agricultural Agent
with Rutgers Cooperative
Extension of Morris County,
New Jersey. He conducts
educational programs in
commercial vegetable and
small fruit production and
marketing. He has a B.S.
degree in Plant Science and an
M.S. degree in Horticulture
from Rutgers University.
His research has focused
on specialty vegetables for
direct markets and tomato
cultivar evaluations with a
focus on flavor. He can be
reached at (973) 285-8300,
ext. 226 or by emailing
nitzsche@njaes.rutgers.edu
26 May, 2010
Gardener News
Westfield Garden Club News
The Garden Club of Westfield will host
“The Papillion Garden Tour” on Saturday,
June 12th, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. We
will have members at each garden to answer
your questions and explain the interesting
elements of the garden. We are featuring six
stunning private gardens. Plants, baked goods,
and attic treasures will be available for sale.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased from
Jennie Williams at 908-233-7572 or go to our
website, www.gardenclubofwestfield.org
Tickets may be purchased the day of the
tour at Cowperthwaite Square off Clark St.and
Cowperthwaite St. in Westfield, NJ for $25. At
the above location you will be given a map and
a description of each garden.
Your purchase of a ticket permits the
The Garden Club of Westfield (a non-profit
organization) to fund our many contributions
to our community and other worthwhile
programs. We plant and maintain lovely
container arrangements in the center of
town and gardens in our township parks.
Contributions are also made to the Gene
O’Neal scholarship program, NJ Conservation
Society, NJ Audubon Society, TAT to teach a
child, and we will be supporting the renovation
of an historical building in Westfield. We
prepare lovely flower arrangements for
a veteran’s home and our local library as
well as contributing wreaths to our municipal
buildings during the holiday season. We enjoy
making our community a beautiful place to
live and visit.
36th ANNUAL ROSE DAY
CELEBRATION CANCELED
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ – The 36th
Annual Rose Day Celebration, originally
scheduled for Saturday, June 12, 2010, has been
canceled due to the ongoing reconstruction of
the Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden
on Mettlers Road (Parking Lot A) in the
East Millstone section of Franklin Township’s
Colonial Park.
Park Commission staff is in the process
of renovating the Rose Garden to enhance
its attractiveness and allow for greater
ease of movement through the facility. The
Rose Garden features more than 3000 roses
representing over 325 different species and
varieties including the award winning AllAmerica Rose Selections.
Mother’s Day Plant Sale
The Gardeners of Watchung Hills
Saturday, May 8, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Union Village Methodist Church
1130 Mountain Ave. (corner of Hillcrest Road)
Berkeley Heights, Union County
A full assortment of perennials, annuals,
flats, baskets, herbs and vegetables will
be available, with proceeds supporting
scholarships in plant science and landscape
architecture at the Rutgers School of
Environmental and Biological Sciences.
For more info call (908) 665-8072
Gardener News
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Cherry Huntoon
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Tim Hionis
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Bruce Crawford
Jeannie Geremia
Pat Donovan
Marcia Wood
Peter Nitzsche
Jan Marie Traynor
Union Co. Master Gardeners
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Stephanie Wood
Contributing Writers
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TIP OF THE MONTH
• Mow Smarter — How you mow the lawn can save you both time and money. Mow lawns at a 3-inch
height for cool-season grasses, and leave the clippings right where they land. Grass clippings feed the
lawn, reducing its need for fertilizer. Sharpening your mower blades a few times each summer gives
a clean cut and helps to prevent diseases from starting.
Gardener News
May, 2010 27
28 May, 2010
Gardener News