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Past Articles of the Gardener’s Dirt Newsletter

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Welcome to the Past Articles of The Gardener’s Dirt Newsletter page! This page will host all past newsletters with the headline of each article inside labeled from our past editions. As we move forward with our 2020 editions, we have created individual PDFs for easier access to the information you may be seeking. Each month monthly gardening tasks are featured as well. As always, please contact our office (919) 989-5380 if you have any questions, or email the jcemastergardener@gmail.com with your own unique gardening questions for assistance. Thank you.

Please be aware that our links in the articles may be outdated and may NOT work.

Year Month Article Headings
2015 NOVEMBER Vermicomposting, Pieries, Unique Spring Bulbs, Fall Cankerworm, Climbing Carolina Aster, Beets – Beta vulgaris

NOVEMBER 2015 EDITION
2015 DECEMBER Selection & Care of a Christmas Tree, Paperwhites, Recycling Your Christmas Trees, Leaves – Problem or Blessing, Spicebush, A Christmas Story

DECEMBER 2015 EDITION
2016 JANUARY Sleep, Creep, Leap, Choice Plants, Planting Pecan Trees, Dog-Friendly Choice Plants, How to make your wheelbarrow last virtually forever

JANUARY 2016 EDITION
2016 FEBRUARY Buying Fruit, Small Fruit Trees For Your Garden, Washington Hawthorn – Crataegus phaenopyrum, Garden Sanitation, J.C. Raulston Arboretum, Cleaning & Sterilizing Pruners

FEBRUARY 2016 EDITION
2016 MARCH Plant a Row (PAR), Dwarf Viburnum – Viburnum obovatum – ‘Raulston Hardy’, Master Gardeners’ Plant Sale, How can I protect my existing trees from Ambrosia Beetles, & how do I know if I am purchasing an Ambrosia Beetle free tree

 MARCH 2016 EDITION
2016 APRIL  Everyone Should Be…Bee Friendly, ‘American Wisteria’ – Wisteria frutescen, Carpenter Bees, Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Using Old Hoses

 APRIL 2016 EDITION
 2016 MAY For the Love of Moss, Container Vegetable Garden, ‘Redwing’  -Heteropterys glabra, Garden Soils are “Death in a Bag”, Fun for You & Your Fairies

 MAY 2016 EDITION
 2016 JUNE Golden Years Gardening Guidelines, ‘Blazing Star’ – Liatris, Eastern Box Turtle, Raleigh Rose Garden, Lacewing vs Lace Bug

 JUNE 2016 EDITION
 2016 JULY Septic Systems & Landscapers-What to do, Boxwood – Buxus sempervirens – ‘Unraveled’, Okra, Controlling Fleas in the Home and Landscape, Core Aeration

 JULY 2016 EDITION
2016 AUGUST What Johnston County Residents Want to Know, Coneflower – Echinacea, Spider Mites, The Children’s Secret Garden, at the Wilson Botanical Gardens, Clayton Community Center Garden – Helping the Community, Watch for the Weevil

 AUGUST 2016 EDITION
 2016 SEPTEMBER To Till or Not to Till, That is the Question, Growing Under Cover, Pink American Beautyberry  – Callicarpa americana – ‘Welch’s Pink’, Growing Peanuts – Arachis hypogaea, Taming Unruly Plants, Applying Pre-emergence Herbicide

 SEPTEMBER 2016 EDITION
 2016 OCTOBER Pass Along Plants, Muhly Grass – Muhlenbergia capillaris, Winter Weed Control, It’s Re-Blooming Time at Local, Lovely, Lakeview Daylily Farm, Picasso & Glyphosate

 OCTOBER 2016 EDITION
2016 NOVEMBER Dealing with Matthew…After the Fact, Would you like to be an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer, Fall Gardening is Upon Us, Unique Idea for Bird Feeder, Assessing Damage to Trees from Hurricane Matthew

 NOVEMBER 2016 EDITION
2016 DECEMBER Night-Scaping – Enjoy & Highlight your Landscape During the Evening Hours, Holiday Decor – The Natural Way, Kay’s Early Hope Redbud – Cercis chinensis – ‘Kay’s Early Hope’, The Meadow Lights, Extending the Flower Bed Through the Holiday Season

DECEMBER 2016 EDITION
2017 JANUARY The Wonderful Gifts that “Keep On Giving”, Wax Myrtle, Crape Myrtle Bark Scale, Christmas Trees are for the Birds, Landscape Planning and Site Analysis

JANUARY 2017 EDITION
2017 FEBRUARY Would you like to be a beekeeper, Redbud – Cercis canadensis – ‘Carolina Sweetheart’ PPAF, Spring…..It’s Sprouting!!, Keep Deer out of Your Garden, Liriope crown and Root Rot

FEBRUARY 2017 EDITION
2017 MARCH Turf Management, Coastal Sweet Pepperbush, Summersweet, Clethra, Clethra alnifolia, Rose Rosette Disease, Reading Labels, Landscape Design: Choosing Plants

MARCH 2017 EDITION
2017 APRIL Deer Management in the Home Landscape, Chinese Fringetree – Chioanthus retusus – ‘Tokyo Tower’, Vegetable Varieties for Spring Planting, Fix for Cocoa Mats, Diagnosing freeze damage on fruit, Gardens at the North Carolina Executive Mansion

 APRIL 2017 EDITION
 2017  MAY Bee Hotels – Artificial Habitats for Native Pollinating Bees, Viburnum x – ‘Nantucket’, Colorado Potato Beetle, Go Ahead, Dig In The Dirt, “A garden for every child. Every child in a garden.”  

 MAY 2017 EDITION
2017 JUNE Butterfly Highway, Floral Natives to Attract Butterflies, Herb Hosts for Butterflies, How to Determine Fertilizer Requirement

JUNE 2017 EDITION
2017 JULY Art In The Garden, A Treasured Gift in the Garden, Switchgrass, Spittlebug, Keeping Bird Baths and Feeders Clean, Daylillies

JULY 2017 EDITION
 2017 AUGUST Landscape Installation: Grading, Drainage, & Soil Preparation, Viburnum macrocephalum – Chinese Snowball Viburnum, Veggies Varieties for Fall, Bird Feeder Squirrel Deterrent, Staying Hydrated in the Heat of Summer

AUGUST 2017 EDITION
2017 SEPTEMBER Blessings of School Gardens, The Largest Edible Fruit Tree Native to North America, Good Garden Spiders, Compost Bin or Crock, Prevent Large Patch Disease

SEPTEMBER 2017 EDITION
2017 OCTOBER Plant NOW for All Season Interest, ‘Florida Sunshine’ -Illiciumn parviflorum, Blackberries and Raspberries, Cover Crops and Tilling, How to Plant Shrubs and Trees Correctly

OCTOBER 2017 EDITION
2017 NOVEMBER Ways Master Gardener℠ Volunteers Volunteer, Native Carolina Cherry Laurel, Weed and Soil Indicator Plants, Recycling Kitchen Waste, An Invasion of Kudzu Bugs

NOVEMBER 2017 EDITION
2017 DECEMBER A Gardening Book for Every Reason and Season, Christmas Jewel Holly PP 14477 – Ilex x -‘HL-10-90’, Cold Frames, Mulch Volcanos, Heating the Soil for Starting Warm Season Crops Indoors, Mulching and Weed Control

DECEMBER 2017 EDITION
 2018 JANUARY Inventories, Assessing and Planning for a Garden, Bringing Nature Home – Part 1, Pop Up Plants, Clean Tools, DIY Hardscape Construction

JANUARY 2018 EDITION
2018 FEBRUARY Choosing Seeds/Plan for the Year, Bringing Nature Home – Part 2, That Strange Vegetable Called Asparagus, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

FEBRUARY 2018 EDITION
2018 MARCH Birdhouses, Distylium – ‘Blue Cascade’, Composting, Prune Off Old Foliage, Landscaping Matters to Consider in March

MARCH 2018 EDITION
2018 APRIL Controlling Fire Ants, Golden Alexander, Aphids, Tackling Fertilizer Problems

APRIL 2018 EDITION
2018 MAY Container Gardens, Dark Fire Chinese Fringe Flower -Loropetalum chinense – ‘Dark Fire’, Protect Your Earthworms From This New Planarian Predator, Potting Soil vs Gardening Soil, Daniel Boone Native Gardens

MAY 2018 EDITION

 

2018 JUNE Why prune in summer when everything is in bloom, Native Pitcher Plants – Sarracenia spp., Cryptic Codes, Pheromone Lures and Sticky Traps, Cold Temperature Damage and Spring Green-Up of Warm-Season Grasses

JUNE 2018 EDITION
2018 JULY Fertilizers and Amendments-what role do they play, Crown Jewel Gardenia – Gardenia jasminoides – ‘Crown Jewel’, Yo’ Momma Probably Taught You Wrong, Hanging Baskets

JULY 2018 EDITION
2018 AUGUST Fighting Fake News, The Differences between Heirloom, Hybrids, & GMO’s, Nandina Berries – Buyer Beware, Invasive Exotic Plants of the Southeast, The Great Dismal Swamp 

AUGUST 2018 EDITION
2018 SEPTEMBER Take Stock, How did your landscape perform over the summer, Baby Gem Boxwood – Buxus microphylla var. japonica, Pruning Hydrangeas, Growing Pansies, Landscape Renovations – Is it time for a change

SEPTEMBER 2018 EDITION
2018 OCTOBER Planting Bulbs, American Boneset – Eupatorium perfoliatum, Watering Young Plants, Farm Law Comment on Tree Fall Liability

OCTOBER 2018 EDITION
2018 NOVEMBER Mole & Voles, How Insects Survive Winter, Nyssa sylvatica  -‘Green Gable’

NOVEMBER 2018 EDITION
 2018 DECEMBER Master Gardener℠ volunteers of Johnston County, Floating Row Covers, Ilex verticillata – ‘Winterberry’, Expand your diet and garden – with some Kohlrabi

DECEMBER 2018 EDITION
 2019 JANUARY Gardeners as Stewards of the Earth, Time to Prune Grapevines Will Be Here Soon, Winter Coping Tips for Gardeners, Tough Houseplants, 2018 Year-End Review

JANUARY 2019 EDITION
 2019 FEBRUARY  Pond Management, Illicium x – ‘Woodland Ruby’, Freeze/Frost Protection, Sharpens Pruners and Loppers with Carbide Sharpener, Drip Irrigation for Home Vegetable Gardens

FEBRUARY 2019 EDITION
 2019 MARCH  Harvesting Your Tomato Dreams, What are the Best Tomato Varieties, How to Grow Heirloom Tomatoes, Tomato-Amendments, Tomato Diseases

MARCH 2019 EDITION
 2019 APRIL Seeding Warm-Season Grasses, Illicium parviflorum  -‘Florida Sunshine’, Never Surrender in the Quest to Follow Nature, Hardening Plants, Airlie Gardens

APRIL 2019 EDITION
 2019 MAY New to Johnston County? What Gardeners Face, Wisteria frutescens – American Wisteria ‘Amethyst Falls’, Proper Watering Requirements of Newly Seeded Lawns, Controlling Garden Pests – a light hand and a determined habit, Propagation from Stem Cuttings

MAY 2019 EDITION
 2019 JUNE Cooking with Common Corn Smut, Amsonia, Deer Management in the Home Landscape, Simple Layering, What’s Wrong with my Blueberries

JUNE 2019 EDITION
 2019 JULY Xeriscaping, Liatris spicata  -‘Blazing Stars’, ‘Gay Feather’, Heat Tolerant Vegetables, Quick Gardening Tips, Veggies: Garden to Freezer

JULY 2019 EDITION
 2019 AUGUST Ecological Landscape, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Growing a Fall Vegetable Garden, Understanding Pollination in Cucurbit & Solanaceae Crops, Garden Investment Strategy: Let No Weed Go To Seed, MG teams with 4-H to Teach about Pollinators & Recycling, Johnston County hosts Native Pollinator Symposium

AUGUST 2019 EDITION
 2019 SEPTEMBER Fire Pit Design, Red Hot Poker – Kniphofia, Hot Pepper Jelly, Controlling Fire Ants, Red Hot Pepper

SEPTEMBER 2019 EDITION
 2019 OCTOBER Very Versatile Vinegar, Abelia x grandiflora  – ‘Ableops’, ‘Sunshine Daydream’, Glossy Abelia, Planting Trees and Shrubs, Pumpkin & Winter Squashes, Fall Vegetable Garden Cleanup Isn’t a Veggie Tale

OCTOBER 2019 EDITION
 2019 NOVEMBER I’m Liking the Lichen & the Vines are Fine, The American Persimmon – Diospyros virginiana, Hiring Tree Care Professionals, Caring for Trees with Storms in Mind, These are a Few of My Favorite Trees

NOVEMBER 2019 EDITION
2019 DECEMBER Enliven with Evergreens, Poinsettias, Loropetalum –  ‘Cerise Charm’, Christmas trees in your pond, Giving and Caring for Gift Plants 

DECEMBER 2019 EDITION
2020 JANUARY What Master Gardeners Do – 2019 Year-End Review, Ninebark – Physocarpus opulifolius, Reflections on Landscape & Gardening Resources, Journal or Calendar?, What is 4-H?

JANUARY 2020 EDITION

2020 FEBRUARY

THEME: SEASONAL PRUNING, Prune the Saturated Fat from your Diet, Pruning – Get Ready for the Season, Blueberries: Prune & Prepare for the Season, Pruning Your Muscadine Grape Vines, Pruning Brings Forth Your Landscaping Visions
aka Horticultural Sculpting

FEBRUARY 2020 EDITION

2020 MARCH Inspiring Sustainability, Repurposing Pictorial standing with nature & getting what I need, Why I Use Rain Barrels, Buying Local Produce in Your Area, Small Farmer & Sustainability Creating a Win-Win Strategy

MARCH 2020 EDITION

2020 APRIL THEME: SPRING INTO  PLANTING, Wildlife loves Layered Landscapes, Liburnums, Give us a new lease on life….Repotting Container Plants, Tips for Purchasing Plants, The Foodscape Resolution

APRIL 2020 EDITION

2020 MAY THEME: HERBS, TEAS, & POLLINATORS, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme More Than Culinary Herbs, Ceanothus americanus – New Jersey Tea, Purposeful Pollinators, Drying Herbs, Planting Herbs & Pollinators Along The Garden Edge

MAY 2020 EDITION

2020 JUNE THEME: TIPS FOR A SELF-SUFFICIENT GARDEN, Bee-Friendly Flowers, Lagerstroemia  – ‘Miss Frances’ Crape Myrtle, Buckwheat – Why I Love It – Fagopyrum esculentum, Preparing your Garden for Vacation, What would happen if farmers took 45 days off?

JUNE 2020 EDITION

2020 JULY A TRIBUTE TO ROY LEWIS, What’s Happening to my Tomatoes?, Agastache foeniculum, Anise Hyssop, Stink Bugs, Food Safety in the Heat of Summer

JULY 2020 EDITION

2020 AUGUST Johnston County Farm Life in the Depression Years, 26 Years of Tobacco in Eastern NC, History of Sweet Potatoes in Johnston County, The Raleigh Farmers Market, Virtual Garden Visits

AUGUST 2020 EDITION