Month-by-month lists of common plant diseases, pests, and other problems you may encounter in North Carolina yards and gardens. Straight from our PDIC (Plant Disease & Insect Clinic) entomologists and pathologists!
Who’s Ready for Squash?!?I love some fried squash, like I’m sure many of you do. But how are we supposed to battle in growing our own squash with that pesky vine borer??? Our NC State Extension has the answers!! The key is to create a barrier around the base of the squash vine where it meets the soil line. There are some other cultural practices that will help as well! Check them out!
The 2024 Cicadas….
If you haven’t heard, this is the big year for the cicadas. This year marks the first time in
over 200 years that the 13 year brood of cicadas and the 17 year brood cicadas will be emerging at the same time! But FEAR NOT!! They are not harmful to you or your pets, they are not usually out for very long, and this is actually a pretty cool phenomenon!. To read more about the cicadas that will be out and about this year, from our very own Entomologist from NC State University, visit this link!
17 year brood cicada
Annual Brood Cicada
2024 Farmers Market Season!!
The Alexander County Farmers market has started back and will be held every Saturday from 8am-12pm in the Alexander County Services building parking lot.
If you are interested in being a farmers market vendor in the Alexander County Farmers Market, please give me a call at 828-632-4451. We always look forward to adding new vendors who either hand make, bake, or grow their own products! Make sure to check out the market's facebook page to see what events are taking place, where a new market is popping up and what items are available at the markets.
Hummingbirds Are Back! - Tips on Maintaining Your Feeders
Mix your own feed!! It is super easy and cheap, and you know exactly what’s in it. Boil 1 cup of water and mix with 1 cup of sugar until it dissolves. Then add 3 cups of cold water and mix again. Then fill you clean feeder and store any excess in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Check your feeders daily! You may need to refill or clean it out!
To keep a clean feeder, disassemble it and soak it in hot water. Scrub ALL the feeder parts, especially the port holes that they are drinking out of (a pipe cleaner works great for this area)! Rinse, allow the feeder parts to air dry, and then reassemble and refill. It is recommended to clean every time you change out the water, and to change our water often (especially as we get into regular hotter temperatures)!
NEVER add red dyes, it can harm your hummers!
Put out feeders in early spring and take up around 2 weeks after you see your last hummingbird in the fall/winter.
Community Garden & Workdays
If you don’t know already, Alexander County has a community garden! If you are interested in renting a bed, they are $25 per bed for the ENTIRE SEASON! Any additional bed is $10. That is a great deal! Just give us a call at 828-632-4451 to claim a bed.
The Taylorsville Community Garden now has "Community Share Beds" that will be planted for the community to harvest from. Because these beds are for the community, it is our hope that the community will help us maintain those beds (weeding, watering, harvesting, etc.). Our workdays for these beds will be on Mondays and Thursdays from 9-11am. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Cari Rosenbalm at 828-632-4451 or cari_rosenbalm@ncsu.edu. We will need all the help we can get!
NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.
