gardener news december 2014

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December, 2014 GARDENERNEWS.COM No. 140

Gardener News16 Mount Bethel Road #123Warren, NJ 07059

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NJ Grand Champion Christmas Tree Winner

Tom Castronovo/Photo

John Curtis, co-owner of the Perfect Christmas Tree farm in Phillipsburg, Warren County, N.J., has won the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers’ Association 2014 Grower of the Year contest. This year’s Grand Champion is a Fraser fir. John, along with his wife, Cynthia, planted their Christmas tree farm in 2004.

On a Fraser fir, leaves (needles) are flattened, dark-green with a medial groove on the upper side and two broad silvery-white bands on the lower surface. These bands consist of several rows of stomata (pores). Leaves are one-half to one inch long, have a broad circular base, and are usually dark green on the upper surface and lighter on the lower surface. On lower branches, leaves are two-ranked (occurring in two opposite rows). On upper twigs, leaves tend to curl upward forming a more “U-shaped” appearance.

The Perfect Christmas Tree Farm, a “Choose and Cut” Christmas tree farm, with literally thousands of trees to choose from, features over 45 varieties of common and exotic fir, spruce and pine trees on 45 acres of land. This farm is an outdoor living classroom of evergreen trees.

Choose and Cut Christmas tree farms are part of New Jersey’s year-round agritourism industry, along with “pick-your-own” fruit and vegetables, wineries, on-farm educational tours and programs, hay rides and crop mazes.

Chris Nicholson, president of the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers’ Association, says to: check your tree stand daily to make sure that the water level does not go below the base of the tree; keep your tree away from fireplaces, heaters, heat vents, exit doors and direct sunlight; and to select a tree that best fits your needs by considering your ceiling height as well as the weight of your ornaments when determining the size and type of tree you choose. Remember that in the field, the sky is the ceiling, making trees appear smaller than they actually are.

The 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture ranked New Jersey 7th in the nation in the number of Christmas tree growers. Of New Jersey’s 9,071 farms, 809 were cut Christmas tree farms with acres in production; only 690 farms actually sold cut trees, covering 4,611 acres. Those New Jersey farmers provided more than 68,471 families with Christmas trees in 2012. This census is conducted once every five years by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers’ Association is a statewide organization of growers, professionals and allied industry leaders dedicated to the advancement of the latest information in the production, promotion and marketing of Christmas trees and related products.

Gardener News2 December, 2014 Gardener News2 G A R D E N C E N T E R D I R E C T O R Y

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Gardener News December, 2014 3Gardener News

Tainted Gardens?I recently learned about a study by Murray McBride, a Cornell University professor of

soil chemistry. This study found that some of the root vegetables tested from New York City Community Gardens far exceeded safe thresholds for lead. Some of the herbs tested for lead were off the chart.

Though lead is found frequently in our environment, it has no known purpose in our bodies. The toxic nature of lead is well documented. Lead affects all organs and functions of the body to varying degrees.

Quite frankly, I am surprised that studies like this have not taken place sooner. A lot of these urban community gardens are started in empty lots and properties that have been vacant for some time. Some of these locations could have been dumping grounds for years. And no one knows what, if anything, has been dumped on and in them. Suburban and rural soils may also be contaminated. A big kudos goes out to Professor McBride for initiating this study.

Studies have said that soil can be contaminated with lead from several sources - industrial sites, former gas stations, old lead plumbing pipes, lead-glazed pottery or stained glass working. Chipping, peeling or flaking paint around older structures will also raise the lead level in the soils directly adjacent to the building. Even today, when an old building is demolished, the soil can become contaminated. Even old orchard sites can be contaminated. Back in the day, lead arsenate was used as a pesticide. Lead accumulates in the upper few inches of the soil and is highly immobile. Contamination is long-term. Without remedial action, high soil lead levels will never return to normal.

Please don’t get me wrong here, community gardening is a great idea, and should be encouraged. Community gardens allow families and individuals without land of their own the opportunity to produce food. Community gardeners have also been known to donate thousands of pounds of fresh produce to food pantries. And it’s a great way to teach the younger generation about where our food comes from.

About 10 or so years ago, I learned a very important phrase at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. This phrase “It All Starts With The Soil,” was on a poster in Martin Hall on the G.H. Cook Campus. And with gardening, soil testing is your key to success. A basic soil test will tell you some important things about your soil that you cannot determine just by looking at it, smelling it, and feeling it. A more inclusive soil test can be done to test for lead. And vegetable gardens should be tested for lead levels regardless of their location. When you send your soil for testing, ask the lab to tailor recommendations for a garden, ask them to test for lead. This testing will cost you more, but it is well worth it. Also, make sure that your trowel, shovel and/or bucket is neither rusty nor made of galvanized (zinc-coated) metal, which could skew your results.

I personally like to garden in raised beds. Bad dirt is out, because I can fill a raised bed with a customized soil-and-compost blend. When you purchase soil and compost in bulk, ask the supplier if they have had it tested. And only buy it from a reputable supplier.

My drainage is built into the bed walls, which hold the planting medium in place to keep erosion in check. A raised bed also has greater exposure to the sun, which warms the bed quicker, and allows more plant diversity and extends the growing season. The plants can be spaced closely together, so my yields go up, water-use efficiency is maximized and weeds are crowded out.

One of my favorite types of structures is one made out of interlocking concrete blocks. The blocks also come in a variety of colors. That way I don’t have to worry about the wood or ties being treated with any chemical preservatives. If you choose wood, avoid the chemically-treated kind. Opt instead for naturally rot-resistant cedar or redwood.

I prefer to build raised garden beds so they’re at least 12 inches tall. If the walls are slightly below waist level, I can sit on edges to work the soil and harvest the bounty without having to bend over at all. With easier access and less pain potential, I’m better able to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Oh, I just remembered…most vegetables grow best with a pH between 6.0 to 7.5, depending on the plant. For optimum crop production potential in your vegetable garden, know the pH of your plant.

Raised beds are also cheaper and easier to deer proof.Test, test, test…And don’t forget to eat your veggies!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. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

Around The GardenBy Tom Castronovo

Gardener News

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Gardener News4 December, 2014

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

It’s in the newsDawn Wells, best known as Mary Ann on the hit television situation

comedy series Gilligan’s Island, looks over the Gardener News during an appearance in Parsippany, N.J.. Wells was also cast in episodes of such television series as 77 Sunset Strip, The Cheyenne Show, Maverick, Bonanza, Wagon Train, Tales of Wells Fargo, 87th Precinct, Surfside 6, Hawaiian Eye, It’s a Man’s World, Laramie. Burke’s Law, The Invaders, The Wild Wild West, The F.B.I., Vega$, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, ALF, Herman’s Head, Three Sisters, Pastor Greg, and Roseanne. Following Gilligan’s Island, Wells embarked on a successful theater career by also appearing in nearly 100 theatrical productions. In 1959, Wells was crowned Miss Nevada and represented her state in the Miss America 1960 pageant in Atlantic City, N.J.


It is a green, shiny bug, smaller than a penny, but the Emerald Ash Borer can do big damage. In fact, it is making its way through the United States, and can now be found in 25 states and Canada. The tiny invasive pest has already killed tens of millions of ash trees.

For the past several years, the Departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been setting traps to see if Emerald Ash Borer, or EAB, has arrived in New Jersey. And, earlier this year, it did arrive, but it initially wasn’t the traps that found it. A landscaper spotted some sickly looking trees in Bridgewater, Somerset County, and investigated. Having some familiarity with the signs of EAB, he called the Department of Agriculture and our entomologists, with the help of USDA, were able to confirm the find.

Since then, the bug has turned up in traps in Burlington and Mercer Counties. With EAB confirmed in Pennsylvania and New York counties adjacent to New Jersey, there had been an expectation that it would eventually find its way to the Garden State.

For now, the Department has put together an EAB web page that has information to help homeowners and landscapers identify the beetle and EAB tree damage. There is information on what can be done to protect ash trees from EAB, as well.

The Department also has installed educational information about EAB and other tree-killing pests at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, World of Wings in Teaneck and the Cape May County Zoo in Cape May Court House. The child-friendly display has giant pictures of an emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle, with cutouts for children to put their faces into the scene. Along with the fun activity, there are signs explaining the threat the insects pose to our state’s trees and how to contact the

New Jersey Department of Agriculture in case people spot the bugs.

In addition, the Department installed an activity station at Insectropolis, an interactive insect museum in Toms River. The station is designed for anyone 8 years old and up and profiles the Emerald Ash Borer and 29 other bugs not native to the United States. The Departments of Agriculture and Environmental Protection installed a forest pest kiosk at the State’s Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson that talks about EAB, which is native to Asia, and what people can do if they see signs of the pest.

The adult emerald ash borer is a metallic green insect about one-half inch long and one-eighth inch wide, making it hard to detect in the wild. The female beetles lay eggs on the bark of ash

trees. The eggs hatch and the larvae bore into the bark to the fluid-conducting vessels underneath. The larvae feed and develop, cutting off the flow of nutrients and, eventually killing the tree. EAB attacks and kills North American species of true ash, and sometimes white fringetree, which is not common to New Jersey. Tree death occurs three to five years following initial infestation.

Homeowners who own ash trees can take steps to protect their trees. Treatment products are available at local retail establishments, and state-certified pesticide applicators can treat for EAB. Signs of EAB include: canopy dieback beginning at the top of the tree and progressing through the year until the tree is bare; sprouts growing from the roots and trunk; split bark with an S-shape gallery;

D-shaped exit holes; and more woodpecker activity, creating large holes as they extract the larvae.

To prevent the spread of the beetle, do not move firewood. Use locally-sourced firewood when burning it at home and when travelling, burn firewood where you buy it. Make sure to burn all wood purchased.

We hope to provide much more public outreach and education in the coming months when the beetle emerges again, causing trouble for our beloved ash trees. Remember to contact the Department if you spot the elusive EAB or see signs of EAB damage on your ash trees.

NJ Dept. of AgricultureBy Douglas H. Fisher

Secretary of Agriculture

Editor’s Note: Douglas H. Fisher is New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture. He is the department’s executive officer, secretary to the State Board of Agriculture and a member of the Governor’s cabinet. Secretary Fisher fulfills executive, management and administrative duties prescribed by law, executive order or gubernatorial direction. He can be reached at 609.292.3976. For more info, please visit: http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture

New Jersey Ash Trees in Peril with Arrival of Emerald Ash Borer

Gardener News December, 2014 5

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Services’ Systematic Entomology Laboratory confirmed the detection of spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) from Boyertown, Berks County, Pennsylvania, located in the eastern portion of the state. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) employees hand collected the specimens from tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima ) bark. They also found the pest feeding on wild grapevine. This is the first detection of spotted lanternfly in the United States.

PDA found significant populations at multiple properties in Pennsylvania, including residential properties and a commercial property with a specialty stone business. The company imports over 150 shipments from China, India, and Brazil each year. Traceback investigations and DNA testing are currently underway to determine the country of origin for the insect. All townships with detections are located within Berks County.

Spotted lanternfly nymphs have a broad host range and will change hosts while going through developmental stages. They are trunk feeders like periodical cicadas. Adults also feed on a wide range of plants. The host list for spotted lanternfly includes, but is not limited to:

Damage to host plants occurs when it feeds, sucking phloem sap from stems and leaves (Lee et al., 2011). Phloem feeding results in low photosynthesis, sooty mold, and occasionally death of the host plant. In addition to causing economic damage on host plants, aggregations of L. delicatula are also considered a nuisance in urban settings.

as well as South Korea, where it has become widespread during the last five to seven years (Park et al., 2013), including establishment in regions otherwise thought too cold for the pest. It is frequently described as an important pest in grape production in South Korea.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service continues to coordinate with the PDA to conduct further delimiting surveys to determine locations of any additional infestations. The Center for Plant Health Science and Technology formed a technical working group of subject matter experts to

current detections. APHIS is investigating control and eradication methods and is exploring biocontrol options.

Source: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Confirmed Detection of Spotted Lanternfly in PA.

Yes, You Can Be A Master Gardenerof Somerset County is currently accepting applications for the January class. This year, classes will be held once a week on Thursdays from 9:30 to 12:30pm or from 6-9pm, depending upon the response, at the NJAES Rutgers Cooperative

with an interest in gardening and a commitment to volunteer service can become

The deadline for receipt of the completed applications is December 1st.

Cooperative Extension in its mission to deliver horticulture programs and information to the public. Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Contact the State Extension Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination 848-932-3584.

horticulture from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, faculty and professional staff. Some topics include plant biology, propagation, soil science, disease and pest identification and control, and gardening and environmental principles.

outreach programs to home gardeners in their community. Successful graduates

complete their county’s required volunteer service hours.


The mission of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey is to promote the appreciation, protection and study of New Jersey’s native flora. Part of the way we achieve this is through education and answering lots of plant questions. In fact, we have a horticulturist you can e-mail and ask your native plant related questions.

A couple of questions that pop up again and again relate to deer and duration. People always want to know what native plants deer won’t eat (short answer: it depends) and they want to know if there is a native evergreen groundcover they can use in place of some of the common groundcovers found in landscapes today.

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) just happens to be an answer for both of those questions.

New Jersey has a lot of native ferns to choose from and some suitable for almost any landscape situation, from wet shade to dry sun. In fact, in The Ferns of New Jersey, authors Chrysler and Edwards state that, “In the adjoining state of New York, having an areas six times as great, the total number of species of true ferns is fifty, while those in New Jersey number 48.” Unlike some ferns that tolerate only the limestone soils of northern New Jersey, or others that favor the nutrient poor sands of the Pine Barrens, Christmas Fern can be found throughout the state, in every county. This is just a small part of its native range from Nova Scotia to Southeastern Wisconsin south to Florida and Eastern Texas.

The fact that this plant is not favored by deer is not the only characteristic that makes it a good landscape plant. It is evergreen, so you can enjoy green tufts of foliage throughout the

winter. As a clump-forming fern, Christmas Fern will not spread as rapidly as some of those commonly planted evergreen ground covers, and for some, that may be a good thing. However, you can plant them in drifts and masses for a stunning evergreen effect under shrubs and trees.

And it doesn’t really care about the pH of your soil. This is rare in our native ferns. Typically when deciding to plant ferns, you should do some research on their soil preferences and match your fern selection to the results of the soil tests I am sure you have already had done. This fern will do best in partial shade in moist, rich soils but has been found thriving in the rocky regions of northern New Jersey as well. The more moisture in the soil, the more sun this fern will take.

Donald Leopold, author of Native Plants of the Northeast, lists Christmas

Fern as one of his favorite plants. He doesn’t say why this is on his list and so I can only guess. Perhaps it is the allure of the fuzzy fiddleheads that unfurl in the spring or the dark green leathery fronds that peek through the first snowfalls of winter.

Deer resistant, evergreen, native or soil tolerant, whatever the reason you choose to include Christmas Fern in your landscape, how do you know what you are looking for? How will you identify it while hiking? My college Herbaceous Plants instructor taught us a great way to remember how to identify the Christmas Fern. If you take a look at the individual leaflets (in fern terms these are pinnae) you will notice that toward the mid-rib of the fern frond (in fern terms this is called the stipe) the leaflet has a small lobe, as if a thumb sticking up from the leaflet. “Thumbs up for Christmas” is the way I learned how to

identify this plant. And that scientific

name (Polystichum acrostichoides). How can you wrap your mind around that one? How about this? Polly stitched a cross stich for Christmas. Remembering that will remind you of the scientific name and common name while you are fern shopping in catalogs this winter.

Happy holidays to all of you from all of us at the Native Plant Society of New Jersey.

Editor’s Note: Kathy Salisbury is a Horticulture Educator and the President of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey (NPSNJ). The NPSNJ is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting the appreciation, protection and study of NJ’s native flora. To learn more about the Native Plant Society please visit www.npsnj.org or contact Kathy directly at [email protected].

By Kathleen Salisbury

Christmas Fern

Last month, I told you I was going to give you a break from your lawn. I lied.

You are probably wondering what I am going to try to make you do for your lawn now, since you would much rather be watching football or Hallmark Channel Christmas movies.

Do you still have weak areas in your lawn? If so, snow seeding can be very effective, too. Bare spots in your lawn will eventually fill in with weeds that are present in soils all over the earth. In early-spring, grass seed has difficulty germinating quickly due to cold soil and air temperatures. But, you can get a start with spring seeding by applying grass seed this winter, commonly called snow seeding.

Why would you ever want to apply grass seed in the snow? Well, what I really mean is to apply grass seed before snow is forecast. First of all, it is very difficult to push your spreader through snow, right? Secondly, you cannot

get an even spread of grass seed if you have to walk over the snow with a hand crank spreader with heavy boots, mounds of snow, a snow man and snow angels in the yard to avoid.

Obviously, the weather reporters are not always accurate with their forecasts, but you can apply grass seed from December through March with great success. If possible, right before the snow falls, seed weak areas with any grass seed mixture. Sometimes it is best to use a grass seed mixture with a high percentage of Perennial Ryegrass or sometimes a 3-way Ryegrass blend. Perennial Ryegrass will germinate the quickest once the temperatures rise.

All winter long, the

soil in your yard is still somewhat changing. While microbial activity is greatly reduced, the freezing and thawing action in the soil due to temperature changes opens up cracks in the soil. These cracks provide an ideal environment for grass seed to harbor until spring. No need to scratch the soil to get good seed-to-soil contact! If you get your grass seed planted before the snow arrives, the seed will gradually settle into the soil surface.

As soon as the soil temperatures reach about 55 degrees, the grass will begin to germinate. I hear too many people throughout the year concerned with grass seed germination implying there must be something wrong with the

grass seed. They say, “I planted the seed and two weeks have gone by and no germination. What’s wrong?” I want to clarify the definition of germinate, germinate means, begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy. Germinate means, “start to grow.” It does not mean you will have a full, thick, complete lawn in two weeks. It may take six to eight weeks to fill in like you had imagined it should.

So let’s say it is now early-spring and you see some results from your snow seeding efforts. Now you have a jump on early-spring weeds, which are very competitive. Apply the first fertilizer application in early-spring, which in most areas would be after

March 1. You can continue to help your lawn to thicken and fill in areas. DO NOT use any pre-emergent crabgrass control at this time. The new seedlings will continue to develop and establish after a few spring mowings to allow you to apply a late-spring pre-emergent crabgrass control product if crabgrass has been a problem in the past. Remember, you do not have to apply crabgrass controls in shady areas.

I know I am asking a lot of you, but do you want the best lawn in your neighborhood? Tom Castronovo, owner-editor of the Gardener News says his neighbors are stopping by all the time because he does have the best lawn in town. Maybe next year you’ll win the best lawn contest in your neighborhood. Good luck!

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

Snow seeding?

Turf ‘s UpBy Todd Pretz

Professional Turf Consultant


Peruse any store come December and there is no question that shopping is seemingly what the holidays are all about.

Naturally, that applies to houseplants as well. The traditional plants for the holidays are the red and white bracted Poinsettias, Amaryllis bulbs and, to a lesser extent, Cyclamens. These are all marvelous plants that bring color and life to any home. Unfortunately, once the holidays have passed and the depths of winter descend, they lose much of their luster just when a bit of household cheer is most needed.

Over the past two years, I have been evaluating a number of plants to see how well they perform as house-plants in bright- and low-light situations. One plant that has really captured my fancy for its tough constitution is Stromanthe thalia “Triostar.” With its very showy red,

white and green foliage, I feel it is also a great plant for the holidays.

Stromanthe is a member of the Marantaceae or Prayer Plant Family, and it appears to have no other common name than Stromanthe. Native to the tropical rain forests of Brazil, it was first described by the Brazilian botanist José Mariano de Conceição Vellozo (1742-1811). The genus name alludes to the arrangement of the flowers, as Stroma is from the Greek for being spread out like a couch or a bed while anthos is from the Greek for flower. The flowers are in terminal panicles and are spread out much like a fan. The genus name of thalia refers to the general resemblance of this plant to the acquatic plant genus of Thalia, which honors the German physician and naturalist Johann Thal (1542-1583). Often, the plant is incorrectly referred to as Stromanthe sanguinea, which was a reference to the burgundy color of the backside of the foliage.

The oblong dark green foliage of the species ranges from six to 12 inches long and one to two inches wide, while the plant itself can approach heights of five feet. Each leaf is supported by a long petiole that arises from the crown of the plant. As is typical of many plants in the Marantaceae, the base of the petiole is swollen into a pivoting joint called a pulvinus. When planted in a greenhouse or outdoors, the pulvinus allows the leaf to follow or remain oriented to the sun during its daily trek across the sky, increasing the plant’s ability to collect solar radiation. At night, the leaves fold up – hence the name of Prayer Plant Family – and come morning, they open to face the rising sun. The plants are rhizomatous, but they spread slowly and for all intents and purposes, they can be considered as clump forming.

The cultivar “Triostar” is a far more modest growing form of Stromanthe, and reaches more manageable proportions for a house plant.

Growing to two feet tall and a little wider, the foliage remains in scale with the plant, growing to a more modest six to eight inches long. The name “Triostar” refers to the three predominant colors of the foliage – green, white and pink – that irregularly pattern the upper surface of the foliage, while the underside remains the burgundy pink. Most certainly, a perfect blend of colors for the holidays and beyond!

As is typical of plants with white-patterned foliage, it will scorch in full sun unless the soil remains very moist. However, it is the need for lower light levels that allows it to thrive indoors near a bright window. Although the plant is touted as requiring high atmospheric moisture, I have placed this plant near heat and air conditioning ducts where it also receives bright light with no ill outcomes. The plants are rare to flower inside a home, but under brighter light levels, the pink fan-shaped panicle of buds give rise to flowers that have

tubular orange red bracts in winter through early-spring. Very colorful!

Stromanthe “Triostar” is certainly not new to the market and, although widely available, it is not widely promoted as a holiday charmer. With its tough constitution and multi-seasons of interest, it is the perfect plant to enjoy for the holidays – and beyond!

Editor’s Note: Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth; is the managing director of the Rutgers Gardens, a 180-acre outdoor teaching classroom, horticultural research facility and arboretum; an adjunct professor in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; regularly participates in the Rutgers – Continuing Education Program; and the immediate past-president of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visitwww.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu

Stromanthe – A ‘New’ Plant for the Holidays

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agronomist in North Carolina has used an imaging technique he developed to uncover fresh details about what happens to oats when they freeze. The work by David P. Livingston, who is with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Raleigh, has implications for growers.

Oats, for instance, won’t grow in many northern areas because of cold temperatures, and Livingston’s technique is helping scientists understand how ice forms in oats. That could help breeders develop hardier varieties of oats and expand their range. Livingston also has used the technique to examine wheat, barley, rye and corn.

The technique involves making high-resolution digital photos of slices of plant tissues and using commercial software to create a 3-dimensional perspective. The resulting images give added depth to plant structures, above and below ground. Livingston’s images are somewhat similar to images produced by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans. But, Livingston can create them from much smaller tissue samples and at a lower cost.

In recent work, Livingston, who is with the ARS Plant Science Research Unit in Raleigh, stained frozen tissue samples of oat plants and took 186 sequential images as part of a study to see how they would react to freezing temperatures in the soil. He then aligned the images and used imaging software to clear away the background colors so he could focus on cavities formed by ice crystals in the crown tissues of the oats. He then compared images from frozen plants with those from plants kept at normal temperatures.

The images revealed that when oats freeze in winter, ice forms in the roots and portions of the crown, which lies just below the soil surface and connects the roots to the stalk. The images also showed that the ice in the crown is limited to its lowest and upper level parts, apparently leaving the middle portion ice-free—at least free of crystals big enough to visualize. The crown is critical to growth because that is where the plant generates new tissue if it survives the winter cold. The results were published in 2014 in Environmental and Experimental Botany and included a video available at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/video/mov/freezeplants.mov.Editor’s Note: Dennis O’Brien works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. He can be reached at 301-504-1624 or by emailing [email protected]

By Dennis O'BrienPublic Affairs Specialist

New Imaging Technique Leads to Better Understanding of Freezing in Plants


Tom Castronovo/PhotoA Norway spruce from Hemlock Township, Pa., is this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Donated by Dan Sigafoos, right, and Rachel

Drosdick-Sigafoos, the tree measures 85 feet tall and 46 feet in diameter, is approximately 96 years old and weighs right around 13 tons. When the Sigafooses were married four years ago, they wanted a home where they could build a life and grow old together. Two years later, they

moved into a 115-year old Pennsylvania farm house. It came with a 2.5-acre lot complete with two barns, a milk shed and the star of the property – a massive Norway spruce towering over it.

The gardening team at Rockefeller Center had discovered the 85-foot tree a few years earlier, but it wasn’t ready for the spotlight yet. Earlier this year, the Sigafooses contacted Rockefeller Center again to see if it might be the right time. And it was.

The tree is decorated with more than 45,000 multi-colored, energy-efficient LED lights strung over five miles of wire. Hundreds of solar panels atop one of the Rockefeller Center buildings will help power the lights.

For the 11th year, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is topped with a crystal star from Swarovski. The 9.5-feet-in-diameter and 1.5-feet-deep

tree in the world.Christmas trees in Rockefeller Center have ranged from 50-foot pines to 100-foot Norway spruces and have been viewed by approximately

2,500,000 spectators annually. The decorations and lighting effects have covered a variety of colors and schemes, including one year when the tree was painted silver.

Spectators can view the lit tree each day from 5:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m.; all day (24 hours) on Christmas; and from 5:30 a.m.–9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. The last day to view the tree is January 7, 2015.

Rockefeller Center Welcomes 2014 Christmas Tree

Potential New Host for Emerald Ash Borerspecimens recovered from a white fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) as emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire). EAB larvae and a partial adult specimen were collected from four white fringetrees up to 20 miles distant from one another in the Dayton, OH area. Also present in the infested material were D-shaped exit holes and fully developed galleries identical to those caused by EAB.

as a host, which will take several months. APHIS is also revisiting previous research on whether other members of the Olive family can serve as hosts to EAB and whether this is a local phenomenon or occurring across the EAB infested part of white fringetree’s range.

APHIS will engage national, state, and industry partners as part of the regulatory decision making process should APHIS officially declare white fringetree as an EAB host and the plant and its parts as regulated articles under the EAB regulations and quarantine. Agency experts and leaders will be discussing this issue to determine the implications of this new information to the regulatory and detection aspects of the EAB program.

White fringetree is in the olive family, as is the genus Fraxinus (ash). While other members of the olive family, including lilac and privet, were tested for host suitability, those species were not considered suitable hosts for EAB. Further study and evaluation of white fringetree’s suitability as a host will be undertaken. White fringetree is native to the United States and grows wild from New Jersey south to Florida and west to Oklahoma and Texas. It is a popular ornamental tree that has been planted in other parts of the country.

Source: USDA, APHIS, PPQ, Plant Health Programs


When introducing New Jersey residents to Rutgers Cooperative Extension, a few slogans come to mind. “New Jersey’s best kept secret” is one catchphrase that applies, and my least favorite. Of course, most home gardeners and professional landscapers are already familiar with us through our county Master Gardener programs and Home Gardeners School and continuing education courses for landscapers through our Office of Continuing Professional Education. But even people interested in horticulture may not know the depth or breadth of our programs, or even why we have offices in each county.

The aforementioned offices, programs, and courses are all a part of fulfilling our “land-grant mission.” Rutgers is one of 106 colleges and universities in the United States with land-grant designation. As most universities engage in research and teaching, land grant institutions have another essential mission—extension. By “extending” our resources, land-grant institutions of higher learning meet public needs with resources through non-formal, non-credit programs. Many of these programs are administered through county extension offices, bringing land-grant knowledge to the local level. Which brings to mind another slogan, and one of my favorites: “We’ve got the state covered.”

In addition to our county extension offices, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) and Cooperative Extension have research and extension centers in the far reaches of New Jersey. Many of you in North Jersey may already be familiar with our Snyder Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown where the Great Tomato Tasting takes place each summer. From the southern tip of Cape May with our New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Center to our Lindley G. Cook 4-H Youth Center for Outdoor Education in Stokes State Forest in Sussex County, and many more in between, we do indeed have the state covered.

When Cooperative Extension was launched 100 years ago in 1914, our original outreach extended to meeting the needs of farm families, with agricultural knowledge, home economics and 4-H youth development. One hundred years later, New Jersey is now more urban than rural and the evolution of our programs reflects that shift. Agricultural extension in New Jersey caters to “sustaining farming on the urban fringe.”

“Home economics” is now Family and Community Health Sciences and addresses healthy living through school gardens, farm-to-school nutrition and physical fitness. For families with limited resources, our Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) helps families and youth improve their eating behaviors and contributes to other personal development skills through behaviorally focused nutrition education.

New Jersey 4-H still has traditional programs like civic engagement, raising small animals and horse clubs, but also reaches an even wider range of youth with programs in robotics, marine sciences, hydroponics and food and fitness.

Hopefully you are already familiar with our campus-based support services of the Rutgers Soil Testing and Plant Diagnostic Labs. These services help home gardeners, professional landscapers and nurseries and farmers analyze their plants and soils to take the guesswork out of applying fertilizers and pesticides.

We also have programs that work with special interest groups: teaching horticulture and entrepreneurship to unemployed veterans, 4-H programs for military families and horticultural therapy for disabled residents.

Our web and county-based resources provide information catering to many interests and needs. Want to grow blueberries in the home garden? How about figs? Want to create school and family partnerships to promote wellness? Tired of donuts at business meetings and seeking ideas for healthy fare? Caring for an elderly parent? Want to learn the basics of bats or living with black bears? Need help with pond or lake management? We have these topics and so many more covered in our publications.

Our information is not just geared to help the individual, but also to enable communities to solve problems. With our faculty and staff serving as expert resources, communities are able to implement measures that otherwise would be unaffordable or unachievable in an era of tightening budgets and limited resources.

We take our land-grant mission of helping the residents of New Jersey seriously. And with that, I “extend” an invitation to you to find out what Rutgers Cooperative Extension has to offer. Visit your county office or their website and check into the Master Gardener and Environmental Stewards programs or 4-H volunteer activities.

Check out our on-line publications. You can find our county offices, publications and other resources at http://njaes.rutgers.edu. Continuing education courses on beekeeping or for professional landscapers are available at Office of Continuing Professional Education at http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu. Information on Organic Land Care for homeowners and landscapers can be found at http://njaes.rutgers.edu/organiclandcare. Additional home, lawn and garden information is available at http://njaes.rutgers.edu/garden.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension: We’re on a Mission to Serve New Jersey

Editor’s Note: Larry S. Katz, Ph.D. is Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), Senior Associate Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, and a Professor of Animal Science. RCE delivers wide-ranging educational programs in the areas of agriculture, fisheries, urban and community outreach, youth development, food, nutrition and health, and related areas of economic and workforce development across New Jersey. Dr. Katz can be reached at 848-932-3591. Visit: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/extension/

Rutgers NJAES OutreachBy Larry Katz

Sr. Associate Director

New EPA Program to Reduce Pesticide Drift

Agency (EPA) is announcing a new voluntary Drift Reduction Technology (DRT) program to encourage the use of verified, safer pesticide spray products to reduce exposure and pesticide movement while saving farmers money in pesticide loss.

“Every year state and local agencies receive thousands of complaints about the impacts of pesticide drift on people, wildlife and plants,” said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Our new star-rating system of products and technologies will help farmers reduce drift, protect neighbors and reduce costs by keeping more of the pesticide on the crop. We hope the new voluntary DRT will encourage the manufacture, marketing and use of safer spray technology and equipment scientifically proven to reduce pesticide drift.”

One to ten percent of agricultural pesticide sprays drift or move from the intended target crop. Every year about 70 million pounds of pesticides valued up to $640 million are lost to pesticide drift. And, state agencies use substantial resources each year investigating drift complaints. Farmers have long been concerned about reducing pesticide product loss during and after application to crops and minimizing drift to neighbors.

DRT is a voluntary program that encourages manufacturers to test their technologies (such as nozzles, spray shields and drift reduction chemicals) for drift reduction potential. EPA encourages pesticide manufacturers to label their products for use with DRT technologies. The four DRT ratings represented by one, two, three or four stars are awarded for technologies that demonstrate at least 25 percent reduction in potential spray drift compared to the standard.

Spray technology manufacturers interested in participating in EPA’s DRT program may now submit data verifying their technology reduces pesticide movement. EPA will evaluate each data submission and, if appropriate, assign a drift-reduction star rating to the product based on its ability to reduce spray drift. EPA will post these ratings at: http://www2.epa.gov/reducing-pesticide-drift .

A pesticide manufacturer can choose to label a product for use with a DRT of a particular rating after receiving approval from EPA.

Over time, the program will move the agricultural sector toward the widespread use of low-drift technologies. Drift-reduction ratings could appear on pesticide labels as early as fall 2015.

Additional information on EPA’s DRT Program, including how to test technologies, is available at: http://www2.epa.gov/reducing-pesticide-drift .


America’s favorite vegetable is almost fat free and a good source of potassium, iron, and vitamin C. It has 3 grams each of protein and fiber, low sodium, and no cholesterol, and costs a quarter per serving at the produce aisle.

If you haven’t guessed which vegetable yet, it’s only going to get harder. Agricultural Research Service scientists have bred and released colorful new varieties. Some have relatively high levels of beneficial red-to-purple pigments called “anthocyanins,” and others have high levels of yellow-pigmented carotenoids.

We’re talking about the popular potato. ARS researchers have developed three new varieties of potatoes with red and purple flesh and skin, which are now available to consumers. If you can get the new varieties soon, you’ll have colorful potatoes gracing your holiday dinner table. See below for information on availability.

What’s In a Color?All potatoes contain

an assortment of nutrients and other health-promoting compounds. The colored-flesh potatoes have anthocyanins and carotenoids. The amount and type depend on the variety of the potato. Breeding efforts by ARS researchers in Beltsville, Maryland, led to the release of yellow-pigmented potatoes with up to three times more carotenoids than a yellow-fleshed imported variety.

As the most-eaten U.S. vegetable, phytonutrient-

rich potatoes can have a strong impact on health, according to plant geneticist Charles Brown, who is with ARS in Prosser, Washington. In a study, Brown and his colleagues analyzed and compared concentrations of phytochemicals in yellow- and purple-pigmented potatoes and in white potatoes. The team reported that yellow potatoes had a 45-fold greater concentration of carotenoids than white potatoes, and purple potatoes had a 20-fold greater concentration of anthocyanins than yellow potatoes. No detectable amounts of anthocyanins were found in white potatoes.

During the same study, the team also compared sensory evaluations of pigmented potatoes to those of white potatoes. When yellow, purple, and white potatoes were ranked by a consumer panel, no significant differences in flavor or overall acceptance were observed. The study was published in Food and Nutrition Sciences in 2013.

Coming to the TableBrown carefully bred

the three unique red- and purple-pigmented potatoes at ARS’s Vegetable and Forage Crops Production Research Unit in Prosser.

“Getting them to consumers has taken decades,” says Brown. “The cost in labor alone to bring a new variety to market is considerable.” The steps to market included selections, crosses, evaluations, and extensive field-testing around the nation. Growers, buyers, and industry representatives make further postharvest evaluations based on consumer-acceptability

features prior to release.The three great-tasting

potato varieties with colored flesh that are now available for consumption are TerraRosa, AmaRosa, and Purple Fiesta (also known as Purple Pelisse). They perform well across a variety of preparation methods such as baking, roasting, microwaving, steaming, and mashing.

AmaRosa is a “fingerling” (long and thin) specialty potato with smooth, vibrant, red skin and bright-red flesh. TerraRosa, described by growers as sweet and creamy, is a full-sized, oblong variety with red skin and pinkish flesh that sometimes has white marbling inside.

Purple Fiesta is a small, smooth fingerling with purple skin and dark-purple flesh. “Purple Fiesta has ranked better in taste, color, and nutrition than any other blue or purple potato I’ve explored,” says Dan Chin, who holds the exclusive license to grow and sublicense seed. “These varieties were carefully bred to enhance all the unique qualities found in a colorful potato, including uniform size, striking color, rich vitamin and mineral content, sweet flavor, and versatility.”

Brown worked on developing and evaluating the varieties as a contributing partner with the Northwest (Tri State) Potato Variety Development Program—a team that includes university researchers in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon; commissioners of the three states; and the potato industry. The Tri State Program created the Potato Variety Management Institute, a nonprofit based in Bend, Oregon, that administers

licensing agreements for new varieties.

All three potatoes have ranked well for use in making potato chips and fries. “One of the sensory evaluations ranked AmaRosa highest among 10 contenders when prepared as fried chips,” says Brown. “The chips retained their rosy red color and resisted fading, showing great potential for the chipping snack sector as well.”

Articles describing the attributes of AmaRosa and Purple Fiesta were published in the American Journal of Potato Research in 2012.

The Power of PigmentsWhile the new potato

varieties are festively colored and taste good, their value is far from skin deep. Foods rich in antioxidative bioactive compounds have been linked to reduced incidence of chronic diseases. So Brown and geneticist Duroy (Roy) Navarre, who is also at the ARS Prosser laboratory, worked with lead author Boon Chew and colleagues at Washington State University on a human nutrition study. They tested whether the carotenoids and anthocyanins from pigmented potatoes decreased oxidative stress, inflammation, and improved immune status. Their study was based on USDA-ARS colored-potato breeding lines developed at Prosser.

For the study, 36 healthy male volunteers were randomly assigned to consume white-, yellow-, or purple-fleshed potatoes for 6 weeks. Every day, the three groups (12 volunteers each) consumed two-thirds of a cup (150 grams) of the type of cooked potatoes

assigned to them. All the potatoes were prepared and served at the research site.

Fasting blood samples were collected from the participants at the start and end of the 6-week intervention. Their blood was tested for cytokines, including interleukin-6, which is secreted by lymphocytes (immune system white blood cells), while initiating an inflammatory response. Blood samples were also tested for lymphocyte proliferation, C-reactive protein (another biomarker of inflammation), and phenotype.

The researchers found that the participants who were fed the carotenoid-rich yellow potatoes and anthocyanin-rich purple potatoes had lower plasma IL-6 than those fed white potatoes. Volunteers consuming the purple potatoes showed a heart-healthy decrease in C-reactive protein from the study’s start. And those who ate the yellow-pigmented potatoes showed an enhanced immune response, as indicated by increases in specific lymphocyte populations. The study was published in the American Journal of Advanced Food Science and Technology in 2013.

With this many positive features, if you decide to serve these colorful potatoes this holiday season, you might want to be sure to have enough to send home with guests and for leftovers the next day.

Editor’s Note: Rosalie Bliss works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. She can be reached at 301-504-4318 or by emailing [email protected]

By Rosalie BlissPublic Affairs Specialist

Delicious, Nutritious, and a Colorful Dish for the Holidays

Recycle the Gardener Newsshow it to a friend!


Recently my friend John Stella, plantsman extraordinaire, enticed me to take a ride with him to Fairfield, Conn. There, he promised I would see one of my favorite trees in its mature state.

Our destination was Oliver Nurseries, a nursery/garden center that is steeped with specimen plant material. Established in the early 1960s by John Oliver Sr., an azalea fanatic, today’s owner, Scott Jamison, worked his way to the top starting in his high school days. As a garden center owner, I am envious of the amount of acreage this garden center owns. That coupled with their foresight to develop world-class gardens in and around their salable plant material, decades in the making mind you, and you can begin to understand why this is a destination for plant enthusiasts. Aside from the rare and the mature (for sale), Oliver’s offers one of the most comprehensive collections of Alpine plants you will ever see. Their gardens will astound even the most seasoned plants person.

A variegated Zelkova, Zelkova serrata “Variegata,” was the tree John spoke of to entice me to take a ride. The leaves of this tree are smaller than many Zelkova types and each leaf is banded with a narrow white edge that almost bleeds towards the center. Touted as being good for a smaller garden, this mature specimen was clearly a good-sized shade tree. To date, the most impressive specimen I have seen.

A tree that is perfect for containers around your pool or by your front door is a dwarf Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus “Monumentalis” (aka “Columnaris Nana”) www.specimentree.com. You would think “Monumentalis” would imply being “great in size.” However, in this case “great in importance” is more apropos. Hornbeams, native to the natural woodlands of Europe, have many cultivars and lately seem to be gaining in popularity. “Monumentalis” is “an excellent shaped tree for use as a geometric feature which does not require clipping. Well suited for historic and formal architectural garden layouts, narrow screen planting, urban squares and narrow streets” (www.bruns.de). This cultivar is distinctively compact, dense and narrow. Those for sale, on our day out, would fit neatly in any small car, complete with potting soil and pots to fit.

Speaking to the rarity of things, Japanese clethra, Clethra barbinervis, is a plant seldom seen in garden centers for sale. Why, I don’t know? A beautiful large, upright deciduous shrub or small tree, Japanese Clethra has fragrant white flowers in the summer. Glossy green leaves that turn bright yellow (sometimes red) in the fall are only outdone, in my opinion, by its polished, exfoliating grayish-brown bark. Oliver’s specimen was $3,500 and worth every penny!

New Jersey private gardens seem to be overrun by Leyland cypress and Green Giant arborvitae. Immense green monsters, used to screen out neighbors, tend to swallow up backyards quickly. Oliver Nurseries uses, in part in its residential design, Incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens. Often confused with arborvitae, Incense cedar has aromatic evergreen foliage that is narrowly columnar in its youth. Native to the Cascades and Sierras, it too could become a monster. In cultivation, however, Incense cedar typically tops out around 40 to 50 feet tall. Similar to Leylands, Incense cedar also appreciates protection from desiccating winds in the winter months.

Tucked into one of their many shade gardens was a hosta called “Praying Hands.” Truly like no other hosta, this is a collector’s item. Upright, narrow, tightly folded leaves resemble that of hands folded in prayer. “Praying Hands” has dark-green leaves that have a matte finish and shiny undersides. Lavender flowers are abundant in the late summer, too.

Finally, the rarest of rare, and there are many at Oliver’s that could be said about, a curiosity of sorts Acer platanoides “Curly Lamppost.” A severely thin, tall columnar Norway maple with crinkled foliage clothing it; theirs was over 10 feet tall. Believed to be a mutant hybrid of a Norway maple and a columnar Sugar maple, Acer saccharum “Monumentalis,” I was an instant fan. But hey, I’m a plant geek!

I had a chance to speak with a few department heads during our visit to Oliver Nurseries. Scott Jamison has done an outstanding job of surrounding himself with highly motivated, educated and enthusiastic plants people. All were too happy to give their time and speak about their respective fields of expertise. I always enjoy getting away from my office to see what others are doing well in our industry. If you have the time, enjoy beautiful gardens, and appreciate quality plant material, take a short ride north to Oliver’s and you will not be disappointed.

Road Trip

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, Reeves-Reed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, 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.

Unique PlantsBy Bob LaHoff

Nursery Specialist

Gardener News12 December, 2014One might ask the question,

“What is normal?” In our area, normal seems to have always been a changeable climate with extreme temperature swings and pop-up storms that challenge our plants to survive.

Even though we haven’t had the super storms of a couple years ago, we can still see and hear the results of enduring these catastrophic events. A quiet evening listening to the breeze at dusk washing through our tree boughs can actually point out damage that should be addressed. Cracking and rubbing sounds are an indication that there may be residual damage that should be addressed. After the leaves have fallen from our deciduous trees and shrubs is a great time to assess and remediate these potential problem spots.

Have we done anything to address the changes in exposure our plants may be experiencing? Some properties were once shaded by multiple trees and are now predominately sunny exposures. This has impacted the growth and health of the plants which were very happy growing in the shade. Any

plants which suffered through a challenging growing season point out to us the areas in which we should make plans to replant trees and transplant some plants which are not happy in their present locations. If we have not already addressed the need to over-seed some lawn areas which are now getting more sun, a winter seeding could be an option. Broadcasting a blend of turf varieties into thin lawn areas could help introduce proper varieties into the turf stand. Depending upon the results, some spring seeding may need to be done, but plan on getting it in as early as the lawns can be raked out and cleaned up.

It is now a good time to look at the many forces that affect the plants we grow and maintain, such as soil structure,

texture and drainage. Nutrient levels and the mineral content are more factors. Some of the most harmful can be extremes of weather, as we well know. This all sounds daunting to those who maintain plants and it is. However, there are tools which can assist these caregivers with these tasks.

Aside from the mechanical and cultural practices, which include soil testing and amendments, as well as installing physical drainage and changing grades, there are ways available to manage pests and prevent potential damage. Pest management in landscape situations should rely on prudent use of control measures. Proper identification is the first step. There are many variables in the development of plants and pests. Keying into the life cycle

of the target pest will ensure control when the pest is most vulnerable. For this Reason, using the calendar to schedule pest control measures and applications can prove to be wasteful and will result in the overuse of these procedures, chemical or otherwise.

The best control of pests is achieved by monitoring their development. As we have seen, using a system to anticipate pest activity is a way to more accurately target pests. The use of Phenology and Growing Degree Days (GDD) will help us identify the various stages of insect development. Scientists have known for years that this data could be tracked and therefore the growth predicted. Factors which influence this study include temperature, length of the

day and moisture. Events such as bud break, leafing out, flowering and fruiting can be related to GDD’s. This correlation is then used to predict when a pest may appear in the landscape and when it is most susceptible to control.

These hypotheses lend themselves to an Integrated Pest Management system as it helps identify when the timing is right for breakouts, as well as giving fair warning for what to look out for. As you can see, the prudent use of control methods is positively influenced by use of a system such as this.

Professionals as well as the Rutgers Extension Service will provide excellent resources to enact and follow through on these processes and procedures to help our landscapes thrive.

The LandscaperBy Evan Dickerson

Landscape Professional

Editor’s Note: Evan Dickerson is owner of Dickerson Landscape Contractors and NaturesPro of North Plainfield. He has been pioneering the organic approach to plant health since 1972. Evan can be reached at 908-753-1490

Finally, It Seems Like We Are Back To Normal

Whenever a group of landscape contractors gets together, inevitably the topic of conversation drifts to what to do about “low-ballers.” For those of you are not familiar with this term, low-ballers are contractors that underprice work. There are various reasons why they do this. Some contractors intentionally undercut prices to get a signed contract with the hopes of making the money back on future work or change orders. This concept is similar to big box stores or supermarkets that entice customers with loss leaders or products that will bring them into the store because the price is so low, in hopes that they will purchase other items with better margins. There’s no guarantee that this will work, but it frequently does.

A second and more common reason that landscape contractors underprice work is because they really don’t understand their costs. They are typically unfamiliar with concepts like overhead recovery and gross profit and net profit. If they don’t get their act together, chances are that they will be out of business within the national average of three to five years. The consumer may not care, because they’ll

just find another company that doesn’t understand their numbers and keep paying an artificially low price

The third but most problematic reason that everybody (both contractors and consumers) needs to question lowball contractors is because they don’t play by the rules. Now, I’m not talking about throwing an elbow here or there, I’m talking about companies that charge less because they are uninsured or underinsured, don’t have the proper certifications and licenses required by the state or hire day laborers and pay them in cash. In addition, they naturally don’t invest time and money to train their employees about such things as safe equipment usage, exposing themselves, fellow employees, homeowners and office workers to the risk of severe injury.

Naturally, as consumers, we want to stretch our dollar to get the best price that we can for products and services. Once in a while we “score” and truly do get a great deal. However, most of the time we get what we pay for. The problem with being the consummate bargain hunter is that you usually don’t recognize the error of your ways until it’s too late. Realizing, once again, that you’re not as smart as you thought you were and that your bargain price was once again, nothing more than a cheap imitation of the product or service you thought you were getting.

I don’t know how many times I’ve met with clients who bought a bargain landscape only to find out a year later that their super-duper discount was only made possible due to corner cutting and inferior

installation techniques. To add insult to injury, your bargain-basement contractor, who promised great quality and service, no longer seems to be available to answer your phone calls and may already be out of business. Your one year, unconditional plant warranty is now worthless because there is no one available to replace them. How’s that great deal feeling right now?

Let’s look at another and more significant problem when hiring a low-ball contractor just so you can get a great landscape maintenance or construction deal. What happens when there is an accident on your property and your discount contractor is uninsured or under insured? Although you probably don’t think about it, the landscape industry works with very powerful equipment that can be very dangerous if used

improperly. As a matter of fact, it can be dangerous even if it is used properly. What do you think is going to happen when that cash-only, day laborer loses a finger while trimming your hedges. Who do you think is going to be liable for his injury? Do you really want to assume this type of risk just to save a few bucks on monthly maintenance? I sincerely doubt it.

While there are bargains and deals in every marketplace, when it comes time to hiring a landscape professional, I suggest looking at more than just the price.

Editors Note: Jody Shilan is the owner of Jody Shilan Designs in Wyckoff, where he provides landscape design and consulting services for homeowners and landscape contractors. He earned his bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture from Cook College, Rutgers University and his masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Currently, he is Executive Director of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA). He can be reached at 201-783-2844 or [email protected].

Bargain landscapes aren’t such always a bargain

The NJLCA TodayBy Jody Shilan, MLA

Executive Director


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Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we are caught in the sometimes melancholy knowledge that our gardening is on hold as winter is upon us and we have put our gardens to bed.

So my gardening friends, it is time for our gardening dreams and reflections to kick in. It is time to reflect on our successes of this past year and of course, revisit the plants and/or projects that failed to live up to our expectations. Optimism abounds in the gardening world, so it’s with relish that we look forward to a new gardening year with high anticipation of gazing at the fruits of our fall planting efforts as we hold our breath that we have placed them in the ideal location.

The b igges t disappointment for me last summer was the cosmos I planted in one of my two raised garden beds in the community garden. Actually, I think I’ll replace everything in that garden bed as the cosmos just took way too long to bloom and then were gigantic, thus overpowering neighboring plants. I will plant more zinnias and lisianthus in its stead. I also regret not having planted nasturtiums this past year and will make up for it, as I just delight in those beautiful jewel-colored blooms, along with the scent and the delightful addition they make in salads. Yum!

Oh, and my non-gardening husband, Bob, has (don’t tell him) become a gardener! Bob has helped us from day one in the Raritan Township Community Garden, with erecting the fence, building my raised garden beds, putting up a teepee made with bamboo poles and mowing the garden’s paths. But something happened to Bob this past summer, and he announced, to my amazement, that he wanted

to plant beans around the teepee. This from a man who delighted in telling people that if his hands were dirty, it meant he fell, and nothing more. Well, he planted his beans, but I spotted (happily I must say) sprouting up amongst his beans, both goldenrod and little daisy asters. I alerted him to this and happily pointed to an empty black swallowtail chrysalis as evidence that these volunteer plants should stay. He delivered an ultimatum that I had to transplant (I was amazed at his use of this word) these offenders as he intended to plant pole beans exclusively around the teepee next year.

Well, the goldenrod and asters are now part of the pollinator garden and we have purchased a garden bean called Tenderstar for his teepee. Happily, too, the bees were just jubilant over and feasted on the nectar and pollen laden goldenrod and asters, providing much needed late-season food for them to overwinter, fat and content.

The Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc.’s Butterflies & BeeGAP Project is an ongoing success story that we hope to ever expand. We are still working on having the black swallowtail butterfly designated as New Jersey’s Official State Butterfly and have good news to report that it was transferred to the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee and was posted and voted in said committee on October 27, with 4 Yes votes. Our Assembly Bill A 2913 is now in the sixth step of an 11-step process to become New Jersey’s State Butterfly. The Senate Bill is S 939, so please reach out to your legislators for their support. Our pollinators need our help so we can continue having our Jersey Fresh/Jersey Grown fruits, vegetables and flowers.

Jolyne Dalzell, District VII Director of the GCNJ, brought me 14 black swallowtail caterpillars at the October 20 GCNJ Board meeting. They have since made their chrysalises and are now overwintering in my gazebo, where they will hatch out mid-May. How cool is that! So many of our garden clubs have embraced this project and featured pollinators in their programs throughout the fall and coming months.

Beverly Kazickas, District I Director, Joan Lippi, Annual Meeting Chair and I are doing programs as GCNJ Butterflies & BeeGAP speakers throughout New Jersey to various garden clubs, gardening organizations, libraries and senior centers. The most enjoyable huge event was showcasing this great project at the Sussex County NJ State Fair for 10 days this past August. We’re looking forward to the NJ Flower and Garden Show, running from February 12-15, 2015 with our Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc.’s standard flower show, “A Garden of Authors.”

Please go on our website: www.gardenclubofnewjersey to see a copy of our flower show schedule as you are all invited to participate in all three divisions of our flower show.

Editor’s Note: Jeannie Geremia is the Community Garden Chair and the Butterflies & BeeGAP Chair for the Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., and is a National Garden Clubs, Inc., Accredited Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is the GCNJ 2015 State Flower Show Chair and can be reached by emailing [email protected] Garden Club of New Jersey website is:www.gardenclubofnewjersey.comand phone number is732-249-0947.

Gardening Dreams and ReflectionsBy Jeannie GeremiaGarden Club of New Jersey


Tom Castronovo/PhotoUnder Secretary Edward Avalos, right; talks about the useful benefits of promoting the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Jersey Fresh program, from the USDA’s prospective, to Sal Pignio, center, General Manager of the Bridgewater Marriott in Bridgewater, Somerset County, N.J., as New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Al Murray listens in. The conversation focused on the hotel’s new restaurant using Jersey Fresh fruits, vegetables and New Jersey-landed seafood, and how the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block grant might help in promoting the new venture.

Food and agriculture are New Jersey’s third largest industry. Farmers in the Garden State produce more than 100 different kinds of fruits and vegetables for consumers to enjoy either fresh or processed here in New Jersey and elsewhere in the Northeast, in Canada and in many countries around the world. In addition, growers also produce hundreds of thousands of dollars-worth of specialty crops that add a unique flavor to the Garden State’s bounty. Vineyards, for example, are a growing segment of the industry, enabling the state’s vintners to develop a wide variety of award-winning New Jersey wines.

With that in mind, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Edward Avalos traveled from Washington, D.C., to meet and visit with New Jersey farmers and retailers to see first-hand how they showcase, promote, sell, and merchandise their specialty crops, such as fruits, vegetables, horticulture and nursery. He also wanted to see how they inform consumers utilizing numerous promotional and educational tools, such as the Jersey Fresh and Jersey Grown programs.

Prior to his appointment at USDA, Avalos served as Director of Marketing and Development at the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. He has over 30 years’ experience in livestock and agriculture marketing in both the domestic and international arenas. Under Secretary Avalos has spent considerable time working closely with producers to address industry demands, and with distributors to ensure timely and feasible delivery of goods. In addition, he has worked on “buy local” initiatives, Indian agriculture and numerous promotional and trade activities with industry organizations and other stakeholder groups.

Tom Castronovo/PhotoUnder Secretary Edward Avalos, left, and Richard Norz, owner of Norz Hill Farm in Hillsborough Township, Somerset County, N.J., discuss agritourism, how it is becoming increasingly important to the U.S. economy, and how it is an alternative for improving the incomes and potential economic viability of small farms and rural communities. Norz is currently the President of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. The State Board is the governing and policy making board of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

Tom Castronovo/PhotoCharles Wilson, center, Assistant Vice President of Operation for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), stopped by to visit with USDA Under Secretary Edward Avalos, left, and RWJUH Somerset Executive Chef Peter Pascale, as Under Secretary Avalos learns about the tremendous success in partnering with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Jersey Fresh program, as they dine on an all-Jersey Fresh lunch. Initiated by the Somerset Health Care Foundation, RWJUH Somerset was the first hospital in New Jersey, and possibly the nation, to partner with a state agriculture department. Chef Pascale now uses locally grown fruits and vegetables (while in season) in the hospital’s cafeteria and on the patients’ menus. Under Secretary Avalos also learned about the hospital’s farmers market that is set up during the harvesting season in the Steeple Chase Cancer Center parking lot.

Tom Castronovo/PhotoNew Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Al Murray, left, explains to Under Secretary Edward Avalos, far right, how Kings Food Markets was one of the first major food markets to embrace the Jersey Fresh program when it debuted 31 years ago, and how the 25-store chain prides itself on supporting local agriculture whenever possible. Richard Durant, Kings Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, second from left, said that his stores pride themselves on dealing with the best local farmers by establishing relationships that will endure and expand over the years. Joining in on the official meet-and-greet in the chain’s Whitehouse Station, Hunterdon County, N.J., location are Joe Parisi, Vice President of Operations for Kings and Mark Taylor, a General Store Manager for Kings.

One out of 12 jobs in the United


Tom Castronovo/PhotoRed, pink, purple and white cranberries were everywhere as USDA Under Secretary Edward Avalos looks over the Lee Brothers Cranberry harvest with Stephen Lee IV in the Lee Brothers Cranberry Farm bog in Chatsworth (located in the heart of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens) in Burlington County, N.J. Part of the Ocean Spray Cooperative, the Lee Family has owned this farm since the 1800s. According to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service survey, New Jersey ranked third in the nation in the production of cranberries. Under Secretary Avalos learned that cranberries bogs are flooded twice a year in the winter to protect the buds on the top of the vines and again in the fall to pick.

Tom Castronovo/PhotoJack Tomasello, a third generation wine grower, and co-owner of Tomasello Winery in Hammonton, Atlantic County, N.J., a federally recognized viticultural region, pours a glass of Palmaris 2010 Outer Coastal Plain Cabernet Franc Reserve for USDA Under Secretary Avalos, left, to sample. Tomasello said, “2010 was an excellent growing season in the Outer Coastal Plain, characterized by hot dry conditions which allowed for maximum fruit maturity.” The Palmaris OCP Cabernet Franc is a blend of three grapes: 77-percent Cabernet Franc, 18-percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 5-percent Petit Verdot, all grown in the Outer Coastal Plain. Under Secretary Avalos learned that Tomasello Winery enjoys a longer growing season as a benefit of the warming maritime effects on our climate because of their location along the Atlantic Coast line and the Pinelands. The wine industry in New Jersey is probably one of the fastest growing agricultural industries in the state. With over 50 wineries, the Garden State ranks eighth in production in the U.S.

Tom Castronovo/PhotoUSDA Under Secretary Edward Avalos, right, and New Jersey Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Al Murray stopped by the New Jersey Shade Tree Federation’s 89th Annual Conference and Trade Show at the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia/Cherry Hill Hotel in Cherry Hill, Camden County, N.J. The agricultural officials learned about careers in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. They also toured the trade show and spoke with vendors.

Tom Castronovo/PhotoNick Leonardo, a fourth-generation farmer at Formisano Farms in Buena, Atlantic County, N.J., hands a bag of produce to a customer at the Collingswood Farmer Market in Collingswood, Camden County, N.J., as New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher, center, and USDA Under Secretary Edward Avalos look on. The Collingswood Farmers’ Market’s participating farmers value the opportunity to interact with the people who eat the food they grow. Their presence in the community emphasizes the role New Jersey farming plays in preservation of our landscapes, lifestyles, nutrition and the local food supply. This Market has been in existence for over 10 years, and features a wide array of farm products and food items. The market has won many awards due in part to the proximity of the PATCO High Speed rail line.


New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher, left center, happily greeted USDA Under Secretary Edward Avalos, right center, at Hionis Greenhouse and Garden Center in Whitehouse Station, Hunterdon County, N.J. Secretary Fisher stated that nursery, sod and greenhouse products are New Jersey’s largest agricultural sector, and account for 42 percent of New Jersey’s agricultural production. Secretary Fisher also stated that Specialty Crop Block grants were used to create awareness of this industry via a Jersey Grown program. The Hionis family (from right: Pete, Tim, Gerry and Spiros) were the first to fully embrace this concept and voluntarily went through the expense of adjusting their packaging to use the Jersey Grown logo.

States comes from agriculture


A few years ago, we decided that it would be a good idea to plant some wine grapes on our farm. We had recently cleared an area that I felt would be suitable for wine grapes, and being that not much else would grow there because it was so hilly and stony, we took the leap and planted an acre each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The following is an accounting of some of the ups and downs we faced as someone new to the wine-growing business.

First of all, I have to thank John Altmaier and the entire Sharko family at Alba Vineyards who were a huge help to us whenever we had any questions or needed any advice. And, after we harvested our grapes, we transported them to Alba Vineyards, where they turned them into wine for us. They were always there for us any time we had any questions or needed some advice.

Because we have had some experience with growing tree fruit, the concept of growing wine grapes was not entirely foreign to us, because many of the practices are very

similar. For example, the vineyard layout and planting operations are the same as we would use when planting peaches or apples. And once they are established, the mowing, weed control and fungicide applications are all very similar to those which we are already using in our tree fruit.

But there are some key areas where the crops are very different. The first and most important difference to me was how imperative it was to grow a uniform crop throughout the entire vineyard. Before we started to grow grapes, it had not really occurred to me how important this would be. But once we started, we soon realized how critical this was to harvesting a good crop. With wine grapes, it is very important

that all of the grapes reach the same level of maturity at the same time. With peaches and apples, this is really not that big of a deal because they are all individually picked by hand. If a couple of trees ripen a little earlier or a little later, we would just pick them accordingly.

But with wine grapes, the pH level and brix (sugar content) of the grapes are critical to the quality of the wine. Therefore, because there is no practical way of picking individual grapes and leaving others to ripen longer, all of the grapes must be picked at the same time. This means that the vines must be proactively managed throughout the year to ensure that the grapes do in fact reach maturity at the same time.

One other area that took us by surprise was bird damage. While we have had our share of damage to other crops from various forms of wildlife over the years, and even a significant amount of bird damage, we did not expect the birds to take such a liking to wine grapes. In 2013, the first year that we harvested any grapes, the rows of vines that were closest to the woods were almost picked clean by the birds. We actually had to harvest the grapes earlier than we would have liked because if we had waited, there might not have been much left! So before the grapes started to ripen in 2014, we invested in netting which we stretched over the grapes to keep the birds at bay.

The final area that really stands out is how susceptible

grapes are to excessive rainfall. Again, we know quite well the impact that heavy rains at the wrong time can have on a particular crop. But with these other crops, with proper management, losses can usually be controlled. Grapes, however, because they grow in such tight clusters, are very susceptible to disease during prolonged periods of wet and humid weather, something there was no shortage of in 2013. Fortunately, 2014 turned out to be a much drier year. Bottoms up!

The Town FarmerBy Peter Melick

Agricultural Producer

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is a current member of the Tewksbury Township Committee, and a former Mayor of Tewksbury Township. He also served as a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is a past president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Peter has also been featured on NJN, News 12 New Jersey and on the Fox Business Network.

Growing Wine Grapes: A Beginner’s Perspective

The first ever linkage map for creeping bentgrass, a commonly used turfgrass, was completed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists in collaboration with researchers at Rutgers University and at the University of Massachusetts. This turfgrass has a tolerance for low mowing that allows it to thrive where other grasses would die.

Plant geneticist Scott Warnke and his colleagues at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are using molecular genetics to determine the genetic workings of turfgrasses like creeping bentgrass. Warnke is with the U.S. National Arboretum’s (USNA) Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit in Beltsville, Maryland.

According to Warnke, the linkage map will help eventually in marker-assisted breeding of economically important traits, such as disease resistance to dollar spot and brown patch, which are common diseases of bentgrass. This type of research will help develop improved turfgrass germplasm that requires less pesticide, fertilizer and water.

Improved germplasm will be released to plant breeders at public and private institutions for further

development and eventual release of new cultivars. This research, as well as other work similar to it, has led to the “Grass Roots” initiative, a collaborative effort between USNA and the National Turfgrass Federation.

The program consists of an outdoor interactive exhibit; extensive information on the Web that complements the outdoor exhibit; workshops, product demonstrations and symposia; and the development of the National Greenscape Corridor—a cooperative effort linking the National Mall, Arlington National Cemetery and USNA.

The outdoor interactive exhibit is in a 1-acre space adjacent to USNA’s Administration Building and Visitor Center located in Washington, D.C. The exhibit features 12 stations including irrigation, fertilization, sports fields, turf diseases and pests and grass types. The outdoor exhibit design was developed by a team led by head horticulturist Scott Aker.

One part of the exhibit, the irrigation station, conveys a message any visitor can use: “Save water.” To help consumers learn about smart water usage, different water-efficient sprinkler heads are displayed.Editor’s Note: Sharon Durham works for the USDA Agricultural research Service. She can be reached at 301-504-1611 or by emailing [email protected]

By Sharon DurhamPublic Affairs Specialist

First Linkage Map of Creeping Bentgrass Completed (RCE), a unit of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES),

honors faculty and staff for their outstanding work and outreach through their programs and support.

This year, Dave Lee, Salem County agricultural agent and county extension department head was the recipient of two awards: the County Faculty Person of the Year and Award of Excellence for Faculty. The County Faculty Person of the Year is awarded to a county faculty employee who has provided accomplishments, activities, programs, publications and services in the advancement of outreach in their county. RCE Excellence Awards is to recognize faculty, staff and volunteers who demonstrate outstanding performance and creativity, and their contribution to RCE, how it has resulted in a positive change or has made a significant impact and enhanced RCE at a local county, state and/or national level.

Lee was hired over three decades ago as a dairy/livestock agent in Salem County. Since that time he has expanded his program to include various aspects of agriculture economic development throughout the county, the state and beyond. In his area of expertise, he has developed many educational programs on a broad array of topics related to overall livestock and feed crop production. He is probably most recognized for his expertise on mastitis/somatic cell control for which he has gained regional, national and international recognition. Lee has been an agriculture leader, innovator and a prolific “get it done” type of agent who has reached well beyond his county borders to extend educational programs of value and impact to a vast and diverse audience.

He has conducted many local and statewide programs on marketing and financial management and is considered an expert in using the FINPACK financial tool program. This has resulted in enhancing activities at the Port of Salem and obtaining a USDA-Rural Development grant to support agricultural development in South Jersey. He also competitively obtained a grant from USDA-Risk Management Agency averaging over ¼ million dollars each of the last 10 years.

Through his training and mentoring he has employed a number of students and assistants who have gone on to Extension agricultural agency jobs.

2014 Rutgers Cooperative Extension Awards


Crunch time has arrived for all the holiday shoppers. I, myself, should be done sometime late Christmas Eve or, more than likely, the actual day of Christmas. No matter how many times and for how many years I have told myself to get that early start, it never seems to happen. It seems like all of a sudden it’s Thanksgiving and then it is a mad dash to Christmas. But hey, some people do their best under pressure, right?!?

Well, that being said, it is the reason why this time of year is the perfect time to perfect the tried and true “crock pot.” A standard appliance in many the American household. This wonderful creation was thought up in the late-’60s and was marketed as the Crock-Pot in 1971. It was originally intended for households where the women were now beginning to enter the workforce more steadily. It was a way to slow cook a meal with minimal preparation time that would be hot and ready for dinner time. It’s basically a one pot meal, with minimal clean-up as well.

I have to say that before getting our new crock pot I would always shrug it off as some cheesy, ’70s, Betty Crocker-esque whatever cooking appliance. I could do it all in the oven, so why use this grandma-looking cooking device? Well, people change, and many times change is OK. I have accepted that.

My first true venture into the realm of slow-cooker country was the making of the very American pot roast. Pot roast was never high up on my list of things I looked forward to cooking. That too has now changed. One recent Sunday evening, I dove head first into the world of pot roast. Just as tomato sauce or meatloaf have thousands of ways to be made, so does the pot roast. However, for my first attempt at “pot roasting,” I stayed with the basics. I started with a boneless chuck roast, a basic mirepoix (carrots, celery and onions), dried herbs, beef stock and some red wine. The mirepoix was cut, the chuck roast was seared and everything else was put into the ceramic crock pot and into the refrigerator until morning.

The next morning, just before dropping off my daughters at school, I turned on the crock pot, set it on low for eight hours, and off to work I went. Throughout my work day, I found myself wondering what would become of my first crock-potting experience. I could hardly wait to step into the house. The wonderful aroma of slow-roasted meat and mirepoix filling the air. YES! Tender beef, flavorful gravy, chunks of soft vegetables all served over egg noodles. Not bad. This is the perfect weekend meal, especially after those long, grueling trips to the mall with all that traffic and chaos. The perfect way to end a rough day, I say. So I hope you enjoy this as much as I did and I will continue my crock pot journey as far as it will take me down that road to slow cooked paradise. Again, Happy Holidays and be well!

“Basic” pot roast( serves 4)

3-4 lb. boneless chuck roast2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

3-4 stalks of celery, washed and cut into 2-inch pieces1 lg. or 2 sm. Spanish onions, peeled and cut into large diced pieces1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of a chef’s knife

2-3 bay leavesSalt and black pepper

1 cup dry red wine3 cups beef stock, canned is fine

1 cup flourLight olive oil as needed

method--place the cut vegetables and garlic into the bottom of the crock pot and spread out evenly-coat chuck roast with salt and pepper seasoned flour, reserve remaining flour-in a large, non-stick pan heated to med-high heat for approx. three minutes, add about a Tbsp.

of olive oil and swirl around the pan until just smoking-sear chuck roast on all sides until lightly browned-remove and add 3 more Tbsp. of the olive oil and the rest of the flour-stir together to create a roux (paste)-once well incorporated and smooth, add the red wine and let cook for about a minute while

continuing to stir so that it doesn’t stick-pour in the beef stock, add the bay leaves and bring to a boil-place the seared beef in the crock pot on top of the vegetables-pour over the red wine-beef stock mixture and cover with lid-set crock pot to low and cook for 8 hours-once finished, remove the meat and let rest on a cutting board while finishing the gravy-strain the sauce and vegetables through a sieve or colander, reserving the vegetables-place strained sauce into a small pot and reduce to desired thickness-serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoesENJOY!

From the DeepBy Craig KorbExecutive Chef

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 visitwww.TheCrabsClaw.com or phone (732) 793-4447.

Season’s greetings from the Jersey shore!

NY State Apple Industry Raises $10,001 for American

Cancer Societyby the New York state apple industry has raised $10,001 for the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) Central New York Region. The funds were raised through sales of New York state apples, cider and applesauce at the Great New York State Fair August 21-September 1, 2014.

Thousands of fairgoers visited the New York Apple Association’s (NYAA) booth at this year’s fair to purchase a refreshing snack of New York state’s favorite fruit. New York Apple Association (NYAA) donated apples and cider, which were provided (respectively) by Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva and Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette. Mott’s donated applesauce.

NYAA’s 2014 contribution brings the apple industry’s total donations to ACS’s local office to $129,000.11 since 2000.

“On behalf of the American Cancer Society, I thank New York Apple Association for its continued support of our mission,” said Bruce Hathaway with the American Cancer Society Eastern division in Syracuse, N.Y. “Taking a bite of a fresh, crunchy apple is a treat, and the visitors to our booth at the New York State Fair could take that bite knowing they were not only helping their health, but helping the mission of the American Cancer Society. From providing direct services to patients and families across New York to funding a groundbreaking research program, NYAA is a true partner in helping us finish the fight.”

“We are glad to have this opportunity to help fight cancer in our local community, while also raising awareness of apples’ cancer-fighting potential,” said NYAA President Jim Allen.

NYAA Consulting Dietitian Linda Quinn, MS, RD, CDN – who also appeared at the fair – noted that current research suggests that eating apples and apple nutrients may help fight a range of types of cancers, including digestive, breast, lung and prostate cancers. She cited the apples’ “nutrient density”: apples are a top food source of fiber and antioxidant phytochemicals, yet have only 130 calories per large apple. For more information, visit www.nyapplecountry.com/nutrition.

NYAA’s Allen also thanked the thousands of fair attendees who purchased apple goodies this year, and the ACS and apple industry volunteers who helped staff NYAA’s booth.

About New York Apple AssociationA nonprofit agricultural trade association based in

Fishers, N.Y., NYAA represents the state’s commercial apple growers. The grower-funded association supports profitable growing and marketing of New York apples through increasing demand for apples and apple products, representing the industry at state and federal levels, and serving as the primary information source on New York-apple related matters. For more information, visit www.nyapplecountry.com.

Merry Christmas& Happy Holidays

from theGardener News

Gardener News December, 2014 23The organic movement

has become a way of life, a base on which everything else stands, in some people’s lives. Some have called it a fad and are eagerly waiting for the growth to slow. But it isn’t slowing. It is not going away. Organic sales in the 1980s were miniscule, only the real hard core food purists knew about it and savored their exclusive club. Now the organic industry boasts over $35 billion in sales annually, with growth trends in the double digits every year since the late ’90s.

There is more to organic fruits and vegetables than meets the eye. Sure, it is pure and fresh. It is also grown using more expensive methods for controlling pests and weeds. It is carefully tended, and gently harvested and the soil is revered. In most cases, it just tastes better.

Some of the most popular fruit that is sold organically include berries, grapes, apples and bananas. Generally, they are the hardest fruits to wash and get the most attention with consumers. They are also some of the more popular fruits with children. Coincidence? Probably not.

Young parents are choosing organic food more and more for their kids because of the healthy attributes of organics, most importantly the non-use of synthetic pesticides. Organic milk, butter and cheese have skyrocketed in sales. Organic beef and chicken also have had a huge impact on consumers and they have clearly shifted to a healthier lifestyle.

Lifestyle it is, really. Organic foodies have become more adamant about their choices and are strong advocates for the products. It is not because they taste that much better. It is not because they have more nutritional value. It is because organic food is a belief! A belief is a trust; it is a confidence that something is right for them.

Another part of organic foods that is highly desirable among enthusiasts is that it is friendlier

to the environment. Organic purveyors preach sustainability and use nature to control weeds and insects. Packaging is usually consistent with recycling or its compostability. It is about recycling natural resources and re-using things we should be re-using.

The best part for retailers and sellers of organic products is that the consumers are marketing the products on their own! They speak about it on soccer fields and at social gatherings. They engage other consumers in the stores. They take to the Internet and jump on blogs like “organicangels” and use Twitter and Facebook pages to let people know about products they use and love. They are grassroots and are driving the growth trends.

Now, we used to label environmentalists tongue-in-cheek and not very positively,

much like the hippies of the ’60s and ’70s. But now, as we move through the beginning of this millennium, recycling now is second nature. Electric cars are no longer a thing of the future. Hybrid cars that run dually on gas and electric power are the norm. The world has truly changed.

While the first generation of organic consumers used to be environmentalists and food purists, there is a new generation of people buying organic food. Instead of being a “hippie type” group, these consumers are college-educated, have high incomes, and you couldn’t tell them apart from the non-organic consumer. They are demanding more and more selection and quantity of organic products.

Organic food has become more reasonable in cost as processes and acreage and

packaging become more affordable. It makes it easier for consumers who are on the fence about organics to try organic products. This has been a big factor in the conversion of consumers. Yet most are drawn to the category because of its health benefits and reduced pesticides. You will have to choose on your own. When taste is a factor, there will be winners and losers. Organic food has a clean, crisp taste.

Organic consumers are here to stay. They are influential buyers that are dedicated to the belief of the organic lifestyle. They are the first generation with organic baby food. They will influence future generations, you can count on that.

Passionate About ProduceBy Paul Kneeland

The King of Produce

Editor’s Note: Paul Kneeland is the Vice President of Floral, Meat, Produce and Seafood for Kings Food Markets, President of the Eastern Produce Council, and a board member of the Produce Marketing Association. He holds degrees in Business Management from Boston College as well as Northeastern University. He can be reached at [email protected]

Believe in Organics!

The winter holiday seasons are back again. Let the fun, the decorating and the festivities begin.

It is a joyous time of year. It is a remembrance of family and friends. It is a time of giving. This time of year is really amazing for all the good things that people do for others. The preparation and the decorating to get ready for the holidays happens sometimes almost immediately after the end of the previous year. Planning takes a lot of time and effort, even before the first item is ready to be installed.

From the hand-selecting process of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and delivery and decorating of it to kick off the celebration around the world. To the live Christmas trees in living rooms all across America that bring the joy and happiness for children and adults all month long. The painstaking process of producing a finished, salable Christmas tree is amazing. Christmas tree growers start their crops as far back seven-plus years to be in time for this year’s Christmas celebrations. That means the

tree you are getting this year was transplanted back in the summer of 2007. It was manicured and protected by the farmer who grew it for the better part of a decade before it is ready for sale to the consumer. I have a great appreciation for those growers.

Poinsettias have been growing in greenhouses all over the world, as far back as April-May to be ready in time for the holidays. Poinsettias are the number-one selling potted plant in the United States. Over 50 million Poinsettias are sold in the U.S. today, with New Jersey producing of 1.5 million locally grown here in our state. Poinsettias are grown in every size, from cute little tiny mini-pots around 2.5 inches that fit in

the palm of your hand, all the way up to four to five feet tall.

The most popular size poinsettias are the ones grown in a six-inch pot. They stand approximately 12 to 18 inches tall, with three to five bracts on them. Bracts are the flowers or blooms on the Poinsettias. This is a good and most common tabletop-sized plant. The seven-inch pot size is the premium tabletop-sized plant. They stand at 18 to 21inches tall and have a bract count of five to eight on them. This size shows great on a table, desk or countertop. The next size is the eight-inch pot. This size works well as a floor piece. They stand around 21to 26 inches tall and should have an eight-plus bract count. The

10-inch pot size Poinsettia is the premium and most common grade floor plant size. They stand around 24 to 30 inches tall and should have a beautiful canopy of bracts. Then there are the extra-large Poinsettias found in 12-inch pots, 14-inch pots, and even 18-inch pots. The largest of the Poinsettias in 18-inch pot size stand up over 50 inches in height and look fantastic even at a distance. These perform them best in large areas like lobbies of buildings, malls and larger church altars.

Here are some helpful tips to keep your poinsettias looking great throughout the holiday season. Don’t let them get a chill, meaning keep them out of the cold. Poinsettias can tolerate temperatures as low as the

40s, but not for extended periods of time. So it is important to be mindful when transporting them from the place where you purchase them to their final destination that they aren’t in the cold for too long. For instance, get them in the vehicle as fast as possible. They should be the first items in the car and the first items into the home or building. Another tip is to keep them well hydrated. It is better to have them on the wetter side than on the dryer side. Once they get thirsty, they tend to yellow easily and drop their leaves. Sometimes it becomes difficult to reverse the foliage drop once it starts.

Poinsettias are to December what ice cream is to summer. Have a happy and healthy holiday winter and be safe.

Holidays bring out special greenery

The Professional GrowerBy Tim Hionis

Greenhouse Specialist

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.


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Sam Race, right, owner of the Strawberry Hill Farm in White Township, Warren County, N.J., stopped by the chat with Paul Hlubik, left, State Executive Director for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, and Bruce Eklund, center, State Statistician of the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New Jersey Field Office, at the New Jersey Farm Bureaus Annual

November 17 and 18, 2014. The mission of the New Jersey Farm Bureau is to represent the agricultural producers and enterprises of New Jersey at all levels of government – local, county, state, federal and international. This representation includes the influence on regulations and laws, the creation of positive public relations, and the seeking out of initiatives, activities and ventures to help the profitability of the producer members.


No Farmers. No Food

teens learning about nutrition may help real-life teens eat more veggies, according to a study by scientists funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The smart and sometimes funny cartoon teens appear in short videos that are part of the experimental, science-based “Teen Choice: Food and Fitness” website. Nutrition and behavioral science researchers Karen W. Cullen and Deborah J. Thompson of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas, and Richard Buday and colleagues at Archimage, Inc., also in Houston, created the site in collaboration with hundreds of ‘tween and teen volunteers.

Featured in the October 2014 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, the site was developed to motivate adolescents to make better food choices and to be less sedentary.

The scientists first sought the input of some 100 young volunteers who shared their ideas about how to make the site easy to navigate, informative and relevant.

In follow-up research, 400 teen volunteers were asked to visit the site

at least once a week for 8 weeks, peruse its information about food and nutrition, set a nutrition or fitness goal, and check their progress weekly.

The volunteers’ log-on rate averaged 75 percent—regarded as “high” for an education-focused Internet site, according to Cullen.

Also, more of the volunteers who had access to the site’s interactive features—including the cartoon videos and a blog—reported eating three or more servings of veggies in the past week than did volunteers whose access didn’t include these and other interactive options. That’s important, because getting kids to eat more veggies is apparently more difficult than getting them to eat more servings of fruit, for instance.

The scientists, who hope to make the website publicly available, documented their research in peer-reviewed articles published in 2012 in the Journal of

in Health Education Journal.The Children’s Nutrition Research

Center is a joint venture of Baylor

Hospital—both in Houston—and ARS, which is USDA’s chief intramural scientific research agency.Editor’s Note: Marcia Wood works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. She can be reached at 301-504-1662 or by emailing [email protected]

By Marcia WoodPublic Affairs Specialist

Fun, Friendly Website Helps Teens Eat More Veggies

Gardener News December, 2014 25I always left them outside

and basically did not care what happened to them. I never really thought about the very special zest they themselves brought to life for millions of other living creatures for hundreds, possibly thousands of years! They were always something that my significant other fostered, not me. Throughout my lifetime, until recently, I have never been big on this uber-fresh item that others have honored, loved and relished for years.

My sister and brother-in-law, Sandra, many old friends, Bob Casale, pretty much everyone I know and now all of a sudden….. me! So, I have decided to arrange a part of my house into an indoor herb garden. Yes-suh, I want, I need to bring them inside and put them in clay pots of miracle grow soil on top of small rocks for drainage, on my table next to the glass door that also has windows to get morning sun as well.

I have all kinds of easy-to-make homemade “Richard Perkins Dishes” that without a fresh sprinkle of basil are just not the same. I honestly do not know what happened, but indeed my palate has changed,

slowed down, and waited all these years to become something that savors that special innuendo of flavoring.

Garlic….boom….what a wonderful freakin’ plant that is. Wicked easy to grow and comes in many different forms that entice and thrill the ol’ taste buds. Chives are easy indoors and you can leave them outside because they will survive the harsh winter and come back in the spring, just like garlic and rosemary - two of my absolute favorites. I planted some garlic cloves in a big clay pot and look forward to snipping the tops to sprinkle on my “Perkins Pizza” that consists of Borealis Rosemary bread with provolone sprinkle cheese and medium hot salsa that I microwave first and then put a cold slice of beefsteak tomato on and finally the fresh

garlic...uh-hmmm, a perfect after-work quick and easy, dee-licious meal that I have with cottage cheese and I chop up scallions, rosemary and bacon bits in that side dish as well. It has got to be good for you, right?

I am no professional herb guru but the “morning moment” after that first half cup of coffee, has been an express train and that can only be a good thing at 61 years old. Anyway, my cooperative extension office person, a wonderful woman who also saves wild animals that have been hurt, gave me some tips on how to maintain a healthy herd of herbs for the wintah. Water everything well and keep humid air around the garden.

A cookie sheet with water and pebbles in it that does not let the water seep into the

pot’s drainage hole works and I, instead, use a five gallon humidifier that I run in that room anyway with all the other plants; a variegated ficus tree, a big jade plant from a plucking that I brought to my mother from California in the early ’90s, lots of amaryllis, a really large hoya carnosa or wax plant with sticky upside down parachute flowers, a ponytail palm that needs to be replanted (by the time you read this it will be), a very prolific kalanchoe delagoenis that has completely taken over my entire succulent garden, literally hopping from planter to planter with snake-like tendrils and I have many other spiny succulents as well.

At night the hoya carnosa flowers are really pungent, adding a very intense but enjoyable bonus to my living and working environment.

Sandra just walked into the office and we talked about the rosemary and how great it smells. Hmmmm, that ignited a question in my mind, how did rosemary get its name? Let’s Google it and see; Rosemary is native to the dry, rocky areas of the Mediterranean, especially along the coast. The genus name Rosmarinus derives from the Latin words ros and marinus which together translate to “dew of the sea.” Rosemary has been used since the time of the early Greeks and Romans. Greek scholars often wore a garland of the herb on their heads to help their memory during examinations (That’s cool!). In the Ninth Century, Charlemagne insisted that the herb be grown in his royal gardens. The Eau de Cologne that Napoleon Bonaparte wore was made with rosemary (!?). The herb was also the subject of many poems and was mentioned in five of Shakespeare’s plays. About time I brought it inside!

Thanks for reading and see ya next month.

The Miscellaneous GardenerBy Richard W. Perkins

Freelance Writer

Winter: Why Leave Them Outside?

Editors Note: Check out Richard’s photography at; rwperkinsphotography.com

Paperwhite Bulbs in Wooden Boxes—The fragrance of paperwhite bulbs is so lovely and welcome in the winter and this simple gift will provide weeks of anticipation as the bulbs grow and bloom. A great gift choice for families ….all paperwhites need is sun and water. It is that simple! Available at Barlow’s

Birdie Cottage—This adorable bird seed cottage is made of millet, safflower, canola and sunflower and wild birds love it! Can be placed on a windowsill or hung from a tree. Other novel styles are available. Made in USA. Available at Barlow’s

Snowman Birdfeeder—This festive holiday feeder attracts birds during the winter and all seasons. It dispenses black oil or safflower seed through the large, all-over mesh feeding area. The snowman is chew proof to squirrels and will last for many seasons. 15” tall. No/No Wild Bird Feeder Company

Lace Peony Birdbath—The peony design by Burley Clay Products embodies romance and prosperity and it’s regarded as an omen of good fortune and a happy marriage. The top and bottom are separate but are enforced with a lock-top design to

prevent tipping. Available in seven lovely shades and made in USA. Available at Barlow’s.

Through The Years Christmas Platter—A beautiful and traditional piece that can be cherished

and displayed each year as a reminder of special times and the love of family. Available at Barlow’s

Blessings to all at Christmas and in the New Year!

Till next time, Leslie

Garden ShoppingBy Leslie BarlowGarden Educator

Editor’s Note: Leslie Barlow is co-owner of Barlow Flower Farm in Sea Girt, NJ, one of the largest retail growers in NJ since 1983. She has appeared on News 12 NJ and has been a guest speaker at local garden clubs. She is a Certified Staging Professional™ with a specialty in Curb Appeal. She has been gardening for many years and is always at trade shows hunting for useful accessories for the home garden. For product information she can be reached at 732-449-9189 [email protected].

Garden Products Make Great Holiday Gifts


G a r d e n e r N e w sThe Premier Gardening Monthly Newspaper

Number 140 Published Monthly

Contact InformationPhone: 908.604.4444Website: www.GardenerNews.comE-Mail: [email protected]

StaffExecutive Editor/ Publisher . . . . Tom CastronovoArt Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Justin KukucAdvertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Castronovo

December Columnists Tom Castronovo Todd Pretz Tim Hionis Jody Shilan Evan Dickerson Bob LaHoff Paul Kneeland Peter Melick Craig Korb Richard Perkins Douglas H. Fisher Larry Katz Leslie Barlow

Contributing Writers Bruce Crawford Kathleen Salisbury Jeannie Geremia Dennis O’Brien Rosalie Bliss Sharon Durham Marcia Wood

Gardener News is published monthly by

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Warren, NJ 07059Subscription Information

Subscription: One year by mail $26.00The Gardener News invites correspondences on gardening subjects of interest. Gardener News, Inc, and its Publisher reserve the right to accept, refuse, or discontinue any editorial or copy, and shall not be liable to anyone for printing errors, misinformation or omissions in editorial or copy. The information contained in articles herein represents the opinions of the authors and, although believed to be accurate and complete, is not represented or warranted by Gardener News, Inc. to be accurate or complete.All advertising is subject to the Gardener News advertisement rates, and must be PAID IN FULL at time of submission. Publisher reserves the right at its absolute discretion, and at any time, to cancel any advertising order or reject any advertising copy whether or not the same has already been acknowledged and/or previously published. In the event of errors or omissions of any advertisement(s), the newspapers liability shall not exceed a refund of amounts paid for the advertisement.NOTE: All editorial, advertising layouts and designs and portions of the same that are produced and published by Gardener News, Inc., are the sole property of Gardener News, Inc. and may not be reproduced in any form unless written authorization is obtained from the publisher. POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to: Gardener News, 16 Mount Bethel Rd - #123, Warren, NJ 07059.(c) 2014 Gardener News, Inc.

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TIP OF THE MONTHNow is a great time to stock up on all of your de-icing products, if you haven’t already done so. Don’t wait until the first flakes begin to fly. Sand, coffee grounds, kitty litter, sawdust and ashes make a great environmentally-friendly way to help increase traction on ice.

Full Moon, December 6, 2014

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Burlington County Teen Named 2015 NJ Agricultural Fair Ambassador

Jersey Agricultural Fair Ambassador. The 16-year-old Seneca High School Junior was selected from among seven contestants by the Agriculture Fair Association of New Jersey during the group’s fall dinner on November 1 in Easthampton.

“Kirsten has a great passion for horses and the New Jersey agriculture industry, which has led her to attain this great honor,” said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher. “Kirsten will be a wonderful spokesperson as she attends our state’s agricultural fairs next summer, inspiring other young people to get involved in agricultural youth organizations.”

As ambassador, Jeansson is Photo of Kirsten Jeansson charged with visiting the state’s agricultural fairs in 2015, discussing the fairs, promoting agritourism to the public and bringing people together to support the state’s agriculture industry.

Being named Agricultural Fair Ambassador is not the first honor Jeansson has received for her involvement in New Jersey agriculture. She is the current New Jersey 4-H Equestrian of the Year and the Burlington County Farm Fair Queen.

Jeansson did not grow up on a farm but came to agriculture through her love of horses. She rides every day and cares for her horse through the Gleneayre Work-to-Ride Program. She now says she plans to follow a career path into equine management or equine science.

“Agriculture expands much farther beyond the corn field and each facet in the industry allows New Jersey to be known as the Garden State,” said Jeansson. “My involvements in the equine as well as the agricultural industries have played a key role in deciding what I wish to pursue for a career in the future.”

Besides being a 4-H member and participating in numerous equine events, Jeansson is an honor roll student, writes for the school newspaper, on student government and is a Senior Girl Scout.

This is the 12th year the Agricultural Fair Association of New Jersey has named an ambassador. In choosing an ambassador, the Association seeks a good representation of young people active in agriculture in the Garden State and their county fair.

There were 20 agricultural fairs in the state this past summer, including the New Jersey State Fair at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. The earliest fair is held in June, with the final fair of the season in September.

For more information on New Jersey’s agricultural fairs, visit www.njagfairs.com.

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Sweet surprises. Family traditions. Joyful gatherings. We love to celebrate the

holidays with handmade desserts and all of our favorite dishes. This year, stop by

Kings to get inspired and make those meals the best ones yet. You’ll discover rare and

unique ingredients that will put a new twist on a classic family feast, and get a helping

hand with the amazing selection of chef-inspired dishes crafted by our catering team.

For a delicious and inspiring holiday, count on Kings.

Follow us for fresh updates #kingsfoodmarkets ©2014 Kings Food Markets

inspiration strikes

Spiced Apple Cranberry PieFind your inspiration with

the season’s best recipes at

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