Annual training presentation for new Pulaski County Master Gardener class.

1. Master Gardener Presentation
U Of A Extension Headquarters
Wednesday, August 31st 2016
Presented By: Josh Hardin
Hardin Family Farm/ Laughing Stock Farm
Fall & Winter Gardening In Arkansas

2. Beat The Heat And Eat All Winter
 Introduction
 Preparing Soil
 What to plant?
 When to plant?
 Organic disease &
pest control
 Wrap-up & Questions

3. What do we do at Laughing Stock Farm?
 2-3 Acre Certified Organic Fruit and
Vegetable farm
 Farmer’s Market Sales(Dogtown, Hillcrest,
River Market, littlerock.locallygrown.net,
Conway.locallygrown.net, Restaurants,
Wholesale (River Valley, Whole Foods,
Edwards Food Giant)
 New South Grower’s Cooperative
 Multiple layer insect disease prevention and
management approach called IPM
(Integrated Pest Management)

6. • Cover crops do a lot of
the work if planned and
timed
• Summer options include
Sorghum Sudan,
buckwheat
• Clovers, legumes, grasses
for Fall cover
• Need to chop well and
incorporate 2-3 weeks
before planting
Soil Preparation

7. Drip Irrigation, Landscape Fabric, Drainage
 Moisture Management is
critical for plant health
 Drip is the most economic
way to water
 Water the crops and not
the weeds
 Reusable if collected
timely and stored properly

8. pH is Critical in Nutrient Availability

9. What To Grow?

10. Growing Sweet Potatoes
• Choosing slips or growing
your own is an important
decision
• Plant in late May-Early
June
• Mulch to keep weeds out
• Sweet potatoes do not like
compacted soil

11. Sweet Potatoes

12. Winter Squash/Pumpkins

13. Growing Winter Squash/Pumpkins
 In small gardens you must
choose summer squash or
winter squash
 Need large blocks
between and good
rotation
 Use insect row covers until
bloom

14. Using Powdered Kaolin Clay (Surround)
 Clay creates a physical
barrier.
 Protects against Squash
Bugs, Stink Bugs, Cucumber
Beetles, Aphids, Whiteflies
 Cools the plant during
excess heat
 Mix fertilizers, insecticides,
and surfactants with
Surround for long lasting
protection

15. Beets are Back!
 Seed through September
 Thin to 6” apart
 Use insect row cover
 Keep watered
regularly

16. Carrots
 Plant Aug-Sep
 Keep moisture with poly
fabric and sprinklers
 Thin plants to 4-6”
 Insect row fabric can cool
and prevent bug damage

17. Leafy Greens (Salad Mix, Spinach)
 Choose heat tolerant
varieties for early fall
planting
 Spacing depends on head
lettuce vs. spring mix
 Every green can be
spaced closer and picked
young from chard and
collards to kale and
broccoli

18. What is IPM?
 Every slice of the
pie counts
 Extension
provides free soil
samples
 Can also test for
many specific
nutrient
disorders and
insects

20. Using Sticky Traps to Monitor
 1 trap per 5 plants
 Place some near corners
and edges of garden to
detect movement into
garden
 When juveniles become
present in 30% of traps
begin spray program

21. Using Cover Crops to Attract Good Insects
 Buckwheat works great
and produces quick
blooms in spring,
summer, and fall
 Winter Mixes help keep
beneficials in the off-
season
 Keep flowering natives
for all seasons to
maintain populations

22. Using Beneficial Insects
 Ladybugs and Lacewings
love Aphids
 Assassin bugs eat many
destructive pests
 Minute Pirate Bug- Attacks
juveniles of many pests
 Beneficial Nematodes-
Attack pests in the soil
(Arbicoorganics.com)

23. What Organic Insecticides Work?
 Concentrated pyrethrin 5-
6% is effective but not by
itself
 Must be mixed with
surfactant and pH balanced
to work well
 Can use sulfur (or Lime),
along with Yucca extract as a
surfactant (ThermX)
 Essentria G- Granulated to
help with emerging insects
 Diatomaceous Earth-
Cheapest but only works for
soft bodied insects

24. Biological Controls
 Mycotrol- Myco(fungus)
based pest control and
prevention (broad spectrum)
 Entrust- Spinosad (also in
Monterey Garden Spray)
 (Flea Beetles, Fire Ants,
Colorado Potato Beetle,
Fleas)
 Actinovate- Natural bacteria
that feed on common
disease organisms

25. Wrap-Up
 Successful production of every
vegetable depends on the
health of the whole system
 Use journals or electronic
devices to record what works
and doesn’t on individual pests
& diseases
 Also record basic environmental
info during outbreaks

26. Thank you!
 Find us on
facebook
 Laughing Stock
Farm
 laughingstockfarm
s@gmail.com