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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2020 FARMERS AND CONSUMERS MARKET BULLETIN – 404-656-3722 – agr.georgia.gov PAGE 15
Now is the best time to plant a home garden
By Bob Westerfield Some form of irrigation will be necessary to help vege-
Cooperative Extension horticulturist tables get started and maintain them through the growing
UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental season. Drip irrigation or soaker hoses are the best options to
Sciences conserve moisture and keep plants dry. Overhead irrigation,
however, can be used when it is the only option.
While adults and children spend more time at home as a Most vegetables require one to two inches of water per
result of the COVID-19 crisis, planting a garden or container week. Raised beds tend to drain much faster and may re-
garden is a great activity to plan together. It’s outside, active, quire additional applications of water. Organic mulch placed
educational and edible. With some grocery stores taking lon- around vegetable plants will help conserve moisture and help
ger than usual to stock some items, vegetable gardening is a keep weeds under control.
great way to keep your refrigerator stocked. As the season progresses, keep a careful eye on your de-
For those who have never considered growing their own veloping vegetable plants. Insects, disease and even weeds
vegetables, the task may seem daunting, but it’s actually a can take over quickly if not kept in check. Proper identifi-
very simple process. cation of the pests is essential in choosing the right control.
Vegetables need soil, sunlight, moisture and fertility. Any UGA Extension can help identify pest issues and recommend
location in your landscape that receives at least six hours of the best controls.
sunlight could be a good location for growing your crop. The Don’t let these difficult times keep you down and feeling
amount of space you have available will dictate the size of helpless. Turn your backyard into vegetable heaven and enjoy
your garden. Even very small gardens can produce a surpris- the delicious fruits of your labor. Supplies can be ordered
ing quantity of vegetables and easily feed a family of four online if you don’t want to don your mask and practice social
or more. John Michael Carter, 13, with the raised bed garden of tomatoes, distancing at your local garden center.
cucumbers, lettuce and Blue Lake beans he planted in his North
One simple method of getting started is to grow vegeta- Fulton County backyard after schools closed in March. (Amy Carter/ For additional gardening information, visit extension.
bles in raised beds. Treated lumber, two feet by six feet or GDA) uga.edu/publications to view numerous related publications.
larger, can be safely be used to form the sides of the bed. Search the topics for a specific variety you are interested in
Compost, manure or bagged topsoil are good amendments can be directly seeded into the garden with excellent success. growing, such as corn, beans, squash, okra, etc.
to use to fill the beds. Take care to plant seeds at the proper depth recommend- Other suggested publications include:
Summer vegetables can typically be planted through ed on the seed packet. Apply a light starter fertilizer, such as • Home Gardening (Bulletin 577)
June, but with the cooler temperatures we have been having, 5-10-15, at planting time to give vegetables initial nutrition. • Vegetable Gardening in Georgia (Circular 963)
there is plenty of time to start a home garden. More fertilizer should be applied after vegetables have been • Vegetable Garden Calendar (Circular 943)
I would suggest purchasing transplants of tomatoes, pep- pollinated and are developing tiny fruits. • Weed Control Options for the Home Vegetable Gardener
pers and eggplants. Theses crops do not establish easily if Soil testing, available through your local University of (Circular 1144)
planted directly into the garden from seed. Other vegetables, Georgia Cooperative Extension office, is the best way to • Raised Beds vs. In-Ground Gardens (Circular 1027-3)
such as squash, corn, cucumbers, beans, okra and melons, know the true nutritional needs of your garden soil. • Growing Vegetables Organically (Bulletin 1011)
reCover: Coronavirus, market competition make recovery difficult
Continued From Page 1
“We would have peaked in the last four- added, “We’ve been reduced to a two-pick one day. Crosby said.
to-five days, but because of the quantity of crop this year. That’s the word I’ve been hear- “In that field, it was the best crop I’ve had Cornelius said he understands internation-
that loss. My farm, for example, my heavier ing from a lot of farmers.” in probably seven or eight years,” Cornelius al trade is needed but thought policymakers
harvest will now be this week, and it won’t be Recent data from the United States De- said. “Between hurricanes, cold events and should consider factors like labor cost in set-
as heavy as last week,” he said. “The last five partment of Agriculture showed that Georgia pollination issues over the last, probably, five ting trade rules.
days would have been my heaviest harvest, was expecting a healthy crop. Georgia led the years, this was the year I was going to get “I know that trade is required for this
and I’ve lost that.” nation with 21,700 harvested acres for 2019. kind of squared back up with everybody.” country, but we compete against segments
Blueberry growers can pick bushes four to According to the USDA, production was up All said recovery will be slow. The more of the world that have labor costs that are 10-
five times a season with the second pick usu- 76 percent, and the value of production was significant concern is the markets. 15 percent of what ours is,” Cornelius said.
ally being the largest. However, the tornados up 52 percent from the 2018 hurricane-dam- “The coronavirus has really damaged the “When you’re in a crop that 60-70 percent of
damaged a lot of berries on the bush. These aged crop. market demand, and anytime you have re- your cost is labor, that is hard to overcome.”
“split berries,” as Crosby described them, can Tornados were reported in Mitchell and duced demand, you then have reduced pric- Joe Young said he had seen beef prices
recover, but it takes time and the right con- Colquitt counties where significant damage ing,” Crosby said. also drop for him since the pandemic began.
ditions. Heavy rain and cooler temperatures occurred. Another round of tornados followed For Georgia blueberry growers, the con- He was frustrated because while there are cat-
after the tornados prevented salvaging of roughly along Ga. Highway 122 between Adel cern has also been in-season competition tle in the fields, it is difficult getting them to
the damaged berries, so growers had to pick and Waycross, which Crosby described as the from imports. Crosby wondered why retail- processors due to coronavirus concerns.
through the damage and set up for the next heart of Georgia’s blueberry industry. ers would stock imported berries when local “They’re just not bringing anything, and
harvest. Joe Cornelius, a blueberry farmer in Man- growers are harvesting and certainly need the I’m ready to have to sell some calves off. My
“It’s taken us seven-to-10 days to pick it or, said the tornado was particularly discour- business. calves come in June, and if something doesn’t
out, so for seven-to-10 days our volume is se- aging for him following hurricanes Michael “They made a business decision with disre- happen, I’m basically going to be giving them
verely reduced because we’ve had to discard and Irma and other setbacks. He said he lost gard to American-grown and Georgia-grown. away.”
the damaged product,” Crosby said. He later 70 percent of his crop in one of his fields in They are just chasing an almighty dollar,”
animals: If you’re exposed to COVID-19, limit contact with your animals
Continued From Page 1
does all this mean for you? Most important- such as trying to arrange for someone else COVID-19 don’t automatically need to be We’re learning more about SARS-CoV-2
ly, right now it doesn’t appear that domestic to care for your animals as long as you’re tested, either. There are specific criteria out- and COVID-19 every day. As time passes,
animals are involved in spreading SARS- affected. If you are in a situation where you lined by our State Veterinarian and State we’ll have a much better understanding of
CoV-2. If you are not affected by COVID-19, need to interact with your pet, service ani- Public Health Veterinarian to determine if an how the virus spreads among people and
then simply use healthy habits when interact- mal, livestock or other animals while affect- animal should be tested because it has clini- what role, if any, animals might play. In
ing with animals and be sure to wash your ed by COVID-19, be sure to wash your hands cal signs and is known to have been exposed the meantime, check out resources on in-
hands after handling animals, feed or waste. regularly, consider wearing a cloth face cov- to a person with COVID-19. Consult your teracting with animals if you’re affected by
If you are affected by COVID-19, there ering, and avoid hugging, kissing or sharing veterinarian remotely if you are affected by COVID-19 at our website: http://agr.georgia.
are good practices outlined by CDC that you food with them. COVID-19 and have questions regarding gov/COVID-19.aspx#animals.
can follow when interacting with animals, Animals that are exposed to people with your pets or other animals.
BeGin aGain: GDA personnel continue to serve with grateful hearts
Continued From Page 1
temperatures every morning. Masks will be right-of-way tonight I witnessed one clear type of friends. Energy drink and beer con- Now I’ve seen it all. Regrettably, improper
prevalent and social distancing practiced. indicator that perhaps normal is beginning tainers topped tonight’s offering, followed trash disposal seems to have survived the
But this team will be serving you and we to begin again. All of my friends who leave by empty cigarette packages, a shredded, pandemic.
are grateful for the opportunity. me roadside gifts – otherwise known a dud lottery card (shredded because I did God bless you as you and your family
And now back to my “roadside gifts.” trash – seem to be easing back into normal not stop quickly enough) and a sleeve that begin to begin normal again, albeit differ-
During my zero-turn session in the behavior. I bet many of you have the same previously held a serving of cheese curds. ent.