Pickles, Peaches and Pansies
Quarterly Newsletter
July-August 2015
Pickles
By Rafash Brew
LSU AgCenter AREA HORTICULTURE SPECIALIST
Think, Thank, Thump
Watermelons
Summer just would not be summer without the sweet, juicy taste of
watermelon. Especially in Union
Parish, being the home of the Louisiana Watermelon Festival. This
year is no exception, but when will
the sweet juicy taste be here? When
will the melons be ripe? How do you
know that the melon is ripe or at its
peak maturity? These are the questions many people want to know.
These
are
the
questions, posed
to many extension
agents and
watermelon
growers
throughout
the south.
Do not allow choosing a watermelon
to be complexing.
Grocery stores strive to have the
first melons in their store for consumers. Some grocery stores have
melons for sale as early as May.
Melons for sale in Louisiana as early
as May in most cases were grown in
South America or Mexico. Thereby
some quality is sacrificed due to the
shipping and/or extensive shelf life.
Louisiana-grown melons generally mature as early as June. Washington Parish, one of the southernmost parishes in Louisiana which
grows a considerable amount of
watermelons, has a parish wide
watermelon festival. They have
a growing season about two
weeks earlier than Union Parish,
and in some cases they may
have melons perhaps two weeks
earlier than Union Parish. When
it comes to proving who has the
best overall watermelon in interior quality, they have to travel to
the state watermelon festival
held only here in Union Parish.
They have traveled here for
years to compete.
The Interior Quality Competition of the Louisiana Watermelon
Festival may be one of the most
educational parts of the Louisiana Watermelon Festival. This
competition is sponsored by the
Farmerville Jaycees and the LSU
AgCenter. This competition has
grown over the years with a lot of
high quality entries from the highly competitive spirited watermelon growers of Union Parish. The
melons are not judged based on
looks and taste alone. The sugar
content is measured and recorded on each melon using a refractometer. A refractometer
measures the sugar content, or
soluble solids, from the juice of
the watermelon; technically
known as brix.
How do we know that these
melons are ripe? Perhaps the
first thing someone may take into
account in figuring if a melon is
ripe is to look at the number of
days to maturity for a particular
variety. For instance, some varieties like the traditionally grown
Jubilee watermelon mature in
Rafash E. Brew
Area Horticulture
Specialist
Northeast Region
Union Parish Office
210 East Water Street
Farmerville, LA 71241
318-368-9935 (office)
318-355-3038 (cell)
Ouachita Parish Office
704 Cypress Street
Monroe, LA 71291
318-323-2251 (office)
318-355-3038 (cell)
Email:
[email protected]
www.lsuagcenter.com
Contributor:
Dr. Allen D. Owings
Professor
LSU AgCenter
Hammond Research
Station
985-543-4125
July-August 2015
Pickles, Peaches and Pansies
Continued Pickles
about 120 days depending on
growing conditions. This variety would have to be planted
March 1st to be ripe by July
4th. Planting in the field March
1st, growers assume the risk of
late freeze or frost damage.
Days to maturity will vary
somewhat with the variety, but
respond more readily to the
temperature when planted. A
June-planted watermelon will
mature in 75 to 80 days; and a
March-planted melon will require 95 to 100 days to reach
maturity. There are some varieties which mature in as few as
70 to 85 days. Summer Flavor
710, Starbrite, Stars N Stripes
and Sugar Baby are varieties
which mature within 85 days.
Planting these varieties in midMarch under excellent cultural
practices produces high quality
melons by mid-June. Many
growers start the seed of these
plants in the greenhouse to
avoid late freeze or frost damage. Plants are grown two
weeks in the greenhouse and
planted in the field in early
April. Growers strive to produce melons prior to July 4.
Melons ready for market prior
to July 4 bring a better price in
the market.
These 85-day melons are hybrids with higher sugar content
than that of the traditional Jubilee variety. By taking into account the number of days to
maturity, growers can forecast
the maturity of their melons
quite easily.
Harvesting watermelon may
be a fun time for the family to
play a guessing game, especially
the first watermelon of the season.
The first sign to look for in the home
garden is the turning brown of the
first curling tendril or curlicue from
where the fruiting stem joins the
vine. The melon is mature or close
to maturity when the tendril becomes dry and brown. Many gardeners when harvesting, may use
the brown tendril technique in combination with harvesting when the
ground spot on the belly of the watermelon has turned yellow in color.
This method assures a ripe watermelon without the thumping method.
Cut the watermelon from the vine
with a 2-to 3-inch stem. Always
place the watermelon in a shaded
area immediately after cutting to
avoid sunscald.
What about the consumer? How do
they know an excellent watermelon
by just looking or thumping them in
the store?
Regardless if we are checking maturity or not we just cannot cut a watermelon without thumping it several
times. This is an excellent method
of checking maturity of watermelon
in the grocery store. Thumping or
patting the melon produces a pitch. A hollow sound
produced when the watermelon is thumped or patted indicates a ripe watermelon or in most cases
picking a baritone or bass
sounding fruit assures maturity.
Another easy method is
simply rubbing your hand
across the top of the watermelon and feeling for a
rough surface on the melon. A sandpaper type fin-
ish on top of the melon is a
surefire way to say that the
melon is ripe.
One last strategy an individual could try; although this is
not scientific, is the old broom
straw trick. Place your watermelon on a flat surface. Take
a strait straw from an old long
straw broom and balance the
broom straw across the watermelon. If the straw turns
strait along with the melon,
maturity is assured. Many
people have their signature
means of determining ripeness. Give some of these
methods a try.
Moon and Star Watermelon Variety
July-August 2015
Pickles, Peaches and Pansies
Plant Pumpkin Now for Fall Decorations
PEACHES
By Rafash Brew
LSU AgCenter Area Horticulturist
Throughout the country side over recent years many front
lawns have proven that no Halloween or Thanksgiving
would be complete without the bright orange pumpkins
that signal harvest season. Many home owners are
spending money on fall displays which include pumpkin
as part of the display. As familiar a sight in fall as falling
leaves, pumpkin makes fine pies and baked dishes, as
well as jack-o-lanterns. It should be noted that of course
pumpkin are not used only for displays but the average
person consumes approximately .6 pound of pumpkin per
year, compared to 14.5 pounds per average person per
year of watermelon.
Pumpkin, the popular name given to the fruits certain
varieties of Cucurbita Pepo, a tender plant related to the
Gourd. The fruits, which may reach an immense size,
are born on long, sprawling, prostrate vines. The term
pumpkin is not applied with exactitude. Sometimes varieties of Cucurbita moschata and C. maxima are called
Pumpkins as well as varieties of C. Pepo; and other varieties of C. Pepo are known as squash. The term squash
is sometimes restricted to varieties of C. maxima.
The orange, furrowed fruits of jack-o’-lantern or sugar
pumpkins grow on sprawling, prostrate vines with prickly
stems and leafstalks and large, lobed, triangular leaves.
They are closely related to several kinds of squash, including acorn and zucchini squash. These pumpkins seldom weigh more than 2-20 pounds, some miniature
pumpkins weigh only 1-2 pounds. Many are normally
grown for decoration or their edible flesh is the nakedseeded varieties, which have hull-less, edible seeds.
Mammoth pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) is related to
Hubbard pumpkin and other winter squashes. The very
large, pinkish-orange or gray fruits are usually pearshaped, often bulging where they touch the ground. They
grow on prostrate annual vines with blunt, round or heartshaped leaves and yellow flowers. This particular variety
of pumpkin may be grown for prize-winning fruit weighing
excess of 100 pounds.
Pumpkins for Halloween should be planted in
early to mid-July. Apply 3-5 pounds of a complete
fertilizer for each 100 feet of row before planting.
Plant five to six seed in hills about 4 to 5 feet apart
on rows 6 to 8 feet apart. Thin to one or two plants
per hill. Apply a side-dressing of 1 pound (1 pint) of
ammonium nitrate per 100 feet of row when vines
begin to run. Keep soil moist for best production.
Howden and Biggie are excellent varieties to grow
for Halloween. The Connecticut Field is an old, popular variety. Recommended varieties of giant pumpkins are Big Moon, Full Moon, Big Max, Atlantic Giant and Prize Winner. The medium-size varieties
that have done well in research trials are Spirit, Lumina, Big Autumn, Gold Rush, Autumn Gold, Gold
Bullion, Howdy Doody, Dependable, Gold Medal,
Merlin and Sorcerer, Frosty, Big Autumn, Neon,
Magic Lantern and Aspen produce a dwarf vine that
should be tried in home gardens. Many ornamental
pumpkins like Jack-Be-Little, Baby Bear, Munchkin
and Lil Ironsides can also be planted.
Harvesting of pumpkins can begin when they are
fully colored and their shell is hard or after a light
frost has killed the vines. Leaving a 3 inch stem
stub attached to the fruit and stored in a cool dry
place tends to help the pumpkin to keep for several
months however, they do lose flavor in long storage.
The cooked flesh of pumpkin freezes well.
Pumpkin can be purchased from numerous roadside
stands, farmers markets as well as grocery stores.
Consumers should look for and buy the different
shapes, sizes and colors of pumpkin to add to their
holiday season. Check your region for farm tours
with pumpkin patches available. Remember going
to pumpkin patches and allowing the youth to pick
their own pumpkin creates a lot of fun.
July-August 2015
PICKLES
Plan Now for Strawberry
Planting
By Rafash Brew Area Horticulturist
For years gardeners have grown the
strawberry plant as a perennial with
limited success. In Louisiana the
greatest production is achieved from
plants grown as annuals and some
growers in our parish are producing
strawberries with some great success.
Speaking of plants the first step in
successful strawberry production is
choosing varieties adapted to the
areas in which they are to be grown.
The varieties at this time are:
Strawberry Festival – developed by
the University of Florida. Earliest
maturing variety, medium-long fruiting
period, light red, medium to large berries, good quality, not susceptible to
anthracnose fruit rot.
Chandler - developed by the University of California. High yields fairly
early, deep red berry, somewhat soft,
good to fair quality, susceptible to the
development of misshapen fruit when
blooming during times of low temperatures.
Camarosa - developed by the University of California. Camarosa is a little
earlier than Chandler with more firmness, well-shaped fruit with only fair
quality.
Sweet Charlie - developed by the
University of Florida. Early maturing,
short fruiting period, light red berries,
well to fair quality.
Within the last 10 years, the production of strawberry plants in Louisiana
has become extremely difficult because of the incidence of crown rot.
Few plants are produced in the state.
Growers obtain plants from commercial nurseries in California, Michigan,
Oregon and Canada (Nova Scotia).
Plants from each source have unique
characteristics and problems.
California Plants: Large leafy plants
without leaves with medium late season maturity. These plants need to
be planted in early October.
Canadian Plants: Large leafy plants
with a medium early season maturity.
Fruit tends to concentrate at midseason.Michigan Plants: Mediumsized plants with a large root system
and early season maturity.
SITE SELECTION
Strawberries should be planted in a
full sun site with deep sandy soil,
having good drainage. The recommended soil pH for strawberries
should be range from 5.2-6.0. Gardeners are urged to take soil samples and adjust the soil pH to the
desired level before transplanting. A
convenient water supply for irrigation
is desirable. Often, small plantings
(10-25 plants) are not successful
because of bird damage. For successful home garden plantings,
some type of bird netting is required.
Larger plantings (100 to 500 plants)
help to spread out the bird damage
and allow gardeners to harvest adequate berries.
Strawberries are a long-term plant
and require a considerable amount
of fertilizer to make a good crop.
From 6 to 8 pounds of 8-24-24 or
8to10 pounds of 13-13-13 per 100
feet of row is sufficient for strawberries. Fertilizer needs to be put down
in September, well ahead of planting. To avoid fertilizer burn, wait for
a rain (1 inch to 2 inch) or irrigate
before putting out mulch and planting.
Strawberries should be side dressed
in January or early February with ½
pound to 1 pound of ammonium nitrate or 1 pound to 2 pounds of calcium nitrate per 100 feet of row. Another side dressing in mid-March or
early April may be necessary if the
plants are pale green. These side
dressings help to maintain plant vigor and fruit size through the fruiting
season.
MULCHING
To prevent splashing of soil particles
on the fruit, strawberries should be
mulched. Pine straw or other natural
mulches have been used for years.
One bale of pine straw will cover a
25 to 30 foot row (75 to 100 sq. ft.)
bed. Apply the mulch in late November and December. Be sure all the
mulch is snug against the base of
the plant and that the plants are well
above the mulch.
Black plastic mulch is used widely.
The advantages of plastic mulch are
earlier fruiting, prevention of dirt
splashing on the fruit and weed con-
trol. Plastic 36 to 48 inches wide and 1
½ to 2 mil thick is the size most often
used in strawberry production. It is
important that the plastic mulch be
snug to the surface of the row and covered well on both sides of the row with
soil. Gardeners are encouraged to
have the rows settled and firmed by
rainfall or irrigate before putting out
plastic. If the soil is firm and moist at
the time of transplanting, plants will
usually not settle below the plastic,
fewer plants will die, and growth and
development of the plants will be enhanced.
TRANSPLANTING
Gardeners should transplant only welldeveloped plants, with good root systems. Best yields are usually realized
when transplanting is done in midOctober to early November. Use a
trowel to make slits to plant the plants.
A 3-6 inch slit is large enough for the
strawberry plant on plastic mulch. The
bud and crown of the plant should be
above ground and the roots below
ground level. Plants set to high will
suffer from root injury from exposure.
Those set to low will usually suffer
from bud or crown injury. Firm the
soil around the roots to prevent drying out. After the plot has been
planted, water the plants to settle
the soil around the roots.
HARVESTING
Strawberries should be harvested
when it is fully mature. Visit the garden
every other day to harvest. It will be a
race between you and the birds. Be
careful not to stack the fruit too deep in
containers to avoid bruising the berries.
Wash only the berries that you are going to eat immediately. Washing the
berries and then storing them in the
refrigerator will start a molding process. Berries should be stored in the
refrigerator immediately after harvest.
July-August 2015
PANSIES
By Allen OwingsLSU AgCenter Horticulturist
Pentas For Summer Gardens
HAMMOND,
La. – If you’re looking for
some great summer color for your
landscape beds from now through our
first killing frost this fall, the Butterfly
series of pentas will give you that, and
maybe even more.
This seed-propagated hybrid is distinctive for its compact growth habit and
flowers larger than other pentas. It also
has excellent garden performance. Superb heat and humidity tolerance make
this summer bedding plant a reliable
choice for Louisiana gardeners. Expect
excellent garden performance with this
Louisiana Super Plant.
The series includes a variety of colors
– Butterfly Deep Rose, Butterfly White,
Butterfly Blush, Butterfly Deep Pink,
Butterfly Light Lavender, Butterfly Lavender and Butterfly Red. This series of
pentas has been selected as Louisiana
Super Plants by the LSU AgCenter.
Pentas (Pentas lanceolata) are also
called Egyptian starflowers. The flowers are highly attractive to butterflies
and hummingbirds. The Butterfly series are great nectar plants. Clusters of
five-petaled flowers are produced continuously all summer from spring to
first frost. A single plant may produce
15 to 20 flower clusters at one time.
The large blooms make excellent cut
flowers.
Pentas do well when planted later in
the spring. June is not too late to consider a planting. In fact this year, pentas will do better if they are planted
later because of our cool and very wet
spring growing season.
Ideally, plant pentas 12-16 inches
apart in a well-prepared, raised landscape bed.
.
They prefer full to partial sun. The mature
height of Butterfly pentas is 18-24 inches,
and they will grow to be 12-18 inches wide.
You can also plant them in containers as a
filler or “thriller” plant.
Fertilize pentas at planting with a slowrelease fertilizer. They do not need considerable irrigation. Just water well to get them
established, then irrigate once weekly in the
absence of significant rainfall.
Remove faded blossoms and lightly pinch
overgrown plants to encourage continual
flowering. You will have an abundance of
butterflies anytime you have pentas in the
landscape, and even more butterflies when
you have Butterfly pentas.
Plant pentas in combination with the Serena
angelonias.
You could also mix them with Profusion zinnias, lantanas, coreopsis, perennial verbena,
butterfly bushes, agapanthus or ornamental
grasses if you’re looking for combination ideas.You can also consider the New Look and
Grafitti pentas, which also perform well in
Louisiana.
You can see more about work being done in
landscape horticulture by visiting the LSU
AgCenter Hammond Research Station website. Also, like us on Facebook. You can find
an abundance of landscape information for
both home gardeners and industry professionals at both sites.