gardener

Meet Heather Zidack

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Heather ZidackHeather Zidack (‘11 CAHNR, ’12 Neag) joined the UConn Home and Garden Education Center as an educational program assistant in September. Heather works with faculty and staff at UConn to provide educational resources and answer home and gardening questions for residents statewide. She earned her bachelor of science in ornamental horticulture and her master of arts in curriculum and instruction. She worked in the horticulture industry and taught high school agriscience before returning to UConn.

What is your area of interest?

I absolutely love everything plant-related! I started with an interest very young when I would help my grandfather in his garden and never really stopped asking questions. I’ve been fortunate to work in the horticulture industry as well as in agriscience education and have always enjoyed being able to share my passion with others throughout my career.

What excites you the most about working with UConn Extension?

This job allows me to pull from many experiences and interests I’ve had over the course of my career. It allows me to share my passion with others while continuing to grow and learn about things that I enjoy!

What is one thing you hope people will learn from you and your work?

Working with plants and in the garden can be accessible and enjoyable for all. It’s a broad field and narrowing it down to find what you enjoy is half the journey!

What is your favorite thing to do in Connecticut?

I love to go to Mystic Aquarium and watch the beluga whales. I could watch them all day if you let me!

What is the most unusual job you’ve had?

I’ve had some interesting design requests; I once had to help design and build haunted scarecrows for the governor’s Halloween celebration. When I was teaching, I taught a wide array of both ag-related and core curriculum topics – no two days ever felt the same!

What are some of your hobbies and other interests?

I am a gardener and have a solid collection of house plants at home. I love science fiction and fantasy. I love to play games of almost any format including video games, board games, and tabletop games. I also believe that crafting and collecting craft supplies are two separate hobbies that need their own time and attention.

I’m also a dog person! I have a 10-year-old terrier mix named Bow and I probably have more pictures of him than anything else on my phone.

Ten Tips for the April Gardener

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Ten Tips for the April Gardener

flower

Click on highlighted links for additional information.

  • Prune old, leggy growth from heather (which flowers on new growth in late summer) but prune heath (which sets its flower buds in late spring) just enough to shape it in the early spring.
  • Start dahlia tubers in pots indoors in a cool spot. Pinch back tips when they reach 6” and transplant outdoors when the ground temperature reaches 60°F.
  • Inspect houseplants for pests and use low-toxicity insecticidal controls as needed.
  • Place seedlings in cold frames around April 25 or later to harden off.
  • Continue to directly sow​ ​peas, ​carrots, ​radishes, ​lettuces, ​and​ ​spinach every two weeks through mid-May for staggered harvests.
  • Spread​ ​fertilizer​ ​under​ ​apple​ ​trees​ ​and​ ​small​ ​fruits​ ​except​ ​strawberries​ ​which​ ​are​ ​fertilized​ ​in late​ ​August.
  • Apply pre-emergent crabgrass weed control when the forsythia bloom.
  • Early spring is a great time to spot spray or hand-dig dandelions. If spraying, choose a product that won’t kill grass. If digging, wait until after a rain, when soil is soft.
  • Celebrate​ ​Arbor​ ​Day​ ​on​ ​April​ ​26th​ ​by​ ​planting​ ​a​ ​tree. Choose planting sites based on exposure to sun, shade, wind and distance from water source.
  • Check for raised mole tunnels in the yard and plan to put down a grub control product as necessary (the presence of moles does not mean there is a grub problem) between mid-June and mid-July.

For more information contact the UConn Home and Garden Education Center.

Deadline Extended for Master Gardener Program Applications

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Hartford County Master Gardener Coordinator Sarah Bailey and a Master Gardener volunteer work in Burgdorf. Photo: Chris Defrancesco.

Do you love gardening? Are you interested in expanding your knowledge and sharing that knowledge with others? Applications for the 2018 Master Gardener Program through UConn Extension are now due by Friday, November 17. Master Gardener interns receive horticultural training from UConn, and then share knowledge with the public through community volunteering and educational outreach efforts.

The 2018 class will introduce a hybrid course format. There will be 3-4 hours of online work before each of the weekly classes, and then a half-day course from 9 AM to 1 PM that runs for 16 weeks.

“Gardening and the study of it is something we can do our whole lives,” says Karen Linder, a 2015 graduate of the UConn Extension Master Gardener Program at the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford. “There is always something new to learn – we can get deeper into a subject. Our instructors truly brought subjects to life that I thought could not be made exciting. Who knew soil had so much going on? It has truly changed the way I think and observe the world around me. That is pretty amazing!”

The program is broad-based, intensive, and consists of 16 class sessions (online course work and a half-day class each week) beginning the week of January 8, 2018. The Master Gardener program includes over 100 hours of training and 60 hours of volunteer service. Individuals successfully completing the program will receive UConn Extension Master Gardener certification. The program fee is $425.00, and includes all needed course materials. Partial scholarships may be available, based on demonstrated financial need.

“I would recommend the UConn Master Gardener program to anyone with a serious desire to learn more about horticulture,” says Holly Maynard, who is graduating with the 2017 class in Hartford County. “There are some spectacularly engaging guest lecturers; this is not some amateur gardening club.”

Classes will be held in Torrington, Vernon, New Haven, New London, and Stamford. The postmark deadline for applications has been extended to Friday, November 17, 2017.

For more information or an application, call UConn Extension at 860-570-9023 or visit the UConn Extension Master Gardener website at: www.mastergardener.uconn.edu.

10 Tips for the October Gardener

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Sakata Seed America

  1. Prepare houseplants to come inside before the first frost. Scout for insects and rinse foliage and containers.
  2. Pot up tulips, hyacinths and other pre-chilled bulbs and store in a cool, dark place until ready to force. To begin pre-bloom dormancy for amaryllis, stop watering it and place in a cool, dark place.
  3. Pot up some chives and oregano to bring indoors and use all winter long. In areas not hit by frost, there is still time to harvest and dry oregano leaves.
  4. Plant bulbs: shallots and garlic for culinary use, flowering bulbs for beauty.
  5. Beets, parsnips, and carrots can be covered with a thick layer of straw or leaves and left in the ground for harvest, as needed, during the winter. Pumpkins and winter squash should have hard rinds before being picked and stored.
  6. Renovate the lawn by thatching or aerating if needed. Keep any areas seeded in September well watered.
  7. Replace spent annuals with frost tolerant hardy mums, asters, pansies or kale.
  8. Remove plant debris from the flower and vegetable gardens. Bag any diseased plant parts and put it in the trash or take it to a landfill but do not compost.
  9. Avoid the spring rush and have your soil tested now by the UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory
  10. Continue mowing the lawn until turf growth stops.

For more information, please visit the UConn Home and Garden Education Center, or call 877-486-6271.

Photo: Jude Boucher, UConn Extension