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OSU Extension Muskingum County and the Muskingum County Park District are pleased to announce an upcoming opportunity to become an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist. The Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist (OCVN) program is an environmental and natural resources outreach and service program led by OSU Extension in collaboration with parks and arboretum. The mission is to promote awareness and stewardship of Ohio’s environment and natural resources through science- based education and community service. The OCVN education course helps participants gain practical knowledge of Ohio’s diverse ecology, environmental education and interpretation techniques, and the skills needed to participate in education and outreach, community science, program support, and stewardship activities.
Our program begins August 24 and the application is currently available.
Information about this course can be found at this link: Muskingum OCVN Course Webpage
More information about the program in the State of Ohio program is available here: https://ocvn.osu.edu/
This class will meet the training requirement to obtain a fertilizer applicator certification from the Ohio Department of Agriculture in lieu of taking an exam.
Who needs a fertilizer certification?:
Fertilizer certification is required if you apply fertilizer (other than manure) to more than 50 acres used for agricultural production grown primarily for sale. If you have the co-op or other custom applicator make your fertilizer applications, you do not need the certification.
Session details:
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Rural Services Building
225 Underwood St
Zanesville, OH 43701
No Cost
RSVP by March 17, 2023
For More Information or to RSVP, contact:
Clifton Martin, Extension Educator
740-454-0144
martin.2422@osu.edu
Late Last Spring Freeze Date
Muskingum County
20F: Apr 6
25F: Apr 16
28F: Apr 29
30F: May 4
32F: May 14
35F: May 22
40F: Jun 1
“An application of a starter fertilizer at transplanting will help tomato plants grow faster and flower sooner.”
“In addition to starter fertilizer, tomatoes need 2 to 3 pounds of a complete fertilizer, such as 6-24-24, 6-12-18, and 8-16-16 per 100 square feet of garden area, or apply fertilizer based on soil test recommendations.”
“Determinate (D) tomato plants grow to a certain height and then stop. They also flower and set all their fruits within a relatively short period of time. This is an advantage if the tomatoes are being grown primarily for canning purposes. Determinate plants tend to be smaller plants, and are better suited for caging, staking, or containers.”
“Heirloom tomatoes are gaining popularity. There are quite a few good heirloom varieties that are worth noting. Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, and Rutgers are several popular heirloom varieties.”
“Another characteristic to look for when choosing tomato cultivars is disease resistance. Many cultivar names are followed by one or more letters indicating resistance to Verticillium wilt (V), Fusarium wilt (F), nematodes (N), Tobacco Mosaic Virus (T), Alternaria stem canker (ASC), and Septoria leaf spot (L).”
“Blossom-end rot is characterized as a dry, sunken, black spot or area on the blossom end of the fruit (Figure 10). This problem is not caused by an infectious disease, but rather an insufficient supply of calcium in the fruit due to cold soil, pH imbalance, water stress, excessive nitrogen, and possibly limited availability of calcium in soil.”
“Poor fruit set can be caused by extreme temperatures, drought, shading, and excessive nitrogen applications.”
The above quotes are from Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden, HYG-1624.
Rainfall trends continue to remain dry, but drought is still only used to describe conditions in the western states at this time. However, rainfall totals at the Zanesville Airport are only 13.11 inches for the year, which is nearly at midpoint on the calendar, and presumably is a significant deficit. Isolated storms have benefited some, but this is a trend we are watching. Reports out of western Ohio include much more severe rainfall and storms.
The growing degree calculator from Ohio State shows 1,333 growing degree days for the 43701 zipcode today. This is higher than any of the past six years. A review of the daily temperature record indicates the majority of above average heat accumulation occurred in March and April.
The crabgrass in my yard is coming in strong. At this point, it is what it will be for the year since any crabgrass control is really an early spring activity if using a preemergent herbicide. Lawn repair is best left as a late summer and early fall activity to maintain a healthy vibrant lawn to manage for subsequent years.
Lightning bugs have put on a display the last few evenings. Even the dog likes to sit and watch. Here’s a few facts to share with your friends: there are 170 species of fireflies in the U.S. and Canada, mostly in the East and South. Different species of fireflies will flash with different patterns and the “light” occurs from a mixture of chemicals and enzymes all as part of the mating process.
Sources:
Midwestern Regional Climate Center, https://mrcc.illinois.edu/
OSU Growing Degree Day Calculator, https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/gdd/
Crabgrass Control in Lawns for Homeowners in the Northern US, https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1308/
Lightning Bugs, Lightningbugs | Horticulture and Home Pest News (iastate.edu)