Carlton County Extension Connection
May 2024
Greetings from your Extension Educator
Happy May! I am really hoping our April showers (rain or snow) can bring us some May flowers. As gardening and planting season begins to inch closer, I want to remind you that we are here to help. Whether you have gardening questions, are in need of fertilizer recommendations, or pasture grazing needs, please think of us here at Extension. We can be reached by phone, email or stop by the office. We are happy to help!
Best,
Mercedes
Selecting cut flowers for the home gardener
Who doesn't love flowers? Come learn about the best cutting varieties in our area to allow for beautiful bouquets all summer long! From beginner friendly to the more advanced, there's a flower out there for the home gardener. From one flower enthusiast to another, Carlton County Extension Educator Mercedes Moffett will guide us through making your cut flower selections.
Thursday, May 16, 2024, 6-7:30 pm, Carlton County Transportation Building, 1630 County Rd. 61, Carlton
$5 at the door, 18 and under are free. Handouts and door prizes are included with admission.
Please call 218-384-8684 or email rustx048@umn.edu to pre-register.
Master Gardener Plant Sale
Join the Carlton County Master Gardeners for their annual plant sale. Lots of perennials, vegetable starts, bulbs etc. will be available for $2, $3, and $5, as well as a gardening white elephant table. Your local experts will be available to answer all of your gardening questions.
Saturday, June 1st, 2024, 9 am until sell out
Veteran's Park Pavilion, 508 Cloquet Ave., Cloquet
Warmer winter presents benefits and challenges to soils
Authors: Michael Schmidt, associate dean of Extension; Carl Rosen, Extension educator; and Heidi Roop, director of the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership
Coming out of a record-setting warm winter season, those involved with gardens and lawns should consider how our soils and soil fertility have been impacted by this past winter’s unusual temperatures and moisture patterns. So, what soil processes and conditions have been affected by this past winter?
Moisture levels
To understand how our current weather patterns can impact our garden soil, we need to look at the role that soil moisture might play. After gardens and lawns end their season (either harvest or dormancy), recharging soil moisture becomes a significant issue as the plants have used soil moisture throughout the growing season. When plant growth ends or subsides, the goal is to have precipitation go into the soil and fill soil pores.
Fall rains can be very effective for recharging soil moisture. But when the soil freezes, most additional rain or snow does not enter the soil. This moisture will probably run off during the late winter or spring thaw.
In areas that received sufficient rainfall, the amount of precipitation entering the soil has been much greater due to the record-setting winter warmth and minimal frost conditions. In drier regions of the state, this only pertains to the potential for soil moisture recharge.
Fertility: microbes and nutrients
How can such a mild winter affect soil fertility? While temperature influences soil's physical and chemical properties, its effect is relatively insignificant. However, biological properties and processes are greatly affected by temperature.
Consider all the microbes that live in our soils and the work they do decomposing organic materials (plant residue, compost, manures, leaves, etc.) that are added to the soil. As a rule of thumb, for every 18°F increase in temperature microbial activity doubles. As there is essentially no activity in frozen soil, this winter has benefitted the microbes in our soils, composting piles and containers.
The microbes were more active in the soil and decomposed more in the past few months than normal. This results in more nutrients being available for plants to take up in the next growing season.
Keep in mind that the nutrients of most significance in organic material decomposition from a soil fertility perspective are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S). So all the nutrients from the existing soil organic matter and added organic amendments will have some extra, positive effect this growing season — assuming they are not lost.
The delicate balance of N
The primary concern with nutrient loss is nitrogen, especially when organic amendments or fertilizer are added in the fall. More specifically, as organic N transforms into plant-available N, the form is ammonium N, which is fairly stable in the soil.
But when soil temperatures rise above 50°F, microbes in the soil can easily convert this ammonium N to nitrate N, a form of N that is mobile in the soil and can be lost through leaching with abundant spring rainfall or via denitrification later this season if the soil gets saturated for an extended period. Thus, a warm winter will likely result in somewhat higher quantities of nitrate N in our soils this spring.
This situation can lead to greater pollution potential from soils to our waters. High quantities of nitrate N in the soil always have the potential to be lost depending on the soil and climatic conditions. The presence of elevated nitrates in the spring has a greater potential environmental impact as plant uptake is minimal, and spring usually has significant rainfall that can cause leaching from soils.
Turf vs. gardens: different N scenarios
Nitrogen management is more of a concern with turf than with a garden this spring. It is commonly recommended to add fertilizer N in the fall with turf, and with the warmer soils this past season, there was more time for the N to convert to nitrate N by the spring-rain season. The fertilizer is inorganic N and the conversion to nitrate N is more rapid with warmer soils. So significant nitrate will probably be present in the spring — and there is potential to lose this nitrate N.
Fortunately, lawns start growing more rapidly and will uptake the nitrate N much earlier this spring. For gardens, adding compost, manures and other organic matter in the fall is not as concerning as fertilizer because these organic N sources must be decomposed first.
While the overall load of nitrate leaching to water systems is relatively low in both scenarios, everyone should manage N to lessen any potential loss of N.
While this year’s weather may be increasing nitrate N in the soil, the most prudent management practice we can do regularly is to not overapply N on our lawns or in our gardens.
Follow the recommended guidelines.
Spring ahead with caution
With record-high temps at the time of this writing, it is tempting to be out planting early this spring. Soil temperatures far above normal might suggest that seeds can be planted with acceptable germination. However, planting seeds and transplants this season should focus on average last-frost dates rather than soil temperatures.
Early planting could result in some early growth, but many of our favorite garden plants are temperature-sensitive and can be cut short by frosts later this spring. And we have yet to see what the rest of April will bring.
Free vegetable seeds available
The Lake and Pines Community Action Council has once again provided free vegetable seeds to Carlton County households. Seeds are available at the Extension Office until they run out. Please contact the office for availability. Happy planting!
Local author and naturalist, Larry Weber presents at the March Community Connect class. The topic was "Butterflies of the North Woods." If you missed the class you can call the office for information on creating a butterfly garden or for your yard to become a certified Monarch way station. 🦋
Save the Date: Breakfast on the Farm June 29th
Mark your calendars to come enjoy breakfast on the farm hosted by Duane Laveau and Family. The event will be held on June 29th from 8-12 on the farm. Come enjoy a free breakfast and get a tour of the farm. Watch for more updates to come.
Save the Date: Peony Field Tour
Save the date for a tour of a large peony cut flower operation in Carlton County! Kavanaugh Peonies will be opening their gardens for flower lovers to see. Kavanaugh Peonies has deep connections to world renowned peony grower Don Hollingsworth and has some unreleased varieties on his operation! Hold your calendar to come see the beautiful blooms at Kavanaugh Peonies the last week of June. $20 cash or check at the door, and participants will leave with a bouquet.
Carlton County SWCD Native plant and seed mix sale
Once again our friends at Carlton County Soil and Water Conservation District are taking orders for plant and seed mixes that benefit pollinators and the environment. Kits available are Monarch, pine mulch, pollinator, buckthorn replacement, deer resistant, raingarden, shady, shoreline stabilization and songbird. Click on the link to place your order and for more information. The deadline to order is June 14th.
Plat Books
Plat Books for sale!
Did you know? The Carlton County 4-H Federation has an ongoing fundraiser selling Carlton County plat books?! Currently we have plat books for the 2021 year which can be purchased at the Extension office at a reduced price of $25 instead of the regular price of $40. (cash or checks only, please). 2025 plat books will be available this fall.
Organic row crop and forage needs assessment survey
We want to hear from organic row crop and forage producers and agriculture professionals who work with organic producers! The University of Minnesota Extension Crops team would like to better understand the educational needs of our organic row crop and forage producers. To customize our educational programs to the interests of our organic producers, we would appreciate your input through the completion of the following survey.
You do not have to be currently certified organic to take this survey - you could be considering transitioning, or simply using organic practices. We would also like to hear from grain buyers, crop consultants, and other agriculture professionals who work with organic growers. This survey is anonymous and should take 8-12 minutes to complete.
Please complete our short survey. Your input will help us refine our programming to make it useful and relevant to you!
In 4-H all youth are welcome!
4-H is an out- of-school, hands-on learning program for anyone in Kindergarten through one year past high school (grade 13). You choose a project that's interesting to them and explore it with peers and caring adults. 4-H clubs are groups of youth who want to learn together and meet in every part of Minnesota.
What can I do in 4-H?
The sky's the limit! 4-H offers learning experiences in science, photography, agriculture, healthy living, civic engagement and much more. We have one-day events, year-long projects and everything in between. There are many ways to try 4-H.
For assistance with registration or printing of information please contact the Extension Office at
218-384-3511. A computer is also available for public use.
Carlton County Extension Staff
Keri Cavitt, Regional Director cavit005@umn.edu
Mandi Haglund, Principal Office & Admin. Specialist, haglu119@umn.edu
Mercedes Moffett, Agriculture Educator, moffett029@umn.edu
Ann Rust ,Vol. Coord. & Horticulture Asst., rustx048@umn.edu
Katie Siltanen, 4-H Educator, silta006@umn.edu
Contact the office
317 Chestnut Ave
P.O. Box 307 Carlton, MN 55718
218-384-3511
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