The Garden Shed

September is the beginning of the Apple Harvest Season in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Local fresh apples are available at farm markets and other retail food establishments throughout the area. Many farms allow customers to come on the farm to pick. These U-Pick apple farms not only have farm or Jersey fresh apples at reasonable prices, but also offer an educational or fun experience along with the apple harvest. These agritourism farms offer many intresteding and educational opportunites, and events for the entire family.
Our From our Farms Guide to Agricultural Products in Gloucester County lists the farms that have U-pick apples. You can contact me for a copy. The New Jersey Apples Industry Council also has a fact sheet on apples available from extension offices or linked to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture website at http://www.state.nj.us/jerseyfresh/searches/apple.htm.
We have a wide vareity of apples grown in the Middle Atlantic area, with some like Staryman Winesap, Jonathan, and Rome Beauty no longer availblee in your friendly supermarket. but ready for harvest on U-Pick fruit farms.. Apple harvest season for U-Pick orchards usually runs through Halloween.

Jerry Frecon
Agricultural Agent

Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County is now accepting applications for the 2008 Master Gardener training program. Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who assist Rutgers Cooperative Extension in delivering horticulture programs and information to the general public. Anyone with an interest in gardening and a commitment to volunteer service can become a Master Gardener. The program consists of 21 weeks of training. After the training is completed, Master Gardeners are required to volunteer 60 hours within one year of completing the program. Master Gardeners work as volunteers in a variety of areas including community beautification, horticultural therapy, childrens gardening, helpline and many others. The Gloucester County programs meets on Wednesday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting January 10, 2008. The cost for the program is a one-time fee of $175.00. For more information check out our website at http://www.gloucester.njaes.rutgers.edu or call Mary Cummings at 856-307-6450 #1 or email cummings@aesop.rutgers.edu.

Fall arrived on September 23 with cool weather on the way. That’s good news for our lawns in NJ, since our lawn grasses are primarily cool season species, such as Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass. These grasses thrive in the fall, growing vigorously, recovering from the stresses of summer and preparing for winter—provided they have adequate water and nutrition, that is. To make sure that soil fertility is within the optimum range for plant growth, (don’t guess!) soil test.

Rutgers Soil Testing Laboratory, a service unit of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, analyzes soil samples to determine essential nutrient levels and soil pH and then provides appropriate recommendations for fertilizer and limestone, if needed. For more information about soil testing at Rutgers, see http://njaes.rutgers.edu/services. Instructions can be found under the link for Soil Testing Laboratory. For more information about lawn care, see Rutgers Cooperative Extension publications at http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/category.asp?cat=5.

Jerry Frecon
Agricultural Agent