Figs Slow to Leaf Out?

We've had a lot of calls to the office recently about figs that still have put out no, or few, new leaves. We did have some unusually cold weather this past winter, and UGA's publication "Home Garden Figs" contains this caution about the relative cold-hardiness of figs in Georgia:

"There are many varieties of figs available, but only a few are well adapted to Georgia. If you want to try to grow figs in the mountains, select a protected site and try Celeste or Hardy Chicago. In addition, some varieties such as Brown Turkey will produce some figs on the current season’s growth after being killed to the ground by a freeze."

A Texas A&M webpage that contains Fig FAQs includes this statement:

"Normally we prune figs very little in Texas because of potential cold damage, ie. we usually have to prune back to live wood. This past year our varieties went dormant extremely well. We had a lot of cool, mild days prior to very hard winter freezes. The figs went through this very well and most were in great shape. Then we warmed up in February and the plants lost some of their accliminated dormancy and bam, they froze to the ground in March."

North Carolina State University's Charlotte Glen has this to add:

"The only other problem figs sometimes experience in our area is cold damage. This is more common in particularly cold winters or when extremely cold temperatures follow a stretch of unseasonably mild weather in late winter. It is very rare for figs to be killed completely, though they may have to be cut back to the ground and allowed to re-grow if heavily damaged. Cold damage can be minimized by planting fig bushes against a south facing wall."

The figs in Cobb County have been very slow to leaf out primarily because of the hard freezes that we experienced this winter. Some plants will have been killed back to the ground, while others will just have been damaged partway down the branches.

In the "killed to the ground" scenario, all the dead wood above ground should be removed. Less damaged plants need to have the dead wood pruned away after the extent of the damage is more clear. Since leaves are just now emerging on the plants, waiting another week or two before pruning away large portions of a plant would be prudent.

Annual 4-H Plant Sale

Flyers for the 2014 4-H plant sale are here! This annual fundraiser includes plants for nearly every landscape, offering hardy and productive varieties of berries, muscadines, and figs, and flowering shrubs and perennials for sun and for shade, including a shrub for semi-shade, the fragrant Daphne relative Edgeworthia chrysantha that flowers on bare stems in winter.

New for this year are two ferns, Autumn fern and Tassel fern, the shrub Flowering Quince, variety Cameo, and an ornamental grass, Miscanthus 'Purperescens', that has reddish tinged green blades in summer turning orange-red in fall and burgundy in winter.

As in the past, plants are ordered through the Cobb County Cooperative Extension office, and the prepaid orders are picked up at Jim Miller Park on one day only; this year that day is Saturday, March 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The deadline for the prepaid order  is Friday, March 7.

For those whose gardens are full but who would like to support 4-H, donations are also very much appreciated.

For more information about the plants, including pricing and specific varieties available, pick up a copy of the 4-H Plant Sale flyer-and-order-form at the Cobb County Cooperative Extension office or download one from our website. To download, go to the homepage, then click on the button below the words


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that are below the program area links.

Anyone interested in learning more about growing the offered fruits at home is invited to attend a presentation by Agriculture Agent Neil Tarver on Wednesday, March 5, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at the Cobb Water System Training lab. He will present information about the ornamental plants on Monday, March 3, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at the same location.

To register for either seminar, call 770-528-4070, or check the appropriate box on the 4-H Plant Sale flyer-and-order-form.

Plant Your Home Orchard Now

UGA Extension Specialist Bob Westerfield has written a couple of recent articles on planting a home orchard, pointing out in both that choosing the right trees for your area is an essential step toward a successful and productive orchard. Insect and disease resistance are important elements of that success, but so is timing.

In "Plant Fruit Trees Now to Create a Home Orchard," Westerfield points out that the best time is now.

The article explains much of what a homeowner needs to know to get a productive orchard started, including site selection -- emphasizing drainage and sunshine -- ground preparation, and planting. Usefully, it also explains how to select a healthy tree for planting. Westerfield recommends the purchase of one-year-old trees:

"A common mistake made by many homeowners is to select oversized or ready-to-bear nursery trees. Experience has shown that younger trees bear almost as soon, are easier to keep alive and develop into more healthy vigorous trees than do oversized stock. Older trees cost more to grow and are sold at higher prices, but are usually worth less."

In "Select Best Fruit Trees for Your Region of Georgia," Westerfield identifies fruit tree varieties that perform well in the different regions of the state.

Recommended apple trees for Cobb County include "Ginger Gold, Gala, Mollie’s Delicious, Ozark Gold, Golden Delicious, Mutzu, Yates and Granny Smith."

For pears, choose "Orient, Carrick Waite, Kieffer, Magness, Moonglow, Starking Delicious or Dawn."

For plums, he recommends the Japanese varieties  "Methley, Morris, AU Rubrum, AU Producer, Spring Satin, Byrongold and Rubysweet."

Apples hang from a tree at the University of Georgia - Mountain Research and Education Center in Blairsville, Ga. Image credit: University of Georgia.

In addition to the information in the two articles linked above, homeowners interested in starting a small orchard out in the yard can refer to the information in UGA Cooperative Extension's multiple fruit/orchard publications: "Minor Fruits and Nuts in Georgia"; "Home Garden Pears"; "Home Garden Apples"; "Home Garden Figs"; "Plums for Georgia Home Gardens"; and "Diagnostic Guide to Common Home Orchard Diseases", among others.

For additional information, or for UGA publications on fruits not listed here, contact the Cobb County Extension office at 770-528-4070.

National Strawberry Month!

May is National Strawberry Month, and even though this spring's cool weather has delayed fruit production by a week or two, locally grown berries are beginning to show up at farmers markets.

For those of us who buy more of this very perishable fruit than we can readily use, UGA's Family and Consumer Sciences  "Strawberries" brochure offers some helpful tips.

For storage:
"Remove strawberries from their original container and discard any spoiled or moldy berries. Arrange them in a single layer, top with a paper towel and store loosely covered in the refrigerator. Do not remove caps or wash until ready to serve."

For dry pack freezing:
"Spread a single layer of fruit on shallow tray and freeze. When frozen, pack strawberries into a container, seal and freeze."

People who celebrate strawberries for more than just one month by growing their own can find helpful gardening information in UGA's Home Garden Strawberries publication. To make sure that the gardener actually gets to harvest the fruits of his or her labor, protecting the crop from birds by covering it with either netting or another row-cover is a good idea.

Those who are hoping to pick their own berries by the bushel can check the website that lists Atlanta-area U-Pick Farms to locate a farm in easy driving distance. The website doesn't display well in every browser; if the list of farms by county isn't visible near the top of the screen, keep scrolling down until it appears. The list is updated periodically, but not regularly, so it's a good idea to call any farms in advance before visiting, to make sure berries are currently available.

Another source of information about U-Pick Farms is Georgia Department of Agriculture's Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin. Its next "Pick Your Own" special section is scheduled for May 15.

Upcoming Events

Seed Starting for the Vegetable Garden 
Tuesday, Feb. 19, 6:30 – 8 p.m. $5 fee (cash or check) to cover cost of materials. Presented by Cobb County Cooperative Extension. Learn how to start your own garden transplants from seed, with Horticulture Program Assistant Amy Whitney at Cobb County’s Cooperative Extension Office, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, 2^nd floor classroom.  Part of the evening includes participants’ starting some plants to take home. Preregister by calling 770-528-4070 or email uge1067@uga.edu.

Growing and Care of Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Figs, and Grapes
Monday, March 4, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.. Free seminar. Cobb County Cooperative Extension Agent Neil Tarver will explain how to plant and care for these small fruits. The seminar, held in conjunction with the Cobb County 4-H Plant Sale (link to information about the sale is at the bottom of our home page), will take place  at the County Water Lab at 662 S. Cobb Drive (the smaller brick building at the back of the property). Registration is required. Call 770-528-4070, or register by filling in the appropriate box on the pre-paid Plant Sale order form.

Wake Up Your Lawn: Tips to Keep Your Lawn Healthy All Year.
Wednesday, March 6, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Free seminar. Cobb County Cooperative Extension Agent Neil Tarver will cover fertilizing, weed control, diseases, mowing, and more. The seminar will take place at Cobb County’s Cooperative Extension Office, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, 2^nd floor classroom.  Preregister by calling 770-528-4070 or email uge1067@uga.edu.

Perils and Pitfalls of Gardening
Friday, March. 8, Noon to 1:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. Bring your lunch and enjoy the presentation! Presented by Master Gardener Dr. Bruce Gillett at the County Water Lab at 662 S. Cobb Drive (the smaller brick building at the back of the property), as part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn presentation series of Cobb County Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County. Dr. Gillett will talk about how to avoid, prevent, recognize, and treat diseases and disorders to which gardeners may be exposed.

Free Training in Sustainable Turfgrass for Landscape Maintenance Workers
Tuesday, March 12, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. Free training that ends with the awarding of Certificates of Completion In Sustainable Turfgrass Management for turfgrass crews. Registration required. Presented by Becky Griffin, of UGA's Turfgrass Program, at Cobb County's Cooperative Extension office, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, 2^nd floor classroom. To preregister your crews, email beckygri@uga.edu or call 770-528-4070. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; four-part program with a mid-morning break ends with the Awarding of Certificates.

Vegetable Gardening Basics
Tuesday, March 19, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Free seminar for beginning gardeners covers the basics of vegetable gardening here in Georgia. Presented by Cobb County Cooperative Extension. Horticulture Program Assistant Amy Whitney will provide the information you need to get your garden off to a good start. Presentation will be at Cobb County’s Cooperative Extension Office, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, 2^nd floor classroom. Preregister by calling 770-528-4070 or email uge1067@uga.edu.