• A product containing glyphosate plus a broadleaf herbicide can be used on dormant bermuda in January or February when temperatures are above 50�F for winter weed control.

Gardening is a year round endeavor. We are barely a month into the winter season and it is already time to start our cool/early season vegetable garden. Since the weather in Oklahoma is prone to drastic changes, it is vitally important to monitor weather forecasts so steps can be taken to protect the fruits of our labor because even cool season plants have their limits.
    
The cold hardiest of the cool season vegetables are: asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, onions, green peas, radish, rhubarb, spinach, and turnip. Asparagus and rhubarb are best grown from crowns and will bless you with their scrumptious bounty year after year as long as you tend to their hydration and nutrition needs. With the exception of onions, the rest can be seeded indoors for planting dates ranging from mid-February through the first week in March.

Pay close attention to the maturation rates of broccoli because it tends to bolt (develop seeds) quickly. Also, cabbage will go to seed when temps are consistently below 40 degrees. Onions are best grown from sets and given the still short days of winter, the short day varieties will yield the best results. Spinach and radishes can be seeded in succession for a longer harvest period.

Beets, carrots, cauliflower, leaf lettuce, and potatoes are considered semi-hardy but can still be planted in late February to early March. All of these, except potatoes, are grown from seed, though lettuce and cauliflower will do fine if started indoors. Beets, carrots, and lettuce crops can be increased through succession seeding. Use the carrot seedlings as baby carrots when you thin them. You could also try mixing your carrot and radish seeds. The radishes will be ready before the carrots and will decrease the need for thinning the seedlings of both crops.

A fun technique to try if you have limited space is interplanting.  Slow start, late-maturing plants are planted between or within the rows of early spring veggies. When utilizing this technique, be mindful of sun/shade requirements as well as the nutrient requirements. This technique can also assist with pest control.

Regardless of the little tricks or techniques you employ in your garden, always keep in mind that as our temps reach 80 degrees or higher, our cool season veggies will tend to turn bitter or bolt. They thrive best when daytime temperatures are between 65 and 80 degrees, with average nighttime temperatures above 40 degrees.

So, get your garden ready, and start dreaming of the harvest!

Did you know your soil needs certain nutrients to grow properly? Did you know that too much of any nutrient is almost as bad as too little? Did you know the soil pH needs to be within a certain range in order for nutrients to be properly absorbed by plants and grass?

As it turns out, all plants need 16 nutrients for optimal growth, and most are already in your soil. Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) are the three main nutrients that are needed in the greater quantities.  

The best way to know what your soil needs is to have it tested. Soil tests provide a scientific basis for evaluating the available plant nutrients in homeowner's lawns and gardens. Properly managing the amount of nutrients that is added to the soil can save money and protect the environment. OSU's basic soil test measures the pH (the degree of alkalinity or acidity) and the three core nutrients mentioned above. Samples can be taken to the Tulsa OSU Extension Center which are then sent to the soil lab at OSU for analysis. The cost is $10 and generally takes two to three weeks to receive the results of the tests.

To ensure you receive an accurate analysis, be sure to correctly obtain your soil sample. Obtain 10-15 random sub-samples with a trowel or similar tool from the top 6 inches of the area you want tested.  Fewer samples will result in reduced accuracy. Perform separate tests on different areas; for example one for the lawn and another for the vegetable garden. Place the sub-samples from the particular area in a plastic bucket, mix thoroughly by hand, and submit about a pint of this mixture in a clear zip-lock bag to the OSU Extension Office. Soil samples should be fairly dry and clean of rocks and sticks. Do not sample an area which has received fertilizer within the past two months as this will give a false reading.

Generally, tests will indicate little to no phosphorus or potassium deficiency. In fact, most tests around the Tulsa area actually show a large excess of these nutrients.  There are two main reasons for this.  First, many fertilizers have both of these nutrients in addition to nitrogen. So, they get added right along with the nitrogen. Secondly, nitrogen is the only nutrient of the three that readily permeates through the ground. The others bind themselves tightly in the soil and are very slow to permeate. As as result, they tend to build up over time. Thus, soil tests are important not only for knowing what to add, but what not to add.

Once you receive results, use only the nutrients needed. Assistance in deciding the best soil amendments, based on soil test results, can be found in the OSU fact sheet titled "Improving Garden Soil Fertility". The best time to conduct soil testing is in the fall or early winter so there is plenty of time to correct for any nutrient deficiencies, based on the test results, before spring arrives and the growing season begins.

Did you know The Tulsa Master Gardener Foundation actually receives no city, state or federal funding to run its programs? Most of the Tulsa Master Gardener programs are, in fact, self-funded. Income received from membership dues is actually less than 5% of total annual expenses. Tulsa Master Gardener's own fundraisers, such as the annual plant sale, garden tour and "garage sales" that occur from time to time. However, one other income source that sometimes gets overlooked are personal the donations (over and above the annual dues) that are made by our own Tulsa Master Gardener members. 

We think it is time to provide a little recognition to those folks that take the time, effort and sacrifice to make a monetary donation. Here is our first list of donors (from 2014 and so far in 2015):

• Sandie Bailey
• Deby Frost
• Judi Hofer
• Steve Jaynes
• Janie Joswick
• Lee Kutner
• Steve McCurley
• Dianne Nail
• Larry Rogers
• LaDonna Van Horn
• Judy Ward
• Rebecca Whisenhunt  

Other honorable mentions include two people from outside our program:

• Gary Stanislawski, CFP, Regent Financial Services, Tulsa
• Dale Nicola, Tulsa Cleaning Systems - donated a Dramm WC20 Watering Cart (in memory of Lynn Bulla, a former Tulsa Master Gardener)

A big THANK YOU goes out to these folks for helping the Tulsa Master Gardener Program. Each month that one or more donations are received, recognition in this newsletter will be made. So, keep an eye out if you make a donation.