Discover the fun of starting your gardening season off early by growing your own bedding plants indoors. Learn the steps to growing healthy plants you can transplant into the garden this spring. Gregg Eyestone will explain how to save money growing those hard-to-find plants you want in your garden this year!
By: Cassie Thiessen
If you or someone you know needs water or energy assistance, take advantage of the application period for these programs that runs until March 30.
Emergency Water Assistance Program – this program’s purpose is to restore or prevent disconnection of water to Kansas households earning less that 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Level which equals $3,469 a month for a family of four.
This program provides a one-time payment to restore or prevent disconnection of drinking water and wastewater services. This program is administered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families. DCF is required to pay public water utility vendors directly on behalf of qualifying households.
Once the funding is depleted the program will end. Applications, instructions, and income limits can be found online at www.DCF.KS.gov/EWAP.
Low-Income Energy Assistance Program – this federally-funded program helps eligible households pay a portion of their home energy costs by providing a one-time per year benefit. Applications must be received prior to 5 p.m. March 31.
In order to qualify, applications must meet the following requirements:
More information can be found at https://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/ees/Pages/EnergyAssistance.aspx or by calling 1-800-432-0043
By: Brenda Langdon
Valentine’s Day is around the corner. The stores have already stocked the shelves with Valentine’s candy, cards, decorations, and flowers. This is a good time to think of ways to share love and care for family and friends. Consider ways your family can celebrate together. Some fun ways to show you care include:
Make note cards or use post-it-notes to leave messages on mirrors, in lunches, or other special places.By: Jamie Rathbun
Growing blueberries in containers is becoming more popular. Chosen varieties are usually half-high plants that are a cross between highbush and lowbush blueberry species. Plants can be as small as 18 inches tall and wide (Top Hat), but typically are larger. Here are several tips for producing container grown blueberries:
Acid soil pH: Blueberries need an acid pH between 4.8 and 5.2. Sphagnum peat moss is very acidic and often used in large quantities in soil mixes for acid-loving plants. In fact, blueberries can be grown in peat moss alone if nutrients are provided, but that is an involved process. A 50/50 mix of peat moss and potting soil is recommended. This will provide nutrients and weight so the plant is less likely to blow over in wind.
Container size: Though containers as small as 2 gallons can be used for half-high blueberries, a larger container will be more stable in the wind and provide a larger moisture reserve during hot, dry weather.
Watering: Blueberries do not have root hairs, so they are not efficient in picking up water. Potting soil should be kept moist. This will likely be the most challenging aspect of growing blueberries in containers. A large container will not need to be watered as frequently as a small one.
Winter care: Though plants are winter hardy, the roots are not. Move pots into an unheated, attached garage or bury them in the soil or mulch enough to bury the pot in early November. Water them periodically during the winter. Use your finger to determine if the soil is moist one inch deep. If not, then water until some flows out the bottom of the pot.
Varieties: Though blueberries will produce some fruit if only a single variety is grown, two varieties will increase the potential fruit crop. Suggested varieties include Top Hat and Northsky. Each should reach about 18 inches high, though Northsky will likely grow wider than Top Hat. Northblue is another choice that should produce more fruit than either Top Hat or Northsky but should reach 2 to 3 feet high. North Country is intermediate in size at 18 to 24 inches high and should produce a moderate amount of fruit.
Wind protection: Wind protection will decrease the amount of water these plants need and reduce the chances of leaf scorch.
Exposure: Blueberries do best with a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day. Try a northern or eastern exposure that is protected from the wind.
By: Cassie Thiessen
If you have older family members or loved ones, you may worry about their health as they age. The good news is that adopting and maintaining a few key behaviors can help older adults live longer, healthier lives. Ways you can support healthier habits among your loved ones include:
weekly or biweekly phone calls or video chats.By: Brenda Langdon
Valentine’s Day is known for its roses, big red hearts, and vibrant pink and purple colors. It’s a holiday meant to show someone how much you care for them. February is also known as heart month and what better way to spread love than with a healthy heart?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Healthy food choices and an active lifestyle are two things you can control and will have a huge impact on your heart’s health. So what are some things you can do keep your heart healthy?
Eat a Variety of Foods. One of the keys to a healthy heart is making smart food choices. Eating a well-balanced diet will include a variety of foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and low-fat or fat-free dairy foods.
Know Your Fats. Be sure to incorporate healthy fats into your diet. This means eating foods low in saturated and trans fats and high in unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature and found in animal proteins and dairy foods. Trans fats are commonly found in vegetable oils that go through an industrial process to make the oils solid in form. Unsaturated fats tend to be liquid at room temperature. You can find unsaturated fat most commonly in fish, avocados, nuts, and vegetable oils.
Get Label Savvy. Learning how to read the food label can help you make heart healthy choices especially when it comes to fats. Remember information on the label is based on 2,000 calories per day. Visit the Food and Drug Administration’s interactive nutrition facts label to learn more.
Physical Activity Matters. Physical activity can play an important role in keeping your heart healthy. Regular, moderate physical activity (30-60 minutes most days of the week) can help control blood pressure, manage weight, manage stress, help you sleep better, and help you feel good by giving you more energy throughout the day. Our Walk Kansas program can help get and keep you motivated in your exercise endeavors.
By: Jamie Rathbun
If you are tired of winter and hunger for spring, try planting peas when the soil temperature reaches 40 degrees. Peas can be planted extremely early, or you can also wait and plant them until about mid-April. Peas are an early cool season crop and need to be harvested before the heat of summer sets in.
There are several types of peas we can plant in Kansas. Probably the most common is the shelling pea, and the old standard in this group is Little Marvel. Though Little Marvel is still on our recommended list, we have several others that do well including Green Arrow, Knight, Maestro, Burpeeana and Mr. Big. All of these are early maturing types that allow us to harvest a crop before the hot weather arrives and stops production.
Snow peas are those commonly used in stir-fry that have a crisp edible pod. Recommended varieties include Dwarf Grey Sugar and Mammoth Melting Sugar. Sugar snap peas resemble shelling peas but have a thick, fleshy pod and can be eaten fresh, steamed or cooked. Like snow peas, they are not shelled but eaten pod and all. We recommend Sugar Bon, Sugar Ann, Super Sugar Snap and Sugar Sprint.
Peas should be planted shallow, about one-half inch deep, to encourage rapid germination and emergence. Seed in the row should be spaced 2 inches apart. Many people often plant two rows 6 to 8 inches apart so the floppy plants can support one another. For some older varieties, this may not be enough. They may need trellising to support the growing vines. Fencing may be needed to keep rabbits away.
More information on planting peas:
By: Cassie Thiessen
