Best Home Vegetable Garden Contest Winners and Fall Garden Planting

Paulding County Farm Bureau, Elrod Garden Center and Paulding County Master Gardener Extension Volunteers (MGEVs) recently sponsored the 2017 “Best Home Vegetable Garden Contest.” The goal of the contest was to identify exceptional gardens and the gardeners who tend them in Paulding County.

Pictured left to right are Betty Cosgrove, Jacqueline Frost, Adult Small Garden Winner, Maxwell Frost, Youth Garden Winner, Earl Cosgrove, and John Shipley.

We are proud to announce that the categories and winners for this year’s garden contest were: Adult Large Garden-Debbie Leggett, Adult Medium Garden-Richard and Nona Voyles, Adult Small Garden-Jacqueline Frost, and Youth Garden-Maxwell Frost. Gardens were judged in late June by Master Gardener Extension Volunteers and winners were chosen based on criteria for good gardening practices including: Soil Testing, Site Selection, Layout and Design, Erosion Control, Weed Control, Plant Health, Yield, Insect and Disease management, and Variety Selection. First place entrant in each category received $100.00 and a plaque engraved with their name.
The 2017 contest is done, but if you are a gardener, did you know you can plant or harvest something from your garden almost all year? The two major planting seasons in Georgia are spring and fall. Some helpful tips for your fall vegetable garden:

1. Select a site that has full sun exposure and is located near a water supply.
2. Have a soil test done to determine your lime and fertilizer needs.
3. Water your garden in the morning so foliage will dry off quickly, reducing disease potential.
4. Apply a 2-4 inch layer of mulch to conserve moisture, control weeds and reduce cultivation.

Broccoli, cabbage, and collards are great fall crops and are much easier to grow from small plants than seed. Plant them as soon as they are available at your local garden center. Give the cabbage and broccoli at least a 2X2 foot space for each plant. The collards can be planted a little bit closer if space is an issue. These are all called cole crops and are very heavy feeders. Consider conducting a soil test, so that you know how to fertilize them correctly.
Spinach, leaf lettuce and turnip greens do great from seed and can be planted starting in August and into September. With normal weather and a little protection on an extra cold night, you can serve these up almost all winter.
Don’t forget to plant some herbs this fall. Parsley, thyme, and rosemary do great all winter and your dressing at thanksgiving will taste ever so much better with fresh sage from your garden. Now is the time to get started. You’ll be glad you did!

Pictured left to right are Tracy Grice, (Paulding County Farm Bureau), Roger Leggett, Debbie Leggett, First Place Winners for Large Adult Garden, Earl Cosgrove (MGEV), John Shipley (MGEV), and Betty Cosgrove (MGEV). Pictured left to right are Tracy Grice, (Paulding County Farm Bureau), Richard Voyles, Nona Voyles, First Place Winners for Medium Adult Garden, Earl Cosgrove (MGEV), John Shipley (MGEV), and Betty Cosgrove (MGEV).

As representatives of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Master Gardener Extension Volunteers are trained experts, who answer questions about home horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information from the University of Georgia. For more information on gardening in Paulding, contact a Master Gardener or the County Extension Agent at the Paulding County Cooperative Extension Office at 770-443- 7616 or check us out online at www.ugaextension.org/paulding.