Did you purchase your donut seeds yet? Are you waiting for the rain to stop before you plant your spaghetti tree and whistling carrot seed? (The soil temperature needs to be very warm for whistling carrots to germinate.) April is here – no joke!
The arrival of April arises amidst a day for alliteration, hoaxes, jokes and a few gags here and there. A popular seed company catalog offers small donut shaped “seed” which can be planted by children, soon to be replaced by actual donuts. In 1957, the British Broadcasting Company reported that in Ticino, Switzerland, a family celebrated their spaghetti harvest from trees yielding ripe spaghetti – ready for picking and laying out to dry. Whistling carrots were featured in a 2002 ad by Tesco, a British food company, announcing the arrival of amazing genetically modified carrot seed yielding carrots with small “whistling” holes within the carrot. So, “what’s up, doc”?
April Fool’s Day always falls on April 1, and the origin of why jokes, pranks and hoaxes occur on this day is not entirely clear. The Library of Congress cites an edict written by France’s King Charles IX wherein the celebration of the New Year was officially moved to January 1 to correspond with the Gregorian calendar which was later made official by Pope Gregory in 1582. Thoughts were that “fools” continued to celebrate the New Year during the week-long observance of the March to April spring celebration.
Although not commonly shared with April Fool’s Day, a few popular garden myths float around in the garden world, including the idea that misting house plants increases the humidity surrounding the plant, or that copper pennies placed in a slit on a tomato plant will reduce the incidence of tomato blight. Another popular garden myth is the one about using dish soap on plants as a pesticide. Or the one about Juicy-Fruit gum repelling gophers. Oh, my Great Aunt Regret — not true.
Master Gardeners rely on research-based evidence for managing gardens. As for misting house plants, information from the Pennsylvania State Extension indicates that although misting plants may seem to be a good thing, in reality it would take a constant mist in a confined area to elevate the humidity enough to benefit the plant. As for copper pennies — just save them. They will be extinct soon. Although copper fungicides are available as a topical treatment to prevent blight, the spray needs to be reapplied to be effective. Plants do not uptake the copper — especially from pennies. Dish soap is good – for dishes, and not for plants. It may well kill bad insects, but may kill beneficial insects as well as the plant. However, safe insecticidal soaps are available. These specially formulated sprays are indicated for use on plants — according to instructions on the label. And, unless the gopher is scooped up by a hawk while eating the Juicy-Fruit, using gum to repel rodents is a waste of time and gum.
The Master Gardeners of Nevada County have some great workshops on tap — no beer, no joke. Join us for “Pet Friendly Gardening” on Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. at the Veteran’s Hall (255 So. Auburn St. in Grass Valley.) We know you probably love your gardens, and you love your pets, but sometimes pets love our gardens a little too much. There may be crushed plants, holes all over the place and other issues as we share our outdoor spaces with pets. Come learn with us as we try to think like a canine (or feline) to create an outdoor environment enjoyable for all. We’ll cover pet-friendly choices for hardscapes, plant selection, safety concerns and more. Bring your ideas and share your experiences with your pets and gardening situations.
The weekend of April 22-23 is The Union’s Spring Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. We are happy that we will have a booth at the show — it’s been since 2019! Hours are Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, April 23, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, so drop by and say hello and bring your garden-related questions for the Master Gardeners.
On April 29, we will offer a new workshop, “Growing Iris”, which will be at 10 a.m. at the Master Gardener’s Demonstration Garden, 1036 W. Main St. in Grass Valley. Also, mark your calendars now for our annual spring plant sale — this year to be held on Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to noon, also at the Demonstration Garden. Lists of plants featured for the sale will be on our website soon (https://ncmg.ucanr.org/).
Ann Wright is a Nevada County Master Gardener.
