Welcome to June! Our spring has been pretty good so far, but as I type this, we’re going through a small dry spell and the temperatures are heating up. Hopefully, Mother Nature will give us the moisture that we will need to make our gardens and crops produce well during the summer.

As a quick reminder, summer officially starts on June 21 at 10:58 a.m. I hope that all of you will get to enjoy as much of the
summer as you can. Remember to wear sunscreen and a hat if you’re going to be outside for an extended period of time. As always, feel free to call or email me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Bryce Roberts
Spencer County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources

Farmers Market Now Open
The Taylorsville/Spencer County Farmers Market is now open and will be open beginning at 8 a.m. until noon or so on Saturdays. Some of the vendors may stay past noon if there is a crowd. The market will be open every Saturday (rain or shine) until the end of October. It is located at 751 Taylorsville Road next to Fresh Take Market. There are several vendors selling a wide variety of products, including meats, cheeses, jams, jellies, honey, breads, goat milk soaps and lotions, candles, and other produce. Make sure you support our local producers...they are the ones that are growing what you’re buying. If you are interested in becoming a vendor (small producers are welcome), please contact me or stop by our office for an application. For more information on the market, feel free to contact Sandi Deutsch at 502-252-1400.

Gardening Tips for April
These tips are provided by the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service. They can be found at:
https://www.purdue.edu/hla/sites/yardandgarden/publication/gardening-calendars/
**Start seeds of warm-season plants (including tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, marigolds, zinnias, and petunias) indoors for transplanting later to the garden.
**Harden off transplants started earlier in spring before planting outdoors. Gradually expose the young plants to outdoor
conditions of wind, brighter sunlight, and lower moisture.
**Complete pruning chores. Remove dead and injured branches first.
**Plant seeds of cool-season crops directly in the garden as soon as the soil dries enough to be worked. When squeezed, soil should crumble instead of forming a ball. Cool-season crops that can be direct-seeded include peas, lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips and Swiss chard.

Soil Samples: As we have now moved into spring, it is still a great time to sample your fields, gardens, or lawns to see what type and how much fertilizer you need to make the soil as productive as possible. For each sample you want to submit, we need at least one pint (sandwich bag) of dry soil 4-8 inches below the soil surface. Please put your name and sample ID (north lawn, hayfield 2, etc.) on each bag. This is a free service provided by the Spencer Co. Conservation District. Thanks to them for sponsoring the soil sampling program.

This newsletter is only available in PDF format. Please click the "Download" button or click here to download the attached PDF.

Gardening Tips
**Wood ashes from the fireplace can be spread in the garden, but don’t overdo it. Wood ashes increase soil pH, and excess application can make some nutrients unavailable for plant uptake. Have soil tested to be certain of the pH before adding wood ash.
**Sketch your garden plans on paper, including what to grow, spacing, arrangement and number of plants needed.
**Keep holiday poinsettias and other plants near a bright window. Water as top of soil becomes dry.
**Look through nursery catalogs or visit websites and make plans for landscape and home orchard additions. Order plants early for best selection.
**Check young trees for rodent injury on lower trunks. Prevent injury with hardware cloth or protective collars.