The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides low-income families funds to assist with purchasing food. This program, formerly known as the food stamps program, assisted 104,186 people (45,488 households) in South Dakota during March, 2012. The average monthly benefit per household was $304.77. Users are given an EBT card that the cashier will swipe during check-out.
Are you interested in establishing a community garden in your town? Do you wonder where to start? It works well to find a team of people to help with such an endeavor. Look for community members who are passionate about gardening or interested in helping people get access to food. Local garden club members or Master Gardeners, food pantries, churches and other human-service organizations are often interested in helping with these types of projects.
The Brandon Area Food Pantry has a program that might be of interested for pantries and gardeners in your community. ‘Plant for the Pantry’ encourages gardeners to help supply fresh produce to those in need.
CSA’s, short for Community Supported Agricultural Programs, are gaining popularity across the nation as well as in South Dakota. This is an additional avenue for producers to direct market their produce to local consumers. This type of program allows a farmer to sell subscriptions or shares prior to the growing season. When the produce or food product is harvested it is then delivered on a scheduled basis to the customer.
Planting a crop or closely related crop in the same location year after year can lead to increased incidences of disease and insect infestations. To reduce the pest potential it is recommended to rotate plant families in the garden. This means that a gardener should not plant a crop or related crop in the same garden soil season after season, but instead move the families around within the garden space. For example a tomato planting should not be followed up by a potato planting the following season.
The Plant Diagnostic Clinic's function is to provide research-based information on crop health in South Dakota. The Plant Diagnostic Clinic serves the state of South Dakota and the Great Plains region by providing fast and accurate plant health and diagnostic information for the agricultural and horticultural industries. We perform routine diagnosis of field crop, horticultural crop diseases and turf diseases for industry and homeowners. Occasionally, we also serve as a point of contact in South Dakota for major agricultural biosecurity issues related to plant health.
Transplants grown either indoors or in a greenhouse need a period to adjust to the outdoor conditions before being planted in the field. If transplants are planted directly in the garden before they are adjusted to the sun, wind, rain and cool outdoor temperatures they may not survive the shock.
Caring for plants in a retail greenhouse or garden center presents a challenge to the retailer because the plants must survive the stresses of display conditions and continue to grow and thrive in the landscape.
At this time in the growing season, Iron (Fe) deficiency symptoms are appearing among bedding plants and other spring greenhouse plants. The main symptom of Iron (Fe) deficiency is Chlorosis or yellowing, usually starting at the shoot tip and newly developed leaves.
The USDA has released a new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) for 2012. A hardiness zone map provides information that can be used to determine which plants can withstand cold temperatures in a specific geographic area. The web-based map was developed for gardeners and researchers by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oregon State University’s PRISM Climate Group.
At this time in the growing season, Iron (Fe) deficiency symptoms are appearing among bedding plants and other spring greenhouse plants. The main symptom of Iron (Fe) deficiency is Chlorosis or yellowing, usually starting at the shoot tip and newly developed leaves.
Spring is here and it is a good time to test your soil. Sampling can be done any time, but you should test your soil as early as possible prior to transplanting to give yourself ample time to amend the soil for pH, Phosphorus and Potassium if needed.
Gardeners and homeowners who are thinking of taking a soil sample this fall or next spring need to be aware that South Dakota State University will no longer be offering commericla testing after October 22, 2011. A list of nearby state or private laboratories that can be used for garden and lawn samples is given below. The private laboratories are not necessarily recommended or endorsed. Gardeners with questions on sampel submissions, analysis charges and recommendationss hould contact the laboratory of interest.