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Gardeners enter home stretch for onions, tomatoes

By
Anita Stuckey
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Photo courtesy: K-State Horticulture

K-State horticulture expert shares tips for successfully growing two garden staples

If gardeners are crying about their onions right now, it’s not because they’re slicing them in their kitchen. But they may soon.

“(Late May) is the time of year that onions grow and develop rapidly,” said Kansas State University horticulture expert Cynthia Domenghini. “Regular watering – if the soil is dry – and a light fertilization are helpful to maximize growth.”

In soils that tend to be alkaline, Domenghini suggests using ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) at the rate of ½ cup per 10 feet of row. The number combination refers to the rates of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contained in the fertilizer.

“You can use lawn fertilizer (such as 29-5-5, 27-3-3, or similar) but only use 1/3 cup per 10 feet of row,” she said. “Make sure the lawn fertilizer does not have a weed preventer or weed killer included. Sprinkle the fertilizer 2-3 inches alongside the row and water in. Do not fertilize after the onions start to bulb.”

Domenghini said that as onions develop, as much as 2/3 of the bulb remains out of the soil. She said that is normal and there is no need to cover the bulb with soil.

Tomatoes

Another garden favorite – tomatoes – could benefit from mulching as long as soils are warm enough and not saturated with water, according to Domenghini.

“Tomatoes prefer even levels of soil moisture, and mulches provide that by preventing excessive evaporation,” she said.

Mulch also helps to suppress weeds, moderate soil temperatures, and prevent the formation of hard crust on the soil. Crusted soils restrict air movement and slow the water infiltration rate.

Domenghini said hay and straw mulches are “very popular for tomatoes, but may contain weed or volunteer grain seeds.” Grass clippings can be used as mulch, but should be applied in a thin layer – “only 2-3 inches thick,” Domenghini said.

“Do not use clippings from lawns that have been treated with weed killer until some time has passed,” she said. “With most types of weed killers, clippings from the fourth mowing after treatment may be used.”

Domenghini and her colleagues in K-State’s Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources produce a weekly Horticulture Newsletter with tips for maintaining home landscapes and gardens. The newsletter is available to view online or can be delivered by email each week.

Interested persons can also send their garden and yard-related questions to Domenghini at [email protected], or contact your local K-State Research and Extension office.

Inverse Bucket List

By
Steve Gilliland
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Awhile back, one of the greeters at church whose daughter was getting married was telling me about the excursion to buy his suit for the wedding. When asked why he was not wearing a tux’ for the occasion, he replied “I think it’s on my bucket list that I will never wear a tuxedo for anything.” That got me to thinking; there are numerous things that I too will never do, so why not come up with “an inverse bucket list” of things in the outdoors that I simply never want to do. Bear in mind, the items on this list reflect only my opinion, are listed in no particular order and are possibly subject to change given the circumstances.

I will never milk a skunk!

Pure skunk essence is in high demand by trapping lure manufacturers, and is also used in minute amounts as a carrier in perfume to hold the scent and help it last longer. Lots of trappers extract the essence from skunks they catch by inserting a small hypodermic needle into the scent glands and carefully sucking out the essence, then depositing it into some sort of sealed glass container. I thoroughly admire trappers who do this as they are going the extra mile to harvest and use all parts of those amazing critters, but I’ll probably never do it myself. I’m often like a bull-in-a-china-closet and in looking at the process of extracting the essence from a skunk, all I see are endless possibilities for the entire adventure to go south.

I will never keep a carp for table fare.

Big, strong and built like aquatic tanks with scales, carp are possibly second only to wipers as the hardest fighting fish found in Kansas waters, and avid carp fisherman would probably argue with assessment. I found the International Carp Fishing Association, the American Carp Fishing Association and various other state organizations, all dedicated to the sport of catch-and-release carp tournament fishing. The guys and gals of these clubs are as infatuated with carp fishing as any bass or walleye tournament fishermen. Once again, I thoroughly respect these folks for their appreciation of a creature that’s often known as a trash fish and has over the years been the brunt of more jokes and ridicule than congress. However, given the number of other fine-eating fish found in Kansas, I’ll probably never keep one for dinner.

I will never eat possum or grubs.

I have tasted numerous kinds of wild game meat, including bear, beaver, raccoon and bobcat, and most taste amazingly good, though bear and raccoon are slightly greasy. I guess opossum is also edible and in fact is considered classy cuisine in some parts of the country. In response to the suggestion of eating possum, I once heard someone say “No I will never eat possum; I’ve seen too many of them crawl out of a rotting carcass of some sort.” My sentiments exactly; possums are four legged vultures and to me eating one would be no different than eating a vulture. So no, I will never eat possum!… Likewise with grubs; I watch the survival shows and see the guys fishing big fat grubs out of trees and rotten logs, hear them tell how tasty and crunchy they are roasted over an open fire, and listen to them rave about all the

protein and nutrients they provide a hungry person. Sorry, but I think I’d rather chew off my left foot! If God had wanted me to eat grubs, He would have given me feathers or a white stripe down my back.

I will never spend another winter night in a tiny camping trailer.

When I was just a kid, probably in my early twenties, I accepted an older coworker’s invitation to go deer hunting with him in Pennsylvania. We were staying in his tiny camping trailer in some deserted state park, and early the first morning we stepped out into ten or so inches of fresh snow and absolutely miserable freezing temperatures. We walked up and down hills and through pine trees all day long and were absolutely beat by days end as I remember. We decided to go to a little tavern out in the middle of nowhere to get a hot evening meal, and my friend had a beer or two with his meal. On the counter, as in many old country taverns back then, was a glass gallon jar of pickled hard-boiled eggs, and my friend began eating those eggs along with his beer and dinner. Back then I had no idea what a potent combination beer and pickled boiled eggs could be. That night I would rather have slept out in the snow than in that tiny trailer with him.

These are just a few of the things on my “inverse bucket list” and I hope they gave you a chuckle or two. But as I think about it, who knows, in our world today maybe it’s just as important for us to know what we WILL NOT do as it is to know what we will; continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Our Kansas Summer

By
Dylan Yoder
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The summer is a time for relaxation, family, and grilling outside. (That last one was thrown in there in case you’re a middle-aged dad). More than that, I would venture to say that the summer is a time of personal gain. People work on their houses, lawns, and start projects they know won’t see completion until 2030. Regardless of what endeavor you plan to embark upon this summer, it can be pretty fun to see what others are up to. And for us Kansans, we have a lot to look forward to. So come along and see what’s happening around you this summer.

In Kansas, we have quite the spectacle arising this year for at least 10 days in June. The Pony Express, once the pinnacle of communication in North America, now long forgotten, will ride again throughout its historic route. Riders for the Pony Express rode about 75 to 100 miles a day on horseback and handed off their letters in a relay formation to the next rider, ensuring that Americans of old got their mail on time. The Express however was quickly replaced by a steam engine after a short tenure of only 18 months. Perhaps the postal service thought that was too short too because starting on June 17th over 700 riders will deliver letters across the country from St. Joeseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. The Riders will cross through Kansas on Highway 36 during this process. The two opportunities to see them will be at 9 a.m. on June 18 in Marysville, and 11 a.m. in Hollenberg. You can also follow along online on an interactive map that will be available starting at 3 p.m. on June 17th.

Kansas has a couple of things going for it this summer with the continued support of the “Sunflower Summer” app that is available on mobile devices everywhere in the State. This app allows you to browse parks, museums, arts and sports opportunities, and more. Additionally, there are often coupons and promotions for certain parks that are available off the app all year round. I personally used the app last year to visit Tanganyika Wildlife Park for no entry cost as a part of my family. It’s a wonderful example of the Kansas Government supporting citizens’ desires to see more of our wonderful state.

One of the most wonderful things about living in this great state of ours is the incredible natural scenery that we have to offer. There are so many different trails, campgrounds, plus state and county parks that Kansas has to offer that I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple were hiding right in plain sight. Harvey County West Park is a prime example of this. While it may not be the largest and most illustrious park in Kansas, it offers a quiet tranquility unrivaled by many other lakes. Or how about Lake Afton? There are so many natural land areas ready for exploration. All it takes is a short trip away.

Many of you may be wondering, why are you talking about parks and camping the week after Memorial weekend. Well, if you’re like me, you can’t get enough of the outdoors anyhow. Besides, as Kansans, we live off the land, and our homes are built upon it, why shouldn’t we continuously find ways to explore it? With that being said, I know it’s easy to get caught up in all the home improvement, car improvement, and overall business that the summer seems to generate from us. Take some time to relax, and explore this lovely place we call home.

Exasperating airline trip

By
Milo Yield
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Thayne Cozart
Milo Yield

A word of warning. The purpose of this column is not humor. The purpose of this column is to vent about the most exasperating airline flight of my long life. The only humor in my recent flying experience is that it wuz a comedy of errors.

I pretty much swore off airline travel two decades ago with the advent of the Travel Security Administration’s necessary, but frustrating, pat downs and near strip searches that passengers have to endure just to get on an airplane.

But, a strong desire to attend a grand-daughter’s wedding near Knoxville, Tenn., necessitated that Nevah and I fly, rather than drive for the trip. At 81, driving 2,000 miles seemed like too much to deal with comfortably. Plus, our nearby daughter wuz traveling with us to the wedding and she agreed to deal with the ticketing and keep Nevah and I on track.

Now, before launching into the following diatribe about air travel, let me admit up front that, in a way, it’s my own fault. That’s becuz when we were planning the trip, I insisted that the flight originate at the new MHK airport in Manhattan, Kan. At the time, it seemed like a logical decision because Manhattan’s airport is only 20 miles away, compared to a 300-mile round trip to the new KCI airport in Kansas City. The tickets were reasonably higher compared to the expense of a KC trip, plus long-term parking at KCI.

Manhattan’s airport is served by American Airlines affiliate American Eagle which has flights to Dallas-Ft. Worth airport (DFW) and, after a couple-hour layover, American Airlines (AA) flies non-stop to Knoxville. Little did we know that our hair-pulling flight experience would start before we even got started.

Here’s the story: Our planned flight wuz to leave MHK around 2:30 p.m., so we picked up our daughter around 1 p.m. But, before we could leave Riley, our daughter got an email informing us that our American Eagle plane wouldn’t be ready to board until about 4:30. So, we turned around, went home and waited an hour and a half before restarting to MHK.

After going through a minimally intrusive minor league TSA inspection, we loitered in the MHK terminal before boarding our flight to DFW. Although the one-hour flight was uneventful, alas, we arrived at B-terminal in DFW just in time to learn that our scheduled flight to Knoxville had left a few minutes earlier.

Ah, but the friendly and efficient folks at American Airlines assured us that we could conveniently reschedule to another Knoxville flight departing in just three hours in Terminal B. But, we were informed that our status now was as standby passengers hoping that three seats would be available on the rescheduled flight. However, after another long walk to the designated gate, we were informed that only two standby seats were currently available and that the new flight would depart from Terminal A, not Terminal B.

So, after a half-mile trek and a cattle-car ride on the oh-so-efficient Skylink automated elevated rail system, we ate three tasty evening meals, at a cost of $75, and headed for our new departure gate. There the AA ticketing folks gave us the news that the new flight had seven standby seats and that we were at the head of the standby list. Good news under the circumstances, but that state of affairs would not last long.

After waiting at the departure gate until it was near 11 p.m., we at last got standby clearance and started to board. You can’t guess what happened next? Our daughter and most of the passengers boarded the plane, but just as Nevah and I were to show our boarding passes to the boarding agent, he curtly informed us that “this plane ain’t flying nowhere. The flight’s been cancelled. We will deboard this plane.”

So, it took 15 minutes for all the passengers, including our daughter, to deboard the plane. Then the friendly AA folks informed us there would be no more flights to Knoxville that night and we would be given vouchers for “free” overnight accommodations at an undisclosed hotel or motel. You’d be correct if you think my blood-pressure was going up at this time. Ah, but there’s more — much more.

After standing in a “folding line” at least 100 yards long for a half hour for our hotel vouchers, the efficient AA folks announced that another plane had been miraculously discovered and would board at another Terminal A gate shortly after midnight. So, we joined the passenger stampede to the new gate, only to be greeted with the news from AA that the new plane would depart from Terminal C, not A.

This necessitated another long walk to the Skylink rail system where we discovered that the escalators had been shut down at 11 p.m. and most of the restrooms closed. So, we waited to take the elevator. In the cattle car Skylink this time, we got the full 20-minute tour of all six of DFW’s terminals — A through F.

But, we eventually arrived at Terminal C. After another wait, we cleared for boarding and trudged to our seats. Two-hours later we arrived at Knoxville where we had a long-walk and long wait for our baggage. But, thankfully, our bags arrived just as our Tennessee daughter arrived to transport us to her home. We finally laid down our heads at her home at 4:30 a.m.

Short version of the story: A flight that was to take 6 hours actually took around 14. Thanks for all the memories American Airlines.

Looking back, the most exasperating thing about the trip is that AA never once tried to tell us why the planes were delayed. If it wuz mechanical failure, the delay wuz understandable. But it could have been terrorists, a drunk or drugged pilot, bad weather. Who knows? We were left in the dark and that is irritating.

Gladly, I can report that our granddaughters wedding was a beautiful event and we now have a fine specimen of a new grandson-in-law. We spent a fine three days in Tennessee with family.

And, our reverse flight on AA and American Eagle was uneventful. But, we had enuf bad events on the flight out to last us a lifetime. I will think more than twice before I schedule another airline trip.

My words of wisdom for this week, don’t fly when you can drive, walk or crawl — or stay home. Have a good ‘un.

Florida Representative Seeks Permanent Ban On Horse Slaughter

By
Frank Buchman
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It’s been almost a decade since a series of horse thefts and slaughters in Florida sparked anger among area animal activists.

Over that time, U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan has continued to push for a U.S. ban on the killing of horses for meat.

The Congressman lead a bipartisan letter demanding prohibition on the use of any U.S. tax dollars for horse slaughter.

A letter to House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee leaders asked that the U.S Department of Agriculture instate a permanent ban on the practice enforced by federal food and safety inspectors.

“This overwhelmingly popular and fiscally responsible policy has been enacted for each year since Fiscal Year 2014 and for all but two years since 2005,” the letter reads. “Horse slaughter is an inherently cruel practice that 83 percent of Americans want to see permanently banned.”

The letter bore the signatures of 120 U.S. House members.

“The slaughter of horses for human consumption is a barbaric practice that has no place in our country,” Buchanan said. “As co-chair of the Animal Protection Caucus in Congress, I look forward to continuing to lead the effort to protect these majestic creatures.”

He has successfully pushed for Congress to impose restrictions in USDA’s budget each year since 2014, but the prohibition must be renewed each year.

The span of time for continuous bans coincidentally dates back to a series of local crimes in 2015 when individuals stole horses off Floria farms, around the same time a show horse was found butchered at another farm.

Deputies at the time told local media they believed that horse had been killed for its meat.

Different regions of Florida continue to see horse thefts, and three horses were found slaughtered earlier this year.

Buchanan the past few years has worked on the legislative effort to ban horse slaughter in the U.S. completely.

The year-by-year restrictions have had an impact, with the last slaughterhouse dedicated to butchering horses closed about 17 years ago.

But some slaughterhouses in the country continue to buy horses and have opposed a ban on the practice of killing horses when the practice, at least at professional facilities, differs little from killing cows and pigs.

An executive for New Holland Sales in Pennsylvania told Horse & Rider magazine last year that many horses sold for slaughter are past their prime and otherwise unwanted by farms.

“If they’re usable and we can find a home for them, I want to do that,” the sale operator told the trade publication. “But some are mentally or physically beyond repair. What are we going to do with the ones that don’t find a home?”

But animal rights groups are working with Buchanan to shut down the practice of butchering horses for good.

They say it’s a cruel way to end the life of many horses and supports a black market leading to the horse thefts and killings investigated around the nation.

“With the last horse slaughter plant in the United States closing in 2007, Congress has continuously agreed that shutting down this predatory industry remains paramount in protecting the economy and loyal companions,” said Tracie Letterman, vice president of Federal Affairs for the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

“The horse slaughter industry is inherently cruel and begins the moment the horse is sold into the hands of the slaughterhouses.”

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