Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers of Buncombe County

Helping Gardeners Put Knowledge to Work

We are community volunteers. Our mission is to support, teach and encourage a diverse community of gardeners using current research-based horticulture practices. We invite you to explore our website and over 390 blog posts about gardening in Western North Carolina. Learn more

Looking for Gardening Education?  See our list of over 40 Videos 2023 Gardening Programs

Spotted Lantern Fly Confirmed in NC! This piercing-sucking insect produces copious amounts of honeydew causing black sooty mold to grow on infested plants as well as homes and other structures. They are considered a nuisance pest of over 70 species of plants, and can severely damage several crops, including grapes. Report it if you see it! Click here to report. For more information about this destructive pest, click here.

The Learning Garden is offering over thirty, in-person gardening programs in 2023! Check it out ➜ 

Online Seminar: Encouraging Good Garden Bugs, June 15

Gardening in the Mountains presents:
Encouraging Good Garden Bugs

Thursday, June 15, 2023
10 – 11:00 a.m.

Virtual attendance via Zoom video and audio internet connection

Presenter: Matt Bertone, NC State Plant Disease and Insect Clinic Director and Entomologist

Our gardens and landscapes are home to many beneficial organisms besides the pollinators we know and love. Some of these lesser-known organisms have vital roles in healthy garden ecosystems, providing organic waste reduction and natural pest control services. Join Matt Bertone, director and entomologist for the NC State Plant Disease and Insect Clinic, as he shares his expertise and teaches us how to encourage these important helpers in our gardens.

Matt Bertone is an entomologist with expertise in arthropod and other animal identification. He is also a biodiversity expert and avid photographer.

Registration: The talk is free but registration is required. Please click on the link below to register. If you encounter problems registering or if you have questions, call 828-255-5522.

Register on Eventbrite

Zoom seminar access: After registration, you will receive an email with instructions and a link to join this online live broadcast via Zoom. The ability to access Zoom through a computer, tablet or smartphone with a reliable internet connection is necessary to attend.

 

Common Vegetable Garden Pests, June 8

The Learning Garden presents:
Vegetable Garden Series: Common Vegetable Garden Pests

Thursday, June 8, 2023
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

NC Cooperative Extension
Buncombe County Center
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806

Presenters: Buncombe County Extension Agents – Alison Arnold, Consumer Horticulture and Meghan Baker, Small Farms

Now that you’ve planted your vegetable garden, it’s time to discuss the nemesis of every veggie gardener: common vegetable pests. Which ones should you look out for and what can you do about them? June is a perfect time to be in your garden scouting for insects that are eating the leaves of your bean plants and boring holes in your lettuce.

Join Alison and Megan as they highlight the most common pests seen in a vegetable garden, what they look like from larvae to adult stages, when they emerge, the signs and symptoms of insect damage, and effective methods of control.

A portion of this program may be in the garden, please dress appropriately.

Registration: The talk is free, but seating is limited and registration is required. Please click on the link below to register. If you encounter problems registering or if you have questions, call 828-255-5522.

Register on Eventbrite

 

Oh Sweet Basil – Don’t let Basil Downy Mildew Spoil Your Harvest!

Healthy Sweet Basil

If you love pesto and other recipes that feature sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) you may already be looking forward to growing your own plants this summer!

Growing your own
Basil is an herb with tropical origins, so wait until after the last frost to sow seed or transplant starts into moist, well-drained soils in full sun. After the first few sets of leaves form, pinch back the tips to encourage bushy growth. Remove any flower buds for best flavor and to keep the plants producing more leaves. Harvest stems of leaves as needed; harvest entire top growth before frost.

Basil problems
Although insect pests are not usually much of a problem—aphids and Japanese beetles can do some damage, especially if your plants are just getting established—diseases are a concern!

  • Basil Downy Mildew (BDM). Basil downy mildew (BDM) is caused by the fungus-like organism, Peronospora belbahrii that reproduces from spores spread by the wind and through seed saved from infected plants. BDM does not overwinter in Western North Carolina, but as the temperatures and humidity rise each spring, it is only a matter of time before winds bring it north.
    How to identify:
    – Leaf color changes—resembles nutritional problems that manifest as a yellowing or browning of leaves.
    – Dark spores on the underside of leaves—can be seen even without a microscope or hand lens.
  • Fusarium wilt. Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Basilicum) is a soil and seed-borne disease that affects plants after they have grown normally to about 6 to 12 inches tall.
    How to identify:
    – Growth becomes stunted or wilts.
    – Stems show brown streaks and bend like shepherd’s crooks.

Preventing Basil Disease Problems
Prevention starts with healthy seed! Some seed companies test basil seed lots for fusarium wilt to reduce the risk of seed-borne illness.

Resistant varieties. There are also fusarium-resistant and BDM-resistant basil varieties. NC Extension Master Gardeners conducted trials in 2022 to compare five BDM resistant varieties (‘Rutgers Devotion,’‘Rutgers Obsession,’‘Rutgers Passion,’‘Rutgers Thunderstruck,’and ‘Prospera’) with the popular ‘Genovese’ variety.

In this project all of the resistant varieties remained disease free, while ‘Genovese’ was infested beginning in many locations in August (note that in 2019 Buncombe County reported BDM began in July)!

The resistant varieties compared favorably to ‘Genovese’ in taste tests and the top varieties were described as follows:

‘Prospera’—Growing taller and more upright than other varieties, Prospera was the overall favorite among the BDM-resistant cultivars. Some thought it needed staking because of its taller stature and a few volunteers reported stems breaking during storms.

‘Rutgers Passion’—This variety received positive comments on its color, aroma, plant vigor, and good branching habit.

‘Rutgers Obsession’—There was overall satisfaction with this cultivar based on its color and slightly more compact growth habit. It proved to be a solid BDM-resistant alternative to ‘Genovese’ and was the highest rated variety in taste tests.

Extension Master Gardener Volunteers Recommend These Varieties

Cultivation practices.

  • Do not replant basil where soils may harbor Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Basilicum, which may persist in soils for 8 to 12 years!
  • Avoid overhead watering, which may contribute to disease spread.
  • Fungicides that are available to home gardeners are not very useful in preventing disease.

Article by Barbara Hayes and Debbie Green, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers.

For more information:

NCSU Plant Toolbox:  https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ocimum-basilicum/

BDM resistant varieties
https://emgv.ces.ncsu.edu/2023/05/planting-basil-extension-master-gardener-volunteers-recommend-these-varieties/
New Sweet Basil Varieties from Rutgers University

Basil diseases:
NCSU Basil Downy Mildew Fact Sheet:  https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/basil-downy-mildew
https://www.buncombemastergardener.org/?s=basil+downy+mildew
https://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms-fusariumbasil/

 

Contact Us

Buncombe County Extension Office
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Helpline 828-255-5522

Events

Keep up with our events by subscribing to the blog or checking our Events Calendar.

Explore the Archives

Back to Top