No Title 2268
Supplement to “Secrets of State Fair Winners”
HOWARD CARMAN’S ALFALFA TEA MIXTURE FOR ROSES
HELPFUL TIPS TO ENTERING PRIZEWINNERS
HOW TO ENTER THE 2010 KENTUCKY STATE FAIR
HOWARD CARMAN’S ALFALFA TEA MIXTURE FOR ROSES
40 gallons of water (Carman uses a plastic 55-gallon drum with the top cut off)
12 cups of alfalfa meal (pellets will work also)
3 cups of blood meal
3 cups of Epsom salt
2 cups of a water-soluble fertilizer (20-20-20)
Stir mixture and cover tightly to keep out mosquitoes and keep in the smell. Let sit for 5 days. Apply 1 gallon of mixture to each rose bush in the spring, after new growth has started, and again after each bloom cycle (5 to 6 weeks).
Alfalfa contains a growth hormone called triacontanol that will help the roses absorb nutrients.
HELPFUL TIPS TO ENTERING PRIZEWINNERS
• Eggplants can be especially susceptible to pests when young, cautions Tomese Buthod of Louisville, who took first place last year with her Kermit variety. Buthod recommends covering eggplants with vegetable tents until they’re well-established.
• Nuts: Don’t forget to wear gloves when harvesting black walnuts and other similar varieties, advises Cathy Basham of Cecilia. Otherwise, your hands will stain.
• When to pick? There’s some debate on this among prizewinners. While Maggie Cody swears freshness is key and picks her vegetables the day she plans to enter them at the fair, the Bunches select their tomatoes one to two weeks before the fair, allowing them to ripen indoors. Both methods seem to work.
• When in doubt, pre-enter every category. When sending off your state fair entry form in late May, it’s sometimes hard to know what vegetables or flowers will be show-worthy in late August. Dede McGehee of Lexington, who won with her zinnias last year, advises pre-entering in every category you grow. It’s inexpensive to do so (only $8 to enter the entire vegetable and melon category, for instance). That way, you’ll be free to pick and choose whatever you want to bring come fair time.
• Look for conformity. Most categories require entering three to five examples of a given vegetable or flower, and the judges are looking for conformity. So, when it’s time to select your entries, look for ones that are similar in size and color.
• Don’t forget to look for tips in gardening books and through membership in local gardening clubs. That’s been key for Maggie Cody, who’s only in her fourth year as a vegetable grower.
• When all else fails, follow the directions on the seed packet. Michael Hardin credits reading the seed package directions and building on what his mother taught him over the years, in addition to following his instincts, for his cucumber win last year.
HOW TO ENTER THE 2010 KENTUCKY STATE FAIR
The 2010 Kentucky State Fair is set for August 19-29. For information on how to enter the fair’s competitions, go to www.kystatefair.org and click on the “Competitions” link for entry information. Deadlines vary, but many departments require entry forms to be postmarked by July 1.
To read the Kentucky Living March 2010 feature that goes along with this supplement, go to Secrets of State Fair Winners.
