UGA Extension - Wayne County

UGA Extension Wayne County FACS Agent: Becky Collins
Tips to Reduce Your Heating Bill

Rising energy costs will have a major impact on the family budget this winter. This is especially true for low-income families who spend 13 to 20 percent of their household income on utilities.
Evaluate your home to determine how to reduce your heating bills. Below are several things you can do that cost nothing, or very little, and will result in a more energy efficient home and lower utility bills.

Lower the thermostat two degrees from where you usually set it. Turn the thermostat down to 60-65 degrees when you are sleeping. The Department of Energy estimates that you can save 10 percent a year on your heating and cooling bills just by turning the thermostat down 10 to 15 percent for eight hours at nighttime.
Minimize the use of bathroom and kitchen fans. Did you know that in a little over an hour, a bathroom fan can suck the heated air out of the average sized house?

Shut the fireplace damper when the fireplace is not in use. Close to eight percent of the heat air in your home can escape when the damper is open. Close the heating vents in rooms you don’t use regularly. Put up drapes to add an extra layer of insulation. Keep them closed at night to retain heat and open on sunny days to let the heat in.

Lower the temperature on your water heater to 115-120 degrees Fahrenheit. Use less heated water by taking shorter showers and washing clothes in cold water. Invest in a tankless water heater.
Seal air leaks around windows and doors using caulk or weather-stripping. Install storm windows. If that is too costly, invest in a plastic window insulating kit sold in hardware stores.

Keep your heating system in good repair and clean or replace the filter regularly. A dirty filter slows down air flow and makes the system work harder to keep you warm or cool, thus wasting energy. Replace it with a pleated filter.
Insulate hot water pipes and ducts that run through unheated areas. Add insulation to the attic, basement, floors and exterior walls.

Upgrade your home with ENERGY STAR products. There are many items at your local store with the logo on them. Light bulbs are one of the easiest items to purchase and replace.
If you are really serious about saving energy, contact your utility company to schedule a home energy audit. For further information, contact your local county Extension office at 427-5965.

UGA Extension Wayne County ANR Agent: Mark Frye
Time to Plant Potatoes

Even with the very cold temperatures this past weekend, during the next few weeks will be time to plant potatoes. Unlike many spring vegetables, Iris potatoes can be planted weeks prior to the last frost of the season. UGA Extension recommended planting dates for Irish potatoes in our area are Jan. 15 – Mar. 1.

Irish potatoes are one of the best to grow in Georgia. Other potato varieties that do well in Georgia include white- or red-skinned types as well as those with yellow, pink or purplish flesh. Thick, russet skinned potatoes that are sold in the grocery store do not grow well in the South and should be avoided.

Plant from seed potatoes
Most gardeners purchase seed potatoes for planting because it’s the cheapest route. To prepare for planting, cut the seed potatoes into pieces containing one to three eyes each. Each seed piece should weigh about 1.5 ounces.

Plant the potatoes in a row 12 to 15 inches apart with 36 inches between each row. At this spacing, it usually takes about 12 pounds of seed potatoes per 100 foot of row. Seed potatoes should be planted 3 to 4 inches deep in the soil with the eyes facing up. Gently firm the soil over the top of the newly planted seed and covering with a few inches of straw or other mulch can also be benificial. Apply a complete fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 at a rate of 1.5 pounds per 100 square feet of garden.

To help prevent pieces from rotting after planting, cut the potatoes a few days before planting and allow the pieces to heal in a warm place. In the absence of a soil test, fertilize at planting as mentioned above and add an additional 1.5 pounds of 10-10-10 after vines spread out about 2 feet in diameter. Additional fertilizer can be added up to three weeks before harvest. There is still time to get a soil test to determine fertility needs.

Harvest when flowers appear or leaves turn yellow
Begin harvesting young new potatoes when flowers first appear on the plant or when the potatoes turn yellow. Carefully dig into the side of the mound and remove larger potatoes. Be careful not to puncture the tubers. If done carefully, this will not reduce the total yield of the potatoes. Leave the rest of the crop to mature for harvest later.

After harvest, spread the potatoes on dry ground for several hours to allow them to dry off. Do not wash potatoes until just before you plan to use them. Washing potatoes early can cause them to rot. Store the potatoes in a dark cool place out of direct sunlight.
Sweet potatoes can also be grown in backyard gardens but they are a warm-weather crop. The soil temperature should reach 70°F before they can be planted in the garden. This is usually sometime in mid-April for Wayne County.

If you have any questions about growing potatoes, give us a call at the UGA Extension Office here in Wayne County. 912-427-5965.

UGA Extension Wayne County FACS Agent: Becky Collins
Tips to Reduce Your Heating Bill

Rising energy costs will have a major impact on the family budget this winter. This is especially true for low-income families who spend 13 to 20 percent of their household income on utilities.
Evaluate your home to determine how to reduce your heating bills. Below are several things you can do that cost nothing, or very little, and will result in a more energy efficient home and lower utility bills.

Lower the thermostat two degrees from where you usually set it. Turn the thermostat down to 60-65 degrees when you are sleeping. The Department of Energy estimates that you can save 10 percent a year on your heating and cooling bills just by turning the thermostat down 10 to 15 percent for eight hours at nighttime.
Minimize the use of bathroom and kitchen fans. Did you know that in a little over an hour, a bathroom fan can suck the heated air out of the average sized house?

Shut the fireplace damper when the fireplace is not in use. Close to eight percent of the heat air in your home can escape when the damper is open. Close the heating vents in rooms you don’t use regularly. Put up drapes to add an extra layer of insulation. Keep them closed at night to retain heat and open on sunny days to let the heat in.

Lower the temperature on your water heater to 115-120 degrees Fahrenheit. Use less heated water by taking shorter showers and washing clothes in cold water. Invest in a tankless water heater.
Seal air leaks around windows and doors using caulk or weather-stripping. Install storm windows. If that is too costly, invest in a plastic window insulating kit sold in hardware stores.

Keep your heating system in good repair and clean or replace the filter regularly. A dirty filter slows down air flow and makes the system work harder to keep you warm or cool, thus wasting energy. Replace it with a pleated filter.
Insulate hot water pipes and ducts that run through unheated areas. Add insulation to the attic, basement, floors and exterior walls.

Upgrade your home with ENERGY STAR products. There are many items at your local store with the logo on them. Light bulbs are one of the easiest items to purchase and replace.
If you are really serious about saving energy, contact your utility company to schedule a home energy audit. For further information, contact your local county Extension office at 427-5965.

Posted by Jill Beckley 4-H Educator

We're selling Krispy Kreme to raise money for 4-H Summer Camp! This is a great opportunity for students to have a profit of their sales to go towards their cost of camp. 5th& 6th grader may receive an order form in class this month, but come by the 4-H office if you should need another form. All orders and money must be turned into the 4-H office (1900 Sunset Blvd.) by Thursday, February 16th -schools cannot accept money or order forms for 4-H. Orders will be delivered to the 4-H office and must be picked up between 10:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on February 23rd!

We wish you all good luck in your fundraising efforts! If you have any questions call the 4-H office at (912) 427-5965.

UGA Extension Wayne County FACS Agent: Becky Collins
Saving Money at the Grocery Store

Looking for ways to save money in the new year? Whether you are a beginner or an experienced saver, taking a look at spending habits may help you to save more.
Tracking your spending for a month or longer is the best way to identify potential savings. Little things you buy every day add up to a lot of money over the course of a year.

The hot topic these days is the high cost of groceries, and we’re all interested in how we can stretch our grocery dollars. Examine your spending habits at the grocery store. Though prices have sky-rocketed, you still have a high degree of control over your food bill. Spending for food -- in and out of the grocery store -- depends entirely upon the choices you make. To get more for your food dollar, consider the following tips.

Plan ahead. Think about the meals you will prepare between now and the next time you shop. Use your menu to create your shopping list.

Always shop with a list. You are more likely to buy impulse items and other things you may not need when you shop without a list, and more likely to forget something. Get to know the store you use the most and list the items you need by where they are in the store.
Buy fresh fruit and vegetables in season. Buying out of season adds the cost of shipping and import fees. Buying in season means you get a fresher product and hang on to more of your money.

Use coupons only for items you buy anyway. Food companies release coupons to increase sales, especially for new products. Avoid buying items you would not normally purchase just because you have a coupon.

Consider store brands. Even with a coupon, brand name products are often more expensive than other options. If you compare ingredients, you will often find no difference between store and national brands. Store brands are often as good and, in some instances, even better than national brands.
Compare unit prices. The unit price is how much the item costs per ounce, per pound or other unit. Contrary to what many people think, the largest size is not always the cheapest. You can find the unit price on the shelf sticker, located just below the item.

Sign up for Customer Loyalty Programs. Some stores offer discounted prices to regular customers. You may also receive coupons for items you have purchased in the past. Most retail stores offer discounts through reward cards or apps that give you cash back bonuses or rewards points. Take some time to explore the options.

Paying attention to how you shop at the grocery store can help you to get more for your food dollar. Saving a few dollars each trip to the store may seem to be more trouble than it is worth. However, those few dollars each week can add up to a lot of money in a year or two.
For more information, please contact your local county Extension office at 427-5965.

UGA Extension Wayne County ANR Agent: Mark Frye
Pine Tree Samples can be taken now
With the cold weather over the holidays, now is the ideal time to take tissue samples in pine trees to determine if they will respond economically to a fertilizer application.

Each year I receive many calls about fertilizing pine trees. While most pine plantations in Wayne County will respond to a fertilizer application, not all of them will give the land owner a positive economic return for their investment. It all depends on many variables such as; soil type, age of trees, species, number of trees per acre, pine straw harvest and the cost of fertilizer. Once the pine trees have reached canopy closure, one of the best tools in determining if the trees will respond economically to a fertilizer application is a foliar tissue sample.

The area sampled on pines would be the first growth of last season. The last spurt of
growth will not give us the results we need. Samples should be collected from the dominate
trees with a good crown. They should also be collected on the south side (sun exposed side), and
in the upper l/3 of the crown. Fresh samples are the best. Try to get them to us the same day and
early in the week so they don't sit around the lab over the week-end. Extension saws work well
on older trees and some people use a shotgun with #4 shot with a full choke to shoot the branches out of the top of the tree.

Ten trees should be sampled in an area or plantation. Soil type changes of any significance should be sampled separately. Different species should be sampled separately also. We have the tissue kits in our office to mail your samples in. Tissue samples include the analysis for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur. The cost of these samples is $30.00.

Fertilizer applications can be very expensive and in some pine plantations are not needed. To get the best results from your trees and your investment, nutrient samples should be considered. For more information, visit us at the UGA Extension Office at 1900 Sunset Boulevard in Jesup or call 912-427-5965.

Good morning. There has been a date and location change for the Appling County Pecan Production Meeting!!!!

Pecan Meeting in Appling County
Date: January 25th, 2023
Time: 12 NOON
Location: Appling County Extension Office
Address: 83 Oak Street, Baxley, GA 31513
Phone: 912-367-8130

Please make sure to call and register with Appling County Extension Office. You can call 912-367-8130 to register.

An Equal Opportunity, Affirmative
Action, Veteran, Disability Institution

Speakers will include Andrew Sawyer (Pecan Disease), Dr. Apurba Barman and/or Dr. Will Hudson (Pecan Entomology), and Dr. Lenny Wells (Pecan Horticulture).

Appling County Extension Office

Good morning. There has been a date and location change for the Appling County Pecan Production Meeting!!!!

Pecan Meeting in Appling County
Date: January 25th, 2023
Time: 12 NOON
Location: Appling County Extension Office
Address: 83 Oak Street, Baxley, GA 31513
Phone: 912-367-8130

Please make sure to call and register with Appling County Extension Office. You can call 912-367-8130 to register.

An Equal Opportunity, Affirmative
Action, Veteran, Disability Institution

Speakers will include Andrew Sawyer (Pecan Disease), Dr. Apurba Barman and/or Dr. Will Hudson (Pecan Entomology), and Dr. Lenny Wells (Pecan Horticulture).

Appling County Extension Office

Our office is closed today in observance of the Martin Luther King, JR Holiday.

Our office will be closed on Monday January 16, 2023 in observance of the Martin Luther King, JR. Holiday.
We will oepn on Tuesday January 17, 2023 at 8AM.

Attention High School Seniors - it's time to apply for the GJLF Scholarships! Visit our wbesite for more information. Deadline is February 1st!

http://www.gajrlivestockfoundation.org/scholarships.htm

UGA Extension Wayne County FACS Agent: Becky Collins
Freezing Casseroles, Stews & Soups
There is nothing like a hot bowl of homemade soup on a cold winter’s day. But who has time to make it? Schedules are busy during school days. Just imagine having a freezer full of delicious, homemade meals ready to be heated and served when you get home from work. Freezing prepared foods in advance allows you the satisfaction of homemade meals with the convenience of store-bought ones. There are just a few things to keep in mind when freezing prepared foods. Freezing will not improve the texture, flavor, or quality of food. It simply acts to preserve the safety of the food. Therefore, you should only freeze high quality products.
After cooking the food you plan to freeze, be sure it is cooled quickly to maintain the safety of the food. To speed cooling, put the pan containing the hot prepared dish in a sink of ice water. This is especially important when preparing large amounts of food. Keep the water cold by changing it frequently, adding more ice, or running cold water around the pan of food. When cool, package and freeze immediately. (Note: Do not place hot glass or ceramic dishes in ice water—they may break.) Be sure to package foods for the freezer in moisture-vapor resistant materials to prevent freezer burn. Clearly label each package with the name of the food, ingredients, packaging date, special instructions, and the amount of food. The food needs to be packaged only in the amounts that you will be able to use at one time. Freeze food as soon as it is packaged and sealed, and place in the coldest part of the freezer.
Some foods don’t freeze well. Remember to research the ingredients ahead of time to see if each ingredient freezes well. Go to http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/dont_freeze_foods.html Also check to see if there are any special instructions for preparing and freezing your product. Go to http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/FreezingPreparedFoods.pdf. Several options are available for thawing prepared foods. The frozen food can be taken directly from the freezer and immediately placed in the oven for thawing and heating as long as it is in a freezer-to-oven safe container. Some foods can be thawed and heated using a double boiler. Foods that contain fish, meat, eggs or other high protein ingredients should be thawed in the refrigerator or microwave.
To ensure the safety of your food, do not allow these potentially hazardous foods to stay in the temperature danger zone (40 degrees F-140 degrees F) for more than 2 hours. Breads, cakes, and cookies that are precooked may be thawed at room temperature. Reheat all prepared foods to at least 165 degrees F quickly, within 2 hours. Planning and freezing prepared foods is a great way to keep homemade food on your dinner table without all of the stress and hassle. For further information, please contact your local county Extension office at 427-5965.

UGA Extension Wayne County ANR Agent: Mark Frye
Citrus Freeze Information
Dec. 23-28 was one of the coldest weather events Southeast Georgia has had in quitesome time. To some extent, every citrus variety has suffered from cold damage due to this recent six-night freeze. Dec. 23-28 low temperatures at our local weather station were 25, 18, 20, 17, 22 and 24 degrees. When temperatures are that low for that long, there is not much that can be done to protect citrus, and damage is to be expected.

Below are some thoughts and comments from our UGA Extension citrus area agent, Jake Prices. What is happening with cold-damaged citrus trees? It takes time to know the extent of damage that has occurred to citrus trees. Obvious early symptoms of damage are leaf curl and tanned foliage. After a few days many trees begin to shed leaves. Some green foliage that looks OK may also drop. This is actually a good sign because trees and or limbs that are killed by a freeze do not drop leaves. Foliage that turns tan and sticks to the tree indicates the limb or tree has died. It is common to see younger late-season growth die back from freezes while other growth on the same tree appears OK.

What do I do now to my damaged trees? Do not prune citrus trees now. We do not yet know the extent of damage to limbs, branches, and the trunks of trees. By May or June limb damage will be obvious. Wait until then to prune these dead limbs by pruning into the green wood below the dead wood. Any fruit left on trees was frozen and is no longer good. In general, frozen fruit is good to use only as juice, but fruit should be juiced within a couple of days after freezing. How can I protect my trees for the rest of the winter? Our winter has just begun, so it is possible there will be more damaging freezes. With trees already damaged and with much less foliage, they will be more susceptible to freezes, so things can get worse. Growers with freeze protection should use this if there are more predicted freezes. At this point it is better to be safe than sorry, so if there is any question, go ahead and freeze-protect. The goal of freeze protection is to save as much of the trunk above the graft union as possible at the expense of the rest of the tree during these extreme events. If the graft union is saved, the tree will regenerate, but a year or two of production will be lost. For homeowners the best option is a heat lamp under a blanket or frost cloth that completely covers the tree to the ground.
What varieties were the most damaged? From my observations at this point it appears the satsumas have handled the freeze the best. This is expected as they are known for cold-hardiness, and that is why many have been planted in Georgia. Lemons, grapefruit and limes appeared to have the most damage. Everything else is somewhere in between. If you have more questions about your citrus trees, give us a call at the UGA Extension Office here in Wayne County (912-427-5965).