Vol. 24, No. 10 Editors: Jean Murray/Lisa Slattery/Julie Stark October 2014
MG EVENTS Save the Date - Steering Committee Mtg. Extension Office The Linn County Master Gardener October 7• 6:30 pm “Fall Festival” is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11 at 6:30 in the Lowe Park Greenhouse Extension Office. October 18 • 10:00 am More details will be provided in the Looking Ahead to the November Germinator and through Holidays mass emails sent in upcoming weeks.
Intern Classes What’s Inside... Extension Office October 2, 7, 14, 16, 21, 28; Highlights from the Swamp Fox November 4 Festival—Page 2 6:30-9:30 pm MG Intern Schedule—Page 3 Plant Sale Request—Page 3 Library Talks: 6:30-7:30 Steering Committee Members Ely Library Needed—Page 4 1595 Dows St, Ely Coordinator’s Comments—Page 5 October 6, 13, 20, 27 Welcome MG Interns—Page 6-7 Marion Library MG Manuals Available—Page 7 1095 6th Avenue, Marion October 1, 8, 15, 22 “My Trip to Ball Seed Customer Days”—Page 8 Hiawatha Library 150 W. Willman St, Hiawatha Garden Walk 2015 Request—Page 8 October 29; Nov. 5, 12, 19 MG Hold Plant Exchange—Page 9 Orchid Show/Sale—Page 9 Eastern Iowa Orchid October/November Library Talks— Show and Sale Pages 10-11 Noelridge Park Greenhouse 2015 Winter Garden Fair Request— October 18; 10:00-5:00 Page 11 October 19; 10:00-4:00 Lowe Park Greenhouse Events—Page 11 "Autumn is a season followed immediately by looking forward Final Events at Noelridge—Page 12 to spring” - Doug Larson Steering Committee Minutes—Pages Wisconsin newspaper 13-15 columnist October
Master Gardeners Participate in Marion Swamp Fox Festival By Phil Pfister The Linn County Master Gardeners held two events at Lowe Park on Saturday September 6, during the Marion Swamp Fox Festival. The first event was a workshop on saving seeds. Shelby Foley led the workshop where participants learned how to collect, save and store seeds. At the end of the workshop, the attendees were provided containers and a listing of plants in the Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens. Thirty-six people took advantage of the workshop and the opportunity to collect seeds from some of the spectacular plants in the gardens. The second event was the tomato tasting. Thanks to donations from Master Gardeners and friends, tasters could sample from 39 different heirloom and hybrids, ranging from small cherry types to beefsteaks, with a sampling of everything in between. Tasters were provided a ballot and asked to pick their top five favorites. There were over 100 people who participated in the tasting. Of the 83 ballots returned (not all tasters voted), the following tomatoes received the most votes (in descending order): Gold Medal, Sungold, Tasty Evergreen, Omar’s Lebanese, and Mexico Midget. All but Sungold are heirlooms, and only one of the top five was a red tomato. All the other top five favorites were pinks, yellow/gold or green.
Our thanks to Master Gardeners, Peggy Green, Gloria Johnson, Lori Klopfenstein, Karla McGrail, Phil Pfister, Zora Ronan, Val Steuber, Judy Stevens, and Poly Tsamis, and friends John and Jan Neyens, and Art Tellin, for the donations of tomatoes. If you are interested in the list of tomatoes, please call the Hortline at (319) 447-0647.
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Remaining Intern Training Schedule
Unless otherwise noted, all classes start at 6:30 pm and are held at the Linn County Extension Office Large Conference Room. All Face-to-Face classes are instructed by local Master Gardeners, Phil Pfister, Deb Walser, Wil Carew and Glen Babinet. All Adobe Connect classes are given by Iowa State University instructors. Thursday, October 2: Face-to-Face—Composting Tuesday, October 7: Adobe Connect—Landscape Trees and Shrubs (Jeff Iles) Tuesday, October 14: Adobe Connect—Animal Ecology (Rebecca Christoffe) Thursday, October 16: Face-to-Face—Herbaceous Ornamentals Saturday, October 18: Saturday Class on ISU Campus Tuesday, October 21: Adobe Connect—Fruits (Gail Nonnecke) Saturday, October 25: Saturday Class on ISU Campus Tuesday, October 28: Adobe Connect—Turf (Ryan Adams) Tuesday, November 4: Adobe Connect—Sustainable Landscape Design (Lisa Orgler or AnneMarie VanderZanden)
Gearing up for Plant Sale 2015 By Phil Pfister
Greetings Plant Sale Participants, With the past couple of springs being as uncertain and late as they have been, it's a challenge to have plants of size ready for the Plant Sale. We think that potting them up this fall would help get them off to an earlier start in the spring. Overwintering the pots can be a problem if you don't have a place to store them. We have space available just outside the Lowe Park Greenhouse where we would like to try overwintering some plants. If you have plants that you would like to pot up this fall for the Plant Sale, and would like us to overwinter them, please let me know. And, don't forget, we have an adequate supply of pots in all sizes that you can have to pot your plants now or in the spring. Please stop out and visit the selection in the right bin of the three bin turning compost unit. We can accept plants pretty much through the end of October, but it would be helpful to know in advance what we should expect. If you have any questions, contact me ([email protected]).
October 3
New Steering Committee Members Needed - Apply NOW! The Steering Committee is looking for new members. We have seven Master Gardeners leaving the committee, so there's lots of room. To answer your questions: How do I apply? Send an email to Kathy Wimer, Interim MG Coordinator, at [email protected]. Include a short description of your current and past service as a Master Gardener. Please include your years of service, committee service, and other activities, and any awards/recognition. Deadline for applications: October 10, 2014. The Steering Committee will select from the list of applicants at its November meeting. What is the length of a Steering Committee term? Members are selected for two-year terms, beginning January 1, with a maximum of two terms allowed before leaving the SC. Of course, previous SC members may serve again after being off committee for at least a year. What are the requirements to be on the Steering Committee? * You must be a Linn Co. MG in good standing as of January 1, 2015. * You must be able to attend all monthly meetings, which are on the first Tuesday of the month, at the Extension Office. * You must formally apply, as described above. There is no minimum service length or committee service required. The Steering Committee has a maximum of 14 members, so if more people apply than there are openings, not everyone who applies may be selected. While there are no specific criteria for selection, the nominating committee is looking for balance in gender, years of service, and areas of interest. What are the duties of a Steering Committee member? The basic duties are to attend monthly meetings & participate in discussion and voting. Sub-committees are often appointed for specific short-term assignments, but these are voluntary. What does the Steering Committee do? The Steering Committee has several tasks: * Ensure the purposes of ISU Extension and the Iowa Master Gardener program are being met. * Provide guidance to the Volunteer Coordinator and support in the management of the program. * Set policy for the Linn County Master Gardeners. * Provide general program oversight and approve program priorities. * Consider volunteer questions and concerns as necessary. * Identify needs and interests of Master Gardener clients in Linn County and conceptualize means of meeting those needs. * Recognize and show appreciation for Master Gardener Volunteers. * Build and maintain a budget.
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Coordinator’s Comments By Kathy Wimer Greetings Everyone! MG Steering Committee elections are right around the corner. If you have an interest in serving on the Master Gardener Steering Committee, please let me know. The MG SC meets the first Tuesday evening of each month at 6:30pm at the Extension office. The MG “Fall Festival” has officially been scheduled for Tuesday, November 11, 2014. With regards to our fall intern classes, we currently have three MG volunteers attending each class to help with sign-in, provide tech support as well as supporting our interns & providing refreshments, etc. The Extension office staff greatly appreciates the continued support MG volunteers provide at events and classes! We are still in need of MG mentors as we would love to match each intern with an experienced Linn County MG. If you have an interest, please let me know! Winter Gardening Fair on Feb. 21, 2015: Extension contracts have been confirmed and signed by our three keynote speakers, including Kelly Norris, Elizabeth Botts and Mike Nowak. The WGF committee met recently and finalized class offerings schedule. As a reminder, the WGF media/ publicity committee will meet on Oct. 8 to discuss the best ways to promote the conference. Hard to believe but we are now at the end of the third quarter. Please submit your education and volunteer hours as soon as possible. Once we have the third quarter hours entered I plan to send out updates to all so that you know how many hours may still be needed for the fourth quarter. Finally, I am happy to report the Master Gardener full-time “Community Agriculture Programs Coordinator” position has been officially filled following panel interviews on Sept. 22. The interview committee included MG volunteers Thea Cole, Louise Harn and Jean Murray along with ISUEO Regional Education Director, Linda Fischer, and Linn County Extension Director, Diane Hagarty. Following interviews, I was officially offered, and I accepted, the position this past week. I very much look forward to continue working together with each and every one of you. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to serve as coordinator for the MG Program! Upcoming MG Volunteer Opportunities: *Become a mentor to one or more of our fall 2014 interns. Please contact Kathy Wimer by phone: 319-377-9839 or email [email protected] *Write articles, submit pictures and/or contribute ideas to the Germinator *Promote MG events throughout the community via social media *Get on November’s Hortline schedule. Contact MG volunteer Sylvia Kelley with availability ([email protected]; (319) 377-7136/(319) 721-4152) *Attend Free Garden Classes at the Ely Library at 6:30 pm on 10/6, 10/13, 10/20 or 10/27 and the Marion Library at 6:30pm on 10/1, 10/8, 10/15 & 10/22 or the Hiawatha Library on 10/29 *Attend Master Gardener “Fall Festival” on Nov. 11 at the Extension office
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Welcome New Master Gardener Interns!
On Tuesday, September 9, we welcomed our new class of Master Gardener interns., the class of 2014. A group of 19 interns were welcomed by Extension and Outreach Director Diane Hagarty and the team of Beth Roof, Sue Usher, and Jane Schildroth. (Two interns were not able to attend this session. Here's some information about each of our new interns: Tina Allison works in private banking. Her current favorite plants are daffodils, and she can't wait for spring to start digging in the compost and planting. She also likes using her favorite pruners. Kathy Cope is a retired nurse who loves hibiscus. She enjoys moving plants after it rains and the first thing she will do next spring is check on all those plants she moved. Robert Diehl is a calibration technologist and landscaper. He enjoys Gold Jubilee tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and searching for fruits. Next spring he wants to gather seeds, prep seed beds, and start those seeds. Victoria Fernandez works for the Cedar Rapids library. Her current plant favorite is borage and she enjoys preparing beds and planting. Her favorite gardening tool is a rake, but she says she has never used loppers and would like to try them. Sandra Fiegen is an education consultant at the Iowa Department of Education. She enjoys her maple trees, especially this time of year. Next spring she will start gardening by getting fertilizer for her new rhubarb plant. Sue Fletcher is retired and she loves her "hot cocoa" rose. Her favorite garden task is uncovering everything in the spring and she is looking forward to building raised beds for her veggies next spring. Alicia Dee Jackson is retired. Her favorite plants are peonies, She enjoys spring planting and preparation. She has a little hoe that belonged to her grandfather, which she will use around her peonies next spring. Michele Jones is a stay-at-home mom who loves her blue flax. She enjoys planning and planting, and will start next spring's gardening by refreshing the mulch around her plants and maybe using her favorite gardening tool - her hand clippers. Pat Kadlec is a teacher. Her favorite plant right now is coral bells. She most enjoys dividing her hostas, and she will start on her blue hostas first next spring. Her favorite gardening tool is a claw. Jan Knott is in sales. Her favorite plant right now is oriental lilies. She likes her bulb augur (good time to use it soon!) and next spring she plans to begin the gardening season by buying a white clematis.
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Sandra LaBaw is a manager/foreman at Culvers. Her current favorite plant is Rose of Sharon. She enjoys digging with her favorite garden shovel. Next spring she'll start gardening by doing some tilling. Connie Lorenz is a retired RN. She likes bougainvillea and enjoys planting new flowers. Next spring she plans to begin her gardening by checking to see what plants survived and looking in the stores for new plants. Susan Manson is a manager at a dog boarding/kennel business. Her current favorite plant is Siberian iris. She loves weeding and her favorite gardening tool is her gloves. She's looking forward to spring and beginning to plan her garden. Mary Mikkola is retired. She says picking a favorite plant is like picking a favorite child, but she likes her purple beans. She enjoys planting and next spring, she will probably start her gardening by planting onions. Christy McGinty is a retired lab technician. She began growing herbs this summer and they are her new favorite plants. She enjoys weeding for therapy. Next spring, she's looking to replace some of her ornamental grasses. Sarah Neff is retired. She enjoys zinnias and likes dividing plants with friends. Her favorite gardening tool is a handmade trowel. She plans to start gardening next spring by getting potting mix. Linda Sknor is a secretary who says planting is her favorite garden task, and her favorite garden tool is her shovel. She likes Korean sun pear trees and next spring she plans to divide her perennials first thing. Bev Whitmore is the office manager for Pet Memories in Solon. She enjoys her irises and cutting flowers for bouquets. Next spring she plans to start gardening by getting some cocoa bean mulch.
New Master Gardener Manuals Available for Purchase The ISU Extension Office has had several requests for the new manuals, so they have made arrangements with Extension Distribution to make the manuals available for purchase by county offices for a limited time at the cost of $25/guide. (They are not making the workbook available, because very few changes were made to it, and it wouldn't be very useful other than in the context of taking the class.) Going this route will make record keeping and billing a lot more efficient. Counties will be charged $25/ manual ordered through Extension Distribution. If you would like to purchase this new manual contact Kathy Wimer, who will place the order for Linn County MG.
October 7
My Trip to Ball Seed Customer Days By Shelby Foley At the end of July, I had the pleasure of visiting Ball Seed Company's facility in West Chicago, Il. The two day event was packed with seminars, greenhouse tours and walk-abouts among their many specific beds. The greenhouse lecture on greenhouse procedure was especially interesting to me and the many questions brought the info down to the smaller grower, though not as small as us. Much of the information was easy for me to translate to our level. The photos included below are of the 40' vertical floral wall, the archway entry made up of every color petunia imaginable and the potted geranium display of single pots with one plant reaching 3' tall and 3' diameter. It was a pleasure to see some of my Polk Co. classmates and I thanked them for inviting me. Thanks also to the stipend committee for making this worthwhile trip possible.
Request Suggestions for 2015 Garden Walk By Sam Krumbholz I want to hear from Linn County Master Gardeners if you have suggestions for next year’s Garden Walk! We are looking for East Side gardens and the date is tentatively scheduled for the last weekend of June. If you need further information, give me a call at 319-350-8493. Thanks!
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Master Gardeners Hold Plant Exchange By Kay McWhinney On Saturday morning, September 20, nine Master Gardeners met at Lowe Park Greenhouse for a fun and educational morning of plant chatter, enjoying one another’s company, and enjoying treats. The occasion was the fourth annual MG Plant Exchange. This event came about to bring MG’s together at the close of the garden season and swap plants. There is no charge for this event and MG’s who attend bring some of their prized plants to share and take home some wonderful new selections. The most unusual was a division of “Mother-in-Law’s” tongue. For old timers, the story attached to the plant stated that Esther Armstrong, wife of Robert Armstrong (of Armstrong’s Department store) loaned her plant to Grant Wood for his mother to hold in the famous painting, “Woman with Plant”. The plant was then divided and shared among fine arts teachers in the Cedar Rapids Community School District. This plant was donated by Devon Dietz. There were many house plants, bulbs, seed, perennials, and herbs. All plants have new homes and happy new owners. Hope to see more MG’s next fall!
The Third Annual Eastern Iowa Orchid Show and Sale October 18 & 19th, 2014; Sat. 10AM-5 PM and Sunday 10AM-4PM Noelridge Park Greenhouse, 4900 Council Street NE This is a regional orchid show with flowering orchid displays in Noelridge Park's tropical greenhouses. Exhibitors come from throughout the Midwest. Activities will include American Orchid Society orchid judging, beautiful floor and table top displays of blooming orchids and exhibits of orchid related crafts and collectables. A wide variety of orchid plants will be for sale from reputable vendors. Volunteers will be present to answer questions about the orchids in the show and lectures will be given daily: Orchids Alive: Repotting, Basic Culture, and Reblooming. Visitors may cast their vote for the 'People's Choice Award', Cattleya Christian Star the best orchid display in the show. Other special awards include 'Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion' for the best two blooming orchids; 'Nature's Best Award' for the best orchid species displayed; 'Weird and Wonderful Award' for the most unusual orchid; and 'Mini but Mighty Award' for the best miniature orchid. The show venue offers a Fall splash of color with an opportunity to view exotic orchid blooms in artistically arranged displays. Show is sponsored by the Eastern Iowa Orchid Society in cooperation with the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department and is free and open to the public. Event website is: http://www.easterniowaorchidsociety.org
October 9
October/November Library Talks
Ely Library, Mondays 6:30-7:30 October 6: Putting your Landscape to Bed (Wil Carew): It’s autumn. Time to clean up yard, landscape and gardens, but how do I start?” Join Wil as he covers what to do, when to do it, and why! October 13: Miniature Gardens-for the Young and Young at Heart (Becki Lynch): Join Becki as she takes you into the world of miniature gardens. From fairies in small containers, to elaborate villages, there's something for everyone in this magical world. She will review the materials needed for a variety of gardens, and how you can make your own -- with or without your favorite small fry -- guaranteed to lighten all hearts! October 20: Hosta and Other Plants for Shady Areas (Debbie Main): Hosta aren't the only plants that do well in shade! Guidelines for growing and identifying pests and diseases associated with hosta. Tips from Debbie on selecting annuals, perennials, tropicals and decor to bring more color into your hosta beds. October 27: Growing Succulents in the Midwest (Nancy Sutherland): Yes, you can grow cactus as well as other succulents in Iowa! Succulents are plants that have few diseases or insect problems, can tolerate heat, and will add texture and variety to your garden. Learn about these easy to grow and often overlooked plants.
Marion Library, Wednesdays 6:30-7:30 October 1: Plants for Winter interest (Deb Walser): This program will show you what to plant for winter interest even when there is snow on the ground. Shrubs and trees with striking barks and branches will be in abundance. Many plants contain berries that stay all winter. Imagine looking out the window at the bumps in the snow allowing us the expectation of spring. October 8: Spring Flowering Bulbs (Zora Ronan): This class looks at the major spring flowering bulbs that are hardy in Iowa: tulips, daffodils, alliums, and frittallaria. There are bulbs that bring early spring color to almost every location in your garden. October 15: Tree Care 101 (Wil Carew): From roots to leaves, it’s a breeze. Plant it and it will grow, right? It depends! Learn the proper way to plant, water, and prune. Join Wil as he covers the basics. October 22: Companion Planting in any Location (Debbie Main): Ever wonder how you can get higher production and natural pest control in your vegetable and flower gardens? Debbie will provide tips on which plants work happiest together and how to grow your plants as organically as possible.
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(Continued from Page 6 Hiawatha Library, Wednesdays 6:30-7:30 October 29: Houseplants (Rose Milden): Learn about the many varieties of houseplants available. Explore clever and artistic ways to display houseplants. Rose will also provide tips to help you succeed in growing healthy and beautiful houseplants to enjoy year round. November 5: Growing Succulents in the Midwest (Nancy Sutherland): Yes, you can grow cactus as well as other succulents in Iowa! Succulents are plants that have few diseases or insect problems, can tolerate heat, and will add texture and variety to your garden. Learn about these easy to grow and often overlooked plants. November 12: Raised Beds/Square Foot Gardening (Wil Carew): Get off the ground, save your back and start gardening closer to your hands and eyes. Wil covers the principles of raised beds, shows many pictorial examples, and discusses construction techniques, trellis/cloche use and protecting crops from critters. The benefits of square foot gardening in a raised bed include increasing the growing season, decreasing weeding and saving time. November 19: Decorating Winter pots (Deb Walser): Gardening doesn’t stop with the fall. Decorate that pot in your front yard that had geraniums or other annuals in it. Using spruce tops, twigs, pine cones, and other organic materials you already have in your own landscapes. Deb will demonstrate how to put the pot together to last all winter well into the spring.
2015 Winter Garden Fair Request By Jane Schildroth
If anyone has “before” and “after” pictures of a once-shady area that is now sunny, please send to me ([email protected]). I am working on my Winter Gardening Fair presentation and would very much appreciate any photos you can share! Thanks in advance.
Upcoming Events at Lowe Park Greenhouse By Phil Pfister
Saturday, October 18 (10:00 a.m.-12:00 pm) Looking Ahead to the Holidays: This workshop, led by Shelby Foley, will be to create an ivy tree topiary centerpiece, with a few special touches. There is a $20.00 materials fee, and class size is limited to 20. Thursday, December 4 (6:30-8:30 pm) Holiday Arrangements: In this hands on workshop, led by Shelby Foley and Phil Pfiester, you will be able to create beautiful holiday arrangements from an assortment of dried plants and evergreens. There is a $20.00 materials fee, and class size is limited to 20.
October 11
Final Summer Events at Noelridge By Jean Minehart Master Gardener Herb Garden MG Kathy Rhodes led the Sept. 7 fun and popular learning event at the Noelridge MG Herb garden. With delightful assistance from MG, Shelby Foley, the Noelridge MGs finalized our summer events at the garden. We intended to use herbs from our garden to teach park visitors stopping by our garden how to make a wreath using the garden herbs. Visitors working on wreaths Shelby realized early on that we didn’t have near with MG assistance. enough herbs in our garden for our project, so she brought many of her own dried material for us to use also. She also taught us how to make the wreaths and stayed with us the whole day (two separate sessions) helping us get visitors started and helping to make the event so successful. We can’t thank Shelby enough for all the help she gave us! It was a beautiful day and there were several other events happening at the park that day so we had quite a few visitors who learned to make wreaths at our fun event; and got to take their wreath home with them.
A beautiful completed wreath. Shelby and Kathy help visitors pick out dried material and All American Selections Garden answer questions. Another event taking place on September 7 was at the Noelridge All American Selections Gardens. Master Gardener, Becki Lynch, planned this garden and has led activities at the garden. She also led the final event of the summer at the AAS garden with the help of MGs who enjoyed sharing their expertise on vegetables, plants and butterflies with the public. Becki has entered the AAS garden in the AAS Landscape Design Contest. Winners will be announced sometime in October. Also taking place on September 7 was the annual Noelridge Flower and Garden Show.
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September 2014 Steering Committee—Draft (Abridged for Germinator; Committees not listed had no report) Attended: Jackie Baumhauer, Pam Brackey, Wil Carew, Beula Dvorak, Carson Fixmer, Louise Harn, Jean Murray, Beth Roof, Jane Schildroth, Sue Usher, Deb Walser. Excused: Larry Dawson, Barb Wing. Guest: Kathy Wimer. Approval of Minutes: Minor word corrections - Minutes approved as corrected. Announcements: None; Financial Report: None Brucemore (Melanie Brown): Final attendance numbers coming in on the Brucemore Show on Aug. 23. Input from MG is welcome. In search of co- chair and a new presenter for 2015. Community Garden Connection (Beula Dvorak): Beula provided educational sessions at Catherine McCauley gardens on August 7 & 14. Focus was on end of season tasks in the garden and using kale; sessions had 7 attendees each. Catherine McCauley has received a grant for raised beds to be built the next growing season. The committee will be seeking MG volunteers to help with this project. Rachel Wall, Extension Specialist will be presenting “Canning & Preserving Garden Produce” seminar on Thurs., Sept. 4 @ 7pm at the Ely Library. Public is invited. Creative Gardening Series (Carson Fixmer): Two speaker commitments have been confirmed for the 2015 season. Kelly Norris of the Des Moines Botanical Garden will be speaking, and Cathy Wilkinson Barash will present “Edible Flowers from Garden to Palate”. Seed Savers has received our request, and we are in the process of confirming a date. Tentative dates are March 12, 19 and 26. Demo Garden/Granger House (Lynette Brenzel/Jo Dillion): The raised beds are still not available and no events connected with the gardens are scheduled for the remainder of 2014. Vegetables and herbs that were grown and have survived are available to anyone who would like them. They are in pots in the garden area that belongs to Don Meritt, immediately behind the small shed that is on the Granger House property between the house and carriage house. The seeds will be saved for next year. The cutting garden area that MG helped plant is in need of maintenance. Please let me know if you are willing to help with weeding and watering as a Granger House volunteer. Also, please let me know if you are interested in being the project chair next year. Demo Garden/Lowe Park (Shelby Foley): We will host the Marion Homeschoolers on Sept. 4 to explore bird and bee and butterfly habitat and vegetable gardening. We will also have a seed-saving workshop as part of the Swamp Fox Festival. Thanks to the Stipend Committee for the opportunity to attend Ball Seed's Garden Days in West Chicago at the end of July. The seed labs were extremely educational and the demonstration gardens were spectacular. There was a 40' vertical wall of blooming plants in a spectrum of unbelievable color. Demo Garden/NewBo Learning Garden (Carol Elliott/Cindy Fagan): 24 attended the August Pizza Making Demonstration. We partnered with Maggie's Farm Pizza featuring ingredients from the garden. Sept 13:
October 13
Tomato Tasting @ 11am. Oct 4: Compost Presentation, by Scott Koepe from New Pi Soilmates. Later in October, 2015 plantings and programming will be planned. We hope to focus on a tasting garden, serving the flavors of the NewBo Learning Garden throughout the season. Plans are to add more information signs to garden and plantings. Demo Garden/Noelridge (Jean Minehart/Kathy Rhodes): Several MGs continued mentoring the Goodwill clients in the All American Selections garden. Led a tour in the greenhouse for 7 adults. Herb Garden and AAS Garden Events on Aug. 21 at Noelridge Park as well as Farmers Market and Municipal Band Concert. Beula Dvorak shared wonderful snacks made from herbs in the MG Herb Garden. Final garden event is Sept 7. Expert Education (Linda Hayward): Donald Lewis and Mark Shour presented the Aug. 14 webinar “Tree Pests”; 29 people attended. The last webinar will be Thursday September 4. Jeff Iles, Extension Nursery and Landscape Specialist, will speak on Ash Alternatives, providing ideas of other species of trees to consider planting in the home landscape. The Cedar Rapids Library Roof Walking Tour is Sept. 2 at 6:30 pm. From the Ground Up (Pam Brackey/Linda Eggleston): The new curriculum is finished and has been introduced to most of our volunteer teachers. We are working on scheduling and will start at Lisbon School in September. Greenhouse (Phil Pfister/Shelby Foley): Repairs have been completed on the hoop house from the storm and vandalism damage. The Parks Director asked for increased security at that end of the park, and we are going to look into adding an outside light with motion detection to the front of the greenhouse. Thanks to donations of tomatoes and sweet peppers from MG, we had a good supply for the Food Preservation 101 workshop. This event was open to the public; 12 people attended. Heritage Project (Beckey Woodard Cole/Marti Garrison): Second round of vegetables have been planted; radishes, green beans, and snow peas. Harvested quite a few fancy gourds that Heritage will use for activities. The tomatoes are doing okay, coming along. Green beans are done. Continue to clean up gardens and water as needed. Hortline (Doug Smith): Four new books have arrived, including Memorial Books for Sharon Weiss, Jerry Schmidt and Leonard Booth. Connie is making memorial stickers for the inside of the books. A Memorial Book will be purchased to honor Ray Novey who was a MG since 1990. MG Book Distribution/Marketing (Deb Walser): Many books remain to be sold. The price is $20 but cost is discounted to $15 at some events. Plant Exchange (Kay McWhinney): All MG’s are invited to the 2014 Plant Exchange, Saturday, Sept, 20 at 10:00 am, at Lowe Park Greenhouse. School Projects: Hiawatha (Cindy Fagan/Phil Pfister): The summer session in the garden has ended; we had a wonderful summer of weeding, watering, planting, picking and sampling great recipes using produce grown in the garden. Students took home a potted plant and then produce almost every week, including tomatoes, kale, and carrots...lots of carrots, Swiss chard, peas, beans, lettuces and many different herbs.
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We had guest speakers discussing garden pests and compost. Now the gardens are waiting for the new school year when students will be able to enjoy many tomatoes, Swiss chard, herbs and new batches of peas, spinach and kale that were planted just a few weeks ago. Speaker's Bureau (Deb Walser): Library talks are Sept. 3, 10, 17 and 24 at the Ladd Library; Sept. 15, 22 and 29 at the North Liberty Library. Ely Library talks are Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27. Marion Library talks are Oct. 1, 8, 15 and 22. Hiawatha Library talks are Oct. 29, Nov. 5, 12 and 19. If you have a topic you can present please contact Deb Walser or the Extension Office. Master Gardener Coordinator Report: MG Orientation for 21 new interns will begin on 9-9-2014 w/Diane Hagarty, Beth Roof, Sue Usher and Jane Schildroth. MG mentors are needed for all 2014 class. MG Fall Celebration is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11, 2014. MG Community Agriculture Program Coordinator position posted in Aug. Diane Hagarty and the Linn County Extension Council will be reviewing the 7 applications and scheduling interviews with hopes to fill position by the end of this month. Interviews will be scheduled in Sept. to hire a permanent bookkeeper/ office assistant. Don't forget to turn in your hours; review of hours will take place in Oct., with volunteers notified of total hours recorded for 2014 thus far. MG Background Checks: 1/3 in 2014, 1/3 in 2015, 1/3 in 2016. Old Business: None New Business: Report on new MG class selection: Of 31 applicants, 21 were selected as 2014 intern class. The committee was Jane Schildroth, Barb Wing, Shelby Foley, Sue Usher, and Jackie Baumhauer. Nominating Committee Appointments: Larry Dawson chair, with Jean Murray and Louise Harn. Six current Steering Committee members are not eligible for re-election. Applications from current MG's will be sought. Media Committee re-establishment: There has been renewed interest in bringing back this Committee. It is vital to know who to work with, how to contact/ promote events and when to start the process. A chair is being sought. Granger House: The Steering Committee noted that proposed raised beds for Granger House were not built as promised. Motion made and seconded to Granger House that “if the raised beds are not in place by the end of 2014, the Master Gardeners will not support Granger House raised gardens for 2015”. Motion carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted: Louise Harn, Secretary Date of next meeting October 7, 2014
Linn County Extension Master Gardeners 383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 ph (319) 377-9839 • Hortline (319) 447-0647 • www.extension.iastate.edu/linn
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964. October 15