Through the Vine A Quarterly Newsletter of the OSU Extension Fairfield County Master Gardeners FALL 2020 Mission: To make a difference in the community in which you live through gardening education and knowledge. Inside this issue: Retirement … Here I Come Cover Article Pages A note from retiring 1-2 a note from Jerry Iles, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator – educator Jerry Iles with Fairfield County – (12/2014—9/2020) his photos of memorable past events I just wanted to let all my Fairfield Connie’s Corner Page County Master Gardener and Local A message from our MG 3 Coordinator, Connie Foods friends know that September Smith 9th will be my last day of work. I’m Master Gardener News Page retiring after 30 years of public Update on Wagnall’s 4 service having spent the last 20 Gardens, Garden Java – years working for OSU Extension. free online educational sessions I’ve been in my current role at Did You Know? Page Fairfield County for the past five A discussion about 5 years and ten months. I have really espalier enjoyed getting to know all of you This and That Pages and have learned so much from An article on the 5-7 you. disappearance of lightning bugs, My wife and I are hoping to buy an Instructions on planting a fall garden, The RV and do some traveling once we restoration of an old have a vaccination for Covid-19. house and grounds Garden Musings Page I am sure our paths will cross in the Tips on fall gardening 8 future. I’ll miss you all. It has been a for older gardeners pleasure getting to know all of you! Book a Review Page Orchard House 8 I’m attaching a few photos of past In/Around the Garden Page events. We always had a great time See What’s Happening in 9 and around the Garden while we were learning! Stay in Touch, Jerry See page two for Jerry’s photos of memorable educational events. Through the Vine—Volume 10 Number 3 1 Through the Vine—Fall 2020 Retirement (cont’d from page 1) Bachman Apple Orchard (2016) Thomas arm -Solar panel program Helser Farms—Peaches (2016) with Eric Romich (2016) Brad Berry Farm (2017) Nightcrawler Gardens (2018) “These were just a few of the great times we shared…learning and having fun!“ - Jerry The Kale Yard with Erin (2018) Saum’s Farm Tour Schultz Valley Farm Hugus Fruit Farm – Fruit Tree Pruning class - coldest day in March for the past 5 years! Through the Vine—Volume 10 Number 3 2 Through the Vine—Fall 2020 Master Gardener training in 2021—There is a CONNIE’S CORNER cluster of three Southern Ohio counties piloting Master Gardener Training online. I have seen the materials and they are very good. It is not Dear Master Gardeners, my preferred method because I fear we will never have connectivity with the class and September is just around the corner, and it existing MGV’s in the program. Again, this is all seems like this year is still kind of a blur!! So, being piloted in the next few months, so we will here’s what I do know: take a “wait and see” approach. OSU Extension in Fairfield County is open two There will be no Master Gardener display at the days per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, by Fairfield County Fair. The Fairfield County Fair is appointment only. The Ag Center is locked and a JUNIOR FAIR ONLY this year. That means no all agencies in the building are by appointment rides, no Art Hall, no entertainment, very few only. We are still working from home and can food vendors and very limited admittance into be reached by calling 740-653-5419. I foresee the Fairgrounds the week of the County Fair. working from home through the end of the year. Finally, thank you to all those who have been Master Gardener projects are still only clean-up, working at the Fairgrounds, Wagnall’s, Ag maintenance and food production gardens only Center, Learning Never Ends and the Georgian via the OSU Exemption #435. Limited to ten projects. I know it feels very good to be back in people per work session with appropriate social the gardens and being among your friends. I distancing and masks if not six feet apart. We will try to keep you updated as the rest of the are still discussing as Coordinators exemptions year begins to unfold. Thank you for your for face to face meetings for 50 MGV’s or less. dedication to the Fairfield County Master More to come. Gardener program. YOU ARE APPRECIATED!!! Master Gardener Volunteers who are not comfortable, or cannot be working in the Sincerely, garden or assisting with a project, such as newsletter contributions, and want to receive Connie Smith credit for their “give back” hours, can receive “give back” credit by watching any of the Master Gardener Coordinator previously recorded Lunch and Learn sessions: [email protected] https://mastergardener.osu.edu/news/mgvs- 740-277-4632 horticulture-lunch-and-learn-and-happy-hour- information-and-registration. Just click on the link and you will find the first Lunch and Learn with Amy Stone on Spotted Lantern Fly. You are still required to give back 20 hours to remain Newsletter Deadlines active. When recording your hours go to Spring Newsletter—submit by February 1 https://ohio.volunteersystem.org/users/ Summer Newsletter—submit by May 1 index.cfm and record in the project category Autumn Newsletter—submit by August 1 “Covid 19 in place of service hours. “ Winter Newsletter—submit by November 1 Lunch and Learns will resume in November, Please email articles and information to Lisa 2020. Topics yet to be determined. IDEAS?? Stoklosa at [email protected] Through the Vine—Volume 10 Number 3 3 Through the Vine—Fall 2020 Wagnalls Update Have you checked out by Pam Jarvis, Master Gardener 2005 Garden Java... Yes, it is The Friends of Continuing Education, Too!! Wagnalls team is source: Connie Smith, Master Gardener back to work. All Coordinator educational programs on pollinators that were being planned for 2020 will be pushed back to 2021. I was especially excited about program t-shirts which were pushed back to order in 2021. The soft shirt is a sky blue with a Wagnalls logo on the front, and on the back, the Cicero quote, “If you Garden JAVA Educational Gardening Sessions for have a library and a garden you have the Public are every Thursday at 10 am via ZOOM. everything.” The current price is around $10. Grab a cup of your favorite local “joe” and join Several Master Gardeners researched us! Garden JAVA conversations are informal information on labeled plants and this will be educational conversations about gardening led by compiled for 2021 tours. Ohio Magazine included OSU Extension Stark County Master Gardener a short feature on Wagnalls in the June edition. Volunteers. Programs include a short, informal Wagnalls will have a beekeeper, a food truck and presentation on a selected gardening topic a craft vendor each Saturday in September to followed by a Q & A period and discussion. keep the Honeyfest as alive and safe as possible. Visit https://go.osu.edu/GardenJava to register and receive the meeting link. Can’t make the session but want to get your garden learning in? Garden JAVA sessions are recorded and available for public viewing at http://osustarkmg.org/resources/garden-java- recordings-handouts/. Don't wait for things to get easier, simpler, better. Life will always be complicated. Learn to be happy right now. Please Help Keep Information Current Otherwise, you'll run of time. If you have updates to your email or mailing address, Source: Mary Carter, Master Gardener, 2017 please contact Lisa Stoklosa, [email protected]. Through the Vine—Volume 10 Number 3 4 Through the Vine—Fall 2020 “I don’t see Lightning DID YOU KNOW? bugs like I used to . All About Espalier where have they gone?” Source: Garden-pedia by Pamela Bennet and Maria Zampini by Stan Smith, Program Assistant, Agriculture and Natural Resources Espalier In fact, during recent years we Growing a plant in a single plane, often vertically are seeing less and less against a wall or other support structure. lightning bugs. The reason is likely a combination of factors, This ancient tradition of although basically it revolves training fruiting trees to around the loss of habitat over grow in such a way has time. Lightning bugs thrive as been adapted to non-fruit larvae in rotting wood and producing woody plants. decomposing tree litter on the The tree produces more edges of ponds and streams. Those areas are fruit and benefits from the disappearing in and around metro areas, stored heat in the including many parts of Fairfield County. support wall, extending the growing season of the Secondly, light pollution, or the abundance of light plant. in and around what used to be our less urban areas, is a problem for lightning bugs. They Traditionally a formal design element, the espalier communicate and attract mates with their lights. design is equally at home in more relaxed When much of their habitat is polluted with light settings, maximizing the limited space found in that stays on well into the night, they fail to be smaller, urban gardens and dressing up an able to find mates in those well-lit areas. Since otherwise unattractive, plain surface. It also they don't often travel far from where they hatch provides a cooling effect for a building . It takes a out, lightning bugs simply fail to reproduce in the little more time and effort to espalier a plant but numbers we became used to as youth.