looseleaf - university of maryland€¦ · ganic vegetable gardening”, “how to grow great...
TRANSCRIPT
A Publication of the Howard County Master Gardeners
February 2014
From Georgia’s Desk
Lest you feel the Affordable Care Act is the only con-
temporary muddle, here I am (in true confessions), joining the
“muddled” group! It is apparent my calculation of eligibility for
MG service pins was very erratic and in most cases incorrect. No
excuses offered, but a sincere apology!
Congratulations to the newly certified MGs: Class of
2013: Sid Abel, Susan Aldape, Michael Baker, Gul Behsudi,
Darcy Bellido deLuna, Valorie Butler, Ann Coren, Mary Beth
Culver, William Deming, Elsa Fawcett, Judy Felton, Barbara
Griggs, Ann Hackeling, Agila Kumar, Donna LaBelle, Shiopei
Low, Liz Lucchesi, Margaret Mauro, Nancy McEvoy, Allison
Milligan, Cecilia Pao, Pam Peters, Sharon Smith, Joanne Winters
and Phyllis Yigdall.
Three year service: Class of 2010: Beth Blum-Spiker,
Michele Connolly, Carolyn Cregan, Joe DiGiovanni, Sharon
Gordon, Debra Higdon-Buono, Yvonne Howard, Michelle Kopp,
Gloria Lambert, Barbara Polonsky, JoAnne Rivera, Kathy Rosen-
dale, Debbie Salles, Michelle Santos, Deborah Silber and Barbara
Smith.
Five year service: Class of 2008: Natalie Brewer, Joan
Dargis, Bev DeVuono, Caroline Feil, Rosetta Few, Jerry Fitz-
patrick, Nancy Heagerty-Lewis, Larry Lewis, Carrie Pirie, Joyce
Prange and Barbara Schmeckpeper.
Ten year service: Class of 2003: Linda Bussey, Corliss
Glennon, Betsy Grater, Pat Greenwald, Pat Harrington, Paul Ko-
jzar, Ron Newmister.
Fifteen year service: Class of 1998: Charlotte Clive,
Aylene Gard, Judy Petersen and Carol Rexford.
Twenty year service: Class of 1993: Carroll Barrack,
Mike Coxe and Paul Rutter.
Twenty five year service: Class of 1988: Barbara Sieg.
One hundred hours or more of service: Gul Behsudi, Ann
Coren, Carolyn Cradler, Caroline Cregan, Linda Decker, Richard
Freas, Judy Fulton, Aylene Gard, Aleta Gravelle, Pat Greenwald,
Janine Grossman, Suzette Holiday, Pat Hooker, Sylvia Huestis,
Robert Kiwak, Susan Levi-Goerlich, Carol Link, Kent Phiilips,
Betty Rice, Ann Roy, JoAnn Russo and Ann Vieth.
A note of thanks for the 2013 Mentors: Jerry Berson
(Coordinator), Richard Freas, Roy Heath, Molly McElwee, Kent
Phillips, Carolyn Rimes and Gigi Souilliard.
Service pins will be sent to the correct recipients. Appro-
priate certificates will be awarded at a later event. With thanks to
all who provided food, and to Karen Palm, Aleta Gravelle, Janine
Grossman and Dorothy Moore for adding to the grace and organi-
zation of the refreshments!
It was great to have Carroll Barrack present for this occa-
sion, not only in recognition of his twenty years of service but also
because his daughter, Pam Peters, received her MG certification.
Finally, a note of appreciation and commendation to Bob
Nixon, MG Emeritus for all his dedication and contributions to the
UME MG program.
On another matter: Please attend the Volunteer Opportu-
nities Fair, Wednesday, February 19, 9 am— 12:00. There are
some new programs and it is fun to see the Howard County Con-
servancy. It is an opportunity to explore new involvement in the
MG program and meet other MGs - it is intended for everyone!
Here’s to a challenging, exciting new year, and my plea
that you’ll keep me on track. It’s great working with you.
Georgia Eacker
Master Gardener Coordinator
410-313-1913
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or national origin.
Educating People to Help Themselves
HOWARD COUNTY ∙ 3300 NORTH RIDGE ROAD, ∙SUITE 240, ELLICOTT CITY, MD 21043
HOWARD COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ∙ (410) 313-2707 ∙ FAX (410) 313-2712
www.mastergardener.umd.edu/local/howard/index.cfm
LOOSELEAF
February 2014 Looseleaf 2 Howard County Master Gardeners
February 2014 Looseleaf 1 From Georgia’s Desk 3 GIEI 4 Mt Pleasant 6 News from State Office
Suzette Holiday, MG, Editor [email protected] 410-903-6809
Rain Barrels by Caroline Feil
Thursday, February 6, 7:30 pm
Kings Contrivance Community Center
Please confirm attendance with Dawn Linthicum at
410-381-9600.
From Seed to Satisfaction by Pat Greenwald
Thursday, February 13, 7:00 pm
Long Reach Community Center
Please confirm attendance with Trissie Manweller
at 410-730-8113.
Bluebirds by Pat Harrington
Thursday, February 20,12:00 noon
Howard County Community College
Contact Gina Gulliford at 443-518-4542 for infor-
mation.
Bluebirds by Pat Harrington
Thursday, February 27, 7:30 pm
Hickory Ridge Community Center
Please confirm attendance with Joan Lancos at
410-730-7327.
SUBMITTED BY ANN VIETH
Please submit items for the March Looseleaf by Thursday, February 6
Public Education for February
One of our GreenFest 2014 vendors is open to
accepting pre-orders. If Bill has a native plant
that you've been searching for, consider pre-
ordering.
Check http://www.keystonewildflowers.com/ for
a listing of Bill's native plants. Contact informa-
tion is on this site. In the comment box please
note pre-order and pick up at GreenFest 2014.
Hoping to see many of you there. GreenFest
2014 is April 5.
SUBMITTED BY CORLISS GLENNON
Native Plants at GreenFest2014
February 2014 Looseleaf 3 Howard County Master Gardeners
The GIEI team met on Thursday January 16
to discuss plans for the upcoming year. In attendance
were Sharon Smith, Jo Ann Russo, Aylene Gard,
Robert Kiwak, Barbara Griggs, Margaret Mauro,
Donna LaBelle, Ann Hackeling, Gul Behsudi, Gloria
Lambert, Sue Polise and myself (Kent Phillips). The
group discussed plans for conducting a group of 11
vegetable gardening classes at the Extension office,
converting some of our GIEI presentations into Ko-
rean and Spanish and reaching out to the Columbia
village centers to see if they are interested in hosting
GIEI classes. Also discussed were upcoming advance
GIEI training, the vegetable of the year (cucurbits),
dates for scheduled classes, exhibits and “ask a mas-
ter vegetable gardener” visits to local community gar-
dens and the GIEI 100 square foot gardening chal-
lenge.
The team is planning to conduct numerous
classes on vegetable gardening at the Extension office
during the months of February, March and April.
Topics under consideration are “Starting seeds and
growing transplants under lights”, “Starting a new
vegetable garden”, “Spring vegetable gardening”
“Better yields through better soils”, “Sustainable or-
ganic vegetable gardening”, “How to grow great to-
matoes”, “Container vegetable gardening”, Gardening
in deer country”, Growing healthy brambles
(raspberries and blackberries)”, “Growing cucumbers
and other cucurbits” and “Fall vegetable gardening”.
Classes are also being scheduled for local libraries
and village centers. Class topics, dates and times for
all GIEI classes or events held in Howard County can
be found by accessing the GIEI website, clicking the
classes tab and scrolling down to Howard County or
clicking on this link.
Barbara Griggs has offered to translate some
of our GIEI PowerPoint presentations into Spanish
and will reach out to the local Hispanic community to
determine if they are interested in hosting GIEI
classes. Barbara will also be connecting with a Ko-
rean church to determine if they are interested in host-
ing GIEI classes. Should the Korean community
show interest, we may ask them to translate some of
the GIEI presentations into Korean.
Margaret Mauro, Aylene Gard and Gul
Behsudi have offered to contact their village commu-
nity centers to determine if they would like to host
any GIEI classes. Should the centers’ special event
coordinators decide to host a class, it will be posted
on the GIEI/class link.
The GIEI team will be visiting local commu-
nity gardens, answering questions on vegetable pests,
offering growing tips and promoting Howard County
MGs. Again, dates and times for these visits can be
found at the GIEI/class link.
Also discussed were the GIEI 100 square foot
garden challenge and opportunities to join the GIEI
blogging group. The criteria for judging entries in the
challenge ranged from weight grown, amount of nu-
trition to varieties and uniqueness of the vegetables.
To date, HGIC has not chosen a criterion, but stay
tuned to the GIEI website for a forth coming an-
nouncement. Erica Smith is also looking for blog-
gers interested in blogging about vegetables they are
growing, techniques they use and recipes for prepar-
ing their bountiful produce. If you are interested in
joining the GIEI blogging team, contact Erica at hed-
We would also like to remind you that the
Home and Garden Information Center is offering two
GIEI advanced training classes this spring. The Feb-
ruary class is a “Train the Trainer” class, focusing on
other ways and venues for educating clients, using
(Continued on page 4)
February 2014 Looseleaf 4 Howard County Master Gardeners
proven teaching methods and answering most common gardening questions. The closest class will be held
at Cylburn Arboretum which is located on Greenspring Ave in Baltimore. GIEI team members interested in
educating our clients on sustainable vegetable gardening should enroll in this class. On Tuesday, March 25,
a full day GIEI advance training class will at UME in Montgomery County. The class topic is “Organic
Vegetable Gardening”. This class focuses on building soil fertility, organic pest control and sustainable gar-
dening practices. It is an excellent course and I can personally recommend it, since I took it last year. You
can register for these classes by going to the HGIC website, clicking on the “Advanced Training” tab or
clicking on this link and scrolling to the class you want to register for.
The next state-wide GIEI meeting will be held on Thursday, February 27 at 10 am. If you are inter-
ested in going, please contact either Jerry Kissel or myself (Kent Phillips) and we can make carpooling ar-
rangements.
BY KENT PHILLIPS, MG
(Continued from page 3)
Grow It, Eat It
Doings at the Howard County Conservancy at Mt. Pleasant
February brings us time to plan for the upcoming sea-
son at the Conservancy. Seed catalogs have been perused,
and garden catalogs explored for new innovative tools and
supplies. This month, if anyone would like to get some volun-
teer hours, we could use help starting early vegetable seed-
lings for crops to plant out by the end of March. We can also
use carpentry help constructing a few vertical growing frames
for our “cucurbits”, the featured vegetable of the year. We are
also going to need some metal grow frames to cover low
growing squash plants in order to protect them from our hun-
gry racooons. Call (410-459-8403) or email
([email protected]) Jo Ann if you can help with any
of these projects. Plan to come out to the Conservancy for a
winter hike and see what is in bloom on the property.
SUBMITTED BY JO ANN RUSSO, MG
The Ecosystem Landscaping Committee of
Transition Howard County is pleased to pre-
sent the video of Douglas Tallamy's talk and
slide show that he presented at NASA on
"Bringing Nature Home." In this 1-hour lec-
ture Tallamy details the critical need for
ecosystem landscaping as a method for pre-
serving biodiversity, with practical methods
for implementation. Discussion will follow
the video. This free event will be held on
February 15, from 4:00 - 5:30 pm at Miller
Library.
SUBMITTED BY ANN COREN
Bring Nature Home Presentation
February 2014 Looseleaf 5 Howard County Master Gardeners
Youth Education Committee Meeting Tuesday, February 25
Are you looking for ways to get in-
volved? We have lots of exciting
things happening on the Youth Educa-
tion Committee. This spring we will be
working directly with the HCPSS Sci-
ence office on two programs the fourth-
grade program, “Our Environment in
Our Hands” and the fifth-grade
“Environmental Report Card.” If you
would like to learn more about these
programs and how you can help share
gardening information with the young
people of our county, please join us for
our meeting on Tuesday, February 25 at
1 pm at the UME office. Any ques-
tions? Contact Janice Winter Commit-
tee Chair at Janicewinter @verizon.net
SUBMITTED BY JANICE WINTER
2014 Continuing Education Speaker Series
The Continuing Education Speaker Series will resume on Tues-
day, February 11, 2014. Details of this talk will be posted on
[email protected] as soon as information is avail-
able. Please mark your calendar with these dates to experience a
wide variety of horticultural topics. Talks will be held at the Ex-
tension office from 9:30 - 11:30 am unless otherwise noted.
To Be Determined
Tuesday, February 11
Rain Gardens, Sylvia Huestis, MG
Tuesday, March 11
UrbMat, Chad Van Erbe, Head of Production, UrbnEarth
Tuesday, April 8
Ornaments in the Garden, Pat Ferensic, MG
Tuesday, May 13
Ellicott City Gardens Tour, Horticultural Society of Maryland
Sunday, June 1, 10 am-4 pm
Horticultural topic To Be Determined
Tuesday, July 8, Dr. Roger H. Lawson, retired Agricultural Re-
search Service, USDA, former National Program Leader for
Horticultural Crops, and Branch Chief, Floral and Nursery Crop,
will speak.
Robinson Nature Center Tour Tuesday, September 9
Meet at the Robinson Nature Center.
Flower Transfer, Betsy Grater, MG
Tuesday, October 14
Global Warming Tuesday, November 11, 12:30 - 2:30 pm, , Dr. Sara Via, Depart-
ment of Biology and Department of Entomology, University of
Maryland College Park, and Climate Reality Leadership Corps.
Submitted by Karin DeLaitsch
February 2014 Looseleaf 6 Howard County Master Gardeners
MG News and Advanced
Training Classes for Feb & March 2014
Vegetables, Native Plants
Save the date: MG Annual Training Day will be Thursday, 5/29/14 at the University of Maryland College Park.
ADVANCED TRAINING CLASSES – FEB, MARCH 2014
Grow It Eat It 2014 – Train the Trainer
Learn all the ways you can educate about vegetable gardening. While powerpoint presentations and giving classes are important, we can also teach through school and community gardens, creating demos and demo gardens and more. Learn about different types of gardens, where to find resources, proven teaching methods, and answers to the most common questions and issues. We’ll share a new GIEI training presentation for the public as well as a new cucurbits presentation because 2014 is GIEI’s “Year of Cucurbits.” MGs have made GIEI a hugely successful program over the past five years and it’s still going strong. Join us to find out what we’ve learned and how to take it to the community.
Presenter: Jon Traunfeld; Registration Fee: $15
Three locations:
UME Washington Co.
(Boonsboro)
Tuesday, Feb 25
9:30-12:30
(Snow Date: Mar. 4)
Reg. Deadline: 2/18
Cylburn Arboretum
(Baltimore)
Wed. Feb 26
6-9pm
Reg. Deadline: 2/19
UME Calvert Co.
(Prince Frederick)
Wed. Mar. 5
5:30-8:30pm
Reg. Deadline: 2/26
Native Plant Essentials
This course will serve as the basic introductory course to all of the MG Advanced Training native plant classes and as a survey course for folks who want to know what it’s all about. Our presenter, Sara Tangren, Ph.D., will consider what’s native and why, soils, ecology, climate and the concept of native plant communities. Why are native plants important and what does their preservation and success mean for all of us. We will also have a hands-on component at the end of the day with either identification exercises or a field walk to observe geology, soil and natural plant communities.
Presenter: Sara Tangren, Ph.D.; Registration Fee: $35
February 2014 Looseleaf 7 Howard County Master Gardeners
Cylburn Arboretum
(Baltimore)
Saturday, March 15
9:30-3:30
Reg. Deadline: 3/7
UME Washington Co.
(Boonsboro)
Tuesday, March 18
9:30-3:30
Reg. Deadline: 3/11
Anne Arundel Co. Dairy Farm
(Gambrills)
Thursday, March 20
9:30-3:30
Reg. Deadline: 3/13
Organic Vegetable Gardening
Tuesday, March 25, 2014 9am-4pm UME Montgomery Co. (Derwood) Presenter: Jon Traunfeld Registration Fee: $35 Registration Deadline: 3/18/14
You too can have a successful organic vegetable garden! In this program we will define the terms "organic" and "sustainable" and teach you about the products and techniques that will help you succeed. We'll also discuss contaminants, safety, climate change, reading labels, soils and fertilizers. Get this important overview and the specific information you'll need for both your own garden and for teaching others.
This is an intensive, interactive class where we will be doing pre-class assignments on-line so that we can spend more class time doing hands-on activities. Participants will need to make arrangements to have computer access to complete pre-class learning assignments.
Native Landscaping for Maryland Shade Gardens In 2014 we will offer "Native Landscaping for Maryland Shade Gardens" (for both wet and dry areas) in three different locations, one in the piedmont, one in the coastal plain (Eastern shore) and one in the coastal plain (southern Maryland). In 2015 we will offer "Native Landscaping for Maryland Sun Gardens" (both wet and dry) in three different locations. Course Description: In each of these workshops we will have 3 days to explore the beautiful and diverse plants native of your region, and practice using them to design sustainable native shade gardens. In this course you will:
1. Learn how the ecology and history of Maryland’s flora can inform native landscape design decisions today.
2. Learn the most useful shade garden plants for your area including identification, cultural requirements, wildlife use and more. You will also learn basic research skills that will enable to expand your plant palette in the future.
3. Enjoy field trip(s) to observe native gardens and natural a 4. Practice shade garden design by selecting plants that are appropriate to site conditions,
provide year-round interest, and benefit wildlife and wild plant populations.
SUBMITTED BY ROBIN HESSEY, MG
February 2014 Looseleaf 8 Howard County Master Gardeners
The registration form is also available on the UME web site..
For our food For our environment
For our children’ health For our community
JANUARY 30, 2014
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO CLEAN OUR WATER
Free admission. Open to the first 100 people who register at
www.HowardWSA.org.
Donations to the Howard County Watershed Stewards program
appreciated.
Yo
Howard County
Watershed
Stewards invite YOU
to an evening with
Nick di Pasquale
Director of the EPA’s
Chesapeake Bay
Program
Ask your AAT
To be held at the
H. C. CONSERVANCY
10520 Old Frederick Rd.
Woodstock, MD.
7:00 to 9:00 pm
101010
Ask Your Questions
Voice your concerns
NEED HELP TO COMMUNICATE YOUR WATERSHED MESSAGE?
FEBRUARY 27, 2014
WATER WORDS THAT WORK
Open to the first 60 people who register at www.HowardWSA.org and who send the $50 registration fee to Terry Matthews at University of Maryland Extension, 3300 Ridge Rd., Suite 240, Ellicott City, Maryland by February 15, 2014. Make checks payable to Howard County Extension Advisory Council.
Howard County
Watershed
Stewards invite
You to a brown
bag lunch
workshop with
Eric Eckl Lon
Expert in marketing
and advertising for
environmental
protection
organizations
Learn WHY most
environmental
messages miss the
mark
Learn HOW to
change your
message into
language for
everyday citizens
E
TO BE HELD AT THE
H. C. CONSERVANCY
10520 Old Frederick Rd. Woodstock, MD.
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Bring your own lunch
Coffee at 8:30 am provided