Allamakee County Master Gardener Seeds of Wisdom

Iowa Sta te Univers i ty Extension — Apr i l 2019

Allamakee County Master Gardener Meeting

Next meeting: April 25, 2019 Location: Waukon Wellness Center, 7:00 PM Hostesses: Mary Engstrom and Mary Koopman

Roll Call: What new plant or variety are you going to plant this year?

Secretary’s Minutes: published in this newsletter

Treasurer’s Report

Old Business: Houston County MG workshop; Delaware Co. Monday’s in March; spring webinars; Waterville Expo; program at Robey Memorial Library – Don and Caroll

New Business: Plant sale on May 11; Allamakee Co. Fair; seed swap; 4-H building roof; ideas for road trips and dates

Next Meeting: Annual potluck, June 27, 2019, at Don Haler’s, 1118 Forest Mills Road. Spouses welcome.

Plant Sale —

Reminder: Earn your volunteer hours by helping plant seeds, transplanting, and sharing your divid-ed perennials, to make our plant sale a success.

Farmers Market Waukon Farmers Market- The market is held at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds on Mondays from June—September. This is a great way to get wonderful local produce or to promote your own. Any Master Gardener that would like to get hours for volunteer time can certainly do so at the market. We look forward to another fun year with the market.

Master Gardener Plant Sale

Saturday, May 11 Allamakee County Fairgrounds

8:00 AM-1:00 PM Vegetable & Flower Seedlings,

Perennials, Bulbs, Herbs & Hanging Baskets

Don't wait to report your Master Gardener volunteer and continuing education hours for the year. Log in to the Vol-

unteer Reporting System here: http://mastergardenerhours.hort.iastate.edu/

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."

"Spring won't let me stay in the house any long-er. I must get out and breathe the air deeply again."

Best time of day to transplant is early in the morning, late in the afternoon or on a cloudy day. This will al-low the plants to settle in out of direct sunlight. The first step when transplanting daylilies from one spot to another is watering your plant well. The soil should be slightly moist, but not soggy.

What is Planting by the Moon? Planting by the Moon (also called Gardening by the Moon) is a traditional way to help plan your above- and below-ground crops. Here's how it works: *Plant annual flowers and vegetables that bear crops above ground during the light, or waxing, of the Moon. In other words, plant from the day the Moon is new until the day it is full. *Plant flowering bulbs, biennial and perennial flow-ers, and vegetables that bear crops below ground during the dark, or waning, of the Moon. In other words, plant from the day after the Moon is full until the day before it is new again. Old-time farmers swear that this practice results in a larger, tastier harvest. Visit https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar# to find out more

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I had knee replacement surgery January 22. The knee was worse than they thought as the Dr. had to rebuild some of the bone that was chipped and a nerve was angered, thus I left the hospital with a dropped foot. I spent several days at the Veteran’s Memorial Hospital in Wau-kon in the swing bed, and they were wonderful. Now with extensive physical therapy I am slowly improving. The foot is starting to move, I am wearing a brace, and they tell me that nerves can take as long as a year to regrow. I am back to driving and starting to do more than PT. Thanks to all who sent cards and those who drove me to PT.

Vertical Gardening Ideas for Turning a Small Space into a Big Harvest — submitted by Lana Dahlstrom To read this article in it’s entirety visit https://waldenlabs.com/20-vertical-gardening-ideas/

Vertical gardening is nothing more than using vertical space to grow vegetables (or herbs, or flowers, even root crops), often using containers that hang on a sunny wall. Traditional gardeners have done similar things with climbing plants like squashes and beans for centuries by building trellises. Vertical gardening takes it one step further by giving non-climbing plants a space on the wall. Vertical gardens take up less space, are easier to harvest, and easier to maintain. However, they do have their own limitations:

• You need sunny wall space

• If they are built too high, they can be difficult to maintain. Don’t make them taller than you can reach

• The support system must be strong enough to handle the weight of everything

• The supporting wall must be able to withstand a lot of moisture. You can use polyethylene cloth to create a vapor barrier along the back of your garden if this might be a concern. That being said, vertical gardening is one of the most forgiving and flexible gardening systems. If you can al-ready get a harvest from container gardens, vertical gardens should be no problem. Here are several ways you can try doing vertical gardening in your own home for the upcoming season. Hanging Pots- At its simplest, a vertical garden spot is just a container full of soil with drainage holes and a spot on the wall in the sun. A section of fencing or a pallet as shown here could provide a spot for a clamp that can screw into the pot and the pallet to give it support. It’s important when building your garden that your support system can handle wind. Gutter System- Here’s an interesting idea that repurposes old gutter sections for gardening space. It’s like a window box only more so. Make sure there is enough space between the gutter sections for sunlight to reach between them. Also make sure that there are drainage holes in the bottom of the sections so the plants don’t get waterlogged and lower levels can get adequate water. Traditional Trellis- Every gardener should have a traditional trellis system if they grow vining vegetables. You get a much larger harvest out of those plants, a cleaner garden, and it’s easier to find all those hidden tomatoes. Be sure to place it where it won’t shade the rest of your garden, and make it strong enough to with-stand the weight of the plants. Sink your posts 24” down to support the weight of the heaviest pumpkins. Pallet Tray System- DIY with some plywood, landscaping cloth, a pallet, and a staple gun. Staple the ply-wood to the pallet, then wrap the back, sides, and bottom with landscaping cloth. Fill with soil and lay flat, then put in seeds, or preferably seedlings, into the slats. Once the plants are well established (at least two weeks for seedlings), they should stay stable after hanging up the pallet. Great for getting spring planting started then freeing up space for summer crops after hang-ing. Bottle Garden- Here is an example of an herb garden using recycled bottles They’re suspended on strings for easy maneuvering. While some of the plants wouldn’t reach their full size due to the small container, there’s enough plants to get herbs for a family.

I’m Back by Mary Kay Winke

This program was very good and very informative. It was given by Ed Lyon and he reviewed many small space methods. First he noted the Home Gardener changes between the Baby Boomers and the X and Y generation. In a nut shell, this last generation wants to garden in a limited space, but be organic. He high-lighted lots of different methods and spaces. He gave both the positive and the negative of each, as well as having several pictures of all. If you haven’t seen this webcast try and get a group together and have Lana set it up.

Webcast “Limited Space Gardening”- Mary Kay Winke

Live each day as if it is a memory in the making.

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Savory…Satureja jortensis is a member of the labiatae (mint) family. It was originally thought to be linked to Satry or Satan. The name means to taste or flavor. Savory was used in the 1st century AD. Egyptians called it the ‘love herb’ thinking it contained an aph-rodisiac. Romans and Greeks carried it home where it now grows wild. Salt was a very desirable commodity and sometimes difficult to obtain, so savory was used as a salt substi-tute. Druids used it as a sign of the fertility of summer during summer solstice. Monks were forbidden to grow it as their superiors were afraid it would compromise their chastity. Winter savory is a perennial that grows taller, weedier looking and much stronger in flavor. It is useful for at-tracting pollinators and blooms with tiny white, pale pink or lavender flowers. Summer savory is an annual and is preferred by cooks. The flavor is peppery with a hint of oregano. It is related to rosemary and thyme. Today calling a food savory means it is full of flavor…not sweet. Savory is one of the main ingredients in Herbes de Provence. To grow start with transplants or plant seeds ½” deep and 3-4” apart. Planting between 2 rows of green beans helps keep away black fly. The plants grow up to 18” tall. Harvest by cutting the top 8” off the entire plant right before flowering. This can be done 2-3 times a summer. Hang or dry using a dehydrator. Strip the leaves when dry and store tightly covered. As with all herbs, it is best to crush leaves when ready to use to keep the oils in. Savory is a good flavoring for beans, eggs, stuffing and making rubs and marinades. Following are two herb mixture recipes. Herb Mix #1: Combine 1Tbsp. of each: summer savory, tarragon, chervil, basil and chives…all dried. Use among other things in a batch of Savory Stuffed Eggs. Mash the yolks of 4 hard cooked eggs. Add 1 tsp. mustard; 1 tsp. mayonnaise; salt and pepper; 1Tbsp. herb mix #1. Combine and fill the whites adding a tiny bit more of mayo to get consistency desired and sprinkle with paprika and parsley. Herb Mix #2: Excellent on vegetables. 1 Tbsp. of each: summer savory, sweet marjoram, chervil and basil. Example of use: glazed carrots. Wash, peel, and halve carrots, then parboil. Butter a shallow casserole or glass pie pan. Spread with 1 Tbsp. Herb Mix #2, place the carrots cut (flat) side down, sprinkle another 1Tbsp. Herb Mix #2 over carrots. Dot generously with butter, sprinkle 1 Tbsp. sugar over carrots and pour 1/2 c. water into dish carefully. Bake 350 for 15-20 min or until carrots are tender. A few tidbits about summer savory: Use of this herb is reputed to help reduce wind (gas). Fresh bruised leaves bring relief to a bee or wasp sting. Cut stems, rinse and pat dry. Put into a zip top clear bag. Roll from the bottom up and seal pushing out all the air and freeze. Use in soups, etc. Some info came from Herbs by Rosetta E. Clarkson and The Herb Book by Jennie Harding.

When I think of spring, I think of rhubarb! Here’s an easy recipe: 4 c. cut up rhubarb 1 box white cake mix 1 c. sugar 1 c. water 1-3 oz strawberry Jello 1 stick butter Put rhubarb in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. sprinkle sugar over rhubarb, then Jello, then water, then cake mix. Cut butter in squares and place on top of mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Serve with whipped cream if you wish

Thymley Tidbits— Pat Meeter

Rhubarb Dessert– CiCi Mueller

This dessert is one of my family's favorite and often served at Easter: 6 egg whites 1/8 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar Beat until stiff. Add 1 1/2 c. of sugar gradually until stiff peaks, add 1 tsp. vanilla. Put torte in a 9 x13 inch cake pan. Put in oven that has been preheated to 450 degrees and turn off heat. Leave in oven overnight. Lemon Sauce: 6 egg yolks beaten 1/4 c. lemon juice 1/4 c. cold water 3/4 c. sugar 1 T grated lemon rind Boil until thick, add 1 c. whipped cream. Spread lemon sauce over baked and cooled torte. Serves 12. You may also serve with fresh strawberries or peaches. Enjoy.

Forgotten Torte—Mary Kay Winke

Cook’s Nook

" Spring is the time of year, when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade." Charles Dickens

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Yard and Garden: Spring Care of Roses - Richard Jauron, Willy Klein Modern roses, such as hybrid teas, grandifloras and floribundas, are attractive additions to the home land-scape. While roses are beautiful, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticulturists say they do require good care. Proper planting is critical. After planting, important cultural practices include watering, ferti-lizing, deadheading, weeding, pest control and winter protection. To have additional questions answered, con-tact Hortline at 515-294-3108 or hortline@iastate.edu. When should I remove the soil around my hybrid tea roses? Remove soil, straw and other protective materials from roses in late March in southern Iowa, mid-April in northern portions of the state. A frost or freeze in early spring after the protective materials have been re-moved won’t harm the roses. How do I prune hybrid tea roses in spring? The upper portions of hybrid tea, grandiflora and floribunda roses typically die due to exposure to low winter temperatures and rapid temperature changes. Gardeners should prune out the dead wood in roses in early spring after the protective materials have been removed. Live and dead wood differ in appearance. Live wood is green and has plump, healthy buds. When pruned, the center of the stem (pith) is white. Dead wood is brown and has no live buds. Its pith is brown or gray. When pruning roses, make cuts at least 1 inch below the dead, brown-colored areas on the canes. Make slanting cuts about .25 inch above healthy, outward-facing buds, with the slant being made in the same direc-tion as the bud. Remove the entire cane if there is no sign of life. Because of our harsh winter weather, hybrid tea, grandiflora and floribunda roses often suffer extensive winter damage. Normally, the primary objective of gardeners in the upper Midwest is to remove all dead wood and save as much of the live growth as possible. If roses suffer little winter damage due to a mild winter, prune back the rose canes to within 8 to 12 inches of the ground. When is the best time to transplant a rose? In Iowa, early spring, before the plant begins to leaf out, is the best time to transplant a rose. The optimal time period is normally late March to mid-April. Dig up the rose using a shovel or spade and replant immediately. After transplanting, water the rose on a regular basis for several weeks. I just received bare-root roses in the mail, but won’t be able to plant them for several days. What should I do? Unpack and inspect the plants immediately upon delivery. Dormant, bare-root roses are usually shipped with moist wood shavings or a similar material around their roots. If this material has dried out, lightly moisten it. Repack the roses and store them in a cool location, such as a garage or shed. Dormant roses stored in a cool

What do roses symbolize? In tarot, the rose is considered a symbol of balance. The beauty of this flower expresses promise, hope, and new beginnings. It is con-

trasted by thorns symbolizing defense, loss, and thoughtlessness. A yellow rose symbolizes joy, protection against envious lovers, and a mature love.

Most of us follow some hobby or the other. Hobbies differ from person to person. There can be as many hob-bies as there are men and women in the world. Tastes differ and so do hobbies. Stamp collecting, coins collecting, photography, swimming, Gardening, kite-flying, etc., are a few of the common hobbies. Everyone should have some hobby. It not only enriches us, but also provides the vital energy boost to propel in our professional life as well. Gardening is my hobby. It brings me in touch with the green plants and flowers, and fills my lungs with pure Oxygen. We can derive great pleasure from gardening, growing flowers and some vegetables of the season. It is useful in many ways. Gardening is not only an activity associated with recreations only. It has everlasting benefits. Gardening provides all three types of exercise. Gardening provides endurance, flexibility, and strength all by itself. Gardening burns enough calories that also keeps you fit. https://gardening-abc.com/gardening-as-a-hobby/

Gardening As A Hobby - Prasenjit Saha from Gardening ABC

A summary of the workshop day in Caledonia, MN, which was again informative and lively. The first speaker was Jean Larson, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. One of her degrees is Nature-Based Therapeutic Services, which means intentionally bringing people together with plants, ani-mals, and nature for the purpose of providing measurable benefits in human health and well being. When we are in touch with nature this gives our bodies a reboot. We can become calmer, kinder, and less stressed. An act of taking care of a plant is an act of taking care of ourselves. This was a topic that was very interesting and I could have listened to her talk much longer. The second speaker was Jaime Edwards, MN DNR and a supervisor for Whitewater Wildlife Management area. Now who would have thought we would be touching snakes. She brought real live snakes including a timber rattlesnake, milk snake, bull snake, and fox snake. The minute some women heard the word snake they moved to the center of their chairs or just out of the conference room altogether. But most stayed sitting and actually liked touching the snakes. The feel of one snake was like patent leather and the rattlesnake was rough feeling. Don Haler had fun holding his milk snake and shaping it around his hands. It was all he could do to keep from chasing the women with it!! Linda Lind, Houston County Master Gardener, gave a slide presentation of her trip to parts of Scandinavia. She noted how connected the people were to the outdoors and most of their dining was done outdoors. Also, windows are open with no screens. Apparently they don’t have problems with birds or insects flying around. Sounds like they understand the connection with nature. Another speaker was Sue Haggerty, Hostas-They’re not just Green and White. She has over 800 varieties in her own yard. She referenced a website to check out www.hostalibrary.org (Created by, Bob Axmear from Waukon, Ia) and had great praise for this website. Another website is www.soghs.org Garden Trivia was a fun game. Participants were divided into teams and had 30 seconds to answer ques-tions. This was like playing Jeopardy, but with garden questions. It was quite fun. Their was a potting table to practice planting seeds and answer questions, and of course the very nice silent auction. A good workshop!

Houston County’s Garden Day “Thyme to Garden—Connie Benedict

Pictures from the “Thyme to Garden”

Workshop in Caledonia, MN.

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President’s Notes — President, Clara Lensing A couple of weeks ago the calendar said that it was spring. The robins have arrived, squirrels are finding their nuts buried last fall that have been under mounds of snow, and the spring bulbs are beginning to poke their heads up. I had heard that the crocus were blooming in Waukon in the middle of March. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who are experiencing the terrible floods. I know that some of our master gardeners have some flooding. Hopefully, the Mississippi and the other tributaries will not follow the Missouri.

The Allamakee County Master Gardeners have been busy. Thank you to those who hosted the Waterville Expo table. Thank you also to Caroll Schreiber and Don Haler for presenting the program on seed starting at the Robey Library.

The greenhouse at the Waukon High School is starting to turn green with over 100 succulents that Judy Ege-land and Caroll Schreiber transplanted. The vegetables have been planted. When the seedlings need to be transplanted an e-mail will be sent out. Many hands make light work. We will be needing 4 packs for trans-planting. They need to be disinfected with a 10 to 1 bleach solution. Place the pots in the bleach and leave set for 10-15 minutes. Then drain. They do not have to be rinsed.

Many of our members took advantage of the educational opportunities by attending the Buchanan County Master Gardener Symposium, ISU winter webcast series, Delaware County Mondays in March, and Thyme to Garden Again in Caledonia.

At the Waterville Expo and the Robey Library presentation, we had a sign-up sheet for those interested in Master Gardeners and/or gardening. An invitation to attend a meeting will be extended to them. Our next meeting will be on April 25 at 7:00 p.m.

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Waterville Expo—Clara Lensing Allamakee County Master Gardeners Cici, Sallie, Don, Judy, Phyllis, Sharon and Clara hosted a table at the Waterville Expo on Saturday, March 23. The day was spent promoting the Master Gardener pro-gram and answering many gardening questions. Visitors were able to make a seed tape. Seed Savers provided packages of seeds and catalogs to hand out to visitors stopping by. It was estimated that approximately 300 attended the Expo.

Don and Carol presenting at the Robey Memorial Library in Waukon on Beginning Gardening

Cici, Sallie, and Don manning the master gardener table at the Waterville Expo.

It's not spring until you can smell the lilacs.

What does a lilac symbolize? White lilacs symbolize purity and innocence. Violet lilacs symbolize spirituality. Blue lilacs sym-

bolize happiness and tranquility. Magenta lilacs symbolize love and passion. Lilac, the color for which this flower is named, is a

light purple that symbolizes a first love.

“How lovely the silence of grow-ing things"

“An optimist is the human per-sonification of spring."

In spring a friend is the first daffodil opening to greet the sunshine. Every cloud has a silver lining. An English proverb