Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
HAMILTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS
November, 2019 Volume 26, Issue 8
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Bertha Livingston
MISSION In support of the University of Tennessee mission and the Univer-sity of Tennessee Extension missions, the Master Gardener Pro-gram promotes environmental stewardship through a network of volunteers who provide research based information and education to Tennessee communities in home gardening and related areas. As part of our mission the program supports the continued educa-tion and development for committed volunteers.
In This Issue
2 Calendar of Events 3 Secretary Report 3 Action Item 4 Treasurer Report 4 Hospitality Report 5 Upcoming Events 6 Announcement 7 Project Review 8 Tom’s Tidbits 9 November Gardening Tips 10 Officers/Chairpersons
MONTHLY MGHC MEETING NOVEMBER 21, 2019
Social: 6:00 PM—Meeting: 6:30 PM FIRST CUMBERLAND
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1505 N. Moore Road
CHANGE NOTICE: Send change of ad-dress, phone number and email address-es to [email protected]. By using this email address it will affirm your new information will be updated in the MGHC records. To send a “news item” to everyone doing publicity or com-munications, i.e. website, newsletter, etc. for MGHC send it to this email address: [email protected].
Hi all,
National Gratitude Month is an
annual designation observed in
November. Gratitude is more than
merely saying, "thank you." Grati-
tude's incredible power can shift
us from focusing on the negative
to appreciating what is positive in
our lives.
Do you awake each morning with a grateful heart? I must confess there are
days I forget to appreciate all the blessings around me. Sometimes I neglect to
tell the people who mean a great deal to me that I love them and am grateful for
their friendship, but it brightens my day to be reminded that someone loves me.
Gratitude can transform the most common of days into Thanksgiving. It will turn
the hardest or most routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunities into
a blessing.
I challenge you to take time to show appreciation for people in your life: family,
co-workers, church members, neighbors, children and parents. Say “thank
you,” hold the door open for a stranger, compliment a neighbor or do a good
deed for someone in need.
Some people go out of their way to help by volunteering in projects or events in
an organization like the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County. I want you to
know I appreciate every volunteer and how you benefit all of us.
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melodie Beattie
2
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR NOVEMBER
CEU AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE DETAILS OF UPCOMING EVENTS, WEBSITES OF INTEREST,
SPECIAL ALERTS AND CURRENT TOPICS & ARTICLES: SEE MGHC.ORG
BEING A MEMBER OF THE YAHOO GROUP WILL GIVE YOU THE LATEST INFORMATION ON ALL ACTIVITIES
November 2, Saturday, 10:00 AM Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Wild Ones Annual Membership Meeting For more information, go to https://tnvalleywildones.org/ November 4,11,18,25, Monday, 10:00 AM - 12 Noon November 6,13,20,27, Wednesday, 10:00 AM - 12 Noon MGHC Hotline November 6, Wednesday, 6:30 PM Tennessee Valley Beekeepers Association Sponsorship Award Winning Film “The Pollinators” See Page 6 for more information. November 9, Saturday, 2:00 PM Tennessee Valley Bonsai Society, Hamilton County Ag Center
November 12, Tuesday, 6:30 PM Chattanooga Herbies, Hamilton County Ag Center. The herb of the month is sesame. November 21, Thursday, 6:00 PM, MGHC Monthly Meeting, Eliot Berz, Tennessee River Gorge Trust Mr. Berz will talk about the ecology of the gorge, how the Trust was established and the various programs including environmental and wildlife research, as well as public access and community engagement in managing this valuable and important area. For more information, go to http://www.trgt.org/ TO VOLUNTEER FOR: CAFB Greenhouse Workdays Contact: Katie [email protected] Alpine Crest Elem. School Contact: JoAnn [email protected] John [email protected] Workday at the Zoo Contact: Lee [email protected]
3
NEW MG VOLUNTEER HOURS WEBSITE
All CERTIFIED Master Gardeners have been sent an email from Fran Geier ([email protected]) on the link to the new MG volunteer hours website to record your volunteer and CEU hours going forward. The old system has been turned off. All of your past years of volunteer and CEU
hours have been transferred to the new system.
Please take the time to read and follow the instructions to log in and become acquainted with the new system. Do not wait until December. If you have any questions or need the instructions resent, email Fran.
INTERNS: Once you submit your 40 volunteer hours and 8 CEU hours sheets to Diane Moore ([email protected]) and she verifies your hours, she will inform Fran Geier, Cer-tification Officer. Fran will contact you with the instructions to record your hours yourself going forward.
Secretary’s Report At our Oct 3rd board meeting, HenriEtta Morris presented the details of the upcoming Garden and Soul Festival. David Robinson and Marian Mosel were introduced in their upcoming new roles. David will be part of the treasurer team along with Sunni Jodoin who was unable to attend. Marion has already begun her role as Event Coordinator. The President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer, Certification Officer, Communications Officer (with Publicity), and Project Officer gave their monthly reports. Then, Tom and the committee chairs gave their reports. Committees include Education, Nominating, Grants, Scholarships, Events, Hospitality, County Fair, Gar-den Tour and Expo. There was no unfinished business to discuss. New business was mostly a heads-up that the communication team is taking a look at how to improve our technology (software) to manage and share all the information juggle. If you take a look at our website you will begin to get an idea of just how much this entails from sharing information with the public while serving our members well. It’s a big job! As you might imagine, there are a lot of people sitting around the “table” or shall I say 6 tables! Bertha does a great job of keeping us focused and moving us along. Board meetings usually last between 60 and 90 minutes. That’s amazingly short considering how much information we assimilate. Much of the infor-mation shared will be communicated to our group by the officers or chair-people themselves either through The Grapevine or via the yahoo group (or both.) Please read your emails and this newsletter to stay informed. You are invited to come and observe our monthly board meetings. The next one will be Thursday, Nov 7th at 6:00. Project leads are especially encouraged to attend. It is held at the Ag Center where intern classes take place. Shirley Stewart
4
Hospitality
Start making plans to attend our annual Holiday Party on December 5th! Complete details will be
sent later, but just keep in mind that the deadline to RSVP for yourself and one adult guest is
Thanksgiving Day. For those who are new this year, the Hospitality Committee supplies an entree
of baked ham, beverages and all tableware. Members supply the sides, breads and desserts.
When you RSVP I need to know the following:
Are you bringing one adult guest and what food item will you bring?
This is a fun time for everyone to be together with a short business meeting
as we install new leadership. Join us to kick off the holiday season with
friends old and new. Lori Ashton Hospitality Chairman
From The Treasurer
The Board of Directors has voted to increase our yearly dues to $20.00/year effective with the 2020
dues. This is the first increase in over ten (10) years, and is necessary because of our growing in-
volvement in broader and more diverse activities throughout the community. Payment can be made
as follows:
Pay Pal - Accessible thru the members only section of the MGHC.org website. You can pay by
credit or debit card.
Postal mailing of your check to: Master Gardeners of Hamilton County
6183 Adamson Circle
Chattanooga, TN 37416
Payment can also be made by cash or check at the general membership meeting on November
21st and at the December 5th Holiday Party.
All dues should be paid on or before January 31, 2020, to be considered as an active member of
Master Gardeners of Hamilton County.
Thank you all for your cooperation and for all you do!
Bill Apps
October Meeting Recap
Dr. James Adams shared his enthusiasm for moths with us. With his booming voice and constant
motion, he was definitely one of our more exciting and compelling speakers! Always the professor,
he gave us pop quizzes along the way. We all left with an increased awareness of these varied,
(usually) nighttime visitors. Who knew?
5
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mentorship Class for Beginner Beekeepers
The Tennessee Valley Beekeepers Association (TVBA) is pleased to announce the 2020 Beginner Bee-keeping Mentorship Program. We welcome this opportunity to share the science and craft of beekeep-ing.
This class is designed for those who have little to no beekeeping experience. Mentorship instructors utilize classroom instruction as well as a field experience to teach students how to anticipate and man-age bee activity in the hive. Students receive their own colony of honeybees to be kept in a community apiary where hive inspections and class activities are led by experienced beekeepers. Students take their bees and hive home at the end of June after they have gained experience in basic hive inspection skills.
Beekeeping is a fun, exciting and fascinating endeavor that can be a lifelong hobby offering hours of pleasure and a sense of belonging within the strong community of beekeepers. For some it becomes a lifelong vocation. Please join us for the Class of 2020. You may visit our website for more information about the Tennessee Valley Beekeepers Association.
https://www.tvbachatt.com/
The annual wreath making class will be Saturday, November 16, 2019, at the Ag Center,
starting at 10:00 AM. There are only 12 spots remaining, so sign up today on MGHC.org
or email [email protected]. Each participant should bring a 12-16” wreath base.
Come join us and take home a beautiful evergreen wreath hand-made by you for the holi-
days.
We Teach You How!
MGHC “Master Your Garden” Gardening Expo 2020
Plans are moving along for the MGHC Annual Garden Expo. The vendors are signing up, eager to get the
early-bird discount before the end of the year.
At our January MGHC monthly meeting, we will introduce the team leaders and the next step will be for
all MG’s to select the group you want to work with and sign up. There is plenty for everyone to do, and
every year the help gets better. It is wonderful to work with such dedicated people with great ideas, and
commitment to do the best job that can be done. Beginning in January, the Expo Team will have regular
monthly meetings.
Lisa Clark
6
ANNOUNCEMENT
The Tennessee Valley Beekeepers Association is sponsoring a viewing of the award winning film, The Pollinators. This environmental documentary tells of the importance of the honeybee to our food chain. A trailer can be viewed at https://tickets.demand.film/event/8752
The film will show Wednesday, November 6, 2019, at the AMC Majestic 12, 311 Broad St., Chattanooga, TN 37402 at 6:30 p.m. This will be the only showing of this film in Chattanooga.
The ticket cost is $12.74 per ticket. A discount code TN10 can be utilized for 10% off each ticket.
A limited number of tickets is available. Please join us on Wednesday, November 6.
Thank you!
Tickets may be purchased at the following link:
https://tickets.demand.film/event/8752/purchase
The Pollinators
Year: 2019
Genre: Documentary - Environmental
Classification: Check the classification
Producer: Sally Roy, Peter Nelson and Michael Reuter
Director: Peter Nelson
Thousands of semi-trailers crisscross the country in the dead of night delivering goods through the darkness to stores, warehouses and factories nationwide. But some of them carry an unsuspected and highly unusual cargo. Honey bees. Tens of billions of them are transported back and forth from one end of the United States to the other in a unique annual migration that’s indispensable to the feeding of America. One out of every three bites we eat, the growth of almost all our fruits, nuts and vegetables, would be impossible without pollination from bees. A new documentary feature, The Pollinators, directed by Peter Nelson and produced by Sally Roy, Nelson and Michael Reuter, pre-sents the fascinating and untold story. and warns that the bees are in serious danger.
7
The Chattanooga Zoo gardens project began in the summer of 2012. As a master gardener intern, I inquired
about completing some horticulture work at the Zoo. Since 2013, a team of master gardeners has been dili-
gently transforming the existing and new Zoo gardens once a month weather permitting.
A steering committee meets yearly to set the goals with the guidance of the Community Director of the Zoo.
One of the ongoing goals is to “theme” a garden according to the exhibit nearby. Another goal is to improve the
gardens so that there will be little maintenance other than mulching and minimal weeding.
The Tropical Garden, Desert Garden, Cougar Garden (azaleas & camellias) and a “raised bed” garden with vari-
ous flowers at the Education Building are some of the gardens currently maintained by the team. The newest
exhibit is the Giant Anteater exhibit in which muhly grasses are planted. The “USA Garden” (located at the
Red Barn) was started to recognize military families. We are in the early stages of planning what to add to that
area.
It is challenging to provide plants that can live in our planting zone with little or no maintenance, but our
greatest challenge is the availability of irrigation when and where we need it in some of the gardens. Rain bar-
rels have been added at two exhibit areas, and another rain barrel will be added soon to help with water needs.
Other challenges are expansions which take out a garden causing
the need to save and move as many plants as possible and the use
of shade loving and drought tolerant plants. We also research
plants to verify they are not toxic to the animals around the exhibit.
The team positions plants in areas throughout the Zoo acres that
work well with the existing fixtures, concreted areas and containers
at the entrance. We have planted trees donated by patrons at some
of the paths along the way. One of the humorous times at the Zoo
was when we were asked to plant banana trees (all were about 8 ft.
in height) in the Central America exhibit where the Capybaras are.
We came back the following month to discover the Capybaras had
eaten the plants completely up! Yummy!
The Master Gardener volunteers also participate in Earth Day activities at the Zoo and some of the educational
events for children and teens. The MG team has even worked in the Spider Monkey exhibit trimming and
pruning. Of course, no monkeys were present.
As a project leader, I believe our greatest asset is the boundless energy of volunteers. We still have some of the
original members. It is gratifying to have MG volunteer friends who support the maintenance of the Zoo gar-
dens. I am thankful for each and every team member. Each team member has talents and skills to contribute,
and the discoveries of who can do what when we need it is immeasurable!
Most of the time you will see the team working on a Saturday morning once a month. We all learn together,
what works, what doesn’t and hopefully improve our gardening knowledge and skills as we continue to work
this project. Any Master Gardener or intern is welcome to join us. Lee Anderson, Project Leader Chattanooga Zoo Gardens
8
TOM’S TIDBITS By: Tom Stebbins
UT/TSU Extension Agent for Hamilton County
PHOTO BY BEEKEEPER ,KEN DALE
Don’t Invite Pantry Pests to Thanksgiving
Many families are planning a home cooked meal for Thanksgiving. Before the cooks get started they should check the pantry for hidden pests. There may be a few surprises in the ingredients used to make the feast. There are sev-eral insects on products brought into the home. These beetles and moth larvae can be found in stored grain prod-ucts, nuts, dried fruit and spices. Some of these pantry pests can bore through the wrappers or containers. These critters are mostly a harmless nuisance. Some beetle larvae give food a disagreeable odor and taste. Their pres-ence may increase the protein content of the dinner rolls. They may also disqualify the pumpkin pie from the veg-etarian list.
Good hitchhikers
There are numerous pests that can come from the supermarket. All it takes is one female to enter the house in the grocery bag. Many items contain the eggs of these insects. In addition to roaches, there are beetles, weevils and moths. Cereal, pasta, pet food, birdseed, dried beans, granola, cookies, crackers, chocolate, spices, cake mix and even dried flower arrangements or decorative corn are just a few. If the foodstuff is kept for some time, the eggs may hatch and go through their cycle before a problem is detected. The complete life cycle from egg to adult moth takes one to two months. If the problem remains for a long time, fungi may also contaminate the food items. Some of this may not be killed by cooking the product.
The most common species of meal moths found in the home pantry is the Indian meal moth. All damage is done by the larvae. They attack a wide range of products, including flour, cornmeal, rice, dried fruit, dehydrated vegeta-bles, and nuts. When infestations are heavy, the moths fly throughout the house. Don’t confuse the Indian meal moth with clothes moth. That is another problem to cover later.
Other common pantry pests include many beetles. These include the saw toothed grain beetle and the red flour beetle. There is even one called the cigarette beetle which feeds on stored tobacco products.
Scout for bugs
Inspect food for possible infestation when it's first brought home. Infestations are easy to overlook because the insects involved are quite small, especially in the egg and larval stages. The first indication is the appearance of small moths flying about or the presence of beetles in or near the food package. By the time the insects are noticed they have already spread to other food packages. Freezing grain products for three days after purchase is a good prevention method. That may be a little extreme unless the problem is severe. Grain products should be stored in air-tight containers. If possible, remove the original cardboard package. Don't store grain products over a year old.
Sanitation is the key
If moths or beetles are seen, pull everything out of cupboards where grain products are kept. Thoroughly examine all opened and unopened products. Check the spaghetti, cake and biscuit mixes. Also check all spices especially chili powder, paprika and red pepper. Discard infested packages. Many pests can live and breed in spilled foods. Spills should be cleaned promptly. Thoroughly clean the cabinets. Vacuum cracks to remove all particles of grain. Wash the shelves with hot soapy water.
Keep bird seed and dry pet food in a garage in the winter where it can freeze. Freezing infested food not meant for human consumption will kill most common pantry pests.
No chemical controls are recommended. Prevention and sanitation are the best control methods.
Enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays. Don’t invite these party animals to dinner.
For more information see UT bulletin PB 1303 at https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/pb1303.pdf
9
NOVEMBER GARDENING TIPS
Frost is on the pumpkin but the gardening season isn’t over yet. Here are some gardening tips from The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture for fall garden maintenance:
Shrubs and trees
• It’s an ideal time to plant or transplant trees, shrubs and fruit crops. Be sure to mulch newly planted plants with a good 3-4" layer of mulch.
• Prune back Rose of Sharon, Hydrangeas, and other late season blooming trees and shrubs.
• If you have the resources, propagate deciduous shrubs such as hydrangea, viburnum and weigela; and evergreens such as ilex, junipers, and taxus.
• Fertilize trees and shrubs before the ground freezes so that food is available to plants in early spring.
• Protect roses for winter. Perennials, annuals, and bulbs
• Cut chrysanthemum stems and other perennials to 4-5" from the soil once they have begun to die back, but leave ornamental grasses to provide winter interest until spring.
• You can continue to transplant perennials throughout the fall and winter, as long as they re-main dormant.
• Cold season annuals such as calendulas, Iceland poppies, primroses, pansies and violas, snapdragons, ornamental cabbage and kale, can still be planted. The earlier in the month the better. Look for perennials such as carnations, Oriental poppies, and coral bells to plant as well.
• It’s the ideal time to plant spring flowering bulbs. Consider planting some of the minor bulbs such as winter aconite, glory of the snow, species tulips, narcissus and grape hyacinths.
• Mulch flower beds with 3-4" of good compost or fine mulch to keep soil temperature stable and prevent winter plant injury from frost heaving. As the compost or fine mulch decomposes, it will enrich your garden soil as well.
Lawn care
• It’s not too late to fertilize your lawn. Use a turf fertilizer and follow label directions. This en-courages good root development and helps improve the color of the lawn.
• Keep heavy layers of leaves raked from the lawn. They should be composted. Alternatively, you can just mow over a light layer of leaves, turning them to a mulch which adds important nutrients back to the lawn.
Indoor plants
• Give houseplants as much light as possible as lower light days begin.
• Continue to let up on fertilizing indoor plants until spring.
• If possible, provide houseplants with increased humidity as levels decrease due to indoor heating.
• Begin to increase the time between waterings but do not cut back on the amount of water. Odds and ends
• Force bulbs indoors like Narcissus, Hyacinths and Amaryllis for color early in new year; start paperwhites in late November for Christmas flowering.
• Keep feeding the birds.
http://gardengirls.tennessee.edu/
10
2019 MGHC OFFICERS President · Bertha Livingston Vice President · Suzanne Ford Secretary · Shirley Stewart Treasurer · Bill Apps Asst. Treasurer · Patsy Boles Past President · Bud Hines Certification Officer · Fran Geier Asst. Certification Officer · Gretchen Rominger Communication Officer · Holly Colf Projects Officer · David Gardner 1 Year Board of Governors Patsy Boles Lisa Clark Jeff Morris 2 Year Board of Governors Delora Henderson Ron McKitrick Gretchen Rominger 2019 New Class Representatives Barry Tryon · (Mon) Mitch Collins · (Tues) MG Coordinator/Extension Agent · Tom Stebbins
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Archives · Jane Goodin Bonny Oaks Arboretum · TBD Budget/Finance Committee · Bill Apps County Fair · Carlton Mathes/Bertha Livingston Education Committee 3rd Saturday Workshops · Bev Fowler Speaker’s Bureau · Carol Mathews Events Coordinator · Marian Mosel Food Bank Garden Tour · Holly Colf Garden Expo · Lisa Clark Historian · Nancy Williams Hospitality Committee · Lori Ashton Hummingbird/Butterfly Garden · Mike Payne MGHC Friends · Dorothy McDuffie Membership Directory · Pam Paulin Mentor Coordinators Cindy Rutledge · (Mon. PM) Shirley Stewart · (Tues. AM) Intern Hours Coordinator · Diane Moore MGHC Hotline: Bill Apps · (Mon./Wed.) Newsletter Editor · Connie Giles Nominating Committee · Lisa Clark Rain Barrel Committee · Bill Apps Scholarships · Tyler Sanderson/Patsy Boles Website/Yahoo · Holly Colf
Send contributions for the December publication by the 25th of November. Articles may be edited or delayed due to time and/or space. Send to editor at: [email protected]
VISION
To provide innovative, research based, progressive home horticulture education to all Tennessee communities...
