From The President. In This Issues. The Bridge to Knowledge Volume 87, Issue 3

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1 20 17 The Bridge to Knowledge Volume 87, Issue 3 In This Issues 1 President s Message 2-7 MCMG Corner Upcoming Events MG Member articles 8 Meeting Notes From The President Hello; It s me again. Are you enjoying these balmy Winter days? Signs of Spring are popping up everywhere. I m enjoying the blooms, but fear for our fruit and nut trees. As you are enjoying days in your garden, remember to check for babies or plants that could be divided for the Plant Sale. May 6th will be here soon. Speaking of the Plant Sale, be sure to come to the next three meetings. Five $10.00 GIFT CERTIFICATES for the May 6 Master Gardener Plant Sale will be given at the March, April and May meetings. Remember dues of $20.00 are due and can be paid as you check in for the meeting. Congratulations to the new graduates, interns and all of the service award recipients!. Thank you to Christine Warrington and her decorating committee for the fantastic decorations. Celeste did a super job of recognizing those that have gone above and beyond in their dedication to MCMG. I must say(again) what a fabulous group to work with. Elizabeth Edwards, MCMG President 1

2 It is time to start planning for our MG Spring Plant Sale. This year the sale is slated for May 6 th from 7:00 AM to 12 noon at the UT Research and Education Center (UTREC). We are excited to be able to return to UTREC for the sale this year. Please mark your calendars and plan to be available to help that weekend. (See more details below ) 2

3 Celeste Luckey Scott March 2017 Awards Banquet Each one of these volunteers were recognized at our annual Awards Banquet on February 2 nd. New name badges were handed out to all of those who have 10 or more years of volunteer service with our organization. They are the foundation on which MCMG s was built upon, and we hope to follow by their example in the years to come. 18 New MG s have joined our ranks, and we are happy for their addition. Please make a point to introduce yourselves to our new members in the months to come. We also introduced some new individual awards. It was an honor to present these awards, and I hope to continue these and other new categories in the future! Friend of UT Extension- Glenn Fesmire Friend of Madison County 4-H- Manuel McKnight Outstanding New Intern- Debra Peterson, & Amy Aaron Outstanding Educator- Dr. David Sams Outgoing President- Mary Nenarella Outstanding Master Gardener of the Year- Barbara Tucker 20 Year Service 15 Year Service 10 Year Service 5 Year Service 3 Year Service Carol Dix Kathy Andrews Kathleen House Nancy Blair Robert Archer Georgia Morehead Sue Ann Barnes Nancy Murray Frankie Brown Anita Kay Archer Judy Duck Vickie Sorrels Diana Montemayor Anne Barker Bob Ellis Jean Webster Betsy Porter April Coleman Wayne Fesmire Ruth Ann Atnipp Pam Roberts Derek Grisham Jane Fortner Jane Betts LesLee Smelser Marilin Howell Geraldine Fussell Larry Browning Pam Stanfield Alan Morris Bob Graves Linda Browning Carl Mussenden Susan Luckey Nettie Jean Cooper Annie Pomeroy Erie Kate McCord Lorene Crone Betty Powell Manuel McKnight Sue Davis Linda Wallace Pam Morphis Carol Emery Hilda Wallace Kayo Mullins Gayle Heavner Ann Phillips Doris Holder Ann Reaves Linda Laney John Reaves David Mathis Cheryl Rowland Patsy Powell David Sams Margaret Rucker Tom Stallings Carol Sams Janet Stewart Zemuly Ruth Sanders Virginia Stewart Marilyn Taylor Marge Stumpenhorst Liz Whitsitt Darlene Tanner Debra Torstrick Barbara Tucker Lisa Wilson Ida Porter Feldman 3

4 Projects Graduating Master Gardeners Completed Intern Training 2016 Amy Aaron Patricia Lewis Nancy Aldinger Cathy Murby David Barnhill Heide Lovell Susan Banks Robert Nunes Jamie Boone Brad Moore Mary Bowen Stephen Pope Jonnette Carter Debra Peterson Sandi Cunmningham Stephanie Riley Cliff Carter Cheryl Thomas Adam Griffith Caitlin Roach Lisa Doyle Dick Thompson Cynthia Jayne Tonya Scott Bonnie Gordon Kathleen Trent Margaret May Donna Sudderth Neil Haase Sue Wyatt Patricia McCommon Nancy Thomas Delia Haase Christina Priddy Beth Megelsh Laura Tomlin Barbara Michaud Sandra Wall Tammy Miller Doug Wallace Leaders Needed Earth Day Festival Saturday April 22nd 8:00am-2pm at the West TN Farmers Market Hands-up Pre-School- Ongoing beautification project. We could grow this program to include fun hands on activities for the kids using Ag in the Classroom or Jr. Master Gardener material! Farmers Market Info. Booth- Potential new project. We could set up an information/question/answer booth periodically through the growing season at the West TN Farmers Market. It may be used to help promote the Seed Library as well as other educational horticulture events in our community. *If you are interested in leading any of these projects or have ideas for NEW projects please contact Glenn Fesmire at Opportunities for Service Jr. Master Gardener teachers- Jackson TN. This will be ongoing through June. The class will meet 1/week in the afternoon for a few hours. If we get 3 or 4 folks who are willing to teach, each of us will instruct about 2 classes each. Let me know ASAP if you are willing to help. These youth are between yr. old. This is new and is a true need in our community. They have reached out to us and I want this to succeed but cannot do it on my own! There are other opportunities for helping with potential JR Master Gardener training that are in the works as we speak, and I will keep you up to date as things develop. Potting Parties/Dig Days We now have a running list of volunteers who are interested in giving time to assist with large potting projects in preparation for the Spring Plant Sale. If you would like to join the list, please me! If you would like to Host a Dig Day/Potting Party in your garden, please let myself or Glenn Fesmire know at glennfes@aol.com 4

5 Farmers Market Info. Booth- Potential new project. We could set up an information/question/answer booth periodically through the growing season at the West TN Farmers Market. It may be used to help promote the Seed Library as well as other educational horticulture events in our community. If you think you may be interested in this type of volunteer service, please contact Celeste Scott at or *If you are not able to work on Official Projects but have something in mind that you would like to do to earn hours, just give me a shout and we can make sure that it is appropriate. Any horticulture related work for Non-profit organizations qualifies (ex: Community Centers, Churches, Public Buildings, Parks). Upcoming Continued Education UT-TSU Extension strives to improve lives through education. These classes are FREE to the community and we encourage everyone to bring a friend! Classes are held at the Madison County Extension Auditorium 309 North Parkway Jackson, TN CALL AHEAD TO REGISTER AND FOR MORE INFORMATION: OR cscott52@utk.edu Date Topic March 16th 5:30-6:30 pm April 4th 5:30-6:30 pm Preparing for Planting- Don t Dig Dirt, Shovel Soil! My Neighbors Grass is Always Greener- Lawn Care Maintenance Schedule Trips 1) Nashville Lawn and Garden Show-Saturday April 4th- Cancelled Unfortunately, we did not have enough folks sign up for the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show Trip to justify taking the charter bus as a group. The bus would hold 55, and we needed at least 40 to make it financially possible. We were very close, but only had 32. For all of those who paid with check, Tammy will be mailing those checks back to you at your home address. For those who paid in cash, please see John Overby at the registration table at the March meeting, and he will get that money back to you. 2) Memphis Botanic Garden Tours and Plant Sale- Sat. April 22nd The cost is $30 per member. This covers bus cost, admission to gardens, private tour, and lunch. Talk about a bang for your buck!! We have room for 55 and will have a sign-up sheet available at the March meeting. Payment will also be due at that time. The plant sale begins at 9:00am and runs until Noon. There is plenty of room in the bottom of the bus for us to bring treasures back to west TN so be prepared to shop! We will have a great box lunch from the café on site called Fratelli s, which will include your choice of 4 sandwiches, Pasta Salad, Fruit, Cookie, and Drink. We will also supply water and snacks for the trip back home that evening. After lunch, we have arranged for 2 private garden tours. 1 of the tours will be accompanied by a 7 passenger tram for those who cannot walk long distances. When registering, please let us know if you would like to take advantage of this amenity. You are welcome to roam the gardens on your own during the times between. We are looking forward to this event! 5

6 David W. Sams March 2017 Banquet: The decorations continue to be outstanding. I find that giving away a variety of plants rather than all of one kind makes it easier on me and probably better for those receiving the plants and am planning to repeat that again next year. The new badges and recognition for those with more than 10 years of service seem like good ideas. So do more awards. As we get more and more people with 10 or more years of membership a small continuing service requirement seems like a good idea and I support this change. The banquet was very enjoyable and Carol and I will likely continue to participate in it as long as we are able. Transplants: I am beginning to plant seed under lights in the sunroom and anticipate growing a tomato or two in containers this summer. I set a yellow jellybean tomato in a pot toward the end of summer because that was the plant I had available. It was wheeled in and out of the garage according to the weather and produced vine ripe fruit well into January. Some fruit was picked green and is ripening into the middle of February. There are reportedly better varieties for pot culture and I have planted seed of a couple of them to test this year. How much can the fresh tomato season be extended? More on this later as I begin to see results. March meeting: It seems that I am doing the March meeting which should be fun for me and for you too, I hope. My goal is to show ideas which I have found useful to the extent that everyone will find one or more useable ideas to take home from this program. In addition to ideas, I will be showing many plant species which have done exceptionally well for Carol and I in our garden. Hypertufa: There are, of course, 2 kinds of hypertufa which our master gardener group has made and sold. We have sold regular hypertufa planters for a number of years and added draped hypertufa planters last year. Both sell well and are worth continuing. It also seems desirable to provide our members the opportunity to make both of these for themselves. Carol and I have thus decided to host separate workshops for each kind of hypertufa where members make one for themselves as well as one to be sold at the plant sale. The problem is that we have grown in membership to around 200 members and it is impossible to do a workshop for that number of people. Each workshop will thus be limited to 25 participants. Either or both workshops can be repeated this summer should there be sufficient interest. Look for signup sheets at the March meeting. Osmocote: Osmocote is an expensive but highly effective slow release fertilizer which continues to feed plants for several months. It is especially useful for potted plants with restricted root systems and stores well. What if you could buy it for just under $1.50 a pound rather than $3-6 per pound most retail outlets charge? I will likely have it available in 10# or 50# bags by our April meeting at these prices. Would you be interested in some? I will have signup sheets at our March meeting and should be able to distribute it at the April meeting if our board approves of the idea. Nashville Lawn and Garden Show: Carol and I look forward to the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show once again as we believe it to be the best garden show within a reasonable distance of us. We will see you on the bus if you choose to go. 6

7 2017 Master Gardener Spring Plant Sale Tharon Kirk Wow, Spring looks to be making an early entrance this year. Flowers are already blooming and plants are springing up through the ground. That means it is time to start planning for our MG Spring Plant Sale. This year the sale is slated for May 6 th from 7:00 AM to 12 noon at the UT Research and Education Center (UTREC). We are excited to be able to return to UTREC for the sale this year. Please mark your calendars and plan to be available to help that weekend. One thing the Plant Sale Committee has learned is that many of our customers are repeat shoppers. We have lots of people who look forward to the plant sale and come every year looking for plants. Some of them are quite serious gardeners and are looking for new plants at reasonable prices for their own gardens. This means that we must provide as many unusual or harder to find plants as possible to keep them coming back. Other shoppers are new to the plant sale and come looking for plants that do well in our area at a reasonable price. Some things seem to do well each year ferns, for example, sell out quickly. Unusual or named hostas do well. Herbs have done well but again, we have had the common herbs lately so some of the more unusual are needed. Of course, tomato, pepper and other vegetables do well. Once again we will specially label plants that are good for our pollinators. Now is a good time to be thinking of what you have that you can dig up and pot as the weather gets warmer. The healthier and bushier the plant, the more likely it will sell so don t wait until the last minute to dig up plants. Everyone should have some things in their yard that would be good sellers. Just remember that plants need several weeks to settle into pots and begin to flourish again. Plants that are dug the week of the sale often appear wilted and droopy because they have not had time to settle into their new home. Please remember that you can ask for help to dig up and pot your plants if you need help. Just call Celeste and let her know and we will find some people to help you. Like all good things, it takes a village to have a successful plant sale. We are counting on you! 7

8 Wanted!! Articles for the Newsletter You can earn volunteer hours by writing about some garden you visited, some technique you tried which worked (or did not), or share your enthusiasm for some special plant, or condensing a gardening article you read. Keep contributing. Keep reading. Keep sharing. Please send your contributions to: Liz Whitsitt lizv@tds.net Pam Stanfield pamstanfield@gmail.com March Meeting March 2nd Hummingbirds Ag Center 6:30 pm Bring a dish to share. Board of Directors Check Out UT Gardens Jackson On Facebook! Lots of great info being shared there, and you don t have to wait for a monthly newsletter! President- Elizabeth Edwards 1st Vice President/Programs- Christine Warrington 2nd Vice President/Projects- Glenn Fesmire Secretary- Mary Kay Havranek The Bridge to Knowledge The University of Tennessee Extension Madison County 309-C North Parkway Jackson, TN Phone Fax cscott52@utk.edu (Celeste Scott) Treasurer- Tammy Overby Board Members Wayne Gerler John Havranek Susan Luckey Bill Wyatt Master Gardener financial standing information is available upon request.