By Vickie J. Hadley, CFCS, CPFFE Health and Human Science Extension Educator/County Extension Director

Transcription

1 Preserving Nature s Bounty, Wednesday, September 20 (see page 12) Bonsai II, Saturday, September 23 (see page 8) Noble County Symposium, Saturday, September 30 (see page 14) Next Workday, Saturday, October 21 Inside the Fence Master Gardeners, Thank You (page 2) Master Gardener Working Council (page 3) Messages from Fundraising Coordinators (page 4) Community Garden News (page 5) What s Happening in the Gardens? (page 6) Posting Master Gardener Hours & Quick Tips (page 7) Educational Opportunities (page 8) Lemongrass and Apples (pages 9 & 10) Response Update and Important Information (page 11) Preserving Nature s Bounty flyer (page 12) Beginner s Guide to Grant Writing (page 13) Noble County Fall Symposium flyer (page 14) Response Center Volunteer Signup Forms (page 15) Speakers Bureau Volunteer Form (page 16) Extension Office: Option 3 FAX #: TDD:711/for hearing impaired Allen County Extension Web Site Extension-Allen-County / Vickie Hadley, CFCS,CPFFE HHS Extension Educator/CED hadleyv@purdue.edu James Wolff, ANR jmwolff@purdue.edu Across The Fence Editor Jane Ford bloominthing@gmail.com Community Garden Manager Jane Ford Display Garden Coordinator Jackie Hoopfer jackiehoopfer@aol.com Home & Garden Show Coordinators Dave & Nina Thierer Home Cell ntteach2001@gmail.com Response Center Coordinator Denise Lloyd lloyddenise@gmail.com Plant Sale Coordinators Simone Alberding Jennifer Redwine Sherri Knisley Speaker Coordinator Anita Crusoe anitacrusoe@gmail.com Workshop/Seminar Coordinator Pam Snyder psnyder414@gmail.com Purdue Extension - Allen County 4001 Crescent Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN Phone

2 By Vickie J. Hadley, CFCS, CPFFE Health and Human Science Extension Educator/County Extension Director Master Gardeners, Thank you so much for all your work to maintain the Master Gardener program. I appreciate your willingness to step up and volunteer your services to make sure the gardens are beautiful and welcoming to all our guests, host and make presentations as requested by community agencies, provide training for fellow master gardeners, diagnose samples, respond to phone calls, provide leadership as coordinators and working council members, and promote Purdue Extension. Master Gardener Deadlines Please pay attention to deadlines to submit your order for the Master Gardener resource manual. (Deadline to order is October 13. See August ATF, page 2, for ordering information and coupon.) Post your 2017 volunteer hours by October 31 This will be very helpful as we prepare for the Master Gardener banquet on February 5, (See page 5 for written instructions on how to post data. Also see posted pdf files at the web site for pictorial instructions on how to register and enter data.) If attending workshops listed in Across the Fence be sure to note the deadlines to register and pay the fee. (See pages 6, 9, 10 & 11 for list of September workshops and other opportunities). Sustainable Teams at Work in the Community The sustainable teams have been busy with certifications and are eager to serve the community. NOTE: Remember we have the compost buckets for $10.00 or refills for $3.00. Irrigation System in Display Gardens Needs YOU! Thank you to Dave Braun for his dedicated service to the irrigation system for all the display gardens for the past 15 years. It is a very integrated system that works extremely well. He is wanting to pass the torch. Are you interested in volunteering to provide the leadership for this integral system? He would like to mentor someone through the shut down process this fall and provide assistance as needed for the next year as you get your feet wet and provide the needed maintenance on the complete system. Contact Dave if you are willing to help with this project at dbraun98@comcast.net. Return Tools to Shed PLEASE! Please make sure tools are returned to the shed and placed in their dedicated areas since it was cleaned out and reorganized following the last work day. A great team effort. Thank you. Hiring Progress for the Horticulture Educator Position The extension board met on August 21 to discuss the job description for the horticulture position. I ve submitted those recommendations and the requests from the working council to Purdue for their review to revise and prepare the job description. Hopefully the job will be posted soon and we can begin the process of receiving applications, scheduling interviews, and hiring a new extension educator. I ll provide the link to the application when it is distributed so you can circulate to those interested in working for Purdue University as a horticulture extension educator. Suggestions Welcome We are always open to suggestions to improve the program, please share those thoughts with your program coordinators and working council members. The working council meets monthly to maintain open communication and understanding and to make recommendations for program improvements. In the meantime, enjoy the beautiful weather and nature s beauty. NOTE: Have you submitted your hours into the online system? This will be very helpful as we prepare for the Master Gardener banquet on February 5, 2018 (go to page 7 for all the help you should need).

3 AMG Simone Alberding Plant Sale Co-coordinator (260) AMG Denise Lloyd Response Center Coordinator (260) AMG Anita Crusoe Speaker Coordinator (260) AMG Pam Snyder Workshop/Seminar Coordinator (260) AMG Jane Ford Editor of Across the Fence Community Garden Manager (260) AMG Dave Thierer Home & Garden Show Co-coordinator AMG Jackie Hoopfer, Display Garden Coordinator (260) AMG Nina Thierer Home & Garden Show Co-coordinator AMG Cindy Trygg Display Garden s Reporter Extension Board Member jlt22208@aol.com (260) AMG Peg Davis, Bill Oliver & Kathy O At-Large Council Members

4 A Big Thank You to all who donated for Sales from AMG Simone Alberding All of you probably know our Display Gardens don't come cheap in the maintenance costs! The Plant Sales group applauds the efforts made by many of you to contribute plants and other sundry items to make the monies needed to support our efforts. For those of you who donated, who dug with us on properties, who potted all we dug, who watered endlessly all that was potted, and who worked the Plant Sales make it special for our group to keeps sales rolling. We don't have a large group and couldn't do it without you! We are already working on sale inventory for 2018 sales. We dug and potted about 50 daylilies which are living in the nursery area and being watered nicely by Amy Hohman, a new Intern. Amy was also a trooper in helping all of us dig and pot these plants. It takes many plants to make the monies we need to fund our Display Gardens. Please keep that thought in mind as you tend your particular garden areas in the Display Gardens this fall and write down several plants in your areas that need thinned for the Spring 2018 growing season. We will be wandering around the gardens this fall taking notes as well and discussing some areas with your Garden Coordinator, Jackie Hoopfer, so we can be certain to have the numbers of plants we need to boost our income. We had too many Iris this spring and had quite a few left. If you donate Iris, please try to at least identify the color when you donate. The Public buys Iris easier when they know colors. That is normal for most plants but especially for Iris and Daylilies. Also, we don't need any pots at this point smaller than 1/2 gallon so please don't drop more off for us to us until we ask. We will happily try to reuse any pots larger than 1/2 gallon. I stop by the office periodically to see if things are dropped off and try to keep the area organized. We typically could use 500 or more pots during spring sales if you all donate generously! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact any of the three plant sale coordinators. Our phone numbers are always on the front page of ATF. In addition, please feel free to contact me at simonekitty@aol.com. Again, a special thanks from us to all of you. Call for Speakers for Home & Garden Show from AMG Nina Thierer We are starting to get things ready for the Home & Garden Show which will be March 1 st -5 th, We don t have the theme yet from Fort Wayne Shows but we would still like to start lining up our speakers. The speakers will be in the White Room again this year. The White Room worked out great last year with the elevator right there and restrooms in the room. Here is what we are looking for A 45 minute presentation on a garden related topic. (Flowers, veggies, container gardening, herbs, composting are just a few ideas. ) We would like a title that let s everyone know what you will be speaking on. We would like a PowerPoint or some time of visuals to go with your talk. We will have an A/V person provided by the show that will load your PowerPoint or help with technology needs. (We will give you that information closer to the show. ) Have in mind which day you can speak Thursday, Friday or Saturday. We will limit you to one spot to start with. If we don t get enough speakers we may use a speaker more than once. We would love to see some new faces doing presentations this year along with those who have helped us in the past. So if you are interested in speaking at the show please contact Nanette Coble at or at nancoble@gmail.com. We Need Seeds!!!!! Also from AMG Nina Thierer Please consider collecting, cleaning & donating some of your seeds to be packaged and sold at the Home & Garden show. The more seeds we get from Master Gardeners the more money we make to help the gardens. Please follow a few simple requests. All seeds must be cleaned and ready to package at seed packaging day. All seeds must be labeled with the plant name, the color of the plant and height. If you know the seeds need to be treated special please include that as well. (Like soak, scarify, freeze etc.) ALSO HELPFUL IF YOU WRITE WHETHER ANNUAL OR PERENNIAL on the label. If you have a picture of the plant/flower that will help as well. Please keep them in a cold, dry place (refrigerator is good). Later we will have a box to put them in located in the refrigerator in the boiler room to. We would like to have them prior to seed packaging day. (Watch the ATF for the dates of the seed packaging. (Usually early in January)

5 What s with the Grass Clippings? By AMG Bill Oliver I ve always mulched my vegetables; even way back when all the science books said it would rob young plants of needed nitrogen. It just seemed right. No matter what anyone else said. So I wasn t surprised when Jane told me she was getting questions from fellow community gardeners. Not only was there mulch on my plot; it was 3 to 4 thick. Mostly grass clippings with a few leaves and weeds thrown in to provide some texture. Surely this would be the death of anything I planted. Today, we understand the science a lot better. When we mulch, it s like slow composting. Some materials like leaves, cardboard or wood ash have a lower nitrogen to carbon ratio, and do rob nitrogen from the soil to feed decomposition. Others though, like fresh grass clippings, have a much higher nitrogen component. Nothing needed from the soil. No impact to plants growing around them. I don t plant my tomatoes until late May peppers in early June. That leaves plenty of time for the mulch to settle down to the more desirable ~2 depth. It also means that by the time the plants do go in we re long past the phase where the mulch could have been producing any heat. It does need to be turned frequently for a few weeks to keep the grass from clumping together and to avoid anaerobic decomposition (ammonia). It s also important to get any compost down before adding the mulch. Since the mulch goes on so thick initially, nothing much can sprout even if there are weed seeds in the compost or soil below. When ready to plant, clear away small rings so that no mulch actually touches the new seedlings. Then it s time to start adding to the mulch because the worms, sow bugs and other decomposers have done wonders to the original mulch layer. Keeping it at about 1-2 allows enough air flow to the soil yet is thick enough to hold in moisture and prevent splashing potentially disease-infested soil onto the leaves. It s still thick enough to keep weeds from sprouting, especially once the plants start to shade the soil themselves. The continuous decomposition over the course of the summer helps maintain both our plants and the beneficial microorganisms we rely on to further break down nutrients and to fight off diseases. The lack of weeds and less-frequent watering gives me more time to do other things... like trim the grass around the outside community garden beds for Jane. And thanks for taking the time to keep the grass trimmed Bill. I love the grass mulch and plan on doing a lot more of that next season and will be encouraging other community gardeners to do that as well. Been watching Bill s raised beds and it works and his plants have had fewer problems than those of us who haven t mulched. I also want to thank Donna Streeter for faithfully pulling morning glory seedlings all season long. We determined early on not to allow the morning glories to take over but we had no idea how determined they would be and what a challenging task it was going to be to stop them. Next spring we will treat the pathways and surrounding area with Preen or corn gluten in an effort to prevent the seedlings from germinating and thanks to Bill s article, we will be mulching which will probably smother a lot of them along with other weeds that always attempt to take over. I have had a lot of help this year and I can t tell you how much I appreciate all of it. A special thanks to Keith Trowbridge for securing our new benches. What a super job he did on those. And thanks to those of you who I ve missed thanking for being willing to help make our community garden a popular place for those in the community. We re looking forward to a great 2018 season. ~Jane

6 By AMG Cindy Trygg, Display Garden Reporter (Photos on this page by Cindy) This month I had a chance to talk to Jackie Hoopfer about the Trial Garden here at the extension. That is just what this garden is, they get to trial plants for different companies. This year they did trials for Ball Horticultural Company. The plants they trialed are new additions from Ball Ingenuity, Pan American Seeds, and Pan American Keift Seeds. Trial Garden use to highlight new plants that were currently on the market. Then ten years ago Jackie was able to get them into real trials with seeds companies. They have trialed for Ball Horticultural Company and Grimes Seeds in the past. Here is how it all comes about. In January they are sent seeds to trial that will be available to growers the following year. In April they are sent cuttings which they pot up and nurse along until they can be planted into the garden in May. The plants out in the garden now will be available to growers for the 2018 growing season. They send a report back to the companies at the end of the growing season that details every month on how the plants did. They report on the germination rate of the seeds to the flowering rates. They look at the health of the plants, if it is growing in a uniform way, what the bloom looks like, how long it lasts and finally an overall rating of the plants. The results of the growing season are then compared to other trial gardens growing the same plants throughout the United States. After all of the data is compiled, greenhouses can choose what plants they would like to grow based on the findings from trial gardens. They never know what they will be sent or how the plants will turn out. That is what makes the Trial Garden so exciting. They get to see many new plants before anyone else does. They have even had crop failures on certain varieties in the past. Last year the garden team was invited to the Ball Horticultural Company in Chicago for an in-depth tour of the company. They got to tour the seed labs all the way to the Ball Trial Gardens. The group even met with the CEO of Ball Horticultural Company, Anna Ball. This was an exciting trip for all. The Trial Garden team is pictured below. They are Judy Hampson, Jo Ellen Smith, Lyle McDermott, Jackie Hoopfer, Debbie Branfield, Victoria Rodenbeck, Trish Young. They are pictured with Susan Schmidt, their consultant from Ball Horticultural Company. If you have not had a chance to see what is growing this year, stop by and get a sneak peak at what might be new on the market next season.

7 We would like to have all MG volunteer and educational hours reported in the online system by October 31 again this year so we have time to order badges for everyone qualifying at a higher level. For those of you who have been diligently putting in your hours THANKS! If you could continue to do so at least once a month that would be very helpful. If you haven t started yet or are more than a month behind now is a really good time to get caught up so poor James doesn t have hundreds (thousands?) of hours to approve at the last minute. There are two PowerPoint presentations in pdf format on the web page this month, both in pictorial format which should help. ( MG Manager Account Setup, and MG Manager Hours Entry. By AMG Bill Oliver Also we ve reprinted some Quick Tips at the end of this page for anyone who would like them. The system really is quite intuitive, and these should provide some additional help if needed. If you don t have your own PC, you may use the one in the small Extension Conference Room assuming there isn t a meeting going on at the time. The office is open 8:00 to 4:30 Mondays through Fridays. The website already is set up on the favorites bar on that computer. If you d like some personal guidance to help get you started, come to the Extension office at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 19 and AMG Bill Oliver will provide hands-on help. Bring a laptop if you have one. We ll have some loaners available for anyone who doesn t though. As a reminder, the code for Allen County is alle4853. If your primary county is not Allen County and you need help finding the correct code for your county please let James know and he or Bill will get back to you with the correct code. Quick Tips 1. Purdue MG Manager website is 2. IF you had any volunteer or educational hours performed AFTER you made your final report for 2016, please enter those in the new system. Do not enter any hours you already reported for 2016 or earlier since we are picking them up automatically 3. Any administrative type hours you have (MG Council, Newsletter prep, helping with special projects that don t fit nicely in other categories) should be entered in the MG Association/Group Activities section in the Category drop down. 4. If you just can t find a fit for what you are doing, there always is the Other option. 5. If you did two things at once (i.e. answered questions from a visitor while working in the display garden) no need to separate them. Just report the total time and total contacts if any - on one line and mention each activity in the Description section. Use the Category for the one you spent the most time doing. 6. If you are getting bonus hours for an activity (i.e. Phone Response), remember to include them (i.e. a 3- hour shift would be reported as 4.5 hours). 7. If you are including travel time, just include it in the hours as a lump sum (i.e. 45 min travel round trip + 1 hour 45 minutes to set up and give a presentation => report the total 2.5 hours). 8. It s OK to combine repetitive activities into a single line (i.e. 4, 3-hour Phone Response shifts in June for a total of 18 hours with bonus). Just note in the Description the dates included. 9. Please report your hours at least monthly to keep from having too big a pile to approve if we all procrastinate. 10. Once you have entered volunteer or education hours into the system, please review your report (2017 YTD Report tab). If you find you ve made a typo, please just delete the entry and try again.

8 By AMG Pam Snyder BONSAI II with Kathy Lee Two years ago we had a Bonsai class with Kathy Lee and her crew and it filled up to maximum capacity. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot also and we each took home our own bonsai. So back by popular demand we will have Bonsai II on Saturday, September 23 at 1:00 PM at the Extension Office. There is a class fee of $15.00, which covers all the materials you will need to complete the bonsai you will take home. You will need gloves and garden snippers for this class. Register soon, as this class has a maximum capacity of only 15. HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENT with Amy Oliver This will be on Wednesday, December 6 at 6:00 PM at the Extension Office. Like the Bonsai class, this fills up very quickly. The arrangements we made last year were beautiful and lasted well beyond the holiday season. The cost of this class and other important details will be announced in a later ATF. Be sure to check the ATF each month for updates and additional information on workshops and seminars. Please resume registering with your fee for all classes and seminars at the Extension Office by the registration deadline. Unfortunately we cannot accept registration or fees at the door for these make it and take it classes. Thanks! If you have questions about any of these educational opportunities or suggestions for some other class, please contact me at (260) or psnyder414@gmail.com. I will be planning the classes for our 2018 season in the next couple of months. Title with photo: Weeding out bad elements By Cathie Rowand The Journal Gazette, Wednesday, August 23 Master Gardener Stan Newby digs out weeds at the Everlasting Cutting Garden while volunteering Tuesday at Fort Wayne s Purdue Extension. The garden is maintained by master gardeners. Great picture, Stan! Way to go! 2017 Dates to Remember 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 19 Learning to use the database 1:00 p.m. Saturday, September 23 Bonsai II 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, September 26 and Friday, October 27 2-Day Grant Writing 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 20 Preserving Nature s Bounty 8:00 a.m. Saturday, September 30 Noble County 2nd Fall Symposium (find details and information on each of these dates in this issue of Across the Fence) Fall Workday, Saturday, October 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

9 By AMG Peg Erpelding & Luna Lemongrass (Cymbopogon) is a tropical herb with a strong citrus flavor. Native to the areas of Asia, Africa and Australia, this tropical island plant is a member of the grass family. Lemongrass forms tallish grassy clumps ranging from 3 to 6 tall. The plants are hardy to Zone 8. Lemongrass is used in Asian cooking, the making of sauces and soups as well as brewing as a tea (herbal infusion). For a more subtle citrus flavor lemongrass can be dried and ground to a powder. It is also found in making curry powders and is a good seasoning used with poultry, fish beef and seafood. Parts of the plant are used medicinally in India and is also used as a pesticide and a preservative. The oil from the plant has antifungal properties. Plants can be started by seed, but generally grown from cuttings or just rooting stalks. To obtain rooting stalks you can check out the organic section (non-treated) of your favorite grocery store. As long as they have lemongrass, look for stalks that are firm and green. When you get the stalks home snip a few inches of the end of the green leaves and place in a shallow glass of water. Place the glass in a sunny location and roots should start sprouting in a week or so. Once the roots reach 1 in length they can be planted in soil. In the summer the plants can be grown outdoors in the soil or in pots. Lemongrass prefers full sun, well drained rich organic soil, with frequent watering leaving the soil moist, but not soggy. Lemongrass can be overwintered in a dormant state indoors, being placed in a dark, cool spot. These plants have few pest problems, only spider mites and leaf blight were listed as a possibility. When you are ready to harvest lemongrass you are wanting the bulbous stem at the base or the fresh leaves can be clipped at the top for a tea infusion or to add to soup stock. Luna asked (really she told me!) to mention that some cats are quite fond of lemongrass and may chew on the plant from time to time, enjoying the citrus flavor. Yum...purr...purr Bon-a-purr-tite! Anyone Want Liriope? I am fine tuning a perennial bed and can spare some bi-colored Liriope/AKA Frozen Tundra Grass. It is evergreen and impervious to any weather extremes. If anyone wants to have some I will be happy to dig it for you and you can drop by my house and pick it up! I can be reached at and leaving a message will be great! ~Simone Looking for more education hours? Check this out Webinars This year the Purdue Women in Agriculture Team periodically offers free educational webinars as an extension of the Women in Agriculture Conference. Below you will find a list of upcoming webinars and links to recordings of the past webinars. ( There is one being offered for September 28. You can register online and watch it on your computer. Keep an eye on these offerings via the web page above they are easy to take advantage of and many will give you education hours. If you have questions as to whether they can be used for Master Garden education hours, ask James Wolff ANR in our office.

10 By AMG Bethany Beebe Indiana ranks fifteenth in the nation at production of apples, with about 1.2 million bushels a year, according to Purdue Extension. While we may be significantly beaten in quantity by the leader state of Washington, the outstanding quality of local fruit is high on my list of reasons to enjoy the Fall season locally. Like any other edible, apples are best when they are not over-ripe or under-developed. Apples are ready when they are firm to the touch, shiny, and smooth. The stems should be intact and have a generally fresh smell. Local grocery stores respond to the seasonal availability, offering both the conventionally grown and, my preference, organic options. Autumn just isn t the same to me without donning my favorite college sweatshirt and reaping a few myself before the big football game hits prime time. I don t believe the trees on our family farm have ever been sprayed or treated with chemicals, so they are among my favorite, of course. However, if I wanted to make a bit of adventure to find my apples, it would not be hard to plan. Pickyourown.org and agrilicious.org can both help you narrow your search for the perfect produce, wherever you are. No matter where you find it, options abound for these sweet treats. I was especially impressed by Extension s FoodLink recipes. They offered combinations I never considered, including one dish using a couple of my favorite foods: avocado and blueberries with the apple. With the plentiful supply this time of year, I could probably make it through their whole list. Here is one option you might enjoy. Apple Butter Ingredients: 3 pounds of apples, recommended varieties: McIntosh, Golden Delicious, Stayman, Winesap, and Jonathan 1 tsp. ground cinnamon ½ tsp. ground ginger ¼ tsp. ground cloves ¼ cup water Chop and core the apples, leaving skins intact Place in slow cooker bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. For six hours or until they fall apart with a fork, cook covered on low heat. Puree the cooked apples or mash them by hand. Stopping at this point makes seasoned applesauce. To continue the apple butter preparation, partially cover the slow cooker (with the pureed fruit back in the slow cooker) for six to eight more hours, or until half reduction has occurred. Enjoy out of the refrigerator for two weeks or freeze Date to Remember Cleanup Day, Saturday, October 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

11 IMPORTANT NOTE FROM DENISE: To MGs who are trained in diagnostics: We need at least 2 people scheduled in diagnostics to come in during the afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you agree to do this, you will not be required to answer phones you will just need to handle diagnostic samples. Peg Davis can continue to do Tuesdays but needs assistance. Contact me if you can do this at either or lloyddenise@gmail.com. To MGs who are responding to the MG Hotline s by computer. Do not read the s unless you are going to respond to the person needing information. It appears directions on handling these calls are being ignored. Response workers are reading the s and not responding to them so that the s appear as read and fall to the bottom unanswered. The next person assumes they are responded to and the s are then forgotten. So, please read the instructions and only read s if you intend to respond. If you are working and need assistance, you are welcome to ask James Wolff ANR Extension Educator for help. James tells us that, Phone response and diagnostics have been going smoothly. We are handling the transition and workload well. Thank you all for your hard work in responding to the community in a timely and professional manner.

12

13

14

15 Page 2 of 2 Answering homeowner gardening questions at the Extension Office is a great way to learn more about Horticulture while having fun!! Please check the boxes next to the dates indicating dates and timeframes you would be available to answer phones at the Response Center in the Extension office. Send this completed form to: Denise Lloyd, 6130 Almond Bluff Pass, Fort Wayne, IN We will then place a completed schedule in the next ATF. You may or may not be assigned to all the blocks you choose. We will try to accommodate as many requests as possible.

16 If you would like to share your public speaking ability with those in the community fill out the form and either it to Anita or contact her at (260) and ask her for more information.