the of Cohasset,MA COMMUNITY GARDEN CLUB w ww.communitygardenclubofcohasset.org Linda

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1 the COMMUNITY GARDEN CLUB w ww.communitygardenclubofcohasset.org of Cohasset,MA F E B R U A R Y E D I T I O N! Happy February everyone. Is it just me or does time really past faster and faster as I get older and older? I can t believe January is over already and we re starting to wonder whether or not Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow. Here we are in the 21st century, surrounded by electronic gadgets galore and we look to a nervous little furry rodent to give us an extended weather forecast. This may seem a far fetched idea to those who live in tropical parts, but for those of us in colder climes how lucky we are that we can punctuate our winter lives with a little whimsy. Besides, is he any less accurate than weather.com?! In England, where groundhogs do not reside, we look to see what the weather is like on Candlemas as an indicator of winter s length. If Candlemas Day be fair and bright Winter will have another flight But if Candlemas Day be clouds and rain Winter is gone and will not come again. Candlemas is on 2nd February so take a look and we can test the theory.!! When it comes to winter people seem to fall into just two camps; those who love it and those who hate it. Robert Frost said You can t get too much winter in the winter, but with a name like his he would say that wouldn t he. On the other hand, Sinclair Lewis thought that winter is not a season but an occupation and George Herbert thought that every mile is two in winter. It might be my viking blood, but I rather like winter most of the time and how wonderful it was to pass by the duck pond on Cohasset Common, to see it deeply frozen and teeming with children ice skating with excited shrieks of joy. Plus, a big plus, when it s covered in snow, my garden looks as good as everyone else s. However, I must admit the last days of January were a bit too cold for my liking and I found myself dreaming of places like the one in the banner above. I think Edith Sitwell got it right when she talked about winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire; it is the time for home.! Pass the hot toddy someone. Linda February - RIGHT PLANT, WRONG PLACE Gail Anderson holds a Certificate in Landscape Design and Maintenance and is a MA Master Gardener. She worked as a staff Horticulturalist at Long Hill in Beverly, MA. Her talk will address how to choose the right tree and shrub for the home landscape, while considering cultural needs and growth rates. 5th - Executive Board Meeting, Lightkeepers, 9:30 a.m. 11th - Junior Gardeners - love your Feathered Friends (Bird feeders), Deer Hill School! Cafeteria, 2:30-3:30 p.m. 12th - Design & Horticulture - Soil Food Web Story. Kerry Richardson will talk! beneficial microorganisms and Organic Plant Magic. Lightkeepers, 9:30 a.m. 13th - Garden Therapy - Hearts and Flowers, Golden Living Center, 2-3 p.m. 19th - Crafts - Mosaic Birdbath, with Judy Dickstein, Lightkeepers, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 25th - GCFM - Horticulture Morning, South Church, Andover Hospitality: J. Corriveau, K. Crowley, A. DiPasquale, S. Duffield, R. Dwyer, L.! Evans, K. Fay, A. Fenn, C. Fogarty, L. Galler, s. Grant, M. Granville Newsletter Editor Pat Cammett pcamme@gmail.com

2 Announcements and Reminders Each year the Community Garden Club It is with sorrow that I must of Cohasset awards one or more announce that Frannie Burnham scholarships to eligible Cohasset High passed away recently. Doris Flint School seniors. Nancy Creighton, the will donate a book to the public Cohasset High School guidance administrator library in her memory. will have the application available for all Cohasset seniors in April. But did you know that any child or grandchild of a member from other communities is also eligible? If you know of an eligible high school senior who you would like to be considered for this year's scholarships and who lives in another town, please contact Maureen Flaherty at mflaherty311@comcast.net or call and leave a message Did you know that the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts also offers scholarships. If you know anyone who might be a deserving candidate click on the following link where you can download the forms and pass them along. The deadline for submission is March 1, download/get/file/ /scholarship+forms+and+list.pdf Horticulture and Design workshop On February 12th, our speaker will be Kerry Richardson who will introduce us to all the characters in the soil food web story. We will explore what effect beneficial microorganisms have on the health and vitality of our plants. Kerry will also bring us information on Organic Plant Magic, a plant enrichment product that is produced in an environmentally responsible, organic manner meant to enhance the growth and development of our horticultural efforts. This workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Lightkeepers. Don t forget all the very interesting workshops that the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts has to offer which are available to all our members. Coming up this month is a talk given by Wanda MacNair entitled Bring the Rainforest Indoors: Terrariums which will take place on 25 February from 10 am until noon at South Church, 41 Central Street, Andover MA On the 4th and 5th April, the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Gardening Study School is holding another of its series of classes. This is a wonderful opportunity for all our members to expand our knowledge of gardening and don t forget that the Club will pay half the cost of the fees. You will find the entry form at the following link: /2013+Flyer_Pres.pdf From time to time our Club donates to different charities and causes that relate to gardens, gardening, conservation and all things horticultural. If you have suggestions of appropriate charities you would like the Club to consider supporting, please contact one of the Board Members. Many thanks, Linda

3 Announcements (continued) Save the Date! Do you know these people? Gail Saccone and Linda Fraker have been pulling together the Club s history since its founding. That task is nearly done, but they have a number of photographs they have been unable to identify. On 27th February they are inviting club members to a Photo ID and Tea party at Lightkeepers. Their idea is that we will all sit around and help identify who the members are in the photos, what the occasion was and when it took place while partaking of Afternoon Tea and a good natter. If you would like to take part let them know. Our club has a Massachusetts Horticultural Society membership and that entitles us to certain benefits and discounts as listed below: a. a club garden tour at Elm Bank, Wellesley, with a staff horticulturalist b. one $25 gift certificate at Weston Nurseries for the club c. one $25 gift certificate at WhiteFlowerFarm.com for the club d. discounts at many MA nurseries and garden centers e. Organic Gardening and Garden Designs magazine subscriptions for 1 year for the club f. Mass Hort s leaflet e-magazine (subscribe online) g. discounts for Mass Hort workshops and classes h. free or discounted admission to gardens and arboreta across the nation where there is a reciprocal agreement i. book borrowing privileges at Mass Hort To take advantage of the benefits one must have the membership card. Contact Linda Fraker at linda@fraker.org. or for the membership card. I Bet You Knew. Offspring of hybrid crops, while still viable, lose the hybridized traits. This explains why seedlings from my Elephant Ear Hosta have much smaller leaves. But, Did You Know? Genetically modified crops do pass on their engineered DNA to their seeds. Therefore, intellectual property law prohibits farmers from collecting their seed to use in future seasons. Farmers must purchase new seed each year.

4 Mother Nature s Alchemy: Turning Kitchen and Garden Waste into Black Gold The Compost Quiz by Eric Eisenhauer! The science of composting is both simple and complex. Simple as it employs over and over again the natural decomposition process of all organic materials, and complex since compost is a biologically active, soil food web with specific nutritional and environmental requirements. Getting content and conditions for composting correct are the keys to success!! Now, For the Quiz..If you can answer correctly 10 or more of the True or False statements below, you may consider yourself a Composter Par Excellence! Less than five correct, well, a spin through The Rodale Book of Composting: Easy Methods for Every Gardener would be beneficial bedtime reading! Good luck and hope you have fun doing it. Of course it would be more sporting if you covered the answer line with a sheet of paper. 1. Compost s main benefit is as a means to recycle kitchen waste: T or F False. While the recycling attributes of compost are important, compost's role as a rich soil amendment- i.e. Black Gold is its key attribute. Compost energizes the soil food web, which is made up of microscopic bacteria and fungi, along with earthworms, crickets, and many other life forms. Compost enhances these biological functions. Additionally, compost binds moisture, opens the soil and creates micro-air pockets, all of which benefit growth. 2. Compost replaces regular fertilizers saving precious $ s: T or F False. Compost feeds the soil (see above); fertilizer feeds the plants. Compost at the very best is a weak fertilizer. Compost, when its nutrient values are expressed in the N-P-K scale (numbers represent % N-P-K in one pound of fertilizer) is a whereas standard plant fertilizers are , or thereabouts. 3. Composting does not requires a great deal of effort, time or money: T or F True. Composting can be as simple as making a pile of leaves and letting it sit until it decomposes. The cycle to convert waste to compost typically takes 3 months or less, doesn t require a lot of effort nor much investment. 4. Moisture is necessary for the composting process to occur: T or F True. Composting occurs best at a moisture content of 50 60%. A simple check of moisture content is to use the squeeze test. (squeeze a handful of compost; it should produce a few drops of water, similar to a slightly damp sponge.)

5 5. If you are throwing away grass clippings, you are throwing away money:t or F True. You can save time and money by recycling long grass clippings in the compost and mulching short clippings directly back to the lawn. Short clippings break down and provide nitrogen to the lawn. 6. To compost grass clippings, you should put them in a pile in a back corner of your yard and forget about them for 6 months: T or F False. Because fresh grass clippings are quite moist and high in nitrogen, they should be mixed with a drier, browner material such as autumn leaves, straw, wood chips or sawdust for composting. Otherwise, the pile may become anaerobic (yielding sludge), cease composting and have the sweet methane smell of swamp gas. 7. To be a composter, you need to live out in the country, or at least in an area with plenty of yard space: T or F False. Many people compost at the heart of inner cities, in community gardens or even on the roofs or balconies of apartment buildings. Worm bins (i.e. vermiculture ) fit in small indoor spaces, and small rotatable composting units are available and at low cost handling for kitchen scraps. 8. Not all kitchen scraps and garbage should be included in home compost: T or F True. Although most food waste can be composted, home composting should avoid grease, fat, bones, fish and meat scraps which attract dogs, vermin and nuisance wildlife. Fats and grease substantially extend the time it takes to compost garden waste. 9. Diseased vegetable and flower plants, as well as most seeds, should NOT be composted in home composts: T or F True. Diseased plants from the garden should not be composted. While most diseases and seeds are killed by the heat generated (often in excess of 160*F) in a well run compost, unless the compost is turned frequently (dispersing the heat), and allowed to remain unused for several years, some pathogens would not be eliminated. 10. A closed bin or enclosure is necessary for the production of good compost: T or F False. Building a well functioning compost pile is not an exact science and many different sizes and structures work well, although somewhat differently. A compost can be a pile of leaves, on the one hand, or a purpose built, enclosed structure with regulated air ventilation.the important thing

6 for all compost designs is that it keeps the compost properly moist and aerated. 11 Compost isn t great for starting flower and vegetable seedlings/transplants: T or F True. Young seedlings and transplants are very susceptible to the disease microorganisms commonly found in compost ( e.g. damping off virus). When starting seedlings and transplants it is best to use commercially sterilized potting soils. 12. For the composting process to occur, one must purchase special microorganisms, hormones or activators to be added to the compost pile: T or F False. The microorganisms needed to break down wastes into compost are present in everyday soil. A few handfuls of garden soil added to the compost will ensure inoculation of the pile with the proper bacteria and fungi. No activators, accelerators or starters are necessary. How did you do? GARDEN THERAPY by Dolores Roy Photo by Gail Saccone Residents of Golden Living Center spent a pleasant hour on February 10th creating their Frosty the Snowman arrangements. They were assisted by volunteers Maureen Adams, Nancy Auensen, Jeanne Boutross, Barbara Canney, Julie Hess and Gail Saccone. Thank you, volunteers, for your help and for creating extra arrangements for residents who were unable to participate. JUNIOR GARDENERS

7 ! CRAFT WORKSHOP! On 22nd January a whole big bunch of us attended Barbara Canney s craft workshop and made flowers out of felt, ribbon and material. I know, for those of you who weren t there, you re probably thinking Don t they have anything better to do? Well, maybe. But if you weren t there you really missed a great morning. Barb, who is very very good at this teaching thing, started us off with felt because it s an easy fabric to work with and we were thinking of making flowers to decorate our hats for the fashion show in May. But then the creative juices rose along with the chatter and laughter and before you knew it we were making barrettes and brooches and clips for our shoes out of organza and ribbon and taffeta.! Even if you do think you have better things to do than make flowers, it s tough to beat having a good time with friends. So if you would like to join us but like to laugh rather than craft, come anyway. You will always be welcome.

8 The Garden Club of Nagoya Activity Report of December 2012! Our December general meeting was a happy annual holiday luncheon which was held at Nagoya International Hotel. With an opening announcement by Yumiko Kondo, Program Chairman, the program began, followed by a congratulatory address from Hisako Kimura, President, with her hearty thanks for everyone s cooperative participation in all the successful programs throughout the year.! All the members and guests were requested to reveal their favorite flower with anecdotes related to them. Most preferred cherry blossoms and roses.! Part two was a violin recital performed by Ms. Naomi Ishida, a well-known violinist who graduated with the honor from the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, Belgium. She has been very active both in Belgium and Japan. She performed familiar seasonal music that created a really joyous atmosphere throughout our Christmas Luncheon. Junko Imaizumi, Director, praised Ms.Ishida for her outstanding performance and presented a bouquet accompanied by big standing ovation of all the attendants.! At the start of the traditional Christmas dinner, Mieko Murase, Treasurer and the former President, proposed a toast with sincere wish for happy holidays. We each left the happy year-end party with a pot of Persian cyclamen.!!!! Takako Kohri, Recording Secretary CGCC 252 Old Oaken Bucket Road Norwell, MA! 02061