Inside the Fence. What s Happening in the Gardens? (page 4) Speakers Bureau Volunteer Form (page 11)

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1 Soil Sampling Wednesday, October 11, 6 to 7 p.m. (page 12) Tree Walk, Saturday, October 14, 9 to 11 a.m. (page 12) Next Workday, Saturday, October 21 Judging Opportunity, October 25 and 26 (see page 7) Inside the Fence Master Gardeners, Thank You (page 2) Posting Master Gardener Hours (page 3) What s Happening in the Gardens? (page 4) Working Council (page 5) Educational Opportunities (page 6) Master Gardener Opportunities (page 7) Native Plants (page 8) Pumpkins (page 9) Response Update and Important Information (page 10) Speakers Bureau Volunteer Form (page 11) Soil Sampling and Tree Walk (page 12) NJHA Convention (page 13) 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 (Temporary) James Wolff, ANR jmwolff@purdue.edu 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 Thank you Master Gardeners for all your work in the community, the display gardens at the office, phone response center, diagnostic samples, neighborhoods, schools, speaking engagements, tours, etc. You make a difference and it is greatly appreciated. Mark your calendars ~ Please mark your calendars for upcoming events: October 13 deadline to order the new Master Gardener manual and/or flash drive. (See coupon to order below) October 21 garden workday. Many hands make for quick work. October 21 lunch is Soup Day. Ed Gaff and Ronda Jackson will set up and provide soup and related items. If you are staying for lunch, please bring breads or food items that will go well with soup. October 31 deadline to submit volunteer hours into the online system. Tips and resources have been shared by Bill Oliver. If you need further assistance, please contact him. (See page 3 for more information.) New irrigation system manager ~ BIG THANK YOU to Keith Trowbridge for agreeing to be responsible for the irrigation system throughout the gardens. Your help is greatly appreciated and we know Dave Braun will be a great mentor for the next year. Hiring a Horticulture Educator The Horticulture Educator application is to be released soon I ve been told. I ll forward once it is available and you can check the website Landscape/Turf Meeting Master Gardeners will not be able to attend the Northeast Indiana Landscape/Turf meetings until the new educator is hired. Attending this meeting gave Master Gardeners education hours. Enjoy the fall weather and nature s preparation for winter. Purdue Master Gardener Manual Order Form Make Checks payable to: Purdue CES ED Fund MG Mail to: Allen County Extension Office 4001 Crescent Avenue Fort Wayne, IN Deadline: October 13 Printed Spiral Manual $ Flash Drive for Computer $ Both Printed Manual and Flash Drive $ Name Address City, State, Zip Code Phone

3 By AMG Bill Oliver Just a reminder that we would like to have all MG volunteer and education hours reported online by October 31 again this year. This gives us time to order badges for everyone who has qualified at a higher level. If you need help, AMG Bill Oliver will be available during the last garden workday on the 21 st. (If I m not in the meeting room, I ll be in the Monet garden). If you don t have your own computer, you may use the one in the small conference room at the Extension office as long as there isn t a meeting going on at the time. The office is open 8:00 to 4:30 weekdays. The web site to log in is set up on the favorites bar on the PC in that room. For those who would like a refresher on what counts for hours, we are reprinting Dos & Don ts from past ATFs below. This may change in future based on the thoughts of our next Horticulture Educator. Until then we re sticking to what we ve always done. (Go to the September ATF, page 7 for more information.) MG Hours Dos & Don ts According to the Purdue Master Gardener Policy Guide, the purpose of the [Master Gardener] program is to teach people more about growing plants and to more effectively provide plant-related information. [It] aims to provide information and technical assistance about gardening and home horticulture through trained and certified volunteers. (Motto: Helping Others Grow ) Education hours Any program that allows us to maintain or enhance our ability to provide this educational information and technical assistance counts as education hours for our annual certifications. This could include formal classes, online classes, webinars, or even a gardening tour where an expert was explaining the history of the garden and/or plants. Simply walking through a garden on your own and reading the signs would not count. Volunteer hours Any volunteer hours provided to members of the community in the form of educational information and technical assistance count for volunteer hours. You may count the following: Volunteer hours and education hours for the same event if you not only get to listen to the speaker s. presentation but also serve as host/hostess, introduce the speaker, hand out materials, take attendance, etc. Giving gardening advice to others. Planning and research time (i.e. preparing for a speaking engagement, writing a newspaper article). Serving on a group to plan a gardening-related educational event or activity. Working in an educational garden or community garden. Travel time to and from volunteer or educational events (up to 150 miles). Bonus hours of ½ hour for every hour worked in the Response Center. Examples of hours that would not count Any effort you get paid for (you may accept a stipend to pay for gas). Physical labor not directly associated with education (i.e. tending a garden for an elderly person). Tending your own community garden plot.

4 By AMG Cindy Trygg, Display Garden Reporter (Photos on this page by Cindy) Hydrangea Garden: Do you ever get around to looking at the gardens behind the Extension office? Not just on work days when you go to the shed for a wheelbarrow or a shovel, but to see the gardens tucked away in the rear of the building. There are several such gardens to explore back there. I had a chance to do so on the last work day and I saw some familiar faces and met some master gardeners that I have not met before working in the Hydrangea Garden. The members of this garden are Darlene Degener, Joyce Foote, Julie Glick, Betty Dunsten, Sandy Ross, and Carolyn Colpetzer. They were all working hard pruning, deadheading, and replacing some mulch in a path. I inquired about the care of hydrangeas as a refresher for what I had learned in the Master Gardener class about which varieties need pruning and when. I found out that the Oak Leaf and Panicle need the least attention, the Mop Heads get cut down to the ground in the fall, and it is the Big Leaf/Lace Cap varieties that need the most attention. In late October -November, depending on the weather, this type of hydrangea needs to be wrapped up in burlap for the winter as this plant blooms on old wood the following year and our winters are too cold for this variety. After the last frost date in the spring, they remove the burlap to not-so-pretty stems. Soon after they begin to show leaves and it is at this time any broken or damaged stems are removed. They all get a dose of Holly-tone plant food and some Osmocote for slow-release feeding. The panicles are aggressively pruned in late fall/early winter as they bloom on new wood. Without this pruning, the older varieties can quickly outgrown their space.

5 AMG Simone Alberding Plant Sale Co-coordinator (260) AMG Denise Lloyd Response Center Coordinator (260) Speaker Coordinator 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

6 By AMG Pam Snyder It s been a good year and we ve had some very educational and often entertaining and creative Continuing Education programs this year. We have one last class listed below. If you are interested in this class, please be sure to sign up early as this class will fill up quickly. While you re waiting for this next class, take some time to get your garden put to bed for the fall and winter over the next month so you will have a clean slate to work with in the spring. Some years I get a little lazy and boy is there a lot to do in spring. Cleaning up now also helps prevent diseases and insects from overwintering and creating problems when we are looking forward to a bright, clean, attractive garden. 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 cost for this class is $30.00 this includes everything you will need to create a beautiful holiday arrangement. Please bring gloves and clippers if you would like to use them while making your arrangement. The deadline to signup for this class is Monday, November 21, 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. Link to Purdue Yard-and-Garden-News by Rosie Lerner, Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist Partial list of articles found at this website: Dividing Iris Gardeners Reminded to Protect Pollinators Why Plants Fail to Bloom Sour Mulch Can Burn Tender Plants Assess Pruning Needs Mild Weather Brings Up Bulbs Garden Gifts for Valentine s Day Butterfly Milkweed Named 2017 Perennial of the Year Tis the Season of Sage Bringing Houseplants Back Indoors Early Pumpkins May Need Temporary Storage How to Care for Poinsettia Water Now to Minimize Winter Injury Autumn Time to Plant Spring Flowering Bulbs Stevia in the Windowsill Garden Harvesting and Storing Garden Vegetables 2017 Date to Remember Final Workday, Saturday, October 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

7 MG s, this is your opportunity to be a judge Roberta Crabtree Nursery/Landscape CDE Superintendent rcrabtree@purdue.edu It is that time again to start recruiting judges for the FFA Nursery/Landscape CDE. For those of you that are former judges, the level of experience you bring as a former judge is irreplaceable and I hope you will consider returning again this year. Details you need to know: What: National FFA Nursery/Landscape CDE When: Wednesday, October 25th and Thursday, October 26th, 2017 Where: Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis, IN Event information: The National FFA Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event is designed to promote career interest in all aspects of the industry to produce, market, utilize and maintain landscape plants as well as related production landscaping products, equipment and services including design through the agricultural education curriculum. The Nursery/Landscape CDE is composed of 4 students on a team and one team is allowed to represent each state on the national level. The students on each team have different events they will compete in during the CDE. Cost: There is ZERO cost to serve as a judge, this is a volunteer event. We will provide your meals while you are judging. However, travel will be on your own to and from the event. If you are interested in serving as a judge please click on the link and complete this registration form or copy and paste this into your URL: form/sv_4pnldhow9t5fgk5. Webinars: 10/5/2017 EAB Management and Pollinator Safety Reed Johnson, Ohio State University msu.zoom.us/j/ /12/2017 After EAB: Encouraging Regrowth of a Healthy Forest Kathy Smith, Ohio State University 10/19/2017 Thousand Cankers Disease: Threatening the Nation s Walnut Trees Matthew Ginzel, Purdue University

8 By AMG Peg Erpelding & Luna According to the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society A native plant species is one that occurred in natural communities natural plant associations and habitats within the state boundaries prior to European contact. and/or Regionally native species that naturally spread into the state following European contact may also be considered native. Native plant species obviously do better as they are better suited for the area where they are found growing. Over a long time they have adapted to the weather conditions, types of soil, water amounts and temperatures in a given area of the country. These plants generally require less pesticide usage and less fertilizer as they are way ahead of the gardener in choosing the area they grow best. Native species also offer a huge benefit for local (native) wildlife. They have become a source of food and shelter to the wild animals and various critters in a specific geological area. The native wildlife will have a much better and healthy life with the native plants to support them. By planting native plant species we also help prevent the spread of invasive, non-native species of plants. This became quite clear to me this past July on a trip to the Gatlinburg area of Tennessee. While driving and enjoying the ever changing scenery of the Appalachia mountains, all the shades of green in nature, something began to bother me. The tall trees were draped in a cascade of green, too much green and the ground was also covered with a particular green shade that seemed a bit overwhelming. Finally, as I began to see on our narrow two lane road the tendrils of this green creeping into our driving lane I realized that I was experiencing the massive takeover of a non-native species...kudzu! As I began to totally become aware of this healthy vine, I realized it was taking over every plant species in its path and was literally engulfing the whole state of Tennessee! A total invasion of green. All of this immediately got me to thinking just how important it is to plant and re-introduce native plant species to the various areas of our country. There is a movement to re-introduce in gardens and landscapes in the U.S. native species and stop the planting of invasive non-native species. As usual the best place is obviously to start at home, take a look at your garden and yard in general, what plantings do you already have that are native? Do you have any invasive non-native plants growing and if so, do you really want to keep that plant as a part of your landscape? Remove any invasive nonnative plants, (we ll give a pass on the non-invasive, non-native ones at this time). This upcoming winter is a great time to do research as to which plants are truly native to your area and of those, which ones you could replace the already removed non-native plants. There are many native plants to choose from, the list includes; trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges, forbs and ferns. A good web site to use is They have a huge listing of native species of plants for Indiana. And remember that Fall is a wonderful time for planting, especially shrubs and trees. Happy Fall!! =^,,^=

9 By AMG Bethany Beebe The frost might not be on the pumpkin quite yet, but many uses for this vegetable are simply poetry. From decorating with paint, to carving, or designing the pie that is the centerpiece of dinner, options abound. Those options can be utilized best knowing some of the distinctions between pie and carving pumpkins. Pie, or sugar, pumpkins are generally smaller in size than their cutting cousins. They also have thicker walls, and the meatier texture is less grainy or stringy than carvers, according to sheknows.com. Planning varieties for a future garden? Technically all can be carved, says patch.com, but their picks for the task are Jack-o-lantern or the white-colored Lumina. For eating, a 3-6 pound pumpkin with 1-2 inches of stem is recommended. Sugar Pie, New England Pie, and Baby Pam could be part of a glowing centerpiece dessert. Should using your produce as a paintable canvas be more up your alley, smooth skinned varieties like Orange Smoothie, Cotton Candy, and Lumina are options. Unfortunately, roasting the seeds might be about the best option for use of the future genetic material. Because they are cucurbits, pumpkins can easily cross pollinate with plants of similar genetics, making the outcome of the next generation s product uncertain. In Purdue Extension HO-8-W, Learner and Dana suggest simply starting with fresh seeds each season for our mound-loving friends. My grandmother taught me to make friends with the canned variety of this seasonal favorite. We made this recipe with frequency, an adaptation of Libby s famous pumpkin pie. ¾ cup sweetener (sugar for Grandma and Splenda or stevia for me) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt (or none in mine) ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 2 large eggs (or 4 egg whites in my version) 1 can of pure pumpkin (15 oz.) 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.) Optional: whipped cream and pecans Mix together all the ingredients except the whipping cream and pecans. Pour into a square baking pan and top with pecans, if desired. We used a glass 8x8. For 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 425, bake. Reduce the temperature to 350 and bake an additional minutes. It is done when a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

10 IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS FROM DENISE: Contact me for more information at either or 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.

11 If you would like to share your public speaking ability with those in the community fill out the form and to James Wolff, ANR at the office. He will direct the participation form to the appropriate Master Gardener who is handling this program area and they will contact you.

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