A Publication of the Howard County Master Gardeners. December January Educating People to Help Themselves

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1 LOOSELEAF HOWARD COUNTY 3300 NORTH RIDGE ROAD, SUITE 240, ELLICOTT CITY, MD HOWARD COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS (410) FAX (410) A Publication of the Howard County Master Gardeners December January 2015 From Georgia s Desk With the transfer to an on-line Looseleaf, a change occurred for three of our MGs: Mike Coxe, Sharon Koury and Sandy Roemer. These three behind-the-scenes volunteers dedicated time to the copying and mailing of Looseleaf for 21 years! What was fun for them was this longstanding task developed in to a very special friendship. Whenever I got to UME early enough I had an opportunity to sit and chat- they did all the work! Our deepest thanks to Mike, Sharon and Sandy for their dedication to this very supportive and necessary task! On October 23, UME Howard County hosted a 100-year anniversary Open House. All of the Extension programs put up displays and were represented by faculty, staff and /or volunteers. I am grateful to Caroline Feil, Marilynn Johnson, Kent Phillips and Betty Rice for staffing our exhibit and greeting visitors. MG Sylvia Huestis staffed the Watershed Stewards Academy display. Unfortunately attendance at this event was low but it was agreed by faculty/staff that UME needs to do more of these outreach events perhaps in more visible places- any suggestions? For information: the Cooperative Extension Service (CES) as it was originally called was created through a partnership between the US Department of Agriculture and land grant universities in each state. President Woodrow Wilson called it one of the most significant and farreaching measures for the education of adults ever accomplished by any government. A question asked by one of our MGs prods me to share some information which I hope will be helpful. You may recall that when attending MG committee meetings, there is a sign-up sheet for attendees. This sheet is used in preparing minutes. It is also used in conjunction with another document which I complete that indicates gender and race. This is the data which goes into the Affirmative Action files. On the other hand, each of you completes your log sheet indicating attendance at meetings. This is labelled as an administrative activity. That log sheet information goes into the on-line volunteer tracking data base; a different function. I hope this clarifies the uses of two different procedures. Please be sure to put Sunday, January 11, 2015 on your calendar. This is the date for the Recognition Event- an event meant to acknowledge the volunteer dedication of ALL our volunteers as well as an opportunity to recognize the newly certified MGs (class of 2014). With best wishes for enjoyable holidays with family and friends! You are special people who deserve a warm and meaningful holiday. Come to our holiday event, Tuesday, December 16- lunch, networking and a speaker! Georgia Eacker Master Gardener Coordinator geacker@umd.edu Educating People to Help Themselves The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.

2 Dec 2014 Jan 2015 Looseleaf 1 From Georgia s Desk 3 Mt Pleasant 4 Continuing Education Suzette Holiday, MG, Editor hcmglooseleaf@gmail.com So Many Places to See Christmas Decorations So many places to see Christmas decorations: The Botanic Garden in DC, the National Christmas Tree and Garden of Peace, Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Hampton on 34th Street in Baltimore (then go have dinner or a piece of pie at Cafe Hons (on the other side of the street--known for their exceptional pies), the row houses on both sides of the street string lights across the street and the decorations on each house are unusual and different (one house has his huge Christmas tree out front decorated with shiny hub caps). Valley View Farms on York Road has a large building with Christmas decorations and trees from around the world--not to be missed. Also, the Mormon Tabernacle off of 495 toward Virginia has millions of lights, and when you go inside they serve hot drinks and choirs sings--so nice for the family. All these are FREE and with the economy tight families can take the children for a good time. Children love the decorations-- oh the oohs and aahhhs! JANMARIE WMS.-NGUYEN, MG vcn999@aol.com Training Assistants And Food Hosts Needed for the MG Training Program 2015 The 2015 Master Gardener training program is scheduled to run January - March, on Mondays and Wednesdays (exact times TBA). We are in need of volunteers to assist with equipment/room set up, taking roll, distributing daily handouts and room clean up. You will be able to count this time as either volunteer hours OR as advanced training hours. If you would like to volunteer as a Food Host during the 2015 MG training program please contact me with your information as well. If you are interested in participating please contact Molly McElwee at mygarden13@gmail.com or at NOTE - If you signed up for either position at the meeting on September 24 there is no need to send your information again. December January 2015 Looseleaf 2 Howard County Master Gardeners

3 Hydroponic Winter Basil and Mint Hydroponics: Cultivation of plants without earth in tanks of nutrient solutions. It s so wonderful to grow fresh herbs on the windowsill in the winter. Fresh herbs enhance the favors of salads, soups, meats, and poultry. Fresh mint makes a stomach soothing tea or add mint to mixed drinks -- a nice colorful addition to holiday drinks. Two years ago I purchased a hydroponic kit ($90) that contained a grow light, an open water tank and pods with herb seeds. Once a week I added a nutrient tablet to the water. The kit was attractive and could be moved anywhere in the house -- the grow light provided necessary heat and light. Periodically, I added water when the water level got too low. With the homemade kit you never add water. I had an abundance of rosemary, mint, basil and thyme. The kit was large enough to grow a variety of herbs with little effort or cost. I dropped the kit and it broke beyond repair. Then a friend recommended a homemade hydroponic kit. Directions: 1. Empty a large 3 or 4 lb. plastic coffee can. 2. Take one empty Kerig coffee pod and cut a medium size round hole in the bottom and slits along the sides of the pod (roots grow through these slits). 3. Place growing medium (peat, miracle grow dirt, or a seed pod) in the empty pod. 4. Take the coffee container lid and trace the size of the bottom of the pod--cut the hole in the lid with a drill or a very sharp knife or a sabre saw. If this is too difficult--screw the lid back onto the coffee container--invert the can, and using a sharp knife cut a hole the size of the bottom of the pod in the can. 5. Fill the container up to the top with water and add 1 teaspoon of liquid fertilizer (nutrients). 6. Place the pod -- that now contains growing medium and seeds -- into the hole in the water filled coffee can--the bottom of the pod should touch the water with the nutrients. 7. Place your newly made hydroponic container in a window with direct light--not to cold and not too hot -- about degrees is adequate. 8. Forget about it -- about one month later and sometimes sooner you will have lots of fresh herbs. This is an effortless way to grow fresh herbs. As the seeds germinate and sprout, the roots will start to grow and will continue to grow to the bottom of the container (lots of roots). You never add water, but you can add 1 teaspoon of liquid fertilizer on the 15th day. JANMARIE WMS.-NGUYEN, MG vcn999@aol.com Doings at the Howard County Conservancy at Mt. Pleasant The historical garden at Mt. Pleasant has had a fantastic growing season. This year, with a little help from our friends we have taken 1035 pounds of produce to the food bank. Thanks to a diligent work group on our last official day of working we were able to harvest crops, plant more rescued natives in our pollinator bed; heel in plants for next spring and put the garden to bed with lots of fresh compost. My thanks go out to everyone who made this such a successful year. BY JO ANN RUSSO, MG jrusso1104@comcast.net December January 2015 Looseleaf 3 Howard County Master Gardeners

4 Consultation Success at Watermark The Watermark condominiums in the center of Columbia have a unique storm water problem. There is a very steep hill in the back of their property. When it rains heavily, the water gushes downhill into Watermark s landscaped pool/relaxation area. Everything gets covered with debris and mud, including the pool. John McCoy, Columbia watershed manager, asked for Master Gardener help with this problem. Georgia Eacker and I went to Watermark to conduct a Bay-Wise consultation with their landscaping committee. We advised them to add 1717 sq. ft. of native plantings and 1086 sq. ft. of river rock to the back of the already landscaped area to help slow down the flow of water. We asked them to contact us if they needed additional help. A few days later the chairperson of the Watermark landscaping committee, Ruth Harrett, asked us to help them choose appropriate plants and a design for their garden. We asked Pat Hooker, Master Gardener, to assist us with this request. When it became obvious how expensive this project would be, I started to look around for grant assistance. We found that Amanda Rockler, regional watershed restoration specialist at UME, had grant money to cover the plants and stone. The labor needed to be paid for by Watermark. When Ruth brought the proposal to her condominium board, they agreed to pay for only part of the labor. John McCoy came to the rescue and asked Lauren Gardens to give a quote on how much of the plan could be completed with the available grant money and limited labor money which Watermark could provide. An agreement was reached and part of the original plan was completed. Amanda agreed to consider additional funding this coming year to complete the project. BY SYLVIA HUESTIS, MG Watermark property site did not handle rain runoff effectively. December January 2015 Looseleaf 4 Howard County Master Gardeners

5 Planting in progress. Watermark property after the rain garden installation. December January 2015 Looseleaf 5 Howard County Master Gardeners

6 Rocks and plantings will slow the flow of rainwater. Master Gardener Annual Holiday Potluck Luncheon And Continuing Education Speaker Please join us on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 from 11:00am-12:30pm for our annual potluck luncheon at the Extension office. Don t miss this opportunity to socialize and share gardening stories with fellow Extension Master Gardeners. A sign-up sheet is posted on HOLIDAYMASTERGARDENERLUNCHEON. (If you have problems signing-up, contact Karin DeLaitsch kdlaitsch@gmail.com or ) Following lunch, you are invited to stay from 12:30 pm-2:30 pm to listen to our special guest speaker Dr. Sara Via, University of Maryland Department of Biology and Department of Entomology, present her talk on Successful and Sustainable Gardening in a Changing Climate. Climate change is our new reality. Increasing temperature and the severe weather it spawns have made widespread flooding and drought commonplace, impacting both small and large scale agriculture. There are many practical techniques for successful gardening in this new and challenging environment and simple and sustainable ways to reduce carbon emissions from the garden and enhance carbon storage in the soil. With these techniques, gardeners can be an important part of the climate change solution while creating peaceful and restorative landscapes and growing healthy food. Successful and Sustainable Gardening in a Changing Climate, Dr. Sara Via, Dept. of Biology and Dept. of Entomology, University of Maryland College Park, and Climate Reality Leadership Corps., Tuesday, December 16th, 12:30pm-2:30pm, meet at Extension office. Note: This presentation follows the luncheon. SUBMITTED BY KARIN DELAITSCH kdlaitsch@gmail.com December January 2015 Looseleaf 6 Howard County Master Gardeners

7 Wishing you and your Family A very safe and Happy Holiday Season From University of Maryland Extension Howard County Office December January 2015 Looseleaf 7 Howard County Master Gardeners