National Volunteer Week April 10-16, 2016

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1 Chippewa County Courthouse, Room N. Bridge Street Chippewa Falls, WI President s Message Dear Master Gardeners: Inside this issue: President s Message Calendar of Events Chippewa County CVMGA Information CVMGA Committees What a treat for we gardeners to have an early burst of Spring-like weather to uncover our yards and gardens and give us an unexpected early opportunity to remember where we left off last fall with our gardening to-do list. Did you have a chance to move those perennials that need a new location before the ground froze? Are there plants you left for winter interest that are now in need of cutting back before their new growth starts? Is the early snow-out the opportunity you have been waiting for to assess and diagram your property for new flower or vegetable beds, or hardscaping projects? In April not only do our thoughts turn to greening our own space, but also to CVMGA projects that have been dormant through the winter months and are now beginning to send up shoots, put down roots, or take wing in the growing season. Volunteer Opportunities Upcoming Events Growing Rhubarb Community Seed Library Please plan to come to our April meeting and see how you can become involved in one of our many projects that help us fulfill the Master Gardener Volunteer mission to educate and promote environmental stewardship in collaboration with the UW-Extension by developing an appreciation for and an understanding of horticultural practices. Warmly, Laura Kasdorf, CVMGA Co-President National Volunteer Week April 10-16, 2016

2 April 2016 Page 2 Calendar of Events 2016 April National Volunteer Week 11 CVMGA Meeting, Focus on CVMGA Projects, 6:30 p.m., Courthouse Room Bareroot sorting, Time TBD, Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds May 9 CVMGA Meeting, Pollinator Garden volunteer Orientation, 6:30 p.m., Courthouse Room Pollinator Garden Planting Session, 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m., Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds 21 Pollinator Garden Planting Session, 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m., Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. CHIPPEWA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER INFORMATION - Points of Light 2016 BOARD of DIRECTORS Co-Presidents: Sharon Bergstad (2016) Laura Kasdorf (2017) Secretary: Sandy Kenner (2016) Treasurer: Shirley Blizek (2017) Membership Director: Mary Jo Fleming (2017) Directors at Large: Sue Crisp (2016) Steve Hesselberg (2016) Joy Lancour (2016) Sue Larson (2016) Elaine Olsen (2016) Elections are held each November. CVMGA Committees Pollinator Garden: Mary Jo Fleming bingnjo@charter.net Think Spring Seminar: Exhibits/Activities: Programming: Bluebird Trail: Laura Kasdorf wolterkasdorf@sbcglobal.net ( ) Mary Jo Fleming Linda Stockinger ldstocking@aol.com Laura Kasdorf Mary Jo Fleming Newsletter Deadline Information for the Master Gardener Newsletter is due by the 15th of the month, for the next month s newsletter. UW-Extension Office Contacts, Jerry Clark, Crops & Soils Agent, jerome.clark@ces.uwex.edu Heather Lubs, Administrative Assistant III, hlubs@co.chippewa.wi.us

3 CVMGA Committees Master Gardeners Association has a variety of committees our volunteers can participate in. Please see the descriptions below and contact the committee lead if you are interested in helping. April 2016 Page 3 Exhibits/Activities Committees: Keep our master gardener exhibits up to date and work on activities that we can use at venues such as fairs and other events where we are invited to display what we do. Pollinator Garden Committee: Help plant, label, and manage the native plant pollinator garden at Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Think Spring Committee 2017: Help organize venue, speakers, and vendors for Program Committee: Work with the board to set up programs and activities for CVMGA members. Bluebird Committee: Organize a schedule for the nesting season and plan work parties to clean and repair boxes on the Old Abe Bluebird Trail. Volunteer Opportunities Volunteers are needed to help sort bare-root tree orders for the Chippewa County Land Conservation Department (CCLC) on April 21st. CVMGA receives a small payment for helping with this project that we may use for our own educational programs. MGs can count time spent sorting trees for the CCLC toward their MG volunteer hours. If you are interested in helping please contact Mary Jo Fleming at bingnjo@charter.net OUTDOOR ED-VENTURE - Sunday, May 1 st, 11am -2pm, at Cornell Mill Yard Park. CVMGA hosts a booth at this annual family event. Our sponsored activity is helping kids make newspaper pots and planting their choice of a bean or flower seed. We give basic instruction on nurturing their plant to maturity after they take it home. If you would like to help with this fun event please contact Sue Crisp at or her at: account12342@charter.net It is time to put together teams to monitor the Bluebird Trail. Please sign up before or at the April 11th meeting by contacting Mary Jo Fleming at bingnjo@charter.net. Monitors will need to begin by April 15th. Upcoming Events OUTDOOR ED-VENTURE Sunday, May 1st 11am-2pm Cornell Mill Yard Park Family Event sponsored by Cornell/Lake Holcombe 21 st Century Community Learning Center Free family-friendly event offering hands-on activities, demonstrations & info on healthy outdoor opportunities. Door prizes and kids games are part of the event. Lunch, catered by Fosters Restaurant will be available for a small fee. Contact Andrea Smith asmith@cornell.k12.wi.us for more information or see the CLC website: communitylc.weebly.com/family-events.html Eau Claire Grows Community Seed Library The Eau Claire Grows Community Seed Library will re-open for the 2016 growing season in April with an open house kick-off event in April. After the open house, seeds will be available anytime during regular library hours at the Information & Reference desk of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library, 400 Eau Claire Street, Eau Claire, WI. See the brochure attached to this newsletter for more information.

4 Upcoming Events (cont d) April 2016 Main Street Downtown Earth Day Cleanup Page 4 April 23, :00 a.m. to Noon Downtown Chippewa Falls Join Chippewa Falls Main Street and over 150 of our awesome volunteers as we clean up our downtown! We pick up trash all the way from the riverfront to Cedar Street, so we need and appreciate all the help we can get at the Downtown Earth Day Cleanup. All supplies will be provided for the cleanup. Central Lutheran Church also provides a free breakfast before the clean up at 28 E. Columbia Street for volunteers and the community. To pre-register for the Main Street Downtown Cleanup Day go to Annual Northwest 4-H Golf Classic Monday, June 13, :00 a.m. Kilkarney Hill Golf Club, River Falls, WI This annual charity golf tournament creates resources to be used for scholarships, out-state learning trips, robotic programs and to reach out to non-4-hers in Pierce, Polk, St. Croix, Chippewa and Dunn Counties. Thanks to your support, 4-H has proven results. According to recent Tufts University study, young people in 4-H: Report better grades, higher levels of academic competence and an elevated level of engagement at school Are nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college Are more likely to pursue courses or a career in science, engineering or computer technology Are shown to have had significantly lower drug, alcohol and cigarette use than their peers Interested players may register as individual golfers for $85.00 or a foursome for $ Registrations are due by May 30, For more information or to register, see the attached brochure or contact Sharon Seibel at or by at Sharon@jsmachine.com. Everyone is welcome to play! Northern Wisconsin Hosta Society April 23, :00 p.m. Education Center Red Cedar Medical Center The Northern Wisconsin Hosta Society invites the members of EC Master Gardeners, CV Master Gardeners, and the EC Garden Club to attend their meeting/presentation by guest speaker Rod Lysne at the Red Cedar Medical Center located at 2321 Stout Rd, Menomonie, WI Rod Lysne is from Northern Grown Perennials located in Ferryville, WI. Rod has registered many hostas and daylilies and this will be an interesting and informative presentation. For more information about Northern Grown Perennials, visit their website

5 Growing Rhubarb Rhubarb The Spring Treat April 2016 contributed by: Shirley Blizek Page 5 Often regarded as a fruit, but technically a vegetable, this hardy herbaceous perennial is grown for its edible leaf stalks which can be used for jam-making and desserts for several weeks beginning mid-spring. Rhubarb is a cool-season crop and does best grown in the northern third of the U.S. It requires a cold period to break dormancy. A rhubarb plant forms a large mound, almost 3 feet wide and almost as tall. Its huge leaves are supported by stalks that are usually red, but some varieties have green stems. Rhubarb can be grown in the same spot for many years, so it s important to choose a location where plants will not be disturbed for several years. The site should be free of perennial weeds, especially quack grass, and should have good drainage and fertile soil. Prior to planting, cultivate the soil to a depth of about 12 inches and incorporate plenty of organic matter. A full sun location is good, but rhubarb is the only vegetable able to tolerate a half-day of shade. The east side of a building works well, where it can escape the hot afternoon sun. Plant the crowns in spring, spacing about 3 to 4 feet apart, with the young shoots or eyes about 2 inches below the soil level. If planted too deeply, the eyes will rot away. Mulch the crowns well, keep the soil moist, and provide generous amounts of a balanced fertilizer through the growing season. The next spring, top dress the young rhubarb plants with manure or a granular or liquid fertilizer. The more food and water you give rhubarb, the more stalks it will produce and the thicker it will be. There is little danger of overfeeding. Cut off any flowering spikes as they emerge in the spring and summer, and remove any spindly, unwanted leaves as they occur. Apply mulch around the plants after the first frost of fall, but don t fertilize late in the season. Although best planted in spring, rhubarb can also be planted in early fall, but a mulch should be applied for the first winter. Don t harvest any stalks the first year of growth; the second year, harvest a few stalks from each plant. Beginning the third year, harvest for up to two months, but don t remove more than one-half the stalks at any one time so food reserves rebuild in the roots. The rhubarb crop can be advanced by as much as 3 weeks if covered with loose straw or an upturned pot or pail to protect the developing leaves and stalks from frost damage. Pick the rhubarb when the stalks are about 10 to 15 inches long. Grip each stalk as close to its base as possible and pull them away from the crown at a slight angle. It s the best practice to pull the stems, not cut them, but if you prefer harvesting by cutting, do so by cutting 1 to 2 inches above the crown, making sure not to cut into the crown. Discard the leaves as they contain oxalic acid, are toxic and should not be eaten. When most of the emerging stalks are thin, usually when weather turns hot, it s time to stop harvesting. It is recommended that rhubarb be divided every 4 to 5 years or sooner if the stalks become thin and spindly. In early spring, cut down through the center of the plant with a sharp spade leaving half the plant intact. The removed portion can be divided and transplanted to a new location, but dust the cut surface with a fungicide and set in the sun for 2 to 3 days to callous and then replant. Rhubarb is quite free of insects and diseases. A disease called crown rot can occur if rhubarb is planted on poorly drained soil or if new plants are set in the same location where grown previously. A copper fungicide will help in controlling this problem. If any plants die of this disease, they should be removed and care taken to prevent contamination of healthy plants. Great recipes using rhubarb are plentiful. Here is one of our favorites we want to share. RHUBARB CAKE 1 ½ cup brown sugar 2 cups flour ½ cup margarine 1 tsp. baking soda 2 eggs ½ tsp. salt 1 cup sour cream 1 ½ cups diced fresh rhubarb Cream sugar and margarine. Add eggs, beat well. Blend in sour cream. Combine dry ingredients together and blend with creamed mixture. Fold in diced rhubarb. Pour into a greased 9 x13 pan. ½ cup sugar ½ cup chopped nuts Topping 2 tsp. cinnamon 2 T. margarine Mix above ingredients and sprinkle on top of cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

6 This program is funded in part by a donation from Mayo Clinic Health System Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Eau Claire, WI Permit No Eau Claire Grows Community Seed Library Eau Claire Grows OUR MISSION: Eau Claire Grows Community Seed Library is a free urban seed project committed to increasing the capacity of our community to feed itself wholesome food by means of education, self-reliance, and a culture of sharing. 400 Eau Claire Street Eau Claire WI 54701

7 Why Use the Seed Library? While borrowing seeds from the seed library is free, your contribution to your community is priceless! Gardening helps you become more self-sufficient, eat more nutritious food, and save money all while helping fellow gardeners in the community. Seed saving will allow you to: Develop seeds that become acclimated to our local climate Grow plants that are more pest resistant Save money on seeds and plants Know where your food is coming from Become less dependent on large food producers What Do You Offer? The seed library will start with these seeds because they are fun and easy to grow for beginner seed savers. The seeds are self-pollinating, which means they tend to produce plants that are consistent and true-to-type. They are generally easy to harvest and dry. Arugula Basil Beans Chives Cilantro Eggplant Lettuce Peas Peppers Spinach Sunflowers Tomato Why Save Seeds? For thousands of years, people have cultivated gardens enjoying the fruits of their labor. Until recent times, saving the previous year s seeds to plant the next crop was an essential part of the process. Today, many people are enjoying the return of the seed saving tradition. Work? How Does It rary we ask that the seed lib To participate in lf but also seeds for yourse ve sa ly on t no seeds you hen you return W. ry ra lib ed for the se ailable for ry they will be av ra lib ed se e th to t. others to check ou Borrowing Seeds: 1. Choose packets of seeds to checkout, take home and plant. 2. You will receive specific instructions on how to plant and save your seeds. 3. Check out related library resources to help get your garden started. 4. Plant your seeds, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Returning Seeds: 1. In the fall, the library will mail instructions for harvesting seeds along with envelopes for returning seeds. 2. Follow the instuctions to harvest your seeds. 3. Once the seeds have been collected and dried, set some aside for yourself, and place the remainder in the provided envelope and return them to library for others to checkout. 4. Don t worry if you have a crop failure, there is no penalty for failing to return seeds!