Spring 2016 B R O W N C O U N T Y Conservation Newsletter Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District 802 Memorial Drive PO Box 308 812-988-2211 ATTENTION PRIVATE FOREST LANDOWNERS Joint Chief s Landscape Restoration Partnership Hoosier Hills and Highlands Oak Community Restoration Project: The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are working together to target conservation and restoration to improve the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems where public and private land meet. This project is designed to provide a financial incentive through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to forest land projects with a focus on oak community restoration. This project will be available on private forest land in 18 counties in southern Indiana including: Bartholomew, Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Lawrence, Orange, Washington, Brown, Crawford, Dubois, Greene, Martin, Morgan, Monroe, Owen, Perry, and Putnam. Applications must be received by June 17, 2016 to be considered for current funding. Please call the NRCS Bloomington Field Office at 812-334-4325 x3 or the Brown County SWCD at 812-988-2211. Important Updates We are now selling rain barrels! 55 gallon, food grade, available in black and terra cotta color for only $75.00. Monthly meetings will now take place at 5:00 pm, instead of 6:30 pm, the first Wednesday of each month. We will be hosting a Native Plant Stewardship Course this summer in which participants will learn about our native plants and how non -native invasives are threatening them. For more details, contact our office or look for updates on our webpage and Facebook page! District Staff: Allison Rubeck, District Manager Supervisors: Laura Young, Chair Bonnie Closey, Vice Chair Al Weber Keith Kirk Charles Shaw Associates: Jeannie Shaw Alice Lorenz NRCS District Conservationist: Cara Bergschneider 812-334-4325 x3 cara.bergschneider@in.usda.gov ISDA District Support Specialist: Nathan Stoelting 812-320-9873 nstoelting@isda.in.gov 1
Brown County Gardening Resources Whether you re new to the County or new to gardening, we ve compiled a list of where to get products locally! Sometimes resources are limited so please call to check availability at each location. Also, if you d like to add or make a correction to this list please email brown@iaswcd.org. Backyard Berry Plants 3267 T.C. Steele Rd 812-340-1140 keith@backyardberryplants.com Backyard Greenhouse 8503 N St Rd 135 Morgantown, IN 46160 Berry plants, some trees and shrubs, soil amendments By appointment only Annuals, perennials, some trees and shrubs, potting soil (bags), compost (bags), herbs, some house plants, seeds, The Mission of the District is to provide information about soil, water and related natural resource conservation; identify and prioritize local soil and water resource concerns; and connect land users to sources of education, technical and financial assistance to implement conservation practices and technologies. Bear Hardware 75 Chestnut St 812-988-8888 Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District 802 Memorial Dr 812-988-2211 brown@iaswcd.org Brown County Parks and Rec 1001 Deer Run Ln 812-988-5522 Critser s Greenhouse 9890 St Rd 135 N Morgantown, IN 46160 812-597-5388 Designscape 2877 T.C. Steele Rd 812-988-8900 Flower & Herb Garden 5171 Bean Blossom Rd Nineveh, IN 46164 812-988-7232 Glenn s Valley Feed & Seed 8241 Bluff Rd Indianapolis, IN 46217 (317) 888-7887 Good Nature Farm 8419 Bob Allen Rd Freetown, IN 47235 812-988-7053 Open 3/1 to 11/30 Soil test kits, plants, seeds, bagged manure, soil amendments, hardwood mulch (sold by the yard, delivery available), and much more. Soil and water testing, rain barrels, educational materials and workshops Community garden plots Topsoil (bags), potting soil (bags), hardwood fine mulch (bags), annuals, perennials, some vegetable seed, vermiculite (bags), perlite (bags), composted peat Open Spring 4/1-6/30 and Fall Mulch, compost, topsoil, sand, plants, limestone aggregate, haydite, grass seed mix Mulch (bags), topsoil (bags), annuals, perennials Cover crops ( by the pound or in 50 lb. bags), call ahead to order Perennials, annuals, vegetables, potting soil (bags) Open Spring 4/15-6/30 On Sale Now! Stop by the SWCD office to pick up a Brown County Plat Book - $15.00 Soil Survey Book - FREE Water testing kits - prices vary Soil testing kits- prices vary 55 gal Rain Barrels- $75.00 (available in black and terra cotta color) Continued on next page... 2
Brown County Gardening Resources (Cont.) Helmsburg Sawmill 2230 St Rd 45 812-988-6161 Kelp s Greenhouse 6743 St Rd 46 E 812-988-4804 Knight s Woodworking 3941 St Rd 46 W 812-988-2106 Local Growers Guild PO Box 2553 Bloomington, IN 47402 localgrowers@localgrowers.org www.localgrowers.org Purdue Extension 802 Memorial Dr 812-988-5495 SEED Brown County Browncountyseedproject@gmail.com 602-320-8030 Hardwood mulch Annuals, perennials, and vegetable plants Open April to August Mulch, sold by the yard Spring Bulk Order- all products deadline Feb 7 th, 2016 Fall Bulk Order- cover crops only Deadline August 15 th, 2016 Membership required for fall sale and nonmember fee for spring sale, check website for vendors and pricing hand-outs, educational materials and workshops Seeds, seedlings, community plant/seed swaps, and other educational events Call or email for inquires, check Facebook page for events Reference in this site to any specific commercial product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Brown County Soil & Water Conservation District. Upcoming Events SWCD Monthly Board Meeting Wednesday April 6th 5:00 pm Wildflower Foray April 22-24, various times and locations in Brown and Monroe Counties Friends of the Park Plant Sale April 23rd, all day, BC State Park Nature Center Seed and Plant Exchange April 23rd, 1-3 pm, Deer Run Shelter Friends of the Library Plant Sale April 29th, 3-6 pm, BC Library April 30th, 11-5 pm, BC Library SWCD Monthly Board Meeting Wednesday May 4th 5:00 pm SWCD Monthly Board Meeting Wednesday June 1st 5:00 pm *All Monthly Board Meetings take place in the Community Room at our office unless noted otherwise* 3
Invasive Species Spotlight: Garlic Mustard Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolate) is biennial herb that invades high-quality forests. It then outcompetes many native spring wildflowers and tree seedlings. Minor infestations can be eradicated by hand-pulling just before the onset of flowering or by cutting the stalks just as flowering begins. Chemical control can also be used. Follow these simple tips for identifying and treating these invasive species: First-year plants: cluster of 3 or 4 heart-shaped leaves with scalloped edges rising a few inches in a rosette, which remains green through the following winter. Second year plants: 2 to 4 feet in height with leaves alternately arranged, 2 to 3 inches across, and triangular in shape with large teeth. Crushed leaves smell like garlic. Flowers: occur only on second-year plants in terminal, tight clusters, white with 4 petals on each flower, When pulling, the upper half of the root must be removed to stop buds at the root crown from sending up new stalks, and when cutting, the stalks must be cut as close to the soil surface as possible. If flowering has progressed to the point that viable seed exists, the pulled or cut plants should be removed from the area For chemical control use a foliar spray in April and May with 3% Glyphosate or Triclopyr and 1/2% non-ionic surfactant. and as always, USE PESTICIDES WISELY Find us on the web at: browncountyswcd.com Like us on Facebook (search Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District ) Sign up for our quarterly e- newsletter here or call the office to be added to our mailing list! First year plant second year plant 4 petal flower Information from Brown County Native Woodlands Project. To learn more visit bcnwp.org. 63rd Annual Meeting The District held their 63rd Annual Meeting on March 15th at the Brown County History Center. This year s meeting was a joint annual meeting with local group Brown County Native Woodlands Project. Over 80 people were in attendance and they heard about Brown County History from Diana Biddle. They also learned about the importance of protecting Brown County s biodiversity and native plants from invasive species. We would like to thank our speakers, attendees, and all who made our Annual Meeting possible. Our natural resources are very valuable and we thank those who live and work to conserve them! For those who could not make it to our Annual Meeting, we have copies of our Annual Report available at the office. 4
5
Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District 802 Memorial Drive PO Box 308 Please Recycle Me! Proud Partners of the Brown County SWCD 6