July 2014 RUTHERFORD COUNTY EXTENSION NEWS 4-H Youth Raising the Flag Have a safe and happy 4th of July RC Farmers Market WILL be open July 4th! Extension offices will be closed. Tour the Rutherford County Quilt Trail Friday, August 15, 2014 Cost $25.00 (includes transportation) Have a day of fun and tour some of Rutherford Counties historical locations. Departs 9:00am from Lane AgriPark Community Center (by van or bus). Return approx. 4:00pm Quilters, historians and any one looking for a pleasant day in Rutherford County, will enjoy viewing the painted quilt blocks which adorn several historical buildings and barns throughout our county. Some of these blocks represent quilts used by the family in times past. The tour will include quilt blocks on Bradyville Pike, Cripple Creek, Ferrell Hollow and Burks Hollow Road. Shopping stops will be at Ferrell Hollow Farms, Brown Family Fiber & Iron Works and Readyville Mill. Lunch will be provided by Carolyn s Creations at Cripple Creek Presbyterian Church. A tour of the historic cemetery will follow lunch. Reservations and payment required in advance since space is limited. Make payment to RCES and mail to Rutherford County Extension office 315 John R. Rice Blvd., Murfreesboro, TN 37129 Visit web site at http://rutherfordquilts.org/ for more information about the quilt trail. All events will be held at Rutherford County Extension/Lane Agri-Park 315 John R. Rice Blvd. Murfreesboro TN 37129 unless otherwise noted. PH: 615-898-7710 Visit our website for more information http://rutherford.tennessee.edu TO REGISTER FOR EVENTS AND CLASSES CALL 615-898-7710 unless otherwise noted
RUTHERFORD COUNTY EXTENSION NEWS July 2014, Page 2 4H CHICK CHAIN POULTRY SHOW AND SALE August 9, 2014 Red Star Did you know..murfreesboro and Smyrna allow the raising of domestic fowl within the city limits. Contact your local city code department for more information. Thirty-one Rutherford County 4H youth participating in the 2014 Chick Chain project have been busy since spring raising Red Star chicks for the 4H Poultry Show and Sale at 9:00am on August 9th at the Lane Agri-Park Livestock Barn. This project teaches participants the art and science of caring for poultry. They also learn responsibility, leadership, following directions, record keeping, budgeting, salesmanship and showmanship. After the show, each pen of five birds will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. This is a great way to start a backyard flock of egglaying hens at your house, or to improve the genetics of the flock you already have! If you raise chickens and want to improve or add to your flock, don t miss this opportunity to purchase these hand raised chickens and support the efforts of our 4H youth. Proceeds from the sale go to our budding entrepreneurs. There will be a meeting for Chick Chain participants on Tuesday, July 8 at 6pm in the Community Center to discuss how to select and prepare chickens for the show. Tennessee State Junior Meat Goat Show Wilson County Fair, Lebanon Tn (Small Animal Barn) August 16, 2014 Showmanship will begin at 2:00 PM followed by Market Goats and Commercial Doe Classes. Entry forms must be received by July 20th. Entry fees can be paid on site at Wilson County Fair. This competition is limited to Tennessee 4H & FFA members in good standing in their counties or chapter. Additional show information can be found at: http://www.wilsoncountyfair.net/competitions/animal-shows/ goat-shows/jr-market-goat-show
RUTHERFORD COUNTY EXTENSION NEWS July 2014, Page 3 130 Rutherford County 4H rs travelled to Clyde M. York 4H Center in Crossville, TN June 23-27 for a week of awesome fun. Chaperoned by our 4H staff: Amy, Barbara, Michael, Raquel, and Walter 130 tired &happy campers were returned home. Don t miss the fun next year! If you missed Jr. Camp last week, there is still time to sign up for Discover Day Camp. You can have all the fun of camp without leaving home. Dates: July 14-18 9am till 3pm Cost $100.00 per child Youth in Grades 4-12 will have a summer blast at this camp full of fun and exciting activities each day. Experience a little bit of everything 4H has to offer rolled into FIVE fun days! Bring your lunch and be ready to Discover 4H!! Call 898-7710 for more information or come by the office to register your child today!
RUTHERFORD COUNTY EXTENSION NEWS July 2014, Page 4 Rutherford County Farmers Market Classes June July Classes start at 9:00am FREE no registration required! July 4 July 8 July 11 July 15 July 18 July 22 July 25 July 29 Aug 1 Aug 5 Aug 8 Aug 12 Aug 15 Aug 19 Aug 22 Aug 26 Aug 29 Market is open today! Laura McCall will tell us how to turn a smart phone into a DYI Microscope. Curious minds of all ages invited. Tiffany Malapanes will explain the benefits of drinking tea and the various types of teas offered at Positiffitea Master Gardener, Mark Murphy will teach you how to get started composting in your own backyard! Agent, Michael Shirley will talk about the basics of raising sheep and goats. Be dressed for the barn! Tom Johnstone, from NOAA will review weather trends and major weather events here in Middle TN. Master Gardener Richard Lee help you get a head start on planning your fall garden. Misty Layne Watkins will demonstrate ways to stretch your food budget while still eating healthy. Tiffany Schmidt will prepare tasty dishes to try made from seasonal items available at the Farmers Market. Geocaching 101 get to practice this great hide and seek outdoor activity that is fun for the whole family! Walter Dirl will be your leader. Cooking with Kids Amy Willis will introduce young ones to some fun, healthy snacks. Pat Whitaker will be leading Tomato Talk. Learn tips for preserving and preparing the Queen of garden vegetables. Katie Peay will talk about how to install and maintain a rain barrel in your home garden or landscape. See a demonstration on spinning wool by Kitty McCloud. Needle felting, hand quilting and other traditional arts will be introduced. Bring the outdoors inside Carol Reese will teach you to make your own quick & easy flower arrangements. Did you know preparing your yard for winter increases your chances of a lush lawn in the spring? Mitchell Mote will tell you how! Sample southern gourmet dishes prepared by Mitchell Murphree, Five Senses Chef Gardening doesn t stop just because it will be fall soon. Learn how to freshen up containers to spruce up your outdoor spaces. Barbara Mullins will be your teacher. Rutherford County Farmers Market June 2014 Staff photo 4H CLOVER BOWL! We are looking for students who were in grades 4-11 as of 1/1/14 to participate in the Clover Bowl competition at the Tennessee State Fair in September. Clover Bowl is a quiz based competition about Tennessee Facts, Agriculture and Family Consumer Science. Practice starts the first of August. Students will learn more about themselves and their surrounding while developing l e a d e r s h i p, t e a m w o r k a n d communications skills. If you are interested, contact Barbara Davenport at 615-898-7710 or email bdavenp4@utk.edu Sponsored by Farm Bureau CENTRAL REGION 4-H CLOVER BOWL
June 2014, Page 5 RUTHERFORD COUNTY EXTENSION NEWS Vineyard Raised Beds Butterfly Garden If you haven t visited the demonstration gardens this year you will be surprised to see many changes. Master Gardener Volunteers and Extension staffers have been slowly but steadily adding to the area over the past few years. Our existing vineyards and orchard areas continue to be enlarged and improved. The vineyard is used to train gardeners on how to grow grapes at home and the grapes are harvested then sold to help fund our Master Gardener programs. The orchard has been recently revitalized by adding several new varieties of apple, pear, and peach trees. This area is used for fruit tree pruning and maintenance demonstrations. When the trees are mature enough for a significant harvest, the produce will be distributed to local food pantries. Newer additions include FlutterBy Park ; this lovely garden nearest the Pavilion is full of plants that will attract and feed our local butterflies and other pollinators. Some of the plants are hosts for the caterpillars that will turn into butterflies. Next, the Herb garden was added on the other side of the pavilion. Many of our Seasonal Eating classes use the herbs grown here in the recipes. The raised bed demonstration area showcases 3 ways of constructing raised beds. Wooden planks, cinder blocks and hay bales were used to study the effectiveness of the various methods. Please don t pick the veggies! Produce raised in these gardens are donated to a local food bank to provide nutritious fresh vegetables to the homeless in our area. In 2013 a rain garden was installed in a swale near the pond. This type garden helps prevent erosion, slows water run-off and flooding using native plants that can handle wet/dry cycles. A Crepe Myrtle garden was planted to show the various sizes and styles of this popular shrub available to the home gardener. This area will be used for pruning demonstrations in the future. For 2014 the group installed rain barrels, drip irrigation systems and enlarged the vegetable garden area to include a perennial vegetable bed. Near the main building you will find a grass plot test area in which several varieties of lawn grasses are grown to study which varieties perform best in our area. A perennial bed not only adds beauty to our facility, but lets visitors see what plants will grow well in their home gardens. Future plans include lots of surprises and more examples of what an average home owner can do in their own back yard. If you drive by and see one of our volunteers hard at work feel free to stop by and ask them about the projects. Rain Barrels
July 2014, Page 6 RUTHERFORD COUNTY EXTENSION NEWS Announcing the 2014 Grass Masters Lawn Care Academy August 13 16, 2014 There s a really good chance you ll learn way more than you bargained for about turfgrass and lawncare if you complete our lawncare course slated for August 13-16, 2014. You ll learn about the different kinds of turfgrasses we can (and can t) grow here and how to manage them, options for establishing a new lawn, renovation tips for existing lawns, weed control, fertilization, and more! Shoot, you may even learn what it is that makes those holes in your lawn! Class time is from 6:00-8:00 p.m. nightly August 13-15 and from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Saturday morning August 16. All sessions will be held in the Lane Agri-Park Office Complex auditorium located at 315 John R. Rice Blvd in Murfreesboro. The course is free for everyone interested in learning more about home lawncare. We ll even reduce the price by 50% for anyone over the age of 55! Space is limited and you must register by Friday, August 1 to guarantee that course materials will be available for you! You can register by calling the Extension office at 898-7710 from 7:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday or email Mitchell Mote at mmote1@utk.edu Grass Masters Lawn Care Academy Pledge: We won t promise you ll have the nicest lawn on your block after completing this course, but if you don t, odds are good you ll have a good idea why not. Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U. S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating.