Update K-State Research and Extension Douglas County 2110 Harper Street Lawrence KS 66046-3242 (785) 843-7058 batesm@ksu.edu Update A monthly newsletter for Extension Master Gardeners in Douglas County Douglas County Agent- Horticulture Marlin Bates Association President Ginny Turvey Vice President Debbie Zabel Treasurer Lisa Larson Secretary Donna Black Public Relations Thelma Simmons Board Members Sammie Jo Condor Carol Anderson Kathy Reed Dg Horticulture Program Assistant Sharon Ashworth Editor Bekki Heckman K-State, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating All educational programs and materials available without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or disability. April 2016 Vol.28 No. 4 April Monthly Meeting 2016 It s About Vegetables in the Garden Wednesday, April 20, 2016 Dr. Cary Rivard, Fruit and Vegetable Extension Specialist with K-State will present: It s all about Vegetables. Managing insects and pests is one of the more difficult parts of gardening, particularly for certain crops. This session will provide an overview of insect and disease management strategies that can be used in the home garden, including organic methods. This will be 1 hour of Advanced Education from 10:00-11:00 following our General Business meeting at 9 am in the Dreher 4-H building north room. Open to the Public. Debbie Zabel Vice- President 2016 Monthly Douglas County Extension Master Gardener Programs Overview *All monthly business meetings will begin at 9am. Programs begin at 10am unless otherwise noted below. More specific details for each program will be published in the February Update. May 21 - Saturday - EMG Panel with Statistics and Testimonies presented by 5 Douglas County EMG members. June 15 Wednesday - The Future of the Wetlands at Baker Wetlands, Lawrence presented by Dr. Roger Boyd. July 16 - Saturday - What is an Herbarium and Good Plants to Have presented by Caleb Morse of KU. August 17 - Wednesday - Water Gardens-Making, Maintaining, Plants at Swan s Water Gardens in Louisburg, KS. This event is a field trip to Swan s Water Garden. More logistical details to come! September 17 Saturday - Woodland Shade Gardens presented by Jack Landgrebe. Update April 2016 Page 1 of 7
October 19 Wednesday - Seed Starting and Propagation Techniques presented by Jamie Hancock, Shawnee County Horticulture Agent. November 19 Saturday - Made to Stick-Making Your Gardening Messages Come Alive presented by Susan Phillips. A couple of notes from Sharon The website you use for reporting volunteer hours and contacts is undergoing a major overhaul. If you have experienced problems recording your hours, please be patient while the bugs are worked out. When K-State is finished with the upgrade, I will send out a message about the changes. The new website will include instructional videos and tutorials. A new feature will let everyone see just how many hours EMGs are volunteering by county. FYI, we are in 4 th place gang, so make sure you remember to record those hours! There will be notes and pictures from the Spring Fair in the next Update, but I just wanted to acknowledge the incredible amount of work everyone put into this event. It looked great and I hope you all had a good time and a very relaxed day after. Public Education programs at the Lawrence Library in March - all about seeds. The program was about how seeds grow with sun, temperature and water. Eighteen 7-9 year olds planted carrots, lettuce and bean seeds. Upcoming programs in June: June 4 - Summer Reading Kick-off Party with the Master Gardener interactive table of fun. June 28 - Planting your own Container Garden for Teens. Making grass heads with Susan Phillips. Planting seeds and know how. GARDEN TOUR 2017 The selection committee for the Garden Tour 2017 will need to begin looking at prospective garden sites this spring. If you have any garden recommendations please email or call Sammie Conder @ cugolfn@aol.com or phone 785-840-4003. Thanks for your assistance! Update April 2016 Page 2 of 7
Geocache group at the Spring Fair. What a haul! We all appreciate a cleaner fairground so thanks to EMG Pat Lechtenberg for putting this event together. EMG BUSINESS MEETING March 20, 2016 Ginny Turvey, president, called the meeting to order at 9:00 am. Cheryl Thomas made a motion to approve the minutes of the February meeting, Paul Goebel seconded, motion carried. Debbie Zabel, vice president, reminded us that the April 20 th advanced education topic will be Vegetables presented by Cary Rivard. Lisa Larsen, treasurer, reported that we paid out $121 in February, leaving a balance of $25,416.23. A $750 grant was approved by the Board for the Monarch Watch request to purchase tools and make repairs to the garden following water damage from a broken water main. Lisa reported there is still $2,950 remaining in the grant fund. Contact Sharon Ashworth for an application for funding. Thelma Simons, public relations, reported that members are using the new on-line calendar. The PR committee is also promoting the up-coming Spring Fair and asked us to also help get the word out. Marlin Bates, Horticulture Agent, said the Master Gardeners and Master Foods will co-sponsor the Chefs Challenge at the Douglas County Fair this summer. Everyone is invited to a planning meeting, with a potato bar, scheduled for Thursday, March 31 st, 5:30 7:00 pm. There will be a 3-day youth training camp the end of June to help prepare youth for the Fair. The Food Policy Committee is working on an amendment to go to the City Commission in support of urban bee-keeping. K-State s Advanced Training in Manhattan will be September 30 October 1 st. Ward Upham requested suggestions of topics and speakers. The 2016 Douglas County EMG training this year will be August 31 November 1 st, with evening meetings and a couple of Saturday sessions to allow working people to attend. Sharon Ashworth, Horticulture Assistant, reminded us to record our hours and contacts regularly. Old EMG t-shirts are being sold for $1 today. Hotline training will be on March 29 th and the 30 th. Hotline begins on April 1 st. The shelf behind Sharon s desk can be used for materials to be picked up by members Update April 2016 Page 3 of 7
requesting them. See Vicky Martin if you re interested in cleaning out the EMG area in the basement. Mary Dillon is working on an order for EMG t-shirts, designed locally, for $13 each. Send an e-mail soon to Mary to order yours; pay in the office when they come in; checks payable to Douglas County Extension. Ruth Ellen Bartels asked members to sign up to present a gardening tip(s) for our advanced training on Saturday, May 21 st following our regular Business Meeting. Pam Patrick asked members to sign up on the Farmers Market/Hotline calendar to present selected topics at the Market. Jane Stiles-Potts asked members to sign up to help with garden crafts and at the Spring Fair. Pam Patrick said tables will be set up for Spring Fair on April 8 th from 8:00 noon; committees will set up from 1:00 5:00 pm in building 21. All help is appreciated. Cheryl Harmon is still collecting gardening garage sale items for the Fair and will need volunteers on April 8 th to help bring the items to the Fair. Sammie Condor and the 2017 Garden Tour selection committee need our suggestions of gardens to consider. Cheryl Thomas thanked the Class of 2015 for their help with the clean-up at Monarch Watch and invited anyone to join the group and work in the garden on Thursdays from 1:00 3:00 pm. Darlene Harrell reported there were 2,000 visitors to the Home Show, with 706 contacts at the EMG booth. Motion to adjourn by Cheryl Thomas, 2 nd by Jane Stiles-Potts, motion carried; adjourned at 10:00 am. Respectfully submitted by Donna Black, secretary Update April 2016 Page 4 of 7
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The Monthly Update is your chance to make your committee or activity known. If you are having organizational meetings, activities, or a call for volunteers, let the Update help you get the word out. Send the write up to Sharon Ashworth at sashworth@ksu.edu or Bekki Heckman at bekheck@gmail.com by the 5 th of the month to be included in the newsletter. To assure your place on the next regular meeting agenda send a request to Ginny Turvey at turvey@sunflower.com 3-5 days before the meeting. You will also get a chance to speak at the meeting but this will reserve a space on the agenda. If you are planning to distribute handouts, papers, or publish advertisements on behalf of EMG s, these need to be reviewed by Marlin Bates, prior to distribution or publication, to make sure we are on track with Kansas State University requirement. Update April 2016 Page 7 of 7