The Green Thumb Newsletter for Polk County Master Gardeners Iowa State University Extension & Outreach--Polk County 1625 Adventureland Drive, Ste A Altoona, Iowa Phone 515-957-5760 -- -- Sherri's View from the Garden Fifteen years ago this week, I was enjoying a vacation in Costa Rica. On a walking tour of the rainforest, everyone spoke in hushed tones and gazed skyward, hoping for a glimpse of the elusive quetzal. I must admit I didn't quite understand the fascination. For me, birds - like brussels sprouts and Frank Sinatra - turned out to be an acquired taste. I'm happy I've seen the light on all three fronts. Maybe I didn't appreciate birds because I was not yet a gardener. Now it's a thrill to see a goldfinch dart by or a hummingbird hover over a window box as I glance outside. How can we attract more birds to the garden? Most experts agree that a feeding program begun in the fall should continue uninterrupted until spring, after the first warblers have appeared in Iowa in late April or mid-may. According to the National Wildlife Foundation, it also pays to advertise your water supply through the use of sound, especially to migrating birds who are just passing through. Bubblers, ponds, fountains, and misters will ensure that birds will stop by for a drink. Finally, planting berries, evergreens, and selfseeding annuals such as cosmos, bachelor's buttons, and marigolds will make the garden irresistible to birds. "Projects for the Birder's Garden" by Fern Marshall Bradley contains fun and practical ideas to attract birds, including decorating an evergreen tree for Christmas with strings of fresh cranberries or peanuts in the shell, pine cones, and bright metallic ornaments. I may not have appreciated the quetzal in the rainforest, but I can make up for lost time with the birds right here in my own backyard. Have you ever observed the hummingbird moving about in an aerial dance among the flowers - a living prismatic gem...it is a creature of such fairy-like loveliness as to mock all description. --W.H. Hudson
In September, as most of you know, our coordinator Mary Farlow retired. On behalf of the steering committee and all Polk County Master Gardeners, we thank Mary for years of dedication and great work, and wish her a long and happy retirement. Mary is succeeded by Nancy Eichmann, and we are glad to welcome Ike. Speaking of transitions, my friend Isabella Hurless-Banks will be taking the reins from me later this month. Have a great October! Sherri Soich, Steering Committee Chair sherrisoich@gmail.com 515-710- 5665. Demonstration Garden Thank You! The Demonstration Garden held a fall fundraiser in September, and we are pleased to announce that it exceeded our expectations! To everyone who supported to the project by dividing and potting plants, circulating flyers, posting announcements, donating plants and other items for sale, volunteering on the weekend of the sale, and by making purchases, thank you and congratulations! All of your efforts contributed to the success of this event and the positive impact it had on those who attended. Volunteers are Needed ASAP for Apple Harvesting! The fruit trees are on a different schedule than the rest of the garden--and our Red Delicious apples are READY NOW! The trees are full of sweet organic apples that need to be harvested, tracked, and transported to the food pantry as quickly as possible. Our regular work night is Monday--but If you plan to help with harvesting on your own time please contact one of the co-chairs for particulars on the process so we can track which trees are harvested and assure that food pantry donations are logged. And by the way, collecting apples from the ground to reduce disease and insects in the coming season is always appreciated. They can be placed in our brown curb bins (no more than 1/3 full due to weight). Harvesting will continue throughout October, as the various apple varieties ripen. Our trees are not as heavy with fruit as they were last year, but we are still supplying local food pantries with generous supplies of organic apples. We expect Golden Delicious and Coop 27 to ripen in early October, followed by Coop 31 (Winecrisp) and Enterprise in mid October and finally by Chieftan in mid to late October. Fall Clean-up The next date of note on our calendar is Saturday, October 15th when we'll be cleaning up the garden in preparation for winter. Please join us that morning beginning around 9:00 a.m. to pull annuals, take down signage, clean up the veggie gardens, and do all the little tasks necessary at the end of the season. It's a great time to get in a few more hours and enjoy the company of fellow gardeners one last time before the weather drives us all back indoors. Well, maybe not the last time... We'll continue with regular Monday work nights for the next couple of weeks
until the fall cleanup. Co-Chairs, Ruth Doxon, Sandie Sydnes, and Diane Ackerman Discovery Garden The Garden is slowly losing it's summer splendor, but we still need to maintain it until frost, so we do not have cleanup date as of yet. We will make that decision soon and inform everyone, probably at the fall meeting on the 12th. If you have not sent an RSVP, for that meeting, please do so soon. The cochairs will be finalizing the seed orders so that everyone can verify their plant lists at the meeting. Compost will be ordered for the Garden, delivery date to be decided. Enjoy October, a beautiful month in Iowa. Co-Chairs: Dean Brand drbrand@mediacombb.net tel:515-360-0774, Jean Roe ljroe@q.com tel:515.205.8706 Patrick Schmitt schmittpatrickj@gmail.com tel:515.279.9645, Cheree Tilton tiltoncm@gmail.com tel:515.262.0488 Enabling Garden Thank You! The Enabling Garden hosted another successful Fall Fundraiser & Garden Gathering in September. A huge thank you to all of the talented gardeners who spent time creating art, baking, collecting garden flea market items and those that spent hours prepping plants. Your time and efforts are much appreciated! Now that the temperatures are starting to fall a bit and our evening work nights are getting short, we need to think about our garden clean-up dates. Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 15th at 11:30 AM for clean-up of the annuals and to complete other tasks around the garden. This is a great opportunity to get several volunteer hours in before the end of the 2016 season! Our final work night on will be on Tuesday, October 18th to finish up any final clean-up tasks that we need to accomplish before the winter. We will start a little earlier, around 3:00 PM or whenever you can make it after work. Be sure to bring a snack as there will be no organized meal. As the season begins to wind down, the EG co-chairs would like to thank all of the volunteers for their time and gifted contributions to the garden. From spring planting, support with treats and speakers, and finally all of your passion for gardening, this was a year great year at the Enabling Garden. As it is every year, it was all made possible due to our faithful volunteers and friends of the garden. Many Thanks,
EG Co-Chairs: Sandie Hamilton, Paula Winslow, Christine Barker & Sharon Schoonover. Farmers Market Season Finale We wrapped up the 2016 Farmers' Market season on Saturday, September 24. Our featured topics were Native Grasses and Fall Bulbs. We handled questions from nearly 200 visitors over the course of the morning, and survived a surprise unofficial inspection visit from State Master Gardener Coordinator Denny Schrock! Randy Campbell's beautiful specimen bundles of Indian Grass, and Big and Little Blue Stem, attracted lots of visitors to our Booth. As in prior appearances at the Market, we gave away lots of dog treats, Emerald Ash Borer tattoos, and free seeds (thanks Greenhouse Committee!) for next growing season. Randy's homegrown seed packets for Indian Grass and Big Blue Stem were especially popular items. Special thanks to all the Master Gardeners who volunteered to work a shift at our Farmers' Market Booth this past season! Co-Chairs: Matt Doré (matt.dore@drake.edu) Sherri Soich (sherrisoich@gmail.com) Randy Campbell (campbellrd@mchsi.com). Please Pre-register for the PCMG Harvest Celebration! When: Thursday, October 20th Gather: at 6:00 PM Eat: 6:30 PM Program: 7:00 to 8:30 PM Bring: a dish of your choice to share We will welcome new Master Gardeners from our 2015 interns, applaud the Master Gardeners who reached milestones in their volunteer contributions, and celebrate the great work of our project volunteers. And of course, we will affirm the passing of the silver trowel to the 2017 Steering Committee Chair! RSVP--We need to know how many chairs to set-up!!! CLICK HERE to RSVP by email. Please provide the names of each person you are saving space for. Rather place a phone call? Call Ike: 515-957-5760. Program Committee: Sandie Hamilton, Paula Winslow, Lurae Zavalla, Anastasia Tekippe, Sherry Swihart
- At the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center Now through October 16th! Come enjoy the fabulous and unique garden-themed art created by Iowa Master Gardeners representing Polk, Jasper, Decatur, Boone, Black Hawk, Story and Ringgold counties! Thank you to the Polk County Master Gardeners who shared their art! Chair: Patricia Reeves Directory Changes Mary Farlow's home email address is: maryfarlow@hotmail.com Have you moved, changed phone or email recently? I'll be updating the directory next week (with help from Mary) so please email
any changes to: nancyike@iastate.edu Education Opportunities Greater Des Moines Garden Club Meeting Location: Plymouth Congregational Church, 4126 Ingersoll, Des Moines Time: 1:00 to 3:00 PM October 27th: Gardens in Water Works Park, Jennifer Barnett, Grounds Supervisor November 17th: Floral Design Program--Jean Rhodes, Flower Show Judge Questions? Maryilyn Moore: 515-991-4791 Community Requests/Updates An Altoona home owner is looking for someone interested in tilling the garden on her new property. Contact Ike if you are interested: nancyike@iastate.edu - Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.