Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

March/April 2015

The Potting Shed

Official Jones County Master Gardeners Newsletter

Coordinators

Column

I’m noticing many

hyacinth, daffodils, for-

sythia blooming along

with trees and shrubs

budding.

Thanks for completing

the interest inventory

(questionnaire).

Just a friendly

reminder about online

recording of your hours

required to be an

active Master Gardener

Educational—10 hours

Volunteer—20 hours

(each per 2015 year)

Please let me know if

you need assistance

recording your hours.

Mark your calendar for

May 9th SALE at LCC

share attached flyer

Kim

Master Gardener Early Spring Activities

Anamosa Home and Garden Show—LCC on Saturday, March

7th, 2015 Kara is assisting a youngster with planting. Betty brought forced

springtime bulbs which everyone enjoyed that day. Thanks for everyone that

volunteered for this event.

Laura Larabee spoke on April 9th

about growing “Saskatoons” in a

high tunnel. Which are a hybrid

serviceberry. The fruit is not actu-

ally a berry but a pome and in the

same family as apples and roses.

Some of the highlights from the

program.

Higher in antioxidants than

many fruits including

blueberries

Great for jams and pies

Cold tolerant to –60 degrees

Grow in a wide variety of soils

compared to blueberries

Require watering and protec-

tion from wind

Deer, birds, voles and rabbits

like these plants too

Laura brought samples of diseased apple

trees from the family-owned orchard—30

trees were removed due to fire blight to

control the disease at the orchard

Spring cleaning

at Fountain Park

April 2015 Thanks to all that helped with cleaning beds

at the park ~ job well done!

April 2015 Library Talks—Linn County Educational Opportunities April Tuesday Ely 10 miles April 21: Pretty Poisons Lurking in Your Garden (Jean Wilson): Learn which plants in your garden are deadly

and which are merely harmful. It's not always the obvious culprits - even some helpful plants can be harmful if mis-used or overused. Understanding what you are growing promotes safer gardening.

April 28: Container Gardens (Deb Walser): Container gardens do not have to be three geranium, asparagus fern and vinca vines. You don’t need to grow only one tomato in a container; you can grow a whole salsa garden in a con-

tainer. Come see what can be done with your containers. You will never have a plain container garden again.

April Marion Wednesday, April 15: The Lazy Gardener - Gardening in Comfort and Ease (Jean Murray): Face it - we're all

getting older, and have limits on our bodies and our time. Jean shares tips for making gardening a little less stressful. She will discuss ergonomic gardening, low maintenance plants, and ways to make those garden chores easier, so that

you have more time to relax and enjoy your garden.

Thursday, April 23: Pretty Poisons Lurking in Your Garden (Jean Wilson): Learn which plants in your garden are deadly and which are merely harmful. It's not always the obvious culprits-even some helpful plants can be harm-

ful if misused or overused. Understanding what you are growing promotes safer gardening. Wednesday, April 29: Verticals, Vines, and Variants: (Debbie Main): Great ideas on how to pack more plants

into your home landscape! Debbie will cover flowers and food crops which can be grown vertically, how to train them,

where to locate them within your landscape, growing tips, and some unusual ideas on what to use to keep them ver-tical.

April 2015 Dubuque County Educational Opportunity

April 20: Composting Workshop

Dubuque Co. Extension and the Rescue Mission Gardens will be teaming up to host a workshop that will of-

fer an in-depth look at how to successfully manage a compost system. Whether you have a small pile or a

three-bin unit, we are here to show how composting can be easy, fun, and rewarding. Composting is one

of the best ways to reduce waste and add organic matter to your soil, benefiting your garden for years to

come. This workshop will have a hands-on composting activity, so bring your garden boots and join

us! Time: 5:30pm Located at the Dubuque Rescue Mission, 398 Main Street, Dubuque, IA 52001 Cost: $10

public/ Dubuque Master Gardeners FREE! Registration is limited so please RSVP! Call: 563-583-6496

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM

Upcoming Plant and Bake Sale—May 9th

Note from Kim Miller . . . . I have containers/pots for transplanting your perennials, please

contact the office 319-465-3224 or kmiller5@iastate.edu if you need containers/pots; let Kim

Miller know if you need labels for the containers/pots too. Homemade baked items are needed for the

sale. . . . Everyone likes pies!! Bring your gently used tools and other horticulture related items for the sale

too! In addition, Yard Art is very popular !

If you have plants and other items for the sale but will not be available that day to help with the sale; con-

tact Kim Miller for making other arrangements prior to Friday, May 8th.

Please let Kim know if you will be at the sale to assist clients with purchases etc. Set up will be at 8 am next

to the overhead door (east side of LCC). If it’s raining we will be just inside the overhead door . See you

there. Kim

Acreage Living Newsletter Addresses April Showers, May Flowers and Other Spring

Issues Plan ahead to capture rain for dry summer season

Article | Tue, 03/24/2015 - 16:10 | By Christa Hartsook, Linda Naeve

AMES, Iowa —“April showers bring May flowers"– along with yard work, weeds and excess rainwater.

Acreage owners can be proactive about managing all these spring tasks by subscribing to the electronic

Acreage Living newsletter, offered free from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Small Farm

Sustainability Program. The recently published Spring 2015 e-newsletter provides

readers with resources and information to manage spring home and landscaping pro-

jects.

Excess rainwater is inevitable in the spring, but can it be contained and reused?

“Harvesting rainwater has gained attention in recent years, especially after the Mid-

west experienced a couple seasons of wet springs followed by several dry weeks

during the growing season,” said Linda Naeve, value added agriculture specialist

with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

In the wet season, runoff from roofs and drain pipes can create riverlets and trenches across a landscape. But

the dry season has homeowners wishing for a little more rain to keep plants alive. These problems can be

solved with a rainwater catchment system.

“Use of collected rainwater reduces the need for potable water for outdoor water uses, such as watering

landscape plants,” Naeve said. The rainwater catchment article explains how to calculate the amount of wa-

ter a catchment will need to hold, what to use for a catchment, different ways to use the collected water, and

where to purchase the supplies needed to install a rainwater catchment system.

The Acreage Living newsletter also offers information on May flowers. Planning how to use extensive space

around a rural home can be tricky, but the article on spatial design explains how to find the most aesthetical-

ly pleasing way to organize flower beds.

“By using bubble (or functional) diagrams and form composition studies, a comprehensive spatial design

can be achieved that will miraculously reveal garden rooms surrounded by planting beds,” said Lisa Orgler,

professor of horticulture with Iowa State University.

Her article describes how to study the relationship of spaces and the visual connections between them. Once

a homeowner understands how to use space efficiently, garden areas can be defined with a strong shape in-

spired by a particular garden style or even the architecture of the owner’s home. After plans have been laid

out for a beautifully designed landscape, the only thing left to do is to start digging and plant.

Trees Forever and DNR offer Backyard Forest Conference Program

What: Backyard Forest Conference

Where: Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center, 10260 Morris Hills Rd., Toddville

When: 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, May 16, 2015

Cost is $15. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Lunch will be provided. Register by May 12 at:

www.treesforever.org/BackyardForest or call (800) 369-1269, ext 112. For more information, contact Heath Hupke: 319-640-0757 or hhupke@treesforever.org

Jones County

800 North Maple Street, Ste # 2

P O Box 28

Learn it

Grow it

Teach it

Phone: 319-465-3224

Fax: 319-465-3312

E-mail: kmiller5@iastate.edu

Calendar of Events

2015

See page 2 for some educational opportunities

April 19—8 am to 1:30 pm Earth Day Celebra-

tion at LCC, Anamosa MG table and display

April 22—Earth Day

April 24—National Arbor Day

May 9—9 am to 11:30 am Plant & Bake Sale

at LCC, Anamosa (see page 2 for more de-

tails)

May - Wild Garlic Mustard Pull at Wapsipini-

con State Park - community service project

Bring gloves and wear old footwear/clothing

*Date to be announced*

May—pick up annuals for flower beds from

Anamosa State Penitentiary

*Date to be announced*

May 25—Memorial Day office closed

June 18—program—Greenhouse/Garden

Mission Dubuque—6 pm

June 21—first day of summer

Just a friendly

reminder to

record your hours.

Website

www.extension.iastate.edu/jones/

Gardening Tips from the 2015 Garden Calendar

April mid to end of month

prune yews

Apply pre-emergent herbicide to lawn

Divide hostas, mums and asters

Repot houseplants

May early to middle of month

Plant tomatoes

Plant sweet corn

Thin stands of carrots and beets

I LOVE MY GARDEN

so do the bugs birds and bunnies!