Chippewa County

Courthouse, Room 13

711 N. Bridge Street

Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

President’s Message

Inside this issue:

President’s Message

1

Calendar of

Events

2

Chippewa

County CVMGA

Information

2

CVMGA

Committees

3

Volunteer

Opportunities

3

Upcoming

Events

3-4

Growing

Rhubarb

5

Community Seed

Library

6-7

Dear Master Gardeners:

What a treat for we gardeners to have an early burst of Spring-like weather to

uncover our yards and gardens and give us an unexpected early opportunity to

remember where we left off last fall with our gardening to-do list. Did you have a

chance to move those perennials that need a new location before the ground

froze? Are there plants you left for winter interest that are now in need of cutting

back before their new growth starts? Is the early snow-out the opportunity you

have been waiting for to assess and diagram your property for new flower or

vegetable beds, or hardscaping projects?

In April not only do our thoughts turn to greening our own space, but also to

CVMGA projects that have been dormant through the winter months and are now

beginning to send up shoots, put down roots, or take wing in the growing season.

Please plan to come to our April meeting and see how you can become involved

in one of our many projects that help us fulfill the Master Gardener Volunteer

mission to “educate and promote environmental stewardship in collaboration with

the UW-Extension by developing an appreciation for and an understanding of

horticultural practices”.

Warmly,

Laura Kasdorf, CVMGA Co-President

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National Volunteer Week

April 10-16, 2016

Calendar of Events 2016

April

10-16 National Volunteer Week

11 CVMGA Meeting, Focus on CVMGA Projects, 6:30 p.m., Courthouse Room 16

21 Bareroot sorting, Time TBD, Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds

May

9 CVMGA Meeting, Pollinator Garden volunteer Orientation, 6:30 p.m.,

Courthouse Room 16

20 Pollinator Garden Planting Session, 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m., Northern Wisconsin

State Fairgrounds

21 Pollinator Garden Planting Session, 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m., Northern Wisconsin

State Fairgrounds

CHIPPEWA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER INFORMATION

2016 BOARD of DIRECTORS

Co-Presidents: Sharon Bergstad (2016)

Laura Kasdorf (2017)

Secretary: Sandy Kenner (2016)

Treasurer: Shirley Blizek (2017)

Membership Director: Mary Jo Fleming (2017)

Directors at Large: Sue Crisp (2016)

Steve Hesselberg (2016)

Joy Lancour (2016)

Sue Larson (2016)

Elaine Olsen (2016)

Elections are held each November.

Newsletter Deadline

Information for the Master Gardener Newsletter is

due by the 15th of the month, for the next month’s

newsletter.

UW-Extension Office Contacts, 715-726-7950

Jerry Clark, Crops & Soils Agent, jerome.clark@ces.uwex.edu

Heather Lubs, Administrative Assistant III, hlubs@co.chippewa.wi.us

CVMGA Committees

Pollinator Garden: Mary Jo Fleming bingnjo@charter.net Think Spring Seminar: Laura Kasdorf wolterkasdorf@sbcglobal.net (715-726-1963) Exhibits/Activities: Mary Jo Fleming Linda Stockinger ldstocking@aol.com Programming: Laura Kasdorf Bluebird Trail: Mary Jo Fleming

Page 2 April 2016

“National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imagi-

native ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working

together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals.”

- Points of Light

Volunteers are needed to help sort bare-root tree orders for the Chippewa County Land Conser-vation Department (CCLC) on April 21st. CVMGA receives a small payment for helping with this pro-ject that we may use for our own educational pro-grams. MGs can count time spent sorting trees for the CCLC toward their MG volunteer hours. If you are interested in helping please contact Mary Jo Fleming at bingnjo@charter.net

Volunteer Opportunities

Master Gardeners Association has a variety of com-mittees our volunteers can participate in. Please see the descriptions below and contact the committee lead if you are interested in helping. Pollinator Garden Committee: Help plant, label, and manage the native plant pollinator garden at Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Think Spring Committee 2017: Help organize ven-ue, speakers, and vendors for 2017.

Exhibits/Activities Committees: Keep our master gardener exhibits up to date and work on activities that we can use at venues such as fairs and other events where we are invited to display what we do. Program Committee: Work with the board to set up programs and activities for CVMGA members. Bluebird Committee: Organize a schedule for the nesting season and plan work parties to clean and repair boxes on the Old Abe Bluebird Trail.

CVMGA Committees

Eau Claire Grows Community

Seed Library

The Eau Claire Grows Community Seed Library will re-open for the 2016 growing season in April with an

open house kick-off event in April. After the open house, seeds will be available anytime during regular library hours at the Information & Reference desk of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library, 400 Eau Claire

Street, Eau Claire, WI. See the brochure attached to this newsletter for more information.

Upcoming Events

April 2016 Page 3

OUTDOOR “ED-VENTURE” - Sunday, May 1st, 11am-2pm, at Cornell Mill Yard Park. CVMGA hosts a booth at this annual family event. Our sponsored ac-tivity is helping kids make newspaper pots and plant-ing their choice of a bean or flower seed. We give basic instruction on nurturing their plant to maturity after they take it home. If you would like to help with this fun event please contact Sue Crisp at 715-861-3253 or email her at: account12342@charter.net

It is time to put together teams to monitor the Bluebird Trail. Please sign up before or at the April 11th meet-ing by contacting Mary Jo Fleming at bingnjo@charter.net. Monitors will need to begin by April 15th.

OUTDOOR “ED-VENTURE” Sunday, May 1st 11am-2pm

Cornell Mill Yard Park

Family Event sponsored by Cornell/Lake Holcombe 21st Century Community Learning Center

Free family-friendly event offering hands-on activi-ties, demonstrations & info on healthy outdoor op-

portunities. Door prizes and kids games are part of the event. Lunch, catered by Fosters Restaurant will be available for a small fee. Contact Andrea

Smith 715-861-8011 asmith@cornell.k12.wi.us for more information or see the CLC website: http://

communitylc.weebly.com/family-events.html

Main Street Downtown Earth Day Cleanup

April 23, 2016 9:00 a.m. to Noon

Downtown Chippewa Falls

Join Chippewa Falls Main Street and over 150 of our awesome volunteers as we clean up our downtown! We pick up trash all the way from the riverfront to Cedar Street, so we need and appreciate all the help we

can get at the Downtown Earth Day Cleanup. All supplies will be provided for the cleanup. Central Lutheran Church also provides a free breakfast before the clean up at 28 E. Columbia Street for

volunteers and the community.

To pre-register for the Main Street Downtown Cleanup Day go to http://www.chippewafallsmainst.org/earth-day-cleanup.html

April 2016

Upcoming Events (cont’d)

Page 4

Annual Northwest 4-H Golf Classic

Monday, June 13, 2016 11:00 a.m.

Kilkarney Hill Golf Club, River Falls, WI

This annual charity golf tournament creates resources to be used for scholarships, out-state learning trips, robotic programs and to reach out to non-4-Hers in Pierce, Polk, St. Croix, Chippewa and Dunn Counties. Thanks to your support, 4-H has proven results. According to recent Tufts University study, young people in 4-H: Report better grades, higher levels of academic competence and an elevated level of engagement at

school Are nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college Are more likely to pursue courses or a career in science, engineering or computer technology Are shown to have had significantly lower drug, alcohol and cigarette use than their peers

Interested players may register as individual golfers for $85.00 or a foursome for $340.00. Registrations are due by May 30, 2016. For more information or to register, see the attached brochure or contact Sharon Seibel at 612-309-1794 or by email at Sharon@jsmachine.com. Everyone is welcome to play!

Northern Wisconsin Hosta Society

April 23, 2016 1:00 p.m.

Education Center—Red Cedar Medical Center

The Northern Wisconsin Hosta Society invites the members of EC Master Gardeners, CV Master Gardeners, and the EC Garden Club to attend their meeting/presentation by guest speaker Rod Lysne at the Red Cedar Medical Center located at 2321 Stout Rd, Menomonie, WI 54751. Rod Lysne is from Northern Grown Perennials located in Ferryville, WI. Rod has registered many hostas and daylilies and this will be an interesting and informative presentation. For more information about Northern Grown Perennials, visit their website http://mwt.net/~ngp/index.htm.

April 2016 Growing Rhubarb

Page 5

Rhubarb – The Spring Treat contributed by: Shirley Blizek Often regarded as a fruit, but technically a vegetable, this hardy herbaceous perennial is grown for its edible leaf stalks which can be used for jam-making and desserts for several weeks beginning mid-spring. Rhubarb is a cool-season crop and does best grown in the northern third of the U.S. It requires a cold period to break dormancy. A rhubarb plant forms a large mound, almost 3 feet wide and almost as tall. Its huge leaves are supported by stalks that are usually red, but some varieties have green stems.

Rhubarb can be grown in the same spot for many years, so it’s important to choose a location where plants will not be disturbed for several years. The site should be free of perennial weeds, especially quack grass, and should have good drainage and fertile soil. Prior to planting, cultivate the soil to a depth of about 12 inches and incorporate plenty of or-ganic matter. A full sun location is good, but rhubarb is the only vegetable able to tolerate a half-day of shade. The east side of a building works well, where it can escape the hot afternoon sun.

Plant the crowns in spring, spacing about 3 to 4 feet apart, with the young shoots or “eyes” about 2 inches below the soil level. If planted too deeply, the eyes will rot away. Mulch the crowns well, keep the soil moist, and provide gener-ous amounts of a balanced fertilizer through the growing season. The next spring, top dress the young rhubarb plants with manure or a granular or liquid fertilizer. The more food and water you give rhubarb, the more stalks it will produce and the thicker it will be. There is little danger of overfeeding. Cut off any flowering spikes as they emerge in the spring and summer, and remove any spindly, unwanted leaves as they occur. Apply mulch around the plants after the first frost of fall, but don’t fertilize late in the season. Although best planted in spring, rhubarb can also be planted in early fall, but a mulch should be applied for the first winter.

Don’t harvest any stalks the first year of growth; the second year, harvest a few stalks from each plant. Beginning the third year, harvest for up to two months, but don’t’ remove more than one-half the stalks at any one time so food re-serves rebuild in the roots.

The rhubarb crop can be advanced by as much as 3 weeks if covered with loose straw or an upturned pot or pail to protect the developing leaves and stalks from frost damage. Pick the rhubarb when the stalks are about 10 to 15 inch-es long. Grip each stalk as close to its base as possible and pull them away from the crown at a slight angle. It’s the best practice to pull the stems, not cut them, but if you prefer harvesting by cutting, do so by cutting 1 to 2 inches above the crown, making sure not to cut into the crown. Discard the leaves as they contain oxalic acid, are toxic and should not be eaten. When most of the emerging stalks are thin, usually when weather turns hot, it’s time to stop har-vesting.

It is recommended that rhubarb be divided every 4 to 5 years or sooner if the stalks become thin and spindly. In early spring, cut down through the center of the plant with a sharp spade leaving half the plant intact. The removed portion can be divided and transplanted to a new location, but dust the cut surface with a fungicide and set in the sun for 2 to 3 days to callous and then replant.

Rhubarb is quite free of insects and diseases. A disease called crown rot can occur if rhubarb is planted on poorly drained soil or if new plants are set in the same location where grown previously. A copper fungicide will help in con-trolling this problem. If any plants die of this disease, they should be removed and care taken to prevent contamination of healthy plants.

Great recipes using rhubarb are plentiful. Here is one of our favorites we want to share.

RHUBARB CAKE

1 ½ cup brown sugar 2 cups flour ½ cup margarine 1 tsp. baking soda 2 eggs ½ tsp. salt 1 cup sour cream 1 ½ cups diced fresh rhubarb Cream sugar and margarine. Add eggs, beat well. Blend in sour cream. Combine dry ingredients together and blend with creamed mixture. Fold in diced rhubarb. Pour into a greased 9”x13” pan.

Topping

½ cup sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon ½ cup chopped nuts 2 T. margarine Mix above ingredients and sprinkle on top of cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

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This program is funded in part by a donation from Mayo Clinic Health System

Eau Claire GrowsOUR MISSION:

Eau Claire Grows Community Seed Library is a free urban seed project committed to increasing the capacity of our community to feed itself wholesome food by means of education, self-reliance, and a culture of sharing.

Eau Claire GrowsCommunit y Seed Librar y

For thousands of years, people have cultivated gardens enjoying the fruits of their labor. Until recent times, saving the previous year’s seeds to plant the next crop was an essential part of the process. Today, many people are enjoying the return of the seed saving tradition.

Why Save Seeds?

While borrowing seeds from the seed library is free, your contribution to your community is priceless! Gardening helps you become more self-sufficient, eat more nutritious food, and save money — all while helping fellow gardeners in the community.

Seed saving will allow you to:• Develop seeds that become acclimated to

our local climate• Grow plants that are more pest resistant• Save money on seeds and plants• Know where your food is coming from• Become less dependent on large food

producers

Why Use the Seed Library?

Returning Seeds:1. In the fall, the library will mail instructions for

harvesting seeds along with envelopes for returning seeds.

2. Follow the instuctions to harvest your seeds.3. Once the seeds have been collected and dried, set

some aside for yourself, and place the remainder in the provided envelope and return them to library for others to checkout.

4. Don‘t worry if you have a crop failure, there is no penalty for failing to return seeds!

The seed library will start with these seeds because they are fun and easy to grow for beginner seed savers. The seeds are self-pollinating, which means they tend to produce plants that are consistent and true-to-type. They are generally easy to harvest and dry.

• Arugula• Basil• Beans• Chives• Cilantro

What Do You Offer?

• Eggplant• Lettuce• Peas• Peppers• Spinach• Sunflowers• Tomato

How Does It Work?

To participate in the seed library we ask that

you not only save seeds for yourself but also

for the seed library. When you return seeds

to the seed library they will be available for

others to check out.

1. Choose packets of seeds to checkout, take home and plant.

2. You will receive specific instructions on how to plant and save your seeds.

3. Check out related library resources to help get your garden started.

4. Plant your seeds, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Borrowing Seeds: