Over the Garden Gate

Editor: Carol Machael, cmachael@gmail.com; 563-357-7537 Published on the first Monday of the month except during January and December.

To submit an article it must be sent by E-mail as a Microsoft Word attachment to the above e-mail address. To be accepted for publication in the next newsletter,

please provide articles 10 days before the first Monday of the month.

Volume 8 Issue 10 November 2017

MASTER GARDENERS’ANNUAL HOLIDAY/AWARDS BANQUET

Mark your calendars: December 4, 2017 @ Buzzy’s, Welton, Iowa

5:30 pm - Social Hour 6:30 pm – Buffet Dinner

Join your fellow master gardeners and special guests at the annual holiday/awards banquet. We will be celebrating

the holidays and our accomplishments during the year. Volunteer/education awards will be presented. There will

also be door prizes. Invitations will be sent mid- November. Kindly return your RSVP by November 22nd.

ALSO, RECORD YOUR VOLUNTEER/EDUCATION HOURS!

Certain awards and recognition will be given to Master Gardeners at the banquet. The advisory board requests

that Master Gardeners update their volunteer and education hours to the state recording system at this time. For

these hours to be considered for special recognition, they must be recorded by November 27th.

Hours may be entered at: mastergardenerhours.hort.iastate.edu/. If you do not have access to a computer or are not

comfortable entering your hours into this system, please contact Mark Schroeder at marks2@iastate.edu or call

the Iowa State Extension office at 563-659-5125 for assistance.

SPECIAL AWARDS: MASTER GARDENER OF THE YEAR and

INTERN OF THE YEAR

At the banquet, the Clinton County Master Gardeners will also present awards for Master Gardener of the Year

and Intern of the Year. These awards are based on volunteer hours and service to the organization. To nominate

an individual(s) for the award(s), please submit a letter(s) of nomination to the Advisory Board describing the

achievements of the person. Letters of nomination should be mailed to Linda Lamp, 1324 G, Springbrook Lane,

DeWitt, Ia. 52743 or emailed to her at lklamp@hotmail.com. The Advisory board will select at their November

21st board meeting individuals based on the letters received and hours recorded for the current year. The deadline

for submitting nominations is November 21st.

Plan for an evening of fun with fellow Master Gardeners and special guests.

Hope to see you there!

Clinton County

Master Gardener Newsletter

Volume 8 Issue 10 Page 2 November 2017

,

Clinton County Master Gardeners Advisory Board Minutes

Oct. 17.2017 9AM Bickelhaupt Arboretum

Roll Call-Linda L., Deb. M., Brenda C., Bonnie M, Kathy S., Willard L., Deb N., Gayle P., Bonnie H., Bev C., Mary M., Loren A., Carol Y., Margo H., Mark S.

Approval of Sept. minutes-approved by all

Financial Report-Mark-balance of $2,611.89

Mark's report-Honey Bee Queen in Clinton county on Monday, Oct 23. Lots of activities going on in area with her. MG web-site has some good webinar programs available & list of things happening around the state. Has a good link to research arti-cles also.

Bickelhaupt Arboretum-Margo-Honey Bee Queen will be at the Clinton Community College Tec center on Manufacturing Drive to give a Pollinator Program at 2PM.

Committee/Projects/Events

OLC-Willard-garden is winding down, will do fall clean up after a frost. Will do regular clean up & weeding till then.

Publicity-Deb N.

Christmas Party-committee hasn't had meeting yet, but soon. Buzzy's is still the spot for the party. Willard Larson made a motion to purchase 50 ID tag lanyards to be given to MG's at the party with the price to be added to the $150.00 already appropriated for the party. Bonnie Meyers 2nd the motion. Approved by all. Suggestion made to check ISU MG website for possible other gifts to give out.

Nominations for Intern of the Year & Master Gardener of the Year must be submitted by Nov 21st to be voted on by Ad-visory Board at the next meeting.

Hours Reporting-Very important to get all hours reported so awards can be given to individuals who have volunteered 100, 500, 1000, & 1500 hrs on Master Gardener Projects. Last day to submit hours will be Nov.27th.

Old Business

Fair Board contribution-Willard-fair board will pay for judges but must submit proper form to request this.

Advisory Board positions-Mary Meyer & Carol Young were voted in to fill the 2 open positions. Thank you Mary & Carol for your time.

New Business

Hort in the Heartland will be on March 3, 2018. Suggestion was made to have a MG table with a few items to sell.

Next meeting is Nov. 21, 2017 at the Extension Office in DeWitt at 9AM.

Brenda Council, Secretary

If you have something you would like to add to the news letter, or wish to write about one of your garden-

ing experiences, or why you are happy to be a Master Gardener (!!!) please submit it by email to

cmachael@gmail.com before the last weekend of the month. Your input is not only welcomed, it is de-

sired!!

There will be a newsletter following the Christmas party, and no newsletter in January.

Volume 8 Issue 10 Page 3 November 2017

Please check the ISU Master Gardener Website for great information on upcoming events, vol-

unteer and education opportunities.

There are links to many helpful items and general information on the Master Gardener Program.

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener/

From Trees Forever, " The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recently eliminated the Iowa Forestry Bu-

reau—making Iowa the only state to not have a dedicated forestry department or section! This decision will be det-

rimental for Iowa’s woodlands and forests, communities and landowners who rely on our DNR foresters. We know

that you, as an Iowan, value trees, so please write the Governor and your representatives to let them know that this

decision doesn’t fit Iowa’s values. Tell the Governor that caring for our trees and forest is the Iowan thing to do."

Fresh Conifer Workshops

Bickelhaupt Arboretum 340 S 14th Street, Clinton, Iowa

Saturday December 2nd

Classes at 10:00 am, 11:00 am & 12:00 pm

$25 Donation

Call 563-242-4771 To Sign Up!

Volume 8 Issue 10 November 2017

. . . and justice for all

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability,

political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative format for

ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-

9410 or call 202-702-5964.

.

Callicarpa americana, commonly called beautyberry, is a

loose open shrub valued for its spectacular fruits. The

relatively insignificant flowers develop into prolific

bright violet to magenta berry-like drupes which encircle

the stem. These fruits remain attractive for a long time

although they are generally gone before severe winter

weather.

The genus name comes from Greek meaning beautiful

fruit.

Beautyberry is an excellent winter bird food source. Its fruit-

ing is prolific and showy. It will grow in generally poor soils

with preparatory tilling and amendment with organic matter.

Leaf litter should be left on the ground.

Pearl Glam and Purple Pearls are especially colorful varieties. No pruning is needed but it is okay to remove 3

-5 older stems to the ground every year in early spring to avoid crowding if warranted. It can be pruned hard

to desired shape in early spring for complete renovation. Blooms on new wood.

It grows 4-5 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide, and is deer resistant. Pearl Glam beautyberry does not need a pollinator

to set fruit; one plant is sufficient for a good crop. The plant may experience some dieback each year in colder

zones, but it will resprout from the ground and still flower and fruit that year.

The downside: The plant is hardy to Zone 5, but if planted in relatively protected area, it may do quite well.

The upside: Callicarpa is believed to repel mosquitoes, and the variety C. Americana has been used in the

South for this purpose.

Hydroponics...Aquaponics…..interested in doing this?

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has released a pair of publications designed to provide information and guid-

ance for anyone thinking of constructing his or her own aquaponics system. Aquaponics is a system that combines aquacul-

ture (raising fish in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water), growing the fish and plants together in one inte-

grated system.

The publication “Building and Caring for a Miniature Aquaponics System” (FA 0014) is written for the hobbyist who wants

to make a small aquaponics unit for home use. This publication provides step-by-step instructions for constructing a bench

top aquaponics system. It provides information on materials and tools needed, as well as photos that demonstrate how each

step of the process should look.

“This is a functional design that will produce food but is small enough not to be a huge monetary investment,” says Allen

Pattillo with ISU Extension. “We are trying to take away the money barrier that people might run up against, so the overall

cost of this system is less than $100.” The small size and simplicity of the system make it attractive to hobbyists and educa-

tors. materials needed to construct the system.

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake

sweet potatoes for 1 hour on baking sheet. Let

cool. Scrape the pulp out of the skin, transfer to a

large bowl and mash. Set aside. In a medium

bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy.

Add eggs, vanilla, salt and spices. Add evaporated

milk and stir mixture into sweet potatoes. Beat

until smooth and pour into unbaked pie shell .

Bake for 1 hour or until center is firm.

Serve warm with whipped topping.

Malus ‘Adams’ flowering crab begins the season with semidouble deep pink blooms.

Leaves emerge with a reddish tint but mature to green by summer. The foliage may

develop good orange-red fall color. The tree produces 1/2- to 3/4-inch diameter

glossy red fruits with blood-red pulp. Fruits hang on the tree into winter and attract

birds. Young Adams crabapple trees are pyramidal, but they become rounded with

age. This variety has good resistance to the major diseases that can affect crabapples -

- apple scab, fire blight, powdery mildew, and cedar-apple rust. Adams was listed as

one of the 10 best crabapples in the National Crabapple Evaluations done by noted

expert Tom Green. 15-20 ‘ tall and wide.

Malus ‘Prairifire’s showy, dark pink to red flowers are what draw most

people to the prairifire flowering crabapple. The stunning, long-lasting

spring blossoms are a sight to behold. But this variety also offer year-round

beauty with its changing leaf color. Its reddish-gray bark highlights bright-

green summer foliage. In late summer and fall, its leaves become orange

and hungry birds feast on its berry-sized, purple-red fruit that lasts into

winter. “Prairifire” makes a striking accent plant or espalier. Planted in col-

onnades along walks and driveways, it leaves an indelible impression. With

appropriate care, largely disease-resistant “Prairifire” grows 1 foot per year

to a 15- to 20-foot mature height and spread.

Crabapples belong to the Rosaceae, or rose family. They share the

same genus—Malus—as apples. All apples, including crabapples, are

believed to have originated in the mountains of Kazakhstan. This is a

rare instance in which size does matter: A Malus tree with fruit that's

two inches or more in diameter is considered an apple, while

a Malus tree with fruit smaller than two inches is considered a crab.

That's it. All crabapple fruits are technically edible, though (as their

common name suggests) most are bitter tasting. Henry David Tho-

reau' in his essay "Wild Apples": "sour enough to set a squirrel's teeth

on edge and make a jay scream."

4 sweet potatoes

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 unbaked pie crust

Iowa State University

Clinton County Extension

400 East 11th Street

DeWitt, Iowa 52742

Here are some ideas for your favorite Master Gardener or MG-to-be!

BOOKS • The Victory Garden Companion by Michael Weishan; offers advice for creating a beautiful landscape

• Gardens to Go by Sydney Eddison; how to and design tips for using containers in a display garden

Second Nature by Michael Pollan; first book that is a wonderful winter read about his gardener educa-tion,

The Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust

Annuals for Every Purpose by Larry Hodgson

Perennials for Every Purpose by Larry Hogsdon

The Unexpected Houseplant by Tovah Martin

TOOLS

Hori hori knife/trowel—it cuts, it digs, it weeds

Radius ergonomic shovel

Good, sharp pruners (Felco, Fiskars or Corona)

Compost tumbler

Self-watering container (Earthbox, for example)

OTHER

Gift certificate to favorite gardening center

Subscription to Fine Gardening or Horticulture magazines

Flower bulbs

Trailer load of compost

Gardena gloves, sweat bands, garden hat