February 2022 UME Master Gardener
State Office Announcements
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It's time to start thinking seeds and preparing for warmer weather to come!
Our February newsletter includes upcoming continuing education events, Statewide Meetings, GreenScapes Symposium registration, the Winter Sowing webinar recording, recent Maryland Grows Blog articles, HGIC #GivingDay, and more!
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Turf Troubleshooting
Friday, February 25th, 2022 | 12 pm - 1:30 pm
Live Zoom Event | Free
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We know from HGIC's Ask Extension service that turf and lawns are some of the most frequently asked about topics in horticulture. Join UMD IAA professor Geoffrey Rinehart to learn about residential turf basics, practice some turf troubleshooting, and learn how to answer commonly asked lawn care questions. If you're planning to volunteer at any Ask A Master Gardener Plant Clinics this year, this session will be tremendously useful for you! |
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Organic Lawn Care
Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 | 12 pm - 1:30 pm
Live Zoom Event | Free
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Learn more about how to maintain an organic lawn without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, understand soil health, and discuss organic soil amendments with Mary Travaglini of the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection.
Mary is the Organic Lawn and Landscape Manager for Montgomery County, Maryland. With a background as a landscape architect, and years of controlling invasive plants and managing stormwater management facilities, she now assists residents and landscapers with going organic, and educating the public about the County’s pesticide law restricting lawn chemicals.
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Seed Starting and Planning Your Garden for Climate Change
Friday, April 8th, 2022 | 9 am - 12 pm
Live Zoom Event | Free
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This dual topic class will kick off our 2022 Grow it Eat It Continuing Education Series: Know Your Food From Seed to Soil! Seed starting allows us to get a jump on the growing season, choose our favorite varieties, and maximize garden productivity. UME Vegetable & Fruit Specialist Jon Traunfeld will cover seed starting supplies, techniques, and tips with an emphasis on low-cost sustainable practices.
Climate change is affecting all aspects of the food system, including backyard, school, and community gardens. We’ll look at some of the practical ways we can both reduce garden-related greenhouse gas emissions and adapt our food gardens to a warmer, more variable climate.
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Grow It Eat It Winter Meeting
Thursday, March 10th, 2022 | 10 am - 1 pm
Live Zoom Event | Free
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Calling all those active with the Grow It Eat It program or anyone interested in jumping in! Join us for a half day of learning, sharing, and planning the future of this Master Gardener subprogram. |
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Ask a Master Gardener Plant Clinic Training
Thursday, May 12th | 9 am - 12 pm
& Friday, May 13th, 2022 | 1 pm - 4 pm
Live Zoom Event | Free
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Do you volunteer at Ask a Master Gardener Plant Clinics or want to learn more about them? Register to attend our two day training all about Plant Clinics! Learn how to answer common questions and get updates from UMD faculty on the latest info. |
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Day 1 Schedule:
9am - 9:45am Fruit & Veggie Updates w/ Jon Traunfeld, HGIC Director & UME Fruit and Veggie Specialist
9:45am - 10am Q & A with Jon
10am - 10:10 am Break
10:10am - 10:40am Wildlife w/ Luke Macaulay, UME Wildlife Specialist
10:40am-10:50am Q & A with Luke
10:50am-11:00am Break
11:00am-11:45am Plant Pathology Updates w/ Dave Clement, UME Plant Pathology Specialist
11:45am - 12pm Q & A with Dave
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Day 2 Schedule:
1pm - 1:45pm Weeds Update w/ Mikaela Boley, Senior Agent Associate - Talbot County MG Coordinator
1:45pm - 2pm Q & A with Mikaela
2pm - 2:10pm Break
2:10pm - 2:55pm Insect Update w/ Emily Zobel, Senior Agent Associate - Dorchester County
2:55pm - 3:10pm Q & A for Emily
3:10pm - 3:20pm Break
3:20pm-3:50pm Practice with plant samples
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Climate Resilient Gardening:
Share Your Story With Us!
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As you know, the year 2021 again brought alarming news about global climate change and biodiversity loss. In so many different and encouraging ways, UMD/AGNR is leading on solutions -- research, technology innovation, education, advocacy, outreach, and change in personal actions. In Extension home and community horticulture, we are leading the charge to help Maryland residents mitigate and adapt to climate change with sustainable practices in home gardens and living spaces: climate-resilient gardening.
In the spirit of "walk the talk," we would like to showcase actions and steps that we ourselves, and you, our Master Gardener volunteers, are personally taking at home and in community gardens and neighborhoods, to help mitigate and adjust to the realities of our warming world. Green spaces lift our spirits and boost feelings of wellness too, in these uncertain times. Stories of small actions at home can be the spark, the catalyst, for others to see what changes are possible and doable. And there is hope when we individually take steps and join forces with others.
Are you willing to share your personal story?
Are you:
Landscaping to reduce home energy use? Adapting a food garden to higher heat?
Trying out a new composting system for kitchen and yard waste? Creating a native bee habitat in the yard? Taking steps to manage stormwater by your home? A rain garden? A Bay-Wise landscape?
If you are willing to show and tell your story, we invite you to submit a brief description of your own "climate-resilient gardening" action. We would love to receive stories by mid-March but will keep the survey open through the growing season. Share your story with us by taking this survey: go.umd.edu/climategardening
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Maryland Today
A Rooted Return
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Generations After Her Ancestor Was Enslaved in Prince George’s, Grad Student Reinvigorates Area’s Agricultural and Communal Ties
IN 1902, Robert Harrod Sr. signed the deed to own land in the very county where he had spent the beginning of his life legally owned and enslaved.
He bought 13 acres near present-day FedEx Field, which he farmed throughout his life, then divided into smaller parcels for each of his five children. Their legacy was cut off in the 1970s, however, when the state and Prince George’s County took ownership of the land as the result of unpaid property taxes.
Brittney Drakeford, a doctoral student in UMD’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, grew up in the county and recalls accompanying her mother and grandmother on drives where they’d pass a particular stretch of land, vacant and wild. They’d always point out that it had once belonged to Brittney’s great-great-great-grandfather...
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Calling All High School Students Interested in Horticulture! |
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Applications are now being accepted for the American Landscape Institute (ALI) Program! ALI is a unique “Earn and Learn” scholarship program for high school graduates to take college horticulture classes at CCBC while working for a landscape or nursery company. Students work 4 days per week for a landscape or nursery company and attend classes at CCBC every Friday. Students graduate debt-free with a Certificate in Landscape Installation, Maintenance, and Design. High school seniors or graduates can apply via ALI website. Interested candidates for the program are asked to complete and submit the application materials by February 28, 2022.
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Talbot County Master Gardener Wins "Most Beautiful People" Award |
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Congratulations to University of Maryland Extension volunteers Chris Myles-Tochko (Talbot Master Gardener) and Deborah Urry (Talbot County 4-H) on their nomination for the Talbot County "Most Beautiful People" award. This program is to recognize exceptional volunteer efforts that go "above and beyond the call of duty". They were honored by the Talbot County Council on December 6th, 2021.
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Saturday, February 26th, 2022 | 10:15 am - 3:10 pm
Live Zoom Event | Free
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We are excited to release this year’s virtual meeting schedule with workshops covering a variety of topics of interest to farmers, gardeners, and organic food enthusiasts. All workshops are free, but pre-registration is required. The MOFFA team is looking forward to seeing you! |
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2022 GreenScapes Symposium |
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Join us for a fascinating day of presentations highlighting design strategies that make it easier and more effective to integrate native plants into a variety of landscapes!
The GreenScapes Symposium is an annual program sponsored by Brookside Gardens since 2004. The symposium explores the latest topics related to landscape sustainability and the environment. This event appeals to a broad audience ranging from landscape architects and designers to master gardeners, horticulturalists, and urban planners. Environmental stewardship is a core value of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), Brookside Gardens’ parent organization. As such, we strive to provide timely information and viable solutions to environmental challenges that help create a healthy planet for all people, plants and living things.
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Did you miss our recent continuing education webinar?
Check out the recording below! You can always see both upcoming continuing education opportunities and recorded webinars on the State MG Continuing Education webpage.
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Take the guesswork out of sowing seeds! Learn from certified Master Gardener Linda L. Jones about winter sowing - a USDA recognized growing method to get a head start on your spring, summer, and fall gardens. You’ll have no worries, no greenhouse, no hoop house, no growing lights, no damping off, and no babysitting your seedlings! |
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The Maryland Grows Blog is a wonderful place for new and experienced gardeners to read timely tips on food gardening, soil improvement, trouble-shooting plant problems, and supporting pollinators in your landscape. To follow the blog find the "Follow Blog via Email" section on the right-hand side of the screen. Submit your email and you're officially a follower!
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By Erica Smith, Montgomery County Master Gardener.
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Lettuce in the midst of winter
By Robert Cook, University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener, Baltimore City
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Home and Garden Information Center |
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Save the date! #GivingDay is coming up on March 9th and the Home and Garden Information Center will have a portal available for donations. More information coming soon! |
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Stephanie Pully
UME Master Gardener State Coordinator
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Jean Burchfield
Program Management Specialist
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