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Master Gardeners of Greene County

May 2022

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Table of Contents for May's Newsletter

Master Gardener Hotline

PLANT SALE

Learn to Grow in the Garden

Food Preservation Online Classes

Vegetable Gardening by MU Extension

Planning Your Garden Journal

Garden Hour with MU Extension

The Garden Spade - April

Gardening with Kids

Raised Bed Gardening Ideas

Thinking About Growing Iris?

Preparing for Spring Migration with Native Flowers

Garden Links

Get Your Soil Tested For Spring

Previous Newsletter Link

Need a Speaker for One of Your Meetings or Groups?

Gardening Questions Phone Number

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**Editor's note - The first 6 topics are the same from last month. More new content will be below that. It is the growing season and I thought them relevant.


Please do skim through those articles, there might be something that you missed from last month. And don't forget the Plant Sale! 

Master Gardener Greene County Hotline is open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Monday thru Friday now, to help with your gardening questions. Thursday's are still for collecting soil samples, too. Planting season is upon us. We need to know how to amend our soil for happy plants and lawns.


Feel free to contact us anytime with your questions by phone (417-874-2963), by email or on our website. Feel free to send pictures of your problems or questions via email. For more information check here.


Please leave a detailed message if calling or just sending an email.


Questions answered state wide.


In the meantime, if you need a faster answer to your important gardening question, use the MU Extension website and use the topic search box. 

2022 Plant Sale!!!

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Saturday

April 30, 2022


8 a.m. until sold out


It has moved to the pavilion at the Japanese Stroll Garden in the Springfield Botanical Gardens: 2400 S. Scenic Ave., Springfield MO. We needed more space.


Come rain or shine!


Come early for best selection.


Cash, check and credit/debit cards accepted.

Learn to Grow in the Garden

These are FREE!


Monday, May 16 at 5:45

Meet in the lobby of the Botanical Center

2400 S. Scenic

Springfield MO 65807


The below links are not live.

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Food Preservation

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This self-paced course provides research based information needed to safely and successfully preserve food at home. Participants of all levels of food preservation experience are welcome, including individuals with little or no previous food preservation experience. This course covers pressure canning, boiling water bath canning, steam canning, dehydration, and freezing. Highlights include preserving salsas, pie fillings, pickling, sweet spreads, and harvesting and storage of produce.


Registration is $30.00


Click here for more information and registration.

Vegetable Gardening by MU Extension

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Get ready for vegetable gardening, whether you rent or own your own house, here are great ways to know what to do.


This MU Extension guide provides extensive "A to Z" detailed vegetable gardening information online, review here.


This MU Extension guide provides information on the following: how much to plant per person; how much seed to purchase for a 100 foot row; row spacing; inches between plants in the row; depth of planting; days from planting to eating; and vitamin content of the vegetable. Review Guide 6201 online. (Use 'download this publication' to see the guide.)


Straw bale gardening offers options for gardeners. Gardens using straw as a growing medium are becoming popular with growers who are plagued with poor soil or limited garden space, said David Trinklein MU Extension horticulturist. Straw bale gardening combines container gardening and raised-bed gardening into one green-thumb package. Read on to learn more here.


Container gardening saves time, space and is easier on the back. You can use balconies or patio space. Look for more information here.

Planning Your Garden Journal

The From Seed to Harvest and Beyond: Garden Journal and Calendar is a garden journal for all Missouri gardeners, as well as a how-to guide and information resource. It provides a place to keep all gardening information, plans and notes together.

Keeping a garden journal is a great way to organize and keep track of the how, when, where and what of the gardening season. Writing down your thoughts, successes, failures, needed improvements and new ideas as the gardening season progresses is easier than struggling to remember them several months after the season has ended. Many gardeners believe the keys to successful gardening are to get your plans on paper first and to keep records. This journal allows a gardener to do this. Find it here.

Cost is $20.00

Get your lawn and garden questions answered at the Garden Hour with MU Extension

Virtual Town Hall: Mandy D. Bish | MU Extension Specialists will address lawn, garden, and insect questions during the 'Garden Hour' with MU Extension. The third Wednesday of each month from 12-1pm. The virtual event is free. To register for the virtual event and/or ask a gardening question, please visit.


To see recordings from previous events, please check out the YouTube videos on the MU Extension IPM channel here.


For more information visit.  Or contact Mandy D. Bish, MU Plant Science & Technology at (573) 882-9878 or email: bishm@missouri.edu 

The Garden Spade Newsletter April 2022

Articles include: Clematis; Celandine Poppy; Top Ten Reasons to Soil Test; Scab-Resistant Apples; Asparagus Recipe; Lavender Research Update; Plants that Changed History: Sunflower; How Flowers Got Their Name: Lilac; What is It?; Kids Ask Dr. Bug; Garden Calendar; Upcoming Events and More.


Click here to read the newsletter. It is downloadable.

Gardening with Kids

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Of all the things found growing in a garden, children are the most important... children represent 100 percent of our future... It is an ideal time to talk about the need to teach youngsters about what... is becoming a lost art–gardening. The benefits... will last a lifetime. Learn more here.

Raised Bed Gardening Ideas

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Discover different types of raised garden bed styles and flower bed styles that will inspire you to create your own orderly garden space. (slide show)


All you need to build a stylish raised bed for your garden this year are some basic skills and tools. Check out these DIY raised garden bed projects with step-by-step instructions. Look here.


Raised bed vegetable gardening takes very little space and allows vegetables to be grown closer together. It's also a great solution for areas with poor native soil. Discover how to make the best use of your raised beds here.




Thinking About Growing Iris?

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Iris is a genus of 260–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers.


Note, where to plant depends a lot on the species. This comes from the American Iris Society about the popular bearded iris, "Iris require at least a half-day (6-8 hours) of direct sunlight. Some afternoon shade is beneficial in extremely hot climates, but in general irises do best in full sun. Iris will grow in deep shade, but probably not flower. Provide your irises with good drainage. A raised bed or planting on a slope are ideal places to plant iris. Good air circulation is essential and water should not stand in the bed." Learn here.

Prepare for Spring Migration with Native Plants

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National Audubon Society: Birds and native plants are made for each other, thanks to millions of years of evolution. Trees, flowers, shrubs, and grasses can serve as shelter, nesting material, and veritable buffets for birds... attract more birds to your home... Get to Know These 20 Common Types of Native here.


**Put up hummingbird feeders this month. Read here.

May's Tips and Tasks


Virtual Town Hall Meetings/Classes

Check these out.


May Gardening Tips by MU Extension Staff

Bush Honeysuckle Control - INVASIVE


What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Principles and Practices?


Chiggers


Still Time - Starting Plants Indoors From Seeds


Spruce Trees Are Neat, Be Aware of Their Diseases This Spring


Clay Soil: A mixed blessing, but easily corrected


Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs


Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus)  Missouri Native


Missouri Weather Update; May a New Month Similar Story


Asparagus Planting Time


Growing Microgreens at Home a Step-By-Step Guide


Vertical Gardening


Asian Jumping Worms (Amynthas agrestis) are Now Spreading to Missouri


Ants!


Pillbugs and Sowbugs (Land Isopods)


Hyacinth's Fragrant Punch Makes Scents


Chipmunks or Ground Squirrels Pest Management


After the Bloom Fades, Easter Lily Can See New Life


The Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Growing Tomatoes


Weed Management & Identification


Tulip: A Brief History


Diagnosing Holes in the Yard


Buzz into Pollination Video Workshop for 3-8 year olds


MDC Encourages Missourians to “Bee-Friend” Pollinators this Spring


Five Incredible Ways Birds Change Their Bodies for Spring and Fall Migration


Strawberry Cultivars and Their Culture Strawberries


Scab-Resistant Apple Cultivars to Consider for Planting


Guide to Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases


Phlox bugs (Lopidea davisi)


Tips for Early Plant Disease Control for Home Gardeners

Get Your Soil Tested Now

Basic soil testing analysis is done by the MU Soil Lab in partnership with our Master Gardeners of Greene County. Results include fertilizer and lime recommendations. Additional tests are available for nutrient management plans, environmental issues, potting mixes, compost, manure and water usage. Each sample should contain a total of 2 cups of dry soil and from 6 to 7 inches deep and about 5 or 6 different areas. Results are typically provided within two weeks.

We recommend bringing the soil sample(s) to our office between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Thursdays. Master Gardeners can complete the paperwork and submit your test. One of our extension specialists will review your results. In most cases, gardens, lawns and fields should be tested every two years.

The cost is $30 per sample. Feel free to call if you have any questions.
417-874-2963
Previous Newsletter
Need a Speaker for a Meeting or Group?
Master Gardeners of Greene County are unavailable at this time to speak to garden clubs, civic organizations, schools and other groups on a wide variety of topics within the world of gardening, horticulture, landscaping and the environment.

Please keep us in mind for a future date.


Donating to MU Extension

Without MU Extension, there would be no Master Gardeners.
Gifts from individual donors support MU Extension's educational programs in Greene County. Primarily, we receive cash donations by check or online with a credit card and the non-cash donation of vehicles.
 

Tax deductible donation

For all your gardening questions, please call our Hotline: 

    

417-874-2963


The Hotline volunteers are available

10:00 am to 4:00 pm M-F

Please call before coming in with a question, sample or pictures.

Questions welcome state wide.


Continue to call, email us or send pictures to hotline@mggreene.org

These are three separate ways of contacting us.


http://mggreene.org/hotline/


Be sure to LIKE us on Facebook!


Thank you!!

 

MGGC

Master Gardeners of Greene County, Missouri

417-874-2963

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