July 2022 UME Master Gardener
State Office Announcements
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Stay cool out there, Master Gardeners! We hope this summer has brought you enjoyment and peace in your gardens.
Our July newsletter features a Maryland State Fair Volunteer Opportunity, our Summer GIEI meeting, upcoming continuing education events, a downy mildew citizen science project and more.
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Signup to Volunteer at the
Maryland State Fair!
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UME Master Gardeners will once again be garden docents at the State Fair this year! The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium, MD. Maryland MGs will be serving as garden docents and staffing a tent next to the UME Master Gardener Learning Garden, a collaboration between Baltimore City and Baltimore County MGs. This volunteer opportunity is open to all MGs in all County/City programs in Maryland! To learn more about the UME Master Gardener Learning Garden, see the article by Maryland Grows Blog.
Volunteers can sign up for up to 2 shifts (only 1 shift can be a weekend). Please sign up by August 10.
Note: We need to mail the parking passes out to each volunteer, and we will not have enough to send extras. Please only sign up for a shift if you are committed to volunteering during that shift.
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The Learning Garden is home to plants of all shapes and sizes to interest all of our State Fair visitors |
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Docents will greet and share new gardening ideas with the public! |
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Become a part of the MG program team and the UME family! We're looking for a MG Coordinator for our Baltimore County program. |
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Downy Mildew Citizen Science Project |
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Are you interested in strengthening your ability to monitor for cucurbit and basil downy mildew? What about helping to monitor for occurrences in your area to help a forecasting program for growers? Check out this citizen science program provided by IPM PIPE! They have resources to learn more about identifying downy mildew, reporting, and managing cases in your own garden. |
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Seed to Soil!:
A Grow It Eat It Continuing Education Series
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Integrated Pest Management for Backyard & Community Vegetable & Fruit Growing
Tuesday, July 19th, 2022 | 9 am - 12 pm | Live Zoom Event | Free
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Join Extension Vegetable & Fruit Specialist and Home & Garden Information Center Director Jon Traunfeld to learn the latest organic IPM techniques for your fruit and vegetable gardens! Jon will assist volunteers in diagnosing fruit and vegetable plant samples. Participants will receive a PDF of the vegetable and plant diagnostics workbook. |
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Preserve Your Harvest
Tuesday, August 30th, 2022 | 9 am - 12 pm
Live Zoom Event | Free
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Learn from UME Family & Consumer Sciences Senior Agent Shauna Henley how to properly clean, preserve, or even ferment your surplus veggies! |
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Reduce Your Waste with Composting
Thursday, September 8th, 2022 | 9:30 am - 4 pm
Quiet Waters Park | Annapolis, MD | Free
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Join us for a beautiful and educational day learning about composting at Quiet Waters Park! Details and agenda coming soon. |
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Summer 2022 Statewide GIEI Meeting |
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Tuesday, July 12, 2022 | 10 am - 2 pm
In-Person at Stevensville, MD | Free
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Join your fellow GIEI volunteers for community garden tours, lessons from our GIEI experts, and updates from all the county GIEI programs! We'll start at the community garden at Galilee Lutheran Church, then move to the community garden at Bay Bridge Cove. Bring a potluck dish for lunch and any produce or seeds you would like to share! |
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Schedule:
10am: Tour of Galilee Community Garden
10:50am: Tour of Bay Bridge Cove community garden
11:20am: Presentations by Jon Traunfeld, Rachel Rhodes, and Emily Zobel
12:15pm: Potluck lunch
1:00pm: Updates from Counties
2:00pm: Wrap Up
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Adventures in Medium-Scale Food Scraps Composting
Wednesday, September 14, 2022 | 10 am - 12 pm
In-Person in Baldensburg, MD | Free
See and learn about innovative, real-world techniques used by ECO City Farms in Bladensburg, MD. Benny Erez, Director of Urban Agriculture and Compost Guru, will lead the on-site tour and explain their systems for composting food waste using redworms, forced aeration, and shipping containers. Other discussion topics will include adding biochar and clay to feedstocks, assessing compost quality, and using compost to improve soils.
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Catch Up on Webinar Recordings |
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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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Lawn Best Management Practices & Lawn Alternatives |
Turf and lawns can be a tricky topic for MGs. It is one of the most popular topics that we get questions on, but it's also something we are encouraging property owners to limit. UMD IAA professor Geoffrey Rinehart discussed best management practices for lawns. Mikaela Boley, UME Senior Agent Associate, discussed lawn alternatives and native ground covers. |
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The Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) has created Ask Extension promotional graphics for our Master Gardeners to use and share on social media, newsletters, and other publications. Check them out below! |
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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 Linda Davis, Master Gardener
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Stephanie Pully
UME Master Gardener State Coordinator
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Jean Burchfield
Program Management Specialist
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