January Meeting:

Sam Droege, Wildlife Biologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD. US Geological Society Currently he is developing an inventory and monitoring program for native bees, online identification guides for North American bees at www.discoverlife.org, and with Jessica Zelt reviving the North American Bird Phenology Program. His group maintains high-resolution photographs of insects and other macro natural history objects at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

DIY: Native Plants for Native Bees: Growing and Planting Native Plants from Seeds and Stock Collected Locally.

Maryland has roughly 450 known bee species all of which have strong preferences for the type of flowers they gather pollen from. So much so that some bees only go to one species of plant. Thus “saving the bees” means offering them a wide spectrum of native plants, most of which are not available locally or are very expensive. We will walk you through our collaborative approach to growing plants and collecting seed as a low to no cost solution to the problem. Low cost given that volunteers provide the labor and we provide the expertise and facilities.

Registration Zoom Link

https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIodO6qpzgrGNDaq0m4UICgJZf6Z4SmNhoq



Coordinator's Corner

Nancy Allred, Interim Master Gardener Coordinator

Thought I would start the New Year by sharing a success story about lettuce. I planted fall lettuce and used low tunnels for frost protection. I allowed drifts of leaves to build up against the rows to provide additional insulation. I just pull back the end hoops to access fresh lettuce. I harvested throughout December and even had enough to share with family and friends. We will see if I can keep this going into the New Year.

The position is for Agent Associate, Horticulture and Master Gardener, Department: AGNR-UME-Anne Arundel remains open. Best consideration date is January 3. If interested apply, and please share the job link. https://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/88932

Looking forward to Wildlife Biologist, Sam Droege’s virtual talk, DIY: Native Plants for Native Bees: Growing and Planting Native Plants from Seeds and Stock Collected Locally. The registration link is https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIodO6qpzgrGNDaq0m4UICgJZf6Z4SmNhoq 

Hope you can join the meeting at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, January 11.

If you have not entered your time in VMS, please do so before the December 31 deadline. Need assistance with VMS, contact Nancy NAllred@umd.edu or Carole Cacjfullagar@yahoo.com  



Master Gardener Projects



Apprentice Gardens

DO YOU ENJOY VEGETABLE GARDENING AND WORKING

WITH PARENTS AND CHILDREN?

It’s not too early to think about summer gardens. Planning begins in January for the Apprentice Garden 2022 season. We are looking forward to opening the garden in mid-March, and we start with planting potatoes, lettuces and other greens. Families join us in early April. 

Last year, blocks and boards replaced the old garden space dividers providing complete flexibility for separating the interior spaces. So, for this year, Apprentice Garden will have a new layout for the planting areas and pathways. The 8’ by 42” spaces for each family are still along the side fences, but space between some beds will provide better access to the back of those gardens.  The Mediterranean herb garden, and common gardens are located in the center and corners, with wider pathways between the shared gardens and the family spaces to provide better traffic flow, and more room for social distancing. There are plans for reusing the “Quonset” trellis for vining vegetables.

Most of last year’s families have expressed interest, and are expected to return for a second year.  One 2021 family was very excited to be assigned their own Kinder Farm garden plot, and we have already shared ideas, advice, and plants as they have gotten started. New families will be recruited from our waitlist. We expect to have our first meeting with parents and children on Wednesday, April 6.

Photos show the crimson clover cover crop and straw which will prevent weeds during the winter months, and help keep spring clean-up work to a minimum.

The project meets at 6:30PM every Wednesday at the community gardens at Kinder Farm Park in Millersville, from April through September.

Please consider volunteering in the Apprentice Garden. Besides attending on Wednesdays and working with the families, additional volunteer opportunities include “adopting” one of the perennial gardens along the outside edge of the Apprentice Garden. Weeding and taming the milkweed, tall phlox, Rudbeckia triloba, mountain mint, iris, etc. could be on your time, anytime. Volunteers can also do non-Wednesday garden checks and watering, which would be much appreciated as well. 

YOU CAN BRING YOUR CHILDREN! There is always a sign-in sheet in the garden mailbox for noting your presence and recording your hours.

Hope you can join us in the Apprentice Garden in 2022!

Chaired by Janet Clauson and Deb Fritz

Janet: janetclauson301@gmail.com

Deb: debfritzdesign@gmail.com



Anne Anne Arundel County Master Gardener Seed Swap

Anne Arundel County MG Seed Swap

Saturday, January 29, 2022

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Odenton Library, 1425 Annapolis Road, Odenton, MD

The Master Gardeners of Anne Arundel County present their Annual Seed Swap. Come with seeds to share or come without seeds! We will have goodie bags, door prizes, handouts, and more plus take home seeds of your choosing.

Contact Sterling.MGSeedSwap@gmail.com for more information.

Bay Invaders: An Invasive Species Removal Project

Bay Invaders is an innovative county partnership that supports 9th grade students in learning and actively removing invasive plant species from county community and regional parks.

Partners include:



• AACPS Office of Environmental Literacy & Outdoor Education
• Anne Arundel County Forester
• Anne Arundel County Recreation & Parks
• Anne Arundel County Master Gardeners

Volunteers will work with 9th graders from Northeast, Severna Park, Annapolis, Crofton and possibly South River High School to develop and implement a plan to remove invasive species from park areas. If you are interested, register to attend the virtual training on January 19 th from 4 to 7pm. Prior to the training you will need a compass: an app is embedded in iPhone and android users can download Compass 360 Pro Free. Please contact me with any questions at tswepston@gmail.com.

These hours have been approved and should be logged in VMS as Activity: Native Plants and Site: Invasive Plant Remove. In the description box: indicate volunteer work with Bay Invaders.



Congratulations to the Fall Class of 2021

Philippa Benson - Bethesda moving to Anne Arundel County

Elizabeth Bublitz - Annapolis

Pamela Courson - Davidsonville

Leith Daghistani - Annapolis

Sandra Downie - Severna Park

Chelsea Durbin - Glen Burnie

Kandi Ford - Lothian

Katie Foster - Crofton

Larissa Gloefler - Hanover

Trish Hennessy-Webb - Pasadena

Petey Kitzmiller - West River

Dennis Krizek - Annapolis

Denise Ney - Arnold

Stephanie Rowland - West River

Annette Sanders - Linthicum

Claire Treanor - Edgewater

Lauren Toomey - Odenton

Marike van der Veen-Box - Severna Park

Ingrid Watson - Davidsonville



Spring Into Action!

WSA's Annual Conference

Watershed Stewards Academy's Annual Conference

Virtual

February 25-26, 2022

https://aawsa.org/annual-conference



Mark Your Calendar

GreenScapes Symposium

Advancing the Natural Landscape in a Modern World - Solutions for Sites & Situations

Live Zoom Event

February 18, 2022

9:15 AM - 4:00 PM

Registration link -

https://apm.activecommunities.com/montgomerycounty/Activity_Search/greenscapes-symposium-2022/123047