The Green Thumb
news & updates
for Polk County Master Gardeners
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Record Your Volunteer Hours!
Volunteer and continuing education hours are due by Dec. 31st! Don't wait - record your hours today!
Requirements for certifed Master Gardeners are 20 hours of volunteering and 10 hours of continuing education.
If you are a Master Gardener intern - the requirement is 40 hours of volunteering (no continuing education required).
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Program Committee
Thank you to everyone who Zoomed in for the October Harvest Festival. Approximately 80 listened to Marcia Leeper present information on getting your gardens ready for the winter. Thank you to Kalsa for MC-ing & organizing this event.
Save the Dates: Upcoming Educational Events--Hopefully in person Soup Suppers!
- Jan. 27 - Tivon Feeley
- Feb 22 - Mark Schneider
- March 22 - Aaron Steil
- April 21 - Beth Cody
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Garden Tour 2022
Planning is underway for the 2022 Garden Tour! We are looking for volunteers to help with various aspects of event planning - whether you have skills in marketing, logistics, activity planning, or others - we'd love to hear from you!
Were you a part of the 2019/2020 planning, and want to volunteer in 2022 as well? Please reach out to Brandon! Due to the trasition in leadership for this event, if you have not been in contact with Brandon, we do not know you are planning to volunteer, so please reach out so we can confirm you are on the list of volunteers. Thank you!
We need your help making the Garden Tour 2022 a success!
Garden Tour chair:
515-564-9450
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Demonstration Garden
A big thank you to all our volunteers, we could not have done it without you. In addition to those that participated on Monday work nights and special project days, we recognize that a number of you planted, weeded, watered, harvested, pruned, trimmed, mowed, etc. throughout the season on your own time. It is genuinely appreciated. We had a great turnout at our clean up day and finished up small tasks on the last Monday worknight in October.
If you are still in need of hours there will be tasks that are weather dependent and so will be announced with short notice. Make sure you are on our mailing list so we can let you know about the opportunities.
Looking at forecasts for next week, we are scheduling Saturday, November 6, 2021 as a work day for putting the roses to bed. Start at 9:00 until done. Bring coffee and dress warmly. Whomever was bringing leaves, we'll need them then.
A big focus of the Demonstration Garden is on food production in support of the area food pantries. In the 2021 season we donated over 1346 lbs of vegetables and 1135 lbs of fruit (primarily apples, raspberries, and grapes), for a grand total of 2481 lbs. The Urbandale Food Pantry (and their clients) are very appreciative of the fresh produce provided. Thank you to anyone who helped pick or transport to the food pantry.
Enjoy the changing seasons and Happy Thanksgiving to each of you. Stay safe and stay healthy.
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Discovery Garden
Greetings from the Discovery Garden.
If anyone has an interest in joining the Discovery Garden Team at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, they can send an email request to: discoverygardenpcmg@gmail.com
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Enabling Garden
“All good things must come to an end.” -Geoffrey Chaucer. There’s something final about fall clean-up in the garden. Autumn tends to show us how beautiful it is to let things go. After a very challenging year of drought, most of us are a bit eager to take a break from Gardening 2021. If you haven’t already, you’ll soon be emptying containers, tossing annuals in the compost, cleaning tools, and rolling up the hoses. Some of us would agree; we’re ready to redirect our thoughts and focus on other projects and interests for the remainder of the year. As gardeners, it’s not difficult to find something to love about every season. Living in Iowa gives us the privilege to experience all of them.
FALL CLEAN-UP: “More hands make less work, pitter-patter, let’s get at’er!” - a Letterkenny quote. Get at it; we did! Whatever your contribution to ready the garden for the cold winter months ahead, we appreciate the teamwork and participation. Please continue to visit the garden as often as possible; liken the relationship as getting together with a close friend who wishes to surprise you with a different kind of beautiful.
A JEWEL OF A DIFFERENT KIND: Growing your own vegetables is not only seriously addictive but will also completely change your attitude to what you eat. You may be one whose sole interest is flowers and not once ventured into the Enabling Garden’s vegetable area. There’s still time to check it out as quite a number of vegetables are still producing. We’re over 1000 lbs and still counting. We owe a huge debt of thanks to Eva Henderson for not only providing many varieties of vegetables for the food pantry but creating interest and education while doing it. Name one vegetable that can be grown in Iowa soil; it was probably growing in the garden sometime during the season. Some highlights?
1. An abundance of annuals to attract pollinators and add color.
2. Candle Fire Red Burgundy Okra, an AAS winner. Every part of the plant is edible, from seeds, flower, leaves and unique pods. Okra wins the prize for those “growing the most food in the least amount of space.” It’s yellow bloom is so beautiful; one plant should be planted and on display in our flower area.
3. Yard Long Beans. Growing on an arbor, these fascinating beans dangled in front of my face when entering the garden. Resembling a thin rope, most beans harvested were 12 to 15 inches in length, burgundy or green in color. The tiny delicate lavender blooms reminded me of orchids. How does one prepare them? Follow any green bean recipe.
“IT’S OUR TURN”: From late summer into early fall, the highlight of the garden was Goldenrod, Asters, Sedum and Japanese Anenome. With removal of annuals, perennial blooms now brown and colorless, it’s showtime for the ornamental grasses. They dazzle in the autumn sunshine and on a windy day will perform a synchronized dance for you. In an attempt to identify a certain grass, I came up with some interesting facts. How many of these ten forms are you familiar with? Vase, tuft, spiky tuft, upright, clump, mounded, cascading mound, broad spreading, fanning, and arching clump. Textures vary from fine to medium and even coarse. You’ll find identification is so much easier after flower plumes and seed heads emerge. If you need some fall color or wish to add some interest and texture in your area, please consider these beauties for next spring’s planting. Divisions are always available in the garden.
NOTES FROM THE MAILBOX: 1. After a long bike ride, my knees are weak and arms are heavy. I love the tranquility and the sense of peace this magical place delivers; just what the doctor ordered. 2. This park adds so much color and joy to our nightly walk! 3. A small place of beautiful in this big crazy world! Thanks for sharing.
Submitted by Ruth O’Connor
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As the garden season winds down, the Enabling Garden volunteers want to give a shout out to a behind-the-scenes couple who have quietly provided multiple services to the Garden.
You will find Ruth and Larry O’Connor almost daily at the Garden “doing whatever needs doing.” Most notably, this hot, dry summer they took on the task of watering the pots and orphan beds, giving the rest of us a break from watering duties. However, the thing we most appreciate about the O’Connors is their warm, welcoming approach to everyone, both the volunteers and our Garden visitors. That, along with their enthusiasm for the Garden, has made it a pleasant place to be.
Thank you, O’Connors. Your fellow Enabling Garden volunteers appreciate you and all your help.
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Continuing Education Opportunities |
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Upcoming Events:
UVM Extension Community Horticulture Annual Conference
A conference for everyone who loves to garden in Vermont and beyond, providing advanced education for UVM Extension Master Gardeners and garden enthusiasts! This year, an amazing lineup of speakers will teach about the indigenous agricultural practices and their application in today’s gardens, how mycorrhizal fungi enhance plant health, mushroom foraging, heirloom plant cultivation, food resiliency, and how to develop community connections through gardens.
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2021 Iowa Organic Conference
The 21st Annual Iowa Organic Conference will be hosted in Iowa City on November 28-29, 2021. Sunday afternoon will consist of registration and a reception. Monday will be a full day of speakers and vendors discussing the importance of organic farming practices. The event will take place at the University of Iowa Memorial Union. The keynote, “Contributions of Organic in Mitigating Climate Change: Evidence from Farms and Fields”, will be presented by Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs for The Organic Center.
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On Demand Education
Pre-recorded opportunities you can view on your own schedule!
This list is not all-inclusive - you can get continuing education from other reputable sources such as public gardens and other states' Extension services.
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Polk County Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources programs aim to help all Iowans, from the home hobbyist to the ag professional, make informed decisions through research-based education. Some programs and focus areas include farm management education, technical expertise for crops, livestock and pests, as well as our Polk County Master Gardener volunteer program; our signature horticulture education program. Our work supports clean water and healthy habitats, profitable farms, and a more secure food system. |
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Contact
Kalsa Parker Browning
Natural Resources Program Coordinator
ISU Extension and Outreach, Polk County
(515) 957-5768
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