you
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News for Delaware County Master GardenersVol. 11 No. 4 April 2006 |
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Congratulations to the Home Gardeners' School Team and the many wonderful MG volunteers who helped with the April 1 HGS. Once more, Ken Paulsell and Diana Breen coordinated facility, speakers, and volunteers to produce a very professional conference which generated very positive comments from the registrants. We're already looking forward to the 11th Annual HGS. Thanks to you who have entered volunteer hours on-line, or mailed them to the office. The class of 2005 has already logged 406 hours for 2006. Welcome to Lynne Crew, Master Gardener from Manatee County in Florida. Lynne was in the class of 2001. Please add her contact information to your Membership List: Lynne Crew, 7 Cook Road, Media, PA 19063; 610357-7025; lynbocrew@aol.com. The MG logo clothing items are here, and will be available for you to see at the April 18th meeting. You have received the order form with this newsletter. If you are unable to make the general meeting, you are welcome to come to the office to see the samples. We hope to place the order in May. Volunteers are needed for Linvilla April 29 and 30, and all Saturdays and Sundays in May. Please call Gordon Jungbluth if you are available and would like to help. We will have information on gardening practices and siting of different plants for the home gardeners who are visiting Linvilla Orchards on those days. We also are distributing information at Hazardous Waste Sites on May 6, June 3, September 16, and September 29. Volunteers are especially needed for the June 3 and September 16 dates. The Senior Citizen Expo at Neumann College will be Friday, June 9 from 10-1. We have an opportunity to let the seniors know what we offer that could be of interest to them. Two more volunteers are needed for this date. Enjoy the beautiful month of May!  This year's Home Gardeners School was a great success again with informative speakers, friendly participants and fabulous vendors. Thank you to all who contributed to this event as it shows our commitment to gardening and education. If we cannot spend a whole day in our gardens then the next best way to spend time is to learn about new ideas regarding the subject! A new idea and new vendor this year was Soil Secret, a worm casting business run by Jay and Nellene Meyer. They traveled four hours from Tioga County where they have a 112-acre farm raising beef cattle as well as 4 million red wigglers. In speaking with them, I got the "poop" on the benefits of worm castings. So here is a quick tutorial on the subject. What are worm castings? The castings (otherwise known as excreta or vermicompost) produced by worms are the purest and most perfect form of plant food. In addition to containing unusually high populations of beneficial microorganisms crucial to healthy root systems, castings also naturally aerate the soil, retain high moisture levels, and release nutrients slowly over time to meet your plants needs. What results should I expect? Castings can naturally improve the look and health of your plants, stimulate flowering and fruiting, and produce larger harvests. Studies have shown several types of pests and diseases being eliminated naturally. As an organic product, these benefits can all be achieved without fear of burning your plants, or harming the environment. Why are castings better than good compost? The belly of an earthworm infuses regular compost with beneficial organisms, while further transforming the nutrients into an odorless farm more readily useable by plants. Castings can even be mixed with mulch to give your plants what they've been craving. In nature, animal waste and decaying plant material are worm food, not plant food. Worms are the most natural producers of plant food! "Castings contain: 5 times the available nitrogen, 7 times the available potash and 1 ½ times more calcium than that found in 15 cm of good top soil. Therefore, castings are supplied with available nutrients. The nutrients are also water soluble and immediately available to plant life. You will find that most potting soils have nutrient life of 2-5 days, where worm castings will last up to 6 times as long as other types of potting soils. You will need 5 times as much potting soil to do the same job as the worm castings. So, in the long run, worm castings are much cheaper and do a much better job. Also, castings hold 2-3 times their weight in water. That means you water less and the pot will stay damper for a longer period. Worm castings will not burn your plants; unlike using any fresh raw manures (cow, horse, etc…) which can burn root systems if it is not applied properly. The advantage of using castings is the manure passes through the worms' digestive system producing rich organic plant food and a slow releasing fertilizer that allows for better growth." What other benefits can I expect? Worm castings contain plant nutrients encased in mucus membranes secreted by the earthworms. Castings dissolve slowly rather than allowing immediate nutrient leaching. The product has excellent soil structure, porosity, aeration, and water retention capabilities. It can insulate plant roots from extreme temperatures, reduce erosion and control weeds. For
more information regarding this, they have a
website www.Soilsecret.com or you can The true test will be how my planters like the addition of worm castings as it should help the soil retain water much better and require less waterings. That in itself would be a godsend.
Friday, June 9, 2006, 10 a.m. -1 p.m. "Senior Expo" at Neumann College, sponsored by state senator Dominic Pileggi. Master Gardeners will have an exhibitor table, and we would like to have a team of volunteers to represent us. The purpose of the expo is to inform senior citizens of the services available to them from state, federal and local providers. If you are interested, please contact Linda Barry.
I'm
perplexed by piercing, grating sounds. Perched
high above the roof gable, Elsie Mueller
INTRODUCING . . . State Master Gardener Coordinator Hello, my name is Ginger Pryor and I have accepted the position of the State Master Gardener Coordinator. I am excited to become involved in the Master Gardener Program on a State level and hope to get to know you and your County programs as the year progresses. Let me start with telling you a little about myself. I have been involved in the horticulture industry almost all my life. At age 12, I started working in a family owned Florist in Mississippi. I graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. degree in Agriculture, majoring in Horticultural Therapy. I worked in the Horticultural Therapy field for 9 years, taught Floriculture and Landscape Construction at our local Vo-tech Center, and began working part time for the Lebanon County Extension Office in 1992 as their Horticultural Specialist. I have continued to work for Extension in both commercial and consumer horticulture. I believe the Master Gardener Program is one of the greatest assets Cooperative Extension has and I am excited to be part of the process to help it grow. My position as the State Master Gardener Coordinator is a 20 hour a week position. I will be working out of my home county, Lebanon, with trips to Penn State, main campus as needed. With "growing" the theme for the year, I have identified 2 words that explain our State Master Gardener goals for the year, Unification and Sustainability. Without a State Coordinator our programs have grown apart and it is my goal to reunite our programs on a State level. We need to begin to communicate with each other so we can learn from each other. My second goal is sustainability of the Master Gardener program. I will be exploring ways to fund and support the Master Gardener program at both the State and local level so that we can achieve sustainability for the Master Gardener program. The Department of Horticulture is very supportive of the Master Gardener program, and with their support, your County Coordinator 's, and Master Gardener's throughout the State, I am excited about the prospects of "growing" a great Master Gardener program that all Master Gardeners can be proud of.
On June 17th &18th The American Peony Society (APS) will hold its annual meeting and cut flower exhibition at Swarthmore College, hosted by The Scott Arboretum. The Philadelphia region has not hosted a peony convention since 1925. The APS is a nonprofit organization organized exclusively for education and scientific purposes, and especially to promote, encourage and foster the development and improvement of the genus Paeonia. The exhibition is open Saturday, June 17th from 15 p.m. and Sunday, June 18th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The public may view blooms seldom seen locally, hear APS vice president Harvey Buchite's talk "A Sleeping Beauty Awakens" at 3 p.m. Saturday, and dine with like-minded peonyphiles Saturday night on the Swarthmore campus.
To all of you that have signed up to be on the Speakers Bureau, there will be 2 meetings on April 19, so everyone can be accommodated.......10 AM......and........7PM. Hope all of you can make one of them. We need to discuss what topics we could use for Second Saturdays and what type of speakers we would enjoy having at our monthly meetings. Hope to see you at one of these meetings. Thanks, Joe Daniels
There will be a 6 week gardening program offered as part of an Adult Education Program at the Lansdowne 20th Century Club on Lansdowne Avenue starting April 17- - May 22. The topics will include composting, annuals, vegetables, perennials, container gardening and butterfly gardening. If you are interested in helping or presenting one or part of one of these topics , please let me know....Thanks, Joe Daniels.
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET SOME UNUSUAL PLANTS The Providence Garden Club of Pennsylvania will hold its 58th Annual Plant Sale on Saturday, May 6, at The Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, 106 South Middletown Road (Route 352) Middletown Township from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Miller Greenhouse Sale - Look in the newsletter for an announcement of a Sunday Discount Shopping Day at Miller's Greenhouse in Wallingford.
GREEN THUMB DINNER - MONDAY, May 22nd 6:45
pm-Town House Restaurant in Media
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