From the Coordinator

From the MG President

Earth Notes

ES Committee Tip of the Month

Hints From Delilah

The Season is Autumn

Fall Fest: Water Barrels

Garden Contest Winners

We had a wonderful day for Fall Fest 2009.

Thanks to all of the volunteers who made contributions to the day. Workshop presenters, plant groomers, Frugal Gardener team, parking assistants and co-chairs Alyce and Diana. More than 50 Master Gardeners worked to make this a successful event.

We have had a number of MGs enter hours and advanced training hours, but too many who have not. Please record your volunteer hours and contacts as soon as possible. I need to make the year-end report at the end of October. The state coordinator will not accept reports after that date. Thanks to you who have recorded your time.

The Master Gardener class of 2009 is half way through their training. This is a great group, and we look forward to working with all of them in the coming years. Ronie Connor has been organizing break refreshments with a team of dedicated assistants. If you are able to contribute to the snacks, please contact Ronie. If you would like to review any of the remaining subjects, you are welcome to sit in.

Our October meeting is our ‘Soup and Swap’ meeting. Many of you have contributed all of your divisions and rooted cuttings to the Fall Fest, but if you have plants to share with the MGs, please bring them. .Hope Jones-Gary is organizing the food contributions. If you plan to attend, please contact Hope. This month’s meeting begins at 6:30.

Committee Chairs are asked to submit their 2010 budget projections to Liana Bauerle. We hope to have your budgets by the November Board meeting. If you have questions about how to create your budget, please contact Liana or Linda. We are also in the process of writing the committee descriptions for next year. If you are a new chairperson, either Marty Roelandt or I can assist you. These descriptions will be sent to members before the end of the year so that you can sign up for your committees for 2010.

Enjoy this beautiful fall weather, and I hope to see you at the meeting.

Linda

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MARSH MALLOW

Last year my sister and I discovered Cape May Point State Park. What a wonderful place. There is ample parking, a little museum, the lighthouse, a nature center, butterfly garden, nice restrooms, access to the beach for walks along a beautiful stretch of as natural a looking beach that I have found in New Jersey and some marvelous nature trails.

On our very first trail, (the 0.5 red trail) we were taken to a pond and overlook. My sister spotted some pretty flowers that looked like Hibiscus and I read aloud the identification guide they had set there. Marsh Mallow. I just read it and then it struck me. Marshmallow. And I read further and they explained how the early colonists used the sap mixed with sugar syrup to make a sweet confection known as Marshmallow. I was intrigued.

This year when we went for our walk on the blue trail (2 miles) and happened upon the same flowers they called them Rose Mallows (Hibiscus Palustris) with pink flowers and the white flowers with red centers were called Hibiscus Moschaeutos. So I was confused. Could I eat these flowers too? Were they Marsh Mallows?
I researched and found that in Europe and Asia they have a Marsh Mallow (Althaea Officinalis) that is the true Marsh Mallow and what a marvelous plant it is.

The Romans ate the leaves. The Chinese ate them. For the Greeks and Armenians this plant which grows in abundance there sustained them in times of crop failures. It was used in Medicine. The leaves in summer as the plant begins to flower has expectorant, diuretic and emollient properties. The root which is harvested in late autumn has demulcent, diuretic, and vulnerary properties and is used for digestive and skin problems. Externally the root is used in treating varicose veins, ulcers, abscesses, and boils.

I even found a website that tells you how to make a tea for treatment of coughs and a soothing ointment for sunburn.

You can even use the root in a mixture to clean Persian rugs!

This plant was brought over by the colonists so maybe what I saw on the red trail was the real Althaea officinalis. I am going to check that out next year.

I still don’t know if, in times of hardship, I can go down to the swamps of New Jersey and eat my fill of our native Marsh Mallows. That will need more research.

Meanwhile I hope you all had a great summer and if you haven’t visited Cape May Point State Park give it a try. It is very nice and I noticed some families brought their bikes with them and leaving their vehicles in the parking lot peddled the few miles to Sunset Beach for a meal at the Sunset Beach Grille. It would make for a really nice day.

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TREES DESERVE THE BEST OF CARE

Thinking about doing some tree pruning this winter? Stop! Don’t even think about pruning that tree till you check out the pruning guide at the Arbor Day web site and PSU's Tree Pruning Guide. If you're uncertain about any aspect of pruning, consult a professional arborist. It's never worth the risk of damaging or killing one of our valuable trees.

And while I'm on the subject, here are some of the reasons our trees are so valuable...

Trees are essential to our life on the planet. Trees are like the lungs of the earth. They breathe in carbon dioxide and contaminants from the air and breathe out oxygen. One tree can absorb approximately 48 pounds of CO2 a year and release enough oxygen to sustain two human beings. In addition, trees:

~provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.
~help to reduce ozone levels in urban areas.
~ reduce urban runoff and erosion by storing water and breaking the force of rain as it falls.
~absorb sound and reduce noise pollution.
~shade asphalt and reduce what is known as the “Heat Island” effect.
~significantly increase your property values
~act as windbreaks for your home in the winter to help you save on heating costs.
~help cool your home in the summer. (According to the Arbor Day Foundation, the overall effect of the shade created by planting a healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners running 20 hours a day.)

For all that trees do for us, they deserve the best of care, don't you think?

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Thanks to all the MGs who sent cards or called to wish me well after my hip replacement surgery. I appreciate your concern. I am now able to do some gardening, but am still in low gear. Delilah

Can you believe it was a very short while ago that we had a rainfall deficit for the year until recent storms brought a surplus? That is a good thing since all newly-planted trees, shrubs, and perennials need a good deep drink before the ground freezes.

Heloise the II reports a good use for ground mustard. Add water to the mustard to form a paste and apply it to the back of a loose piece of kitchen tile to secure it in place. I wonder it that is related to mustard plaster?

Protect saw blades (and yourself) by cutting an old piece of garden hose the length of the blade, then split the hose and place it over the saw blade.

A cut piece of hose with a wire or cord run though it can be used for short term support for newly-planted trees when tied to a rigid support. Leave room between the support and tree trunk to allow the tree to move to develop its root system strength against future winds when the temporary support has been removed.
An old garden hose with holes cut in it makes a great soaker hose.

Old brooms make good shoe or tool cleaners when the bristles are cut to three or four inches long. Remove the handle if it is being used as a tool cleaner.

If wooden handles are becoming splintery, use old candle or paraffin wax to rub on them. If grooves are deep, melt the wax into the grooves then smooth the wax with old aluminum foil. Unwanted bumper stickers or electric tape will cover the splinters too. Be sure the handle is clean and dry or these will not adhere.

Happy recycling!

WHY DO LEAVES CHANGE COLOR???
 
Autumn makes its presence known with glorious reds, yellows, oranges and crimsons.  Many folks tell me that it's their favorite season. So, enjoy it while you can. Winter with its monochromatic scheme, is just around the corner. So the question is.....why do leaves change color? 

Let's think of it in simple terms and not make it a thesis study. Although it has been the topic of many research projects, and will continue to be for years to come.  Here are a few of the reasons for the color change: temperatures do have a role- warm, sunny days followed by cool, but not freezing nights help with coloration in leaves. Another factor: shorter days trigger biochemical signals in the leaves telling them their time is growing dear. They know when it's time to drop. 

All those leaves that were green, well the green pigment (chlorophyll), ceases in production and actually begins to break down. This gives way to other pigments. Carotenoid pigments produce the yellows that we see in birches. Anthocyanin pigments produce the reds and oranges found in dogwoods and sugar maples. It's a beautiful season whiles it lasts. So the next time you are raking all those leaves, think of it as the closing of one gardening season....and you are getting time to plan for the next.
 
 
                                                       
CUCURBITA ?????
 
Squash, pumpkin, jack 'o lantern, lots of common names exist, and we immediately get a visual picture. What if I said to you Cucurbita....what do you see?  Cucurbita species is just an example of some fancy Latin that unifies those of us that speak 'plant'. Cucurbita is the genus for squash, pumpkin and jack o' lantern. Are all pumpkins squashes, are all squashes pumpkins? Technically yes. They all belong to the genus Cucurbita. What differentiates them is the species they belong to.  A quick primer on pumpkins and squashes,  Cucurbita moschata: Butternut and Cushaw squashes.  Cucurbits maxima: large pumpkins, and most winter squashes. Now that you understand the terms, enjoy making those Cucurbita pies for the holidays.
 
                                                            
JACK-O-LANTERNS
 
As long as I am on the subject of pumpkins....thought I'd give you some history about the jack-o-lantern we so enjoy this time of year. 

The carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside, is one of Halloween's most prominent symbols, and is commonly called a jack-o-lantern. These lanterns were originally carved from a turnip or rutabaga, although they used skulls in the Celtic ceremonies.

The jack-o-lanterns can be traced back to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a greedy, gambling, hard drinking old farmer. He tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him by carving a cross into the tree trunk. In revenge, the devil placed a curse on Jack, condemning him to wander the earth forever at night with the only light he had: a candle inside of a hollowed turnip. This story has been passed down through generations of Irish families.

The carving of pumpkins is associated with Halloween in North America, where pumpkins were readily available and much larger, making them easier to carve than turnips. The Scottish or English may have brought over the tradition of carving vegetable lanterns to America. The carved pumpkin was originally associated with harvest time in general in America and did not become specifically associated with Halloween until the mid to late 19th century.

Enjoy going shopping for your pumpkins this year and pass some stories on about jack-o-lanterns and fun myths about Halloween. Have a great fall gardening season and enjoy all there is to see with the show Mother Nature gives us every year. 

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