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The Plant and Seed Pick-Up for the Urban Gardening Program is scheduled for May 16th. Master Gardeners who have backyard gardens are also invited. The Taylor and Intergenerational Garden volunteers have been nurturing these plants since March, and will have a good variety of warm season vegetables, some herbs and flowers. The Pick-Up is from 9-noon. We have also had a very generous donation of plants from the Providence Garden Club. These annuals and perennials will be available to the community gardeners.
We have had new requests for assistance in creating community vegetable gardens at an elementary school in Chester Township and on a church property in Ridley Park. If you would like to be involved in either of these gardens, please let me know.
The Speakers’ Bureau volunteers addressed seed starting and vegetable gardening in 15 different workshops this year. There is also a great interest in native plants, invasive species, composting and gardening for wildlife. We have received a $100 grant from Haagan-Dazs for our pollinator garden. We are required to report on plant species in our garden, identify and count bees that visit these plants. The Environmental Stewardship Committee is also preparing a 6-part series of workshops for the fall. Thanks to all of the speakers for making such a positive impact in the county.
The State Master Gardener Conference is scheduled for July 24 and 25 in Lancaster. I will send you the brochures as soon as they are ready. The conference will be held at the Host Farm and will include local tours, break-out sessions, banquet and speaker, plus the Summer Garden Experience at the Landisville Trial Gardens. The MG board voted at the May 5th meeting to provide scholarships of $50 each to 10 Delaware County Master Gardeners. The state conference is not usually this close to Delaware County, and we are hoping to have a good representation.
Congratulations to Marty Roelandt who has won an additional $1000 grant from the Taylor Foundation for the CADES Garden. The Grant Committee’s proposal to the Taylor Foundation was awarded for $1500 last year. The new grant will allow the school to begin a vegetable gardening program.
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Master Gardener Advanced Training
The Bucks County Master Gardeners are presenting an advanced training program on June 9th at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown. The program will include an early bird walk through the Arboretum, sessions on the Emerald Ash Borer in Pennsylvania, Taking Digital Images for PowerPoint, Growing Iris, Pollinators, Diagnosing Plant Disorders, and a Tree ID Walk, as well as lunch for $10. Contact Susan Schneck, the Bucks County MG Coordinator, srs22@psu.edu, 215-345-3283 for more information.
Congratulations to the Girl Scouts of Ridley Park and to the Master Gardeners who have worked with them. Half of the troop researched composting and compost containers with Master Gardeners Jeanne Skinner, Kathy Hornberger, and Chantal Wildman, and installed 4 different systems in Smedley Park. We will be able to use them for our garden debris, and also for composting workshops here in Smedley Park. The other half of the troop worked with Nancy Simons to research bats and the white-nose bat fungus that is affecting their populations. They have built and donated a bat house to the Park.
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GARDEN RECORD KEEPING
It’s always nice to keep a record book of the plants bought with price, date of purchase and care listed. I staple the tag from the plant in a copy book.
Record keeping and garden planning is most important when you are really seriously into vegetable gardening. When something works and the crop is tremendous you‘ll want to know how many plants you put in, what variety of seed you planted and what kind of season it was; wet, dry, hot or cooler than usual.
I use a sheet of grid paper with 1 square equaling 1 foot of a garden. Outline the garden space you have on the grid paper and then decide what you want to plant. Refer to the seed packet for sowing and spacing information. Then keeping in mind the height of the grown plant and the path of the sun over your garden plot decide where you want to plant and mark it on the grid. Remember to keep small plants in front and large plants in the back. Some plants finish in late August like summer squash and the space can be replanted with a cool weather crop such as spinach, kale or peas.
Plants such as carrot, beets and onions don’t have to be planted in rows. I mark off a square about 2 feet by 2 feet and lightly sow the seed as evenly as possible. Less room is used this way and you will have about as many plants as you would in a row.
To really have a challenge while planning remember companion planting. It is said tomatoes like onion, parsley, carrots and marigolds but dislike potatoes, fennel and cabbage. Eggplant likes beans. Onion likes beets, tomato and strawberries but dislikes peas and beans.
As you harvest keep a record of the yield. How many tomatoes and how many pounds of peas and how many ears of corn did the garden provide. It’s really great to look back and compare from year to year.
Happy vegetable gardening!
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GARDEN TOUR
Sunday, May 17, 2009
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
At The Home Of
Chip and Susan Whiteley
345 Echo Valley Lane
Newtown Square, PA
Susan and Chip Whiteley invite you to enjoy their beautiful garden on Sunday, May 17, 2009, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
Susan is a landscape designer and will be available to answer questions about plants in her
garden. Rick Ray, retired horticulture professor/ consulting horticulturist and instructor at the Arboretum of the Barnes Foundation, will lead tours of the garden.
Free and Open to the Public.
Pre-registration appreciated: crc@nni.com or 610-892-8731.
Walk-ins welcome. Sponsored by CRC Watersheds Association.
Directions from Route 3 E and Providence Road: Left onto Providence Road. Right onto Marlborough Road. Right onto Goshen Road. Left onto Partridge Lane. Left onto Crum Creek Lane. Right onto Pheasant Lane. Left onto Battles Lane. Left onto Meadow Lane. Meadow Lane becomes Echo Valley Lane. Look for the CRC Event sign.
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FREE TO GOOD HOME:
This cactus has been in Mick’s family since it was 2 inches tall. He’d like to offer this specimen to someone who loves cacti or just anyone with tall ceilings.
If you’re interested—send him a shout-out email.
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Garden Tour to Walt Cullterton’s Hosta Garden and Beyond
June 6, 2009 – Time to be determined
We will carpool to Pineville, PA, and tour the garden of Hosta specialist/rock gardener/nursery man, Walter Cullerton, who recently wowed participants at Second Saturday presentation on Hostas.
Bring your own lunch or dine at Pineville Tavern (check out their website). Other nearby attractions for consideration are Russell Gardens and Almshouse Arboretum.
Please contact Gerri Eunson to join the tour. Space is limited – drivers are needed
There will also be plants for sale—bring cash for purchases.
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Here we go again! A bus trip for Master Gardeners and guests is being scheduled to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, PA, on either Saturday, January 9, 2010 (first day of event) or Saturday January 16, 2010 (last day of event. What’s your date preference….talk to Gerri Eunson. Save the date(s)…..there is plenty of time to work this into your schedule. More details to follow.
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EARTH NOTES
by Marion Yaglinski
Edible Landscaping
How would you like to have a beautiful garden that also produced food for your family? The big trend right now is making more out of every single bit of land by planting edibles.
Think about it—food prices are up, land is sitting there begging to be used, there’s a huge resurgence in veggie gardening and many people are interested in creating communities that are locally self-sufficient because of peak oil. The logical conclusion is to make your landscape edible.
You can go whole hog (pun intended) and plant your entire landscape with edibles or plant just a few veggies among your ornamentals. Either way, you’ll be doing yourself and your family a favor.
So what’s an edible landscape? Think fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers! Of course, you could always add a few ornamental plants.
And what would you get out of the effort you extend? Just the freshness and exquisite flavor of fully ripened fruits and vegetables from your home garden, food grown without pesticides and herbicides, food security for your family, savings on grocery bills, different fruits and veggies not available in stores--and last but not least—the pleasure of being outside, communing with nature and having fun.
For more info, go to Edible Landscaping http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1255.html. At http://www.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible.html you will find a list of edible plants and trees. For info on peak oil, go to http://postcarbon.org/what-is-peak-oil.
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NEWSLETTER STAFF:
Editor: Barbara Smith
Web Designer: Kristi D'Amore
Committee: Linda Barry, Joe Daniels, Carolyn DiPaulo, Marianne Martin, Elsie Mueller, Marion Nelson, Cynthia Sabatini, Mary Sambor, Carl Pfeiffer & Arlene Pugh
Cooperative extension e-mail: DelawareExt@psu.edu
Blog Address: http://go.philly.com/gardenerjournal
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