holiday 2015 windstorm recovery · 2018. 5. 22. · holiday 2015 inside this issue: foundation news...
TRANSCRIPT
The Lowdown
Dr. Jeremy Cowan 477-2145
Regional Horticulture Specialist
Tim Kohlhauff 477-2172
Horticulture Program Coordinator
Anna Kestell 477-2195
Food Preservation/Safety
Jackie Sykes 477-2193
Clinic Coordinator
Master Gardener County Site
http://www.spokane-county.wsu.edu/
spokane/eastside
Master Gardener Foundation of Spo-
kane County
http://www.mgfsc.org/
WSU Master Gardener Site
http://mastergardener.wsu.edu
HortSense Fact Sheets
http://pep.wsu.edu/hortsense
On Line Timelog Reporting:
http://ext.wsu.edu/Volunteer/logon
WSU Spokane County Extension Master Gardeners
Holiday 2015
Inside this issue:
Foundation News 2,4
IYS Success 6
Armchair Gardener 8
Book Review 12
Continuing Education 14
Upcoming Events 16
Extension Information
By Tim Kohlhauff
I think we were all surprised by the windstorm on
November 17, 2015. Here at the Extension, we were
preparing to interview MG applicants for the class of
2016 that evening and really did not know if we
should cancel or hold them anyway. We got our answer when the first pine fell at the
Conservation District office next door.
We believe all of our Master Gardeners have power and heat now and for that we
have reason to be extra thankful. Many people are still struggling, so for those who have
questions about the windstorm and the resources that are available, please visit this link
at Spokane County Regional Health: http://srhd.org/documents/
EmergencyResourcesGuide.pdf.
The city of Spokane has extended the deadline for bringing debris to the transfer sta-
tions and you can get more specific information at this link: https://my.spokanecity.org/
news/releases/2015/11/25/collaboration-will-convert-storm-debris-to-electricity/
Many of us have issues with trees that either fell or were damaged during the storm.
This is a link to dealing with storm damaged trees. Please, everyone be careful and if
you are doing your own work, be safe! http://treesaregood.com/treecare/resources/
StormBrochure_Preview_sm.pdf
For those not doing their own tree work, this link helps us learn how to hire an arbor-
ist and what questions to ask her or him. Scroll down to the bottom of page 1 for
“Selecting the Right Arborist for the Job.” http://treesaregood.com/treecare/resources/
hire_arborist.pdf. Finally, here is our list of arborists: Certified Arborist for the Inland
NW
Please share this information with your neighbors, family and anyone who can use it.
Getting through a disaster like this takes the whole community working together.
We originally wanted to save this spot in the Lowdown for expressing our sincere
gratitude and appreciation for all the hard work that the Master Gardeners do for Spo-
kane County. After the storm, we wanted to pass on information about the windstorm
recovery resources, but we can’t let this year end without thanking all our volunteers.
You have made our community a better place to live, and on behalf of Jeremy, Jackie,
Tim and Anna, we just want to say, “Thank You!” You did extraordinary work in
2015 and we wish all of you the very best in 2016. We look forward to a great year!
Windstorm Recovery
The Lowdown Page 2
Greetings All!
It is my hope that each and every one of you have safely made it
through the windstorm and its aftermath.
The big news, other than weather related, is the Foundation elec-
tion. I want to thank all the members who took the time to fill out
and return the ballots.
In spite of a large write in campaign for Mickey Mouse, the members of the Master Gardener
Foundation have elected me to be their next president. I agree to take this position and hope to
serve you well.
I do have a tough act to follow, though. Claudia Myers, with the initial board, took nothing and
made a Foundation. Early on, when faced with the possibility that I might be the next president,
all I could think of was… Claudia did such a great job getting us to this point, I hope I don’t screw
this up. What I have come to realize is that the Foundation is made up of motivated, creative,
wonderful people and the only way that I could screw things up is to get in the way.
I want to thank all of the members who agreed to be nominees for the board of directors of the
Foundation. We were offered a great list of people from which to choose. Thank you to Laren
Sunde and Vivian Powers who made up the Nomination Committee.
Before I get to the new directors, I would like to give our retiring directors, Julie McElroy, Karen
Parks and Karen Whitehead, a big Thank You!!!
Key drumroll…
The new Directors for the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County, effective January 1,
2016 are… Pam Graham, Cathy Lamoreux and Sue Malm. Congratulations!
I look forward to working with the Foundation Board of Directors, the members and the Master
Gardener Program in the coming years to do wonderful things.
As always, please feel free to contact me with ideas, questions, and concerns.
"The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination." Ward Elliot
Hour
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Kris Moberg-Hendron 10-Nov
Carol Bryan 10-Nov
Ed Lester 14-Nov
Richard Kirk 14-Nov
Jan Baker 20-Nov
Janette Norman 20-Nov
Brian Engstrom 24-Nov
Doug Malott 27-Nov
Janet Smith 30-Nov
Pamela Graham 20-Dec
Frances Kinkade 25-Dec
Jennifer Tiegs 26-Dec
Phyllis Ward 28-Dec
We are so glad you are with us!
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FOUNDATION NEWS (part 2)
By Tim Steiss
When I joined the Master Gardener Program back in 2012, I would have bet a large sum of
money that I would NOT be sitting here writing this letter as the president of the Foundation. Fun-
ny how things work out.
It started with the Master Gardener Program… So welcoming, such great people (staff and
volunteers) and a great cause: promoting proper gardening to assist individuals, families, commu-
nities and the environment. I was hooked from my first class.
The Foundation was just a natural continuation of the Program. If I felt strongly about
what I did with the Program, I should want to support it to the best of my abilities. It is the Foun-
dation’s objective to help ensure the successful future of the Program – I couldn’t not join.
Now that I am the president, it is part of my duty to make sure that all of you are informed
on the progress of the Foundation towards supporting the Program.
Fall Banquet 2015
Many of you made it to the Foundation’s Fall Banquet just weeks ago. I was there with my
wife, Beth, and we had a great time. This year the event was led by Lynn Meyers who assembled a
great team to make this a wonderful evening. Attendance was well over previous years’ numbers.
Talking with Lynn after the event, she sees many opportunities for this event, not only as a fund-
raiser but also as a chance for the Foundation to connect with the community. Lynn and her team
are already planning next year’s event.
Cabin Fever is the next big event for the Foundation. This is the event that helps us forget
the winter season and gets us ready for the new growing season. Julie Levine is heading it up this
year. She and her team have got the speakers all lined up. It is promising to be another great
learning experience AND a great opportunity to get together with other gardening enthusiast to
help plan our gardens. If you haven’t done so, mark your calendars so that you can be sure to par-
ticipate – Saturday, March 12, 2016.
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Garden Fair 2015
On October 20, we had our fall meeting for everyone interested in helping with
Garden Fair. I will continue as the lead for this event, especially since I have my
team from last year sticking with me. It looks like we will be having another great
Garden Fair. There will be three new themed areas this year: Veggies led by Ken Johnson, Berries led
by Vi Tiegs and David Yarborough, and Pollinators, Bird and Insectary (tentative title) led by Jennifer
Wengeler. Make sure you mark your calendars and remind all your friends and associates that the
event will be on the first Saturday of May (May 7, 2016). Thanks to all who participated.
One of my goals for this coming year is to better engage volunteers. If you feel that you have
more to offer, but haven’t found your place, I apologize. Please contact me and I will do my best to
find a place for you that fits what you would like to do and the time you are willing to give.
NEW BEDS AT ST. LUKE’S
Old beds at St. Luke’s
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Sweet Soil Symphony of Success!
By Kathleen Callum
Master Gardener #IYS Soils Committee Chairperson, Mary Beth Shinn has not yet tallied the final counts, but over 400 people turned out to see the free screenings of “Symphony of the Soils” sponsored by the Master Gardener Foundation and partners. The first show was held at the new sustainable showpiece of Hemmingson Center at Gonzaga University on Wednesday, Sep-tember 23, 2015. We had to turn about 15 people away at the door and recommended the other two free showings! Most of the packed room stayed for a lively Q&A session facilitated by special guest, WSU Professor Lynn Carpenter-Boggs. One gentleman who identified himself as a farmer talked to me on his way out. He was excited to bring his son and neighbors to the next venue. He observed, “Everybody should see this!” Faculty from Spokane Community College Horticulture Department inquired about sharing the movie on campus with the entire student body.
On Saturday, September 26, 2015, the soils committee set up a compost demonstration booth in the morning at Valleyfest. Andy Smith carted in his tumbler, Ryan Herring and Mary Beth brought worm bins, Laren Sunde set out a variety of compost materials and Marilyn Carothers set up her eye-catching display of “Soil Critters.” We had questions galore on whether pine needles can really be composted or how to compost indoors! As always, live worm bins were a huge draw. Speaking of drawing, people filled out cards for a free compost bin at both the demonstration in the morning and at the “Symphony of the Soils” screening in the afternoon. Yet another success-ful turn out!
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Tim Kohlhauff writes of the screening at Gonzaga that it attracted not only “Master Garden-ers and Master Composter/Recyclers, but students from Gonzaga and SCC, green industry profes-sionals, community activists and farmers. I was impressed by how many faces I did not recognize last night; sometimes I worry that our outreach efforts are just hitting the same already sympathetic audience, but I think we attracted new groups of people for this movie. ... We had audience mem-bers wanting to buy copies of the movie, asking for extra brochures to take to garden clubs and offering to pass on show information to co-workers and family members.” One member of the foodie world asked, “What can I do as a chef to improve the soil?”
Many Master Gardeners were also involved in a third free showing at 7 pm on October 2, 2015, at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Spokane. Hopefully this venue also caught the over-flow who were not able to make the first two showings. Thank you to all the Soils Committee, vol-unteers and staff ... couldn’t have done it without you! We are sure going to have some happy red wrigglers and actinomycetes (soil organisms) out there. Wait a minute ... was that the sound of a sweet symphony of soil success?
SUCCESS!
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IN NOVEMBER THE GARDEN IS STILL CALLING
By Eva Lusk
Why are gardeners so often out in the garden until the very last frozen-fingered minute, planting bulbs
and moving perennials and shrubs around? Most of us probably just don’t accept it’s quitting time un-
til the weather forces us indoors.
This fall has been busier than usual for me because heat, smoke and dust curtailed my summer garden-
ing, and some of the regular upkeep didn’t get done early enough. I managed to get most of the gopher
plagued Hosta bed reshaped and replanted, but the prolonged heat wave and lack of rainfall has man-
dated other changes, too.
Some planting areas didn’t get enough water this rainless summer and the plants showed it. Even some
of the hardy natives looked affected, which was no surprise, since the ones growing in the undeveloped
area beyond our fence looked far worse.
In past years light watering of natives sufficed to keep them lush throughout the growing season, but
this year we’ve had less than half of our usual annual rainfall and it’s the end of October. Increased wa-
ter use to keep the garden lush doesn’t seem responsible, since our entire water supply is affected by
diminished precipitation.
So I’m opting for more open and unplanted spaces in the garden and a heavy emphasis on drought tol-
erant plants. The former Hosta bed is now much smaller and planted primarily with tough plants like
hellebores (Helleborus foetidus, H. niger, H. x hybridus) which have survived this year’s heat and
drought remarkable well.
A few Iris foetidissima add fall and winter color with bright orange seed clusters—the
common name of stinking iris is a misnomer. Lungworts (Pulmonaria longifolia, P.
‘Excalibur’) with their white-speckled foliage that lasts through the
winter and hardy geraniums (Geranium macrorrhizum) as well as
some curly leafed wood sage (Teucrium scorodonia) should work
well, too.
A few clusters of purple leafed Labrador violets (Viola riviniana purpurea) and a variety
of spring bulbs, as well as an edging of yellow edged miniature sedge (Carex
‘Beatlemania) finish the planting of this bed for now.
The unplanted spaces provide a larger area for quail to gather and the path-widening project my hus-
band suggested has added another feature to their favorite garden corner.
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(Continued from page 6)
My husband was right, of course. The paths were way too narrow and lined with
rocks. We picked them up, piled them into a wheelbarrow and then what? I started
building a rock pile in the area where the quail hang out, thinking that perhaps the
chipmunk who appeared recently would like to live in the pile for the winter, too.
One look at my efforts was all it took for my husband to take over.
Three rock piles later, I’m not sure the chipmunk considers any of them a proper home, but the quail love
them. They trot up and down the rocks, gather on top in clusters and seem to totally approve of these new
arrivals in what they consider their space.
And they have suddenly decided that drinking out of birdbaths is doable. Wider paths and redesigned flow-
erbeds also led to moving both backyard birdbaths to different spots. Since we still had rocks, it seemed
reasonable to anchor the base of the baths with them.
There must be something about rocks and quail, because no sooner were the birdbath rocks in place then
quail appeared to investigate. They hopped from rock to rock and then flew up to drink. In all the years
we’ve had them in the garden, they’ve never been birdbath users. They much prefer to drink dew from
plant leaves and dust bathe—preferably in newly turned soil.
The wider garden paths have my husband’s total approval and now that the quail have approved of the rock
piles, he feels the work to build them was worthwhile. I, too, really like the wider paths (from a foot and a
half to about 4 feet)—wheelbarrows are much easier to roll down to wherever they’re needed and even the
green bin for garden waste is a breeze to push to spots where it’s never gone before.
Wider paths required digging up lots of plants, dividing them for replanting in the garden and potting up
the overflow for the 2016 plant sale. The primrose (Primula spp) borders had to be moved back, as did the
small, early gentians (Gentiana verna), the evergreen hepaticas (Anemone hepatica, A . acutiloba, A . ameri-
cana) and most of the early border bulbs that would otherwise have come up in the paths.
There’s been so much to dig up and replant since the weather turned cooler that I haven’t
had a chance to plant all the dug up bulbs yet. As I write, there are still quite a number of
grape hyacinths (Muscari spp.), glory of the snow (Chionodoxa spp.), crocuses (Crocus
spp.), lilies (Lilium spp.) and early dwarf irises to relocate.
Of course, the additional bags of early daffodils (Narcissus spp.), Sibe-
rian squills (Scilla siberica) and white Puschkinia libanotica that I couldn’t resist buying
need to be planted, too. Oh well, there’s rarely a November when I’m not out in the gar-
den in the cold, planting bulbs of one kind or another. It’ll just take a little longer than
usual this year.
No doubt I’ll end up with a frozen nose and fingers, too.
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Fall Banquet A Happy Celebration for All
By Lynn Meyers
This year’s Fall Banquet, held at Lincoln Center, broke the record for attendance! We had a wonderful time cele-brating the season, spending time with friends and learning more from Jack Nisbet. Jack lived up to everyone’s expecta-tions with his presentation “Some Exceedingly Interesting Things: The Many Gardens of David Douglas.” He was also available throughout the evening to sell and sign all of his books. What a treat!
A huge thank you to all Master Gardeners who attended the banquet, brought friends, or donated auction items. Your generosity and support make it all possible! And special thanks goes to Spokane Teach-er’s Credit Union, underwriter of our wonderful guest speaker.
The Fall Banquet Committee is already hard at work planning to make next year’s banquet another big success. We look forward to see-ing you there. Stay tuned for updates and plan now to reserve a table of eight with tickets for yourself, your friends, families, and neighbors!
ANOTHER SUCCESS!
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Fact Sheet Project Update!
By Tim Kohlhauff
Thank you to our dedicated committee of volunteers who are working on fact sheet up-dates!
This is an ongoing project, so anyone who finds they have time to help out, let me know and I’ll put you
to work.
Fact Sheet Project update:
C052 “Gourds” has been updated, and renamed, “Harvesting and Drying Gourds.” It will be posted
soon. Thank you to Sue Malm and Anna Kestell.
C064 “What Can Go Wrong with Houseplants” has been updated, with links to Pestsense for controls.
Thank you to Joni Knoell and Anna Kestell
C071 “Lilacs” has had a link to Hortsense added, so clients will be able to get information on controls
more quickly. Thank you Julie Levine!
C081 “Drain Field Landscaping” has been rewritten by Sue Malm. Great work Sue!
C131 “Soil Testing Laboratories” has been updated by Carol Albietz and Carol McKenny. It now has
links to a list of labs, and advice on how to choose the right one for you. Thank you Carol(s)! Posting
soon
C149 “When are Vegetables Ripe” has been updated by Jeremy Cowan and Ken Johnson, thank you
both! It will be posted soon
C153 “Weedy Grasses” has been updated and posted, thanks to Pat Lynass and Anna Kestell.
C212 “Finding Native Plants” has been updated, and will be posted soon. Thank you Jill Ferguson!
These fact sheets have been replaced by new publications by WSU. These can be found on the state website: http://gardening.wsu.edu/ C047 Garlic has been replaced by Growing Garlic in Home Gardens FS162E C103 Vegetable Seeding Schedule replaced by Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington EM057E C136 Tomato Problems replaced by Growing Tomatoes in Home Gardens FS145E
Thank you Fact Sheet committee members: Carol Anderson, Carol Albietz, Jane Beaven,
Nancy Biggerstaff, Jeremy Cowan, Joice Cary, Beth Fairfax, Patty Fay, Jill Ferguson, Claudia Hartanov,
Ken Johnson, Anna Kestell, Ryan Herring, Pat Lynass, Doug Mallott, Sue Malm, Carol McKenny, Kay
Meyer, Karen Parks, Janice Sather, and Vi Tiegs
I hope I haven’t missed anyone! We’ve had a lot of great help so far and we’re looking forward to mov-
ing ahead.
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Teaming with Microbes
by Susan Mulvihill
If you’re looking for a book that will help you transform your garden, I’ve found it. I recently finished reading Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Low-enfels and Wayne Lewis (Timber Press, 220 pp., $24.95) and can’t wait to change some of my longstanding gardening practices.
I’ve long maintained that we gardeners take our soil for granted. It’s just there. We buy plants or start them from seed and just plant them into our gardens without realizing our soils need a little bit of TLC.
We also were taught long ago that we should rototill or turn over our soil at the start of each gar-den season. Little did we know we were disrupting the established soil structure that helps air and water to move through it … Yikes!
I’ve been an organic gardener for many years now, but fully understand that many folks use chem-ical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides in their gardens. While I knew these products were bad for the environment, I really didn’t realize the harm they were doing to the network of microor-ganisms in our soil (which the authors refer to as the “soil food web”).
As an organic vegetable gardener, I often use organic fertilizers for certain veggie crops. It turns out that this isn’t necessary.
In Teaming with Microbes, the authors divide the book into two main sections. In the first, they take the reader on a fascinating exploration of the types of “critters” that are in our soil -- most of which we are unable to see without a hand lens or fancy microscope.
I got to learn about bacteria, archaea (really cool microorganisms that often live in inhospitable environments and play a key role in the nitrogen cycle within soil), fungi, algae and slime molds, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods (critters like spiders and beetles), earthworms, gastropods (snails and slugs), reptiles, mammals and birds -- all of which play a vital role in the health of our soils. How cool is it to learn something completely new and to see images of each of these?
The second part of the book breaks down how you can apply what you learned in the first part to make your gardens grow better than ever.
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(Continued from page 10)
The authors first explain what compost, mulches, compost teas and mycorrhizal fungi do for the soil and plants. Then they discuss the specifics of this as it relates to maintaining your lawn, trees, shrubs and perennials, and growing annuals and veggies.
They’ve even included a garden calendar so you know what to do when.
Lowenfels and Lewis maintain that by discontinuing the practices of turning our soil over each year and using chemicals, and by applying compost, mulch, compost tea and mycorrhizal fungi, our gar-dens will be healthy and productive. And, if you haven’t realized this yet, this means less work and less expense because we won’t be rototilling or shoveling our soil and we won’t be purchasing ex-pensive fertilizers and chemicals. Wow.
I heartily recommend everyone read Teaming with Microbes to gain a better understanding of the amazing soil food web out there and the far-reaching implications it has to change our gardening practices. We have everything to gain from it!
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1. Which link would you use to find help to deal with storm damaged trees?
2. Who are the new Directors on the MG Foundation Board?
3. Name the new President of the MG Foundation.
4. How many free showings of “Symphony of the Soils” were there?
5. How many community members saw the above-named film during its showings?
6. According to Eva Lusk, which plant species is more drought tolerant: Hosta or Hel-
leborus?
7. Which bird species is attracted to rock piles in Eva’s yard?
8. What is the common name of the fun-to-say Scilla siberica?
9. Has publication C136 “Tomato Problems” been updated or replaced?
10. Has publication C071 “Lilacs” been updated or replaced?
11. Where can you find a current list of publication updates and replacements?
12. Is annual rototilling helpful or harmful for our vegetable gardens according to
Teaming with Microbes?
13. What is the name of the “really cool microorganisms” that play a key role in the
soil nitrogen cycle and live in inhospitable environments?
14. What are two members of the gastropod family that Susan Mulvihill mentioned in
her book review?
The Lowdown Page 15
Fall 2015 Lowdown Quiz
Answer Key:
1. Degree days
2. Pest Management—Deffe
Plant Biology—Peregoy
3. Jack Nisbet
4. The Lincoln Center
5. Spiraea douglasii
6. Carex
7. Mint
8. Epilobium
Fall 2015 Lowdown Quiz
Answer Key:
9. At graduation on 10/16 at
5 pm
10. Molly McDonald, Julie
McElroy, Carol Albietz,
Julie Levine (and Past
Chair: Tracy Lewis)
Thank you for
a successful
2015 Master
Gardener
year!
Persons with a disability requiring special accommodation while participating in our programs may call the WSU
Extension at 477-2048. If accommodation is not requested at least three weeks in advance, we cannot guarantee
the availability of accommodation on site. Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state
laws and regulations on non-discrimination regarding race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, and
sexual orientation. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office.
Calendar of Events
DECEMBER
Tuesday 7 MG Foundation Board Meeting 10 am
Friday 25 Office closed for holiday
JANUARY
Friday 1 Office closed for holiday
Thursday 7 MG Training 3 pm—5 pm
Horticulture Class 6 pm—9 pm
Thursday 14 MG Training 3 pm—5 pm
Horticulture Class 6 pm—9 pm
Monday 18 Office closed for holiday
Thursday 21 MG Training 3 pm—5 pm
Horticulture Class 6 pm—9 pm
Thursday 28 MG Training 3 pm—5 pm
Horticulture Class 6 pm—9 pm