THE GREENERY

MARION COUNTY MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION THE GREENERY

WHEN: MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2014

TIME: 7:30 A.M. — 6:00 P.M.

MEET LOCATION:

GREENWOOD CHRISITIAN CHURCH

2045 Averitt Road, Greenwood, IN 46143

317-881-9336

PROGRAM ITINERARY:

7:30 A.M. Meet at Greenwood Christian Church

8:00 A.M. Buses leave promptly for southern IN

12:30 P.M. Lunch

1:30 P.M. Buses depart to swap destinations

4:00 P.M. Leave for return trip to Indianapolis

6:00 P.M. Arrive back at Greenwood Christian Church

(Times are approximate)

This coach trip is to Hidden Hills Nursery and Munchkin Nursery

and Gardens. Plants may be purchased and brought back on the bus.

NOTE: If you would like to participate in this program and have special needs, please

contact Steve Mayer prior to the beginning of the program, (317) 275-9290 or E-MAIL:

MAYERSL@purdue.edu

COACH TRIP to SOUTHERN IN

AUGUST 2014 VOLUME 25, ISSUE 8

Date: Monday, August 11, 2014 (Free and open to the public)

Time: 6:30 P.M.

Program: “French Dirt: The Gardens of Provence”

Place: Holliday Park Nature Center 6363 Spring Mill Road, Indy Ron and Linda Williams of Garden Travelers will present a program on

the gardens of Provence, including estate gardens, large public gardens and both

large and small private gardens. The hardscape and plant structure of these

gardens will provide you with ideas for your own garden.

Pat Brummer, IHS, Publicity 317-251-646; indianapolishostasociety.org

INDIANAPOLIS HOSTA SOCIETY

Inside this issue:

PRESIDENT’S MUSINGS

VOLUNTEER OPPS

SUNSHINE REPORT

STATE FAIR TOMATO

JUICE STAND INFO.

JULY INDY URBAN

ACRES PHOTOS

EXTENSION

HORTICULTURE HINTS

by Steve Mayer

THE QUESTION BOX by

Steve Mayer

PUBLICATION &

PURDUE EXTENSION

CONTACT

INFORMATION

The Tomato Juice Stand

If you have ever worked the Tomato Juice Stand at the State Fair you know what a fascinating experi-

ence it is. First of all are the many types of tomato juice drinkers. There are those who do it in memory of fair

visits with their parents and grandparents. There are those who like the challenge of seeing how spicy they

can make the drink. And there are those who like to imagine that with a little (or a lot) of make-believe vodka,

they are indulging in a Bloody Mary.

When times are slow at the stand, there are always interesting things happening around it. I particu-

larly like watching the 4-Hers demonstrate how to bathe a chicken. Occasionally you even get a brave soul

who uses a live hen—well-trained of course. Then there is the watermelon spitting contest nearby. One has to

wonder how many seeds those littlest of kids swallow before they get one through their lips, or whether an

expert spitter has ever hit our TJS.

And, since the TJS is right near the entrance to the building, we also get to serve as concierges. Not

only do we get to direct persons to the lavatories, but to the biggest popcorn ball, the image of Homer Simpson

constructed of cans, or the location of the honey bees which are usually right next door.

People are friendly and talkative. If you want conversation, that is the place to go. Sometimes a

person even gets to talk about gardening! What could be better!

Your president, Linda

PRESIDENT’S MUSINGS — Linda Furuness

Page 2 THE GREENERY AUGUST 2014

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES — Shirley Fry

HOLLIDAY PARK

Fridays, August 1st, August 15th. & August 29th., 9 to 11 am, rain or shine: Holliday Park FREE Learn

& Labor Workshops, sponsored by The Friends of Holliday Park. During the August 1st session, horticul-

turist Chris. Turner’s topic will be ‘WEEDS!! ..... how to stay ahead…….’

Wednesdays, August 13th & 27th., Saturdays, August 9th., & 23rd., 9. to 12 noon: Work Days with Katie

Neill, Indy Parks.

Please be reminded that we are into the bug season (mosquitoes, chiggers etc.) and dress appropriately.

Tools, gloves, water – and bug repellant are provided or bring your own. No registration necessary. Details at

hollidaypark.org/volunteers. Questions: please check www.hollidaypark.org/volunteers; (P):317-327-7180.

All sessions qualify for Master Gardener volunteer hours.

SUNSHINE UPDATE

During the passed month good wishes have been sent on members’ behalf to Frida Bardonner &

Phil Johnson who recently have had some health issues. Please consider letting them know that they are in

your thoughts. Frida, particularly, would enjoy receiving cards rather than phone calls which are difficult

for her. You will find their personal information in your MG directory.

Condolences were sent on members’ behalf to Jamie Gibbs on the death of his mother.

The 2014 Indiana State Fair runs from August 1

through 17th. Marion County Master Gardener Assn. will again

coordinate and manage the Tomato Juice Stand (TJS) in the Agri-

culture/Horticulture Building during the Fair, serving Red Gold

Tomato Juice.

Profits from the TJS are divided between Garfield Park

Master Gardener Assn. and Marion County Master Gardener

Assn., as well as the various Community Garden volunteers who

work in the TJS during the Fair.

We are using VolunteerSpot (the leading online signup

and reminder tool) to organize the Tomato Juice Stand work shifts. Here is how it works:

1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot. http://vols.pt/7AACdV

2. Enter your e-mail address: (you will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot )

3. Sign up! Choose your spots - VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders.

After you have signed up and before you exit the program, there will be a comment section. Please

enter the name of your organization (GPMGA or MCMGA) in that section. We want to give your organiza-

tion credit for the hours you work in the booth

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone.

If you wish to bring a friend or spouse to work with you in the booth, please make a separate entry

for that individual, with their name and e-mail address and enter the name of your organization in the com-

ment section. Please do not put two names in one slot. Friends or family of volunteers will not be able to join

the workers in the booth unless they are signed up to work in the booth.

As a volunteer you will receive State Fair tickets, a fairgrounds map and information on free parking, by

mail, approximately one week prior to the opening of the Fair.

Reporting Hours Worked

Master Gardener members who are working in the TJS should report their time worked under

the category “Tomato Juice Stand.” Please do not use “Tomato Juice Stand Committee,” which is for the

committee members who handle the administrative duties of the Stand. You would count your time worked

as “educating” with “0” contacts because generally you will not be answering gardening questions. If for

some reason you do have a gardening discussion with a customer - that time spent should be counted sepa-

rately.

Thank you for your participation.

Tomato Juice Stand Committee (contact information in Directory)

Judy Turner

Nancy Snively

Fred McCullough

TOMATO JUICE STAND INFORMATION

Page 3 THE GREENERY AUGUST 2014

JULY AT INDY URBAN ACRES – Barb Jablonski

Page 4 THE GREENERY AUGUST 2014

August Garden Calendar Tips

Note: Letters and numbers following the tip refer to Purdue publications on the topic.

First Week: Try to finish seeding beets, kohlrabi, kale, Swiss chard, turnips and bush beans. (HO-186)

Second Week: Buy high quality grass seed when purchasing seed for the lawn. (AY-25)

Third Week: Mid-August is the starting date for the lawn seeding season. (AY-3)

Fourth Week: Flowers can be dried at home using several methods. Preserved flowers will add long lasting

beauty to your indoor decor. (HO-102)

For more timely tips, follow me on Twitter @purduehortindy (or go to the following to view: http://

twitter.com/purduehortindy).

State Conference a Success

Congratulations and many thanks to all who helped make the 2014 Purdue Master Gardener

State Conference a great success, especially the co-chairs Kathy Hull, Barbara Jablonski and Judy

Turner!

Results of the evaluations indicated there was excellent impact:

100% of the respondents (there were 152) had an increase of gardening knowledge

92% intend to grow some plants or cultivars that were previously unknown to them.

77% indicated there is a practice they intend to change as a result of attending the conference.

Demonstration Garden Update

Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped in the demonstration garden this year so that it was ready

for opening day of the State Fair on August 1. At this writing, we still need volunteers to help staff our tent

in front of the demonstration garden. Contact Debbie Schelske if you can help (317.275.9286,

dschelsk@purdue.edu). Thanks

The Purdue Extension-Marion County Demon-

stration Garden on July 28, 2014 (Photo Credit:

Steve Mayer)

The June ssue of the Master Gardener newsletter

featured three new framed raised beds in the

demonstration garden. On the next page are the

additional new projects for 2014. Many thanks to MG Sue Draheim who worked on ALL of the construction

projects this year.

EXTENSION HORTICULTURE HINTS by Steve Mayer

Page 5 THE GREENERY AUGUST 2014

The vertical wall garden is the latest project for the demon-

stration garden. (Photo Credit: Steve Mayer, 7/28/2014)

The vertical wall garden was planted on July 1 and in less

than a month it is starting to fill. The construction design was pat-

terned after the vertical wall garden at the Chicago Botanic Gar-

den. However, Sue Draheim improved it for safety and other con-

siderations. Sue was both the designer and builder. I provided as-

sistance in plant selection and arrangement, and MG Jim Hillman

helped finish some of the boards. The wall garden was built from

cedar lumber donated by Carter-Lee/ProBuild Indpls

(http://probuildindy.com/). It was filled with 11.5 bags of 64-quart

potting mix.

A unique feature of the garden this year is our tomato

arch. (Photo Credit: Steve Mayer, 7/28/2014)

The tomato arch was built from cattle panel fencing.

The sides are 1-foot square with a triangular cross beam. The

sides are about 80 inches tall. It is stabilized by two T-posts on

each side and tied together with zip ties. The arch is composed

of two Jasper tomato plants (one on each side). They were

planted on May 8 and by July 27 they completely spanned our

5-foot pathway and raised beds.

A new tomato trellising system for tall indeterminate plants was built from heavy duty electrical con-

duit. Once the plants reach the top, the system allows you to lower the plant to accommodate additional

growth. The actual trellis material and tomato clips were purchased from FarmTek (http://www.farmtek.com).

We are also experimenting with growing them in 20-gallon fabric pots. Smart Pots (http://

smartpots.publishpath.com/) were purchased locally from two garden centers. The pots were filled with pot-

ting mix that needs to be watered daily in warm weather.

EXTENSION HORTICULTURE HINTS, con’t...

Page 6 THE GREENERY AUGUST 2014

The 2014 garden includes a new tomato trellising

system. (Photo Credit: Steve Mayer, 7/28/2014)

We used different materials to keep cucumber beetles from attacking our Diva cucumbers (do not need

pollination to set) to prevent bacterial wilt disease. It is made from half-inch white PVC and a heavy duty

screening material called Micromesh that we hope will last multiple seasons instead of the single-season fabric

materials. It is reported to allow at least 90% light transmission with rain and irrigation easily flowing through

it. We purchased the product from Territorial Seed Company (http://www.territorialseed.com/).

We are using a new system to keep cucumber beetles out

of our Diva cucumbers. (Photo Credit: Steve Mayer, 7/28/2014)

EXTENSION HORTICULTURE HINTS, con’t...

Page 7 THE GREENERY AUGUST 2014

THE GREENERY

PURDUE EXTENSION

MARION COUNTY, PUBLISHER

STEVE MAYER —

Extension Educator-Horticulture

Purdue Extension-Marion County

1202 E. 38th Street, Discovery Hall, Suite 201, Indianapo-

lis, IN 46205-2857

Phone: (317) 275-9290;

Fax: (317) 275-9309

E-mail: MayerSL@purdue.edu

Marion County Consumer Horticulture:

http://IndyHorticulture.org

Marion County Master Gardener Program:

http://IndyMG.org

Mail/e-mail your information by 20th of

EVERY MONTH for INCLUSION next

issue.

Judy Armstrong, Editor

My mailing and E-mail address is in the Mas-

ter Gardener directory.

Dodder. (Photo Credit: Steve Mayer, 7/14/2014)

Q. What’s that yellow stringy stuff on the planting of beets?

A. Some of you on the MCMGA tour in July asked about this problem. This is a parasitic plant known as dod-

der. You will note by its color that it does not have any chlorophyll so it cannot produce its own food. There-

fore, it must survive by feeding on other plants. It is an annual plant that spreads by seed. You cannot com-

pletely pull it off the plants. In the garden physical removal of the dodder and host plants is usually suggested

before it flowers and sets seed. For more information, go to:

http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/dodder.html

<https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/WS/WS-34-W.pdf>.

THE QUESTION BOX by Steve Mayer

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