The February General Membership meeting was the first meeting to be held at the Heritage building at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. The room was big and it was so nice to see everyone seated instead of standing and crowded in the back of the room! And in case you weren’t able to attend, we had an added bonus—the Executive Board, led by Bar-bara Waite-Jacques, Maria Wortman and Gloria Sherman, serenaded everyone! Their soon-to-be-a-top-10 hit “Green Sheets”, sung to the tune of “Greensleeves”, reminded everyone of the importance of not only filling out your volunteer hours on the green sheets, but also turn-ing them in to Linda’s office on a regular basis so they can be entered into the database. It’s critical that all Master Gardener volunteer hours are documented since this is an important way of letting state and county leaders know how much outreach and education our group really does and the value of our endeavors and the entire organization. It also helps justify the monetary support the Master Gardeners and our um-brella group, the University of Maryland Extension, receives from the county. The second soon-to-be-a-top-10 hit that the Executive Board performed was sung to the tune of “Winter Wonderland”, that great Christmas-time tune. While this number had no formal title, its message was a very strong reminder to turn off those cellphones! This is a consideration to those sitting around you and a sign of respect to the speaker. If you were unfortunate enough to have missed this fabulous concert, maybe we can persuade the Board to give a future encore performance. While these were light, entertaining reminders, their messages are very impor-tant. And as continued reminders, each month before the start of the membership meetings, there will be power point slides displayed at the front of the room reminding everyone to FILL OUT THOSE GREEN SHEETS (using the new 2011 version) and to TURN OFF THOSE CELL PHONES!! Con’t on page 5

March 2011

Dogwood

MEMBERSHIP MEETING

MARCH 3

9:30 SOCIAL TIME

10:00 BUSINESS

10:30 SPEAKER

(AT THE FAIRGROUNDS)

GENE SUMI:

GROWING EDIBLE

FRUITS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Thursday, March 17

10:00 am

President’s Perspective By

Sheryl Freishtat

NewsletterNewsletter MONTGOMERY COUNTY / 18410 MUNCASTER ROAD DERWOOD, MARYLAND 20855

MAIN NUMBER (301) 590-9638 LAWN & GARDEN (301) 590-9650 FAX (301) 590-2828

THE MASTER GARDENER

University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race,

color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or national origin.

THE MASTER GARDENER NEWSLETTER

The Master Gardener Newsletter is a monthly newsletter

published by the volunteer Master Gardener organization

of Montgomery County, an office of the University of

Maryland Extension.

U. of MD. Extension Office Contacts

Director Chuck Schuster

Master Gardener Coordinator Stephen Dubik

Master Gardener Secretary Linda Waters

Master Gardener Volunteer Organization—2010

President Sheryl Freishtat

First Co-Vice President Barbara Waite-Jaques

Second Vice President Taffy Turner

Treasurer Julia Horman

Recording Secretaries Brad Foss &

Liz Hofmeister

For information on the organization and the services

offered by Master Gardeners, contact:

Derwood Demo. Garden Karen Shavel &

Maria Wortman

Gaithersburg Fairgrounds Garden Tom Stanton &

John Zeglin

Landscape Design Len Friedman &

Carol Hall

Newsletter Editor Stacey Guthrie

Plant Clinics Hayley Goris &

Sue Kuklewicz

Program/Education Kate Crawford, Joe Ginther &

Pat Kenny

Public Relations Kathy Eighmey

Speakers Bureau Paula Jean Hallberg

External Special Events Elsie Sullivan &

Taffy Turner

Internal Special Events Kathi Dyer &

Terri Pitts

Telephone Room Nancy Farrar &

Barbara Waite-Jacques

Therapeutic Horticulture JoAnn Mueller &

Alyce Wertheimer

State StLgic Planning Len Friedman &

Frank Lostumbo

SWAT Pat Lynch

Black Hills Butterfly Marsha VonDuerckheim

Mini-conference Pat Wolfe &

Mike Parizer

Technology/Computer Gary Cahn & Joe Ginther

Youth Programs Ron Anderson

Class of 2010 Chairpersons Donald Snyder

At Large Gail Klein

All opinions expressed with reference to commercial

organizations or products are those of the authors and do

not represent an official endorsement by the University of

Maryland.

Stephen Dubik, Master Gardener Coordinator

PAGE 2 MASTER GARDENER MAR 2011

Mission and Vision

Mission: The Maryland Master Gardener mission is to support the

University of Maryland Extension by educating Maryland residents

about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build

healthy gardens, landscapes and communities.

Vision: A healthier world through environmental stewardship.

How To Submit Articles

MGs are invited to write articles for the newsletter, but keep in mind that submittals may be edited and/or not used until a later month. To submit articles, e-mail in attachment form by the 12th of the month to: Stacey Guthrie

mgnewsletter08@yahoo.com

Deadline for submissions: 12th of the month

Computer Users Note Home & Garden Information Center Web site:

http://www.hgic.umd.edu

Montgomery County Master Gardener Web site: http://extension.umd.edu/gardening/masterGardeners/local/

Montgomery/index.cfm

Horticultural Hotline: 301-590-9650

March — November: Mon. - Fri. 10 am - 1 pm

Plant Clinic Sites and Leaders

Audubon Naturalist Society Sat. 10-12 Marlene Cianci

(May-Sept)

Brookside Gardens Sat. 10-2 Hayley Goris

(Year-Round)

Brookside Gardens Sun. 1-4 Margie Richards

(Year-Round)

Brookside Gardens Wed. & Thur. 1-4 Sue Kuklewicz

Davis Library Sat. 10-1 Margaret Edison

(April-Sept)

Derwood Ex. Office M-F 10-1 Nancy Farrar

Germantown Library Wed. 7-8:30 Judi Moline

(May-Sept)

Poolesville Library Thur. 7-8:30 Terri Pitts

Quince Orchard Library Sat. 10-1 Bill Connors

(May-Sept)

Silver Spring Farmers’ Mart Sat. 10-1 Kathy Clark & Gerri Hall

(April-Sept)

Twinbrook Library Sat. 10-1 Barbara Waite-Jaques

(Apr-Sept) (3rd Sat only)

Direct correspondence to:

The Horticultural Consultant, University of Maryland Extension

18410 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855

Email: lwaters@umd.edu

PAGE 3 MAR 2011 MASTER GARDENER

Continuing Ed. Corner Compiled by Lauren Rubenstein

Montgomery County Master Gardener

Mar 5, 10:00 Water Gardening. Merri-field Garden Center, Merrifield, VA. 703.560.6222. Mar 5, 10:00 Hands-On Approach to Pruning. Merrifield Garden Center, Gainesville, VA. 703.368.1919. Mar 8, 7:30 Mycorrhizal Fungi: Hidden Friends of Plants. Hort Soc of MD $10. Vollmer Center at Cylburn Arboretum, Baltimore. 410.821.5561 Mar 6-12 Philadelphia Flower Show: “Springtime in Paris.” $89 Mar 11, 10:001:00 Rain Garden Work-shop, course #130103 $10; registration required. Brookside Gardens, Mar12, 10:00a1:00 Rain Garden Work-shop. Course # 130104 $10; registra-tion required. Brookside Gardens, Mar 16, 1:30-3:30 Vegetable Gardening Basics. Carol Allen, Horticulturist . Course # 132909 Fee: $18; registration required. Brookside Gardens. Mar 23, 1:00-4:00 Papercrete Troughs. Fee includes all materials. Course 132899 Fee: $55, ; registration required Brookside Gardens Mar 23, 10:30am. Birds, Bees and But-terflies: Gardening for Wildlife Visit www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife for more information. $25 Members, $30 Nonmembers, $12 Lunch. Ladew Topi-ary Gardens. Reservations required(410) 557-9570. Mar 24, 10:00-12:00 Spring’s Floral Nest. Jane Pettit, Course number 134901. Fee: $44; registration required. Brookside Gardens, Mar 26, Lahr Native Plant Symposium Fee. Registration required. Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Www.usna.usda.gov Mar 26, 10:00 Stone in the Landscape. Merrifield Garden Center, Fair Oaks, Fairfax, VA. 703.968.9600. For further information see: h t t p : / / s i t e s . g o o g l e . c o m / s i t e /mgmdmontycontinuinged/Home"

It is time to get the 2011 Master

Gardener-maintained Black Hills Butterfly habitat in the Up-County ready for spring. We will remove invasives, weed, and plant on the six Wednesdays before May 1: March 23 and 30, April 6, 13, 20, and 27. Work hours are 9 am to noon at the Monarch Waystation in Black Hill Regional Park, on Route 121 (Clarksburg Road), across from 20612 Clarksburg Road. Bring your favorite tools. For further details, contact Marsha at 301-349-2956 or at vondurck-heimmd@hotmail.com.

Please keep our an-

nual May Plant Swap in mind as you start your spring cleanup. Pot up those extra plants!

Continuing Ed Continued Mar 31, Apr. 7 &14, 1:00-3:00 Sim-ply Chic. Learn to create contempo-rary floral designs you can make at home. Course number 133150 Fee: $139, FOBG: $125; registration re-quired. Brookside Gardens, Apr. 2, 10:00. Gardening In Contain-ers. Merrifield Garden Center, Fair Oaks, Fairfax, VA. 703.968.9600. Apr. 3, 1:00 Great Native Plants For Your Yard. Merrifield Garden Center, Gainesville, VA. 703.368.1919. Apr 19-21, Garden Educator Training Course, Montgomery College registra-tion required; Fee: $199/$49 seniors; includes text; Agricultural Farm Park, Derwood; 240-567-5188. Mar 12, 26 & Apr. 9, Suburban Gar-den Program Series: Intensive Vege-table Gardening, Container Vegetable Gardening, Techniques for Extending the Growing Season; 9:30-noon; Montgomery College, Germantown; Fee: $65/$40 seniors — per class; 240-567-5188.

Calling all garden-ers! Ready for an-other season of dig-ging in the dirt? Green thumbs itching for Spring? From break-ing ground through harvesting, learn sim-

ple yoga postures and body aware-ness to help prepare our bodies for garden-ing and prevent inju-ries."

3/6 10:30-12:30 at Blue Heron Wellness in Silver Spring (301.754.3730) and

3/26 2-4 pm at Simon Says Yoga in Bethesda (240.505.5448).

PAGE 4 MASTER GARDNER MAR 2011

AND THE WINNER FOR BEST TOMATO IS.....

By Liz Hofmeister

The most popular part of the Friends House "open garden" tour last summer was the tomato tasting table. Visitors enjoyed samples of some dozen juicy, sweet tomato varieties that the Friends House gardeners had grown. Caro Taylor, the lead gardener, said the resi-dents started some of the tomatoes from seed in the Friends House greenhouse. These included: Early Girl (which all died except maybe one); Better Boy (which formed well, and produced good size fruit); Jolly Elf (which had red, smaller fruit and produced copiously); and Improved Gurney Girl (which didn't do that well). These were to be the garden's main crop. However when they were frost bitten, Caro filled in with purchased Celebrity and a Beefsteak Hybrid which proved moderately satisfactory. "We also started small batches of experimental seeds in the greenhouse," Caro said. These included: Cold Set for early planting (didn't work and weren't very good tasting); Early Cherry that froze; Yellow Pear (small but that produced all over the place and were very tasty); Brandywine (which Caro said she didn't like much but others did); Red October (a good shape and taste); Fourth of July (also good tast-ing); and Momotaro (which produces the purple-orange large fruit). "What was interesting at the open house tasting," Caro said, " was that each variety had proponents and none won the taste tests hands down."

LOOKING FOR A RELAXED, ENJOYABLE WAY TO COMPLETE SERVICE HOURS? By Nancy Farrar & Barbara Waite-Jaques

Consider giving the Master Gardener Telephone Hotline a try. The Telephone Hotline is especially good for those who need to be seated while obtaining hours, have allergies or sensitivities that require care about which plants to get near, or love to do research. The hotline runs March through November, Monday through Friday (excluding certain holidays), from 10 am to 1 pm, in the Nancy Ballard Phone Room at the Extension office in Derwood. Usually there are two or more people working at the same time, so it's an opportunity to get to know other MGs while sharing information about favorite plants or plant-related subjects. There is an extensive collection of resource books in the room and Internet ac-cess if needed. And, since most of us don't know "everything", if you can't find an answer - there are peo-p l e i n t h e b u i l d i n g w h o c a n a s s i s t ! Signing up is easy! Currently, there is a calendar on the wall in the Nancy Ballard Room (near where you pick up blank green sheets); just place your name next to an open number. However, please leave the number 3 positions open for our 2011 interns. And starting around May 1, the sign up calendar will move online so you can sign up from the comfort of your own home. More information on this will be provided as we get closer to May.

PAGE 5 MASTER GARDENER MAR 2011

President’s Perspective Con’t from page 1

The International Master Gardener Conference will be held in Charleston, West Virginia, Oct. 11-14, 2011. This three-day event will bring Master Gardeners together from all over the country and Canada (thus making it “International”). There will be something for everyone at the conference. And it’s not too far from Montgomery County. One of our own Master Gardeners, Pam Hosimer, will be leading a break-out session!! It would be a lot of fun to get a big group of MGs from Montgomery County to attend. I have reserved a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn, which I’m told is located only a block or two from the site of the conference. The rooms will be held until September 1 after which they will be returned to the Hampton Inn. We would also like to hire a bus, if there is enough interest, so we can travel to West Virginia together. For more information, see the flyer inside this newsletter or contact me or Pam Hosi-mer. And as we all patiently (or impatiently) wait for winter to end so we can get outside, I’ll leave you with a thought from Charles Dudley Warner in My Summer In A Garden (1871): “The man who has planted a garden feels that he has done something for the good of the world.”

MULCH IN WINTER By Marney Bruce, Montgomery County Master Gardener

Leave that blanket of mulch down over the winter to protect your plants from the cycles of freezing and thawing. Mulch protects the crowns of plants from winterkill and actually keeps the soil at a more even temperature. Long-time farm and garden writer Gene Logsden says “mulch was probably first intro-duced into gardening as protection against temperature extremes, particularly from alternate extremes of freezing and thawing during winter.” We often think of mulching as a way to keep weeds down in summer, but it is even more important in the winter. Worms and other life in the soil will slowly but surely turn organic mulches into humus, drawing it down into soil. So leave it where it is to decompose and add fertility to the soil. In the spring, pull it back to allow the soil to warm up and dry out. But when new growth is established, tuck that same mulch around your plants. I buy a bag of composted pine fines mulch and mix it with leaf mold, aged pine needles and small twigs, which gives it a more natural look. Then I use this to top dress the old mulch. You don’t have to spend lots of money on mulch. Be creative and use what is already in your yard (or raked to the curb by your neighbors!). Even shredded newspa-pers will do the trick. But keep your soil and plants happy with a nice blanket in the winter.

PAGE 6 MAR 2011 MASTER GARDENER

WHAT’S IN A NAME? OUR REPUTATION AND FUTURE. By Jon Traunfeld, University of Md. Extension Master Gardener Coordinator

Master Gardeners bring a great deal of visibility to University of Maryland Extension and educational value to residents. Dr. Wei, Dean and Director for the College, and Dr. Place, Associate Dean and Director for UME, are very proud and appreciative of UME’s MG program. Our connection to UME gives us the credibility and expertise that is recognized and respected by our clientele. But many residents don’t know that we are part of UME because it’s not obvious — especially when we refer to ourselves as Mas-ter Gardeners, Maryland Master Gardeners, or XXXX County Master Gardeners. UME Master Gardeners learn in basic training that our beloved program is an important part of Univer-sity of Maryland Extension. Do you remember that slide in the Volunteer Policy Training power point that shows UME as part of the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, and the College as part of the University of Maryland? The importance of placing UME in front of the name of our Extension units and programs is spelled out in detail on the UME Answers website-http://www.wred.umd.edu/. Click on the big blue “Public Rela-tions” button on the left side of the home page and then open the UME Style Guide. Consistently using our UME name will strengthen all of our UME programs. It recognizes UME as the “mothership” and primary source of resources. Dr. Wei and Dr. Place have made it clear that this is man-datory for everyone in our organization- staff, faculty, and volunteers. Every county/city Extension of-fice is committed to making this change. It will take time for us to practice and get used to referring to ourselves as UME Master Gardeners. Let’s begin by taking an inventory with everything that has our name on it. No, I’m not asking you to throw out your MG identity wear. But let’s take a close look at banners and signage. Please begin the process of adding the current UME logo and/or having “UME” appear first in our name. Do I have to use “University of Maryland Extension” on everything? - Yes. This is the question posed on page 5 of the UME Style Guide and here’s the answer: Every piece of research on effective communication of a new product points to the need to ensure multi-ple exposures to the same visual as well as verbal identity. This means that our customers need to see and hear our identity over and over for it to be effective. Every possibility for mentioning our name and every chance to include our logo should be used. Although we are an organization with little or no finan-cial means for advertising, we do have many opportunities to reinforce our identity on printed material, on the World Wide Web, and through a variety of other communications. So the short answer is, yes. The first reference to our organization in printed materials, such as news releases or newsletter articles, should always be “University of Maryland Extension (UME).” Later in the release or article, “UME” or “Extension” can be used. Here are some examples for how to present ourselves to the public, to the media, and to partners:

University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners University of Maryland Extension MGs UME Master Gardeners UME Master Gardener Volunteers

PAGE 7 MAR 2011 MARSTER GARDENER

MASTER GARDENER PLANT CLINICS By Hayley Goris and Sue Kuklewicz, Co-coordinators Plant Clinics,

Of the 120 volunteers participating in our University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener plant clin-ics, 50 serve as coordinators or regular participants at specific clinics. These MGs are the backbone of the program. Two overall group coordinators act as liaison between the Horticulturalist, the MG Board and the Clinic Coordinators. All clinics offer free services to residents, while the University of Maryland Extension not only works with homeowners, but also with commercial farmers and nurseries in the county. The clinic at Brookside Gardens operates all year. Our presence allows them to keep their li-brary open for longer hours and, in exchange, provides us with good facilities and space for our services as well as to train interns with a hands-on approach. We strive to increase our outreach with colorful flyers, posters, announcements in the Public Library newsletter, the Gazette and Brookside Garden’s magazine. We even appeared on Maryland TV. Soon we will post a sign at the Brookside entrance. The other nine clinics are open during the horticultural season and are spread throughout the county. Many are held in public libraries; however, Twinbrook and Audubon/Woodend are held outdoors as well as the clinics in the Silver Spring and Bethesda FreshFarm Markets. We hope to add a new clinic at the Ol-ney Farmer’s Market this year and establish other new locations in response to the county’s increasing population. The MGs and their Plant Clinic services are still less known than they deserve and we are working on additional methods to attract more visitors. For example by: (1) offering pre-announced "plant of the week" themes, programs and demonstrations during a Plant Clinic to attract more people, whom we can afterwards help with their special problems. For such pro-grams we would like to seek the help of the Grow It Eat It and the Speakers Bureau and other colleagues. (2) following Twinbrook's example, set up a table outside the Brookside Gardens Visitor Center close to the walking path, while continuing business in the library.

HOMESTEAD GARDENS GARDEN SHOW

Mediterranean Retreat : March 12 – March 20 Immerse yourself in the classic elements of the Mediterranean garden as it has been cultivated for cen-turies in France, Italy and Greece. Fragrant herbs are seamlessly blended with bright, brilliant flowers and accented by bubbling fountains to create a tranquil retreat that appeals to all the senses. Patios and trellises provide cool refuge from the intense sun and, when accented by vegetables and citrus in beau-tifully traditional pottery, create a space that becomes an extension of your home for entertaining.

3/12: 8am-11am: "In the Garden" with Andre Viette (Live Remote) ; 11am: You Bet Your Tomatoes: Radio personality Mike McGrath; 1pm: Viette’s Top Tips with Andre Viette 3/13: 10am: Vitamin C: Learn about citrus plants with Gene Sumi; 12pm: Organic Answers to Your Gardening Questions with Mike McGrath; 2pm: Container Gardening: Moving beyond the patio: Kerry Kelly takes you off the patio and guides you to using containers in your garden. 3/19: 3/20: Tree Care with Master Arborist Bradley Seay of Bartlett Trees; 12pm: Landscaping for the Average Joe with Scott Daly; 2pm: Fairy Gardens: Learn how to create these small scale gardens.

3/20:11am: Cool Weather Vegetables; 12pm: Cooking with Mediterranean Herbs with Rita Calvert;

PAGE 8 MAR 2011 MASTER GARDENER

Tuesday October 11 – Friday October 14 in Charleston, West Virginia It’s exciting that this year the International Master Gardener Conference (IMGC) 2011 is close to home for those of us in Montgomery County. And it will be a gorgeous time of year to enjoy West Virginia’s autumn beauty. We are hoping to have a really good turnout! Highlights of the conference will be the fantastic line up of speakers and a wide range of topics for the breakout sessions. (We even have one of our own Montgomery MG’s presenting a breakout session!) For additional fees you can also participate in the Pre-Conference and/or Post-Conference Tour packages. There is truly something for everyone! Take a look at their website at http://imgc.ext.wvu.edu for all the details. Registration: Online registration has just opened January 10th. The early bird price of the conference is $250 which includes keynote speakers, featured and concurrent sessions, the opening “Taste of West Virginia” reception, Wednesday’s banquet with entertainment, as well as two lunches, and three break-fasts during the conference. After June 9, 2011 early bird pricing will end and the price of the confer-ence will increase to $300. Accommodations: We have reserved a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn, located about a block or two from the Convention Center. The cost is $99/night plus taxes. All rooms are double occupancy. When requesting a room, ask for a room being held under Sheryl Freishtat’s name. The phone # is 304-343-9300 and they are located at 1 Virginia St., West. These rooms will be held until September 1, after which they will be returned to the Hampton Inn. We would like to hire a bus to take all of us to the conference together, if there is enough interest. Please contact Sheryl Freishtat, or Pam Hosimer, if you want more information or are interested in going to the IMGC.

PAGE 9 MAR 2011 MASTER GARDENER

News From State Office All MGs should have received the State Master Gardener Newsletter in February. It contains lots of news, MG recogni-tion, and all of the State MG Advanced Training offerings for this spring and summer. If you didn’t receive one, you can read it on-line at: http://mastergardener.umd.edu/StateNL2011.pdf MG Annual Training Day- May 17 Coming to you in March will be your MG Advanced Training Day Brochure and registration form. There will be only a month in which you can register at the $69 price. If you know you will be out of town during this period, you can still get all registra-tion information and register online. The pre-registration schedule for this day will be (approximately):

Mid-March - receive your registration forms. April 18 - registration deadline (you can still register after this date, but fees will increase and you won’t be

able to pre-order any merchandise.) May (1st week) - registration confirmation, maps etc. are mailed to all registrants May 17 - MG Annual Training Day.

Merchandise Coordinator(s) needed for next year MG Merchandise sales at MG Annual Training Day is a popular and fun event and helps raise awareness of the MG program everywhere. Each year MG’s pre-order merchandise and Robin places the order. MGs then organize the inventory, bag and sell the merchandise. They also are in charge of how things should look and logistics. This task has been handled most ably by Casey and Dave Kneipp, PG MGs, for the last few years. This year they’d like to train a few MGs to take over for them next year. Lots of MGs help out with this, but we need someone to organize the process. Casey and Dave have all the necessary forms and outlines of procedures. You’d help Dave and Casey this year. Next year you’d implement any changes you thought necessary and be on hand to coordinate MGs taking inventory and bagging items. On MG Annual Training Day, you’d set up the display and the coordinate MGs who are selling merchandise and delivering the pre-orders. This is a very important job but doesn’t really take that much time. Organization and attention to detail is what’s important! Please contact Robin at 410-531-1754 or rmhessey@umd.edu. Three MG Advanced Trainings in March and April:

MG Advanced Training Master Composter

Location: U of MD Extension- Baltimore County (Cockeysville) March 17 and March 24, 10am-3pm (includes field trip) Instructors: Lew Shell (Horticulture Consultant, HGIC; Anne Arundel Co. MG), Susan Levy-Goerlich (Howard Co. MG) Registration Fee: $45 (plus any texts) Registration Deadline: March 10, 2011 Class Limit: 25

Course Description: Learn about composting from dedicated MG Composters. This advanced course, designed to teach the

teacher, will not only enable you to improve your own composting techniques, it will empower you to share your knowledge

with novices and experts alike. You will be given instruction in both the science and the art of creating compost and be given

the opportunity to hone your own personal teaching skills. As a graduate “Master Composter”, you will be able to seek out

new and innovative ways to present ‘backyard composting’ to both MG interns and to the public at large. MGs are among a

very small number of spokespersons for Integrated Pest Management. To become certified, class participants are expected to

give 10 hours of volunteer time in the next 12 months in the area of compost education. Our mandate goes well beyond the

sensible use of pesticides; we are also charged with educating homeowners in areas of Water Quality, Nutrient Management,

Soil Conservation, and Recycling. Backyard Composting is an endemic part of each of these areas and thereby has a crucial

role to play in all of our programs and projects.

Also included: Planning for the new MG composting site at the new Baltimore Co. Ag Center. Vermicomposting demo and hands-on exercise Field trip to the Eastern Sanitary Landfill

To Register: See form below or on MG Website at: http://mastergardener.umd.edu/AdvancedTraining/index.cfm

PAGE 10 MAR 2011 MASTER GARDENER

MG Advanced Training—NEW COURSE! Growing Fruit at Home

Location: U of MD Extension Research and Education Center, Upper Marlboro , Wed. March 30, 9am-3pm Instructors: Christopher Walsh, PhD., Professor of Horticulture, UMCP and R. David Myers, Extension Educator - Fruits

and Vegetables, and Anne Arundel County Extension Director. Registration Fee: $35 Registration Deadline: March 23, 2011 Class Limit: 20 Course Description: New Course!! Join us for our first MG Advanced Training class on Growing Fruit. We’ve been hearing a lot about vegetables lately- but what about fruit? It’s fun, nutritious and often easy to grow here. Grapes, blueberries, rasp-berries, apples, peentos (flat peaches) and more. Learn what the most successful fruit plants are in Maryland and how to grow them - even in small spaces. Pruning demos, hands-on exercises, and field walk included. (Be prepared to do some out-door field walking.) To Register: Send your name, address, email, phone, MG county you work with, name of class you want to take, and a check for $35 (payable to the University of MD). Mail to: MG Classes, HGIC, 12005 Homewood Road, Ellicott City, MD 21042.

MG Advanced Training—NEW COURSE!

School Gardens – Living Educational Spaces Location: Great Kids Farm, Catonsville- BALTIMORE County, Saturday, April 9, 9am-3pm Instructors: Greg Strella, Farm Manager, and the staff at Great Kids Farm

Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialist in Fruits and Vegetables and State MG Coordinator Registration Fee: $30; Reg. Deadline: April 1, 2011; Class size: 20 MGs

School gardens are hot right now- but what do MGs need to know to successfully help implement these living educational spaces? Everyone wants a school garden, but how do you set them up, sustain them, and make them truly educational? This special workshop was developed by Great Kids Farm for, and is open to, both Master Gardeners and Baltimore City Public School teachers. You’ll learn some of the best ways to develop Living Educational Spaces as we explore the range of possibilities and lay out the process of starting from scratch; we’ll also take a walking tour to discuss how spaces begin and develop. Also:

• workshops on how to work with and engage students

• pests and diseases (and how they present great learning opportunities)

• indoor and container gardening

• lots of schoolyard ideas from touring an exhibition garden

• hear from teachers what their needs are

• overview of how MGs can support living educational spaces in schools

• success stories

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- The State MG Advanced Training information and registration forms can be found at: http://mastergardener.umd.edu/AdvancedTraining/index.cfm or complete and mail:

Date: ______________ MG County: ________ Phone:______________________ Email:___________________________________

Name:_______________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________

Class(es): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please mail in your completed form with check made payable to the University of Maryland. Return form to: MG Classes, HGIC, 12005 Homewood Rd. Ellicott City, MD 21042.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXTENSION 18410 MUNCASTER ROAD DERWOOD, MD 20855

NON PROFIT ORG POSTAGE PAID

GAITHERSBURG, MD 20898

PERMIT # 2356

Master Gardener MARCH 2011

A Great Topic Every Month!

MONTH SPEAKER ORGANIZATION TOPIC LOCATION

January Eric Wenger Master Gardener Pruning Derwood

February Christine Abelow Smithsonian Gardens History of Amer. Gardens Fairgrounds

March Gene Sumi Homestead Gardens Growing Edible Fruits.. Fairgrds

April Cindy Brown Container Gardening.. Fairgrounds

May Merikay Smith Master Gardener Bulbs for All Seasons Fairgrounds

June Master Gardeners Picnic Derwood

Ted Trey, Farm Manager and Debbie Lee & Edith Cross, Friends of the Ag. History Farm

July Lewis Ziska USDA Impacts of Climate Change Derwood

August Pat Kenny Master Gardener Sea Veg/Ocean Herbs Derwood

September Kathy Stephens Brookside Gardens Trees That Support Btrflies TBA

October Vanessa Lane Pope Farm Tree Care TBA

November Master Gardener Mini Conference Derwood

December MCMGs Holiday party Fairgrounds