Recently in Phelps County Master Gardeners Category

Gardening catalogs are starting to show up in my mailbox.  They're a good reminder that one of the advantages of being a gardener is that you don't really have to grow up.
By that I mean you're encouraged to try new seeds and plants, and to test new techniques and toys - oops tools, I meant tools.

Unfortunately for gadget manufacturers, I'm not too drawn to newfangled gardening accessories, probably because gardening on a Missouri limestone hill means a pick ax is the main, and sometimes only, gardening tool that will work.

The following is my list of top things to try this year:

1. Composting. I like the tumbler-type plastic composters with a side handle for easy turning. I also have a table top Nature Mill composter in my garage. I collect compost material in a bag in my freezer, then move it outside when the bag is full. It's amazing to me how composting reduces the amount of garbage. Colleagues in my business office also have been kind enough to help save coffee grounds and fruit peelings. In return, I bring in fresh flowers for our coffee break room and amend my raised bed kitchen garden.

2. Start vegetable garden seeds a little earlier than end February. I'm still trying to decide how to protect lettuce seedlings in my deck pots, maybe plastic over the top will work.

3. Conserve water. I'm amazed at how much my rain barrels collect during rain storms; and then how happier my plants seem to be when watered with
rain water.

4. Use  soaker hoses to minimize water runoff; add a timer to your irrigation system so you don't forget to turn it off.

5. Make a concerted effort not to use pesticides. Today there are more earth-friendly and safe alternatives. take a little extra time to read labels and learn about non-traditional options like spraying plants with hot pepper-infused water. Being less critical of a less than perfect
flower also helps!

6. Create an inviting habitat for garden visitors by providing food, water and shelter for birds, butterflies and other pollinators like bees. Birds are natural predators, and pollinators will help your garden have more produce.

7. Mow less grass; expand flower beds.

8. Add fruit-bearing shrubs and compact fruit trees. They're not only pretty when in bloom but can provide you with fresh fruit.

9. Plant more low maintenance native flowers. Rolla area is in USDA zone 5B. Natives require less water and will adapt faster; some have long blooming seasons like black-eyed susans.

10. Don't toss out those green tomatoes you finally grew. Try ripening them by storing in a cool, dark place in a brown bag with an apple. They don't have as much flavor as vine-ripened
tomatoes but they are still better than winter, store bought ones!


Which one of these have you tried already?







Charlotte Ekker Wiggins is a master gardener sharing gardening adventures in and around her Missouri wildlife garden. 

Copyright 2012, all rights reserved.

Here's a wonderful way to get inspired fall 2011 for next year's gardening season.

Tim Moloney, University of Missouri landscaper, will be teaching 10 advanced landscape design classes in Rolla, Missouri.

The classes are sponsored by Phelps County Master Gardeners and Phelps County University of Missouri Extension.

To register, call or stop by Phelps County Extension at 200 North Main Street, Rolla, call 573-458-6260 or email Laura Faherty at fahertyl@missouri.edu.

Classes are $20 each or $135 for the series.

Deadline for registration is Wednesday, July 20.

Classes will be held at Ridgeview Christian Church, 806 Ridgeview Road, corner of S. Walker and Ridgeview past Walgreens, on Saturdays.

Here's a rundown of what the classes will cover:

Classes 1 & 2:

The rest of these same day classes can be taken individually:

Principles of Landscape Design (must take this two-part class together) August 20, 9 am - noon and 1 - 4 pm ($40) There are rules, or principles, that need to be followed when designing outdoor space. This course will take a fast paced and in-depth look at each of landscape design's six principles and show how to apply them to outdoor rooms.

Class 3: September 17, 9 am -noon. Learn a detailed, step-by-step process for better initial site analysis. Students will look closely at site issues such as drainage, slope and exposure, and how these ultimately affect design. Students will need to be prepared to conduct a site
analysis exercise where they will receive hands-on training in observing and recording information. Bring a 100' measuring tape, directional compass, pad and paper, and a pen or pencil.

Class 4: September 17, 1-4 pm. In afternoon, during Class 4, students will also learn skills necessary to convert site analysis measurements and sketches into working scale drawings and hands-on experience in drawing working landscape plans. Details will be given on landscape symbolism and how to effectively use a drawing to produce aesthetic landscapes. Bring engineering or architect's scale, ruler, eraser, lined paper for drawing, and a means to draw circles of different sizes (either templates or drafting compass).

Class 5: Low Maintenance Design - October 15, 9 am - noon  One of the most often requested requirements of landscape design is that it be low maintenance. Students will be given instruction on methods that can be taken at the design stage to help reduce overall maintenance without reducing aesthetics and function.

Class 6: Contemporary Landscape Design October 15, 1 - 4 pm  As time moves forward, landscape designers have built upon the experience and design styles of those who have come before. Students will take a detailed look at some of the more classic styles of landscape architecture; at how older styles influence what we now call contemporary design, and how to achieve these in a functionally aesthetic way.

Class 7: Patio Design and Installation November 19, 9 am - noon. Blurring lines between indoor and outdoor living is one of the key elements in contemporary landscape design. One of the ways in which we can accomplish this is by building outdoor rooms. This class takes a detailed look at specifically the floor of these rooms. We will examine design basics for size, shape and function. We will also look at materials and methods for solid patio construction.

Class 8: Retaining Wall Design and Installation: November 19, 1 - 4 pm A site is defined as a parcel of land suitable for development. With the aid of modern excavation practices and retaining wall construction, any parcel of land can be made suitable for development. With the materials available for retention today, we do not have to sacrifice aesthetics for
engineering. We will take a close look at situations requiring retaining walls, methods of construction, materials available for construction, and pros and cons to building each type of wall.

Class 9: Water Falls and Features - December 17, 9 am - noon  This class takes a close look at benefits, and pitfalls, to having various types of garden water features.

Class 10: Landscape Lighting - December 17, 1 - 4 pm Most of our adult lives are spent away from homes. Why allow our landscape investment be enjoyed mostly by others as they pass by during daylight hours? Adding lighting can change the way in which we view landscapes. Students will look closely at different types of lighting systems and how they can help increase the amount of time spent in outdoor spaces.

For more information about the classes, contact Marilyn Fox at foxmar@centurylink.net or 573-368-3007.









Charlotte is a Master Gardener writing her blog, and a weekly newspaper column, on a Missouri hill gardening to distraction.

Contact Charlotte at charlotte@bluebirdgardens.com.

There sure are more than enough - a friend says they sound like alien spacecraft - but I'm not ready to eat periodical cicadas.

These colorful insects are a sure sign of a Missouri summer and are different from yearly "Dog Day" Cicadas because they are smaller, have red eyes as opposed to green-black ones, and, well - show up for a "date" for a few weeks only every 13 years, although there will be years like 2219 when both 13-year AND 17-year cicadas will show up at the same time. Can you just imagine the noise level then?

Cicadas are harmless; they neither bite nor sting. They are not venomous, and there is no evidence that they transmit diseases although a couple of friends allege cicadas attract predators like ravenous snakes who may mistake my toes for the insects.

One of these friends also thinks snakes will grow so big from eating cicadas they will swallow my cats whole. She's not wrong that cicadas show up in numbers at the same time to throw off predators but they won't take my 20 lbs cat Bob in one bite; may take at least two.

Periodical cicadas are not locust. They do belong to the same family as milipedes, centipedes and shrimp.

Periodical cicadas spring intact from their grub stage, leaving an interesting shell still clinging to plants.

Male periodical cicadas are the ones who make all the music, flexing their bellies to generate a unique sound that can rival overhead jets but is music to a particular female cicada's ears.

Periodical cicadas wings with orange veins filter ultraviolet light; when you put a wing on your skin, the area covered by the wing won't tan.

In many cultures, people do eat cicadas. Ancient Greeks considered cicadas a delicacy. Many Native American tribes ate cicadas both before, and after, European colonists arrived.

I also found a reference in the June 2, 1902 Cincinnati Enquirer society section about a party where cicada-rhubarb pie was served. For one pie it takes 4 cups of cicadas, wings removed, sprinkled over rhubarb pieces, before baking.

I'm not advocating eating cicadas, there now are health rules. A Columbia, MO restaurant this spring sold out of Cicada Ice Cream, made with chocolate-dipped cicadas; then was advised by the health department not to make any more.

Periodical cicadas add a lot to a garden's natural community. Their sheer numbers as grubs areate soil as they tunnel through to the surface. Fully grown, their shells add nitrogen, making them a great compost additive. Their abundance every decade or so gives birds, and other wildlife including moles, wild turkeys and my cats, an extra food source.

My cats find the insects coming in through the fireplace chute and I try to keep them from eating them but I miss some. I've also heard dogs have been sick from eating them, but my cats seem ok, so far. They need bulk in case they come across one of those giant, hungry cat-eating snakes.

If you don't want to deep fry cicadas and dip them in cocktail sauce, remember periodical cicadas make great fishing bait!
















Charlotte is a Master Gardener and writes about her garden, and sometimes about her cats, at her blog Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill.

Have you been tempted to put in a garden but put off doing it because of all the work?

I'm talking about a small  garden, with raised beds and elevated structures so plants grow vertically.

This is the second year for my toy Missouri vegetable garden, featuring several 3x3 feet square, and 2x8 and 3x8 painted cedar, raised bed forms in a 15x15 foot, relatively flat area.

The benefit of using raised beds is the plots are easier to manage - the soil tends to stay in raised bed forms, a challenge gardening on a hill - and they don't require big gardening equipment.

A small hand-tiller picked up for $1 at an auction helps me keep soil loose, mix in compost. and is easy on my back.

I do follow some basic farming practices: I add compost every season; I don't plant the same vegetables in the same spot,  and although I appreciate chemicals can be useful, I depend on a healthy supply of onions and marigolds to do guard duty. I also plant herbs in left-over concrete blocks, which helps to control their usually vigorous growth.

Morning glories are growing over this topiary cat seemingly about to munch on a bunch of chives.

My toy garden nicely feeds two and gives me a chance to reconnect to how food grows and experiment; last year, I tested several ways to keep deer out;  99 cent a yard bridal veil finally saved over-munched broccoli and cauliflower.

From the number of turtles walking around, this year I'll find out how high turtles can climb to get into a raised strawberry bed.

So far, I've shared fresh salads with lettuce mixtures, radishes, onions and herbs; peas are blooming, and if it ever stops raining, the planted summer garden will get started with green beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, pumpkins, strawberries and raspberries.

Old birdhouses make whimsical planters; I'm growing marigolds in this half of the buried birdhouse, zinnias in the other half.

Make sure to add a seating area so you can rest, and a rain barrel to collect water for later use.

Raised garden beds don't have to be anything big, and it's amazing how much produce you can get out of a little spot of good soil and a handful of seeds.















Charlotte

Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill

It's hard not to notice the lovely flower garden outside Dr. Jim Bass's office off Hauck Drive in Rolla, Missouri.

What you may not know is half the raised garden - the part closest to Dr. Bass's office - is a treasure trove of old-fashioned medicinal plants.

Planted four years ago as one of Ina Bicknell's Phelps County Master Gardener projects, the garden is a combination of medicinal herbs, native wildflowers and fun annuals "for a spot of color."

Ina said she had fun researching the background of plants and herbs used a century ago to treat diseases, such as lavender for flatulence, fainting and nervousness.

That's quite a combination, I told Ina.

"Sometimes the plants were so bad for you, you forgot how bad you felt because you weren't nervous any more," Ina said.

Starting at the corner of the garden closest to Dr. Bass's office door, flanked with one of my favorite perennials, ever-so-soft Lamb's Ear "for decoration:"

Feverfew, used for fevers and chills, which probably gave the plant it's name.

Chamomile, used for nervousness, a weak stomach and hair rinse.
 
Suppose there was a connection? I'm thinking if I drank my hair rinse, my stomach wouldn't feel very well, either!

Creeping Thyme, a cure for baby colic and headaches. Now there's definitely a connection there.

Catmint, an anti-spasmodic, sometimes confused with catnip. Trust me, cats know the difference.

Oriental poppies, getting ready to bloom, represent opiate painkillers.

Digitalis, growing in the center, was used for heart problems.

On the other side of the garden, several different-colored Columbines, although poisonous, are a reminder that at one time, they were used to treat the equally deadly plague.
 
Don't you wonder how they figured out if it actually worked?

Around the corner from varied color Columbines, in front of petunias,  is a row of strawberries "popular with Dr. Bass's staff and patients who come in with juice on their mouths," who Ina said sometimes sneak out to "pick a berry or two."

Patients waiting for doctor's appointments also sometimes ask if they can wait outside so they can sit on the brick edge and enjoy the garden.

A bunch of onions towards the center are a tribute to helping babies with croup and snake bites.

Nearby is sage, one of my favorite seasoning herbs, once thought to treat coughs, colds and stomach worms.

Ina said her biggest challenge with this charming garden is keeping "chewing gum and cigarette butts" from taking over.

She keeps the garden looking good by adding compost and mulch, then periodically weeding.

Raised on a farm, Ina said working soil is in her blood. She's also the creative hand behind the lovely Native Plant garden that welcomes visitors to Rolla's Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

Ina said anyone can plant a theme garden.
 
"Start with a subject close to your heart and get planting!"











Charlotte

Gardening to Distraction on a MO

It wasn't too long ago people thought putting a pond in one's front yard was a little odd.

I had a good reason.

It was either spend a lot of money to fill up two holes after we moved a concrete driveway, or less money to convert them into small ponds.

I was also hoping frogs would like the spots.

Now well-established, my little plastic-lined ponds are teeming with tadpoles, dragonflies and other wildlife.

There are many ways to save, and incorporate water into your garden, according to Susan Wrasmann, who manages Healthy Yards for Clean Streams for Phelps County Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists.

The program is funded by a grant from Missouri's Department of Natural Resources through University of Missouri Extension.

No room for a pond?

Recycle bird baths into rain barrels. Here I'm showing Susan how I tucked an old bird bath under a rain gutter so when it rains, water is captured so I can use it to water plants later.

"Healthy yards for clear streams is an educational effort that helps landowners and businesses become more environmentally-responsible with lawn and landscape practices," Susan said as she toured my garden. 

Phelps County Master Gardeners April 2011 will be painting birdhouse gourds again.

The gourds are grown by Phelps County Master Gardener Laura Lackey and were a popular sale item at last year's 9th Annual Phelps County Master Gardeners Annual Garden Tour and Plant Sale.

Birding experts tell me if a bird has a choice between a bird house and birdhouse gourd, they'll pick the gourd so these are wonderful to bring birds into your garden..

Gourds are close relatives to cucumbers, squash and melons, requiring a relatively long growing season.

In addition, gourds take 6-12 months or longer to dry before you can work with them so finding them already dry will speed up the process.

Birdhouse gourds available to decorate for sale through Phelps County Master Gardeners will be Lagenaria gourds, or apple gourds.

Once the gourd is dry, you need to drill 2-3 drainage holes in bottom in case rain gets in.

You will also need to drill an entrance hole.

Size of the hole varies with the type of bird you want to attract so here's a guide to entrance holes and what birds use it.

Remove most of the dried inner membrane and seeds; you don't need to clean all of it out, birds will take care of the rest and use some of it to move around inside the gourd.

If you prefer the natural look, two coats of clear polyurethane on the outside only will protect the gourd through one season.

If you prefer more decoration, use any exterior paint.

Clean the gourd first with a stiff brush to remove any dirt; allow to dry before applying paint or polyurethane.

A coat of clear polyurethane on the outside will help preserve the artwork.

No need to add a perch; birds are safer without  having them and don't need them themselves to get in and out.

Phelps County Master Gardeners can pick up several gourds to paint from the more than 40 apple birdhouse gourds Laura will bring to Phelps County Master Gardeners April 5, 2011 meeting, 6:30 pm, at First Baptist Church, 800 North Cedar, Rolla, Missouri.

Painted gourds need to be returned by the May 3, 2011 Phelps County Master Gardener meeting at 11:30, First Baptist Church, 800 Cedar Street in Rolla, MO so Laura can add hanging eye hooks and a cord prior to the Mary 22, 2011 10th Annual Phelps County Master Garden Tour and Plant Sale.

If you can't make the April 5, 2011 meeting, contact Laura at LackeyRN@gmail.com (573) 265-8617.

Finished birdhouse gourds will be sold for $10-25 at Phelps County Master Gardeners May 22, 2011 10th Annual Garden Tour and Plant Sale.

For inspiration, here are some of last year's painted birdhouse gourds:

Charlotte

Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill

Hi, I'm Charlotte Ekker Wiggins and I write Gardening to Distraction an online blog and weekly newspaper column.

The name comes from a local newspaper writer who wrote a profile and noticed all my many green friends.

I've been playing with plants since I was 2 yrs old and poked coffee beans into my mother's favorite orchid.

I can blame it only partly on genetics.

Our family goes back 600 yrs to farming in Hungary, then immigrated to Louisiana to grow strawberries and make strawberry wine.

It does explain why my brother once said baking a strawberry pie was a waste of a perfectly good pie crust - we inhale strawberries!

Over the years, my chemical-free, 1-acre Missouri garden has become not only inspiration for a business and a weekly newspaper column, but a sanctuary for Missouri nature.

I'll confess, I have a messy garden; vegetables planted among flowers, Missouri wildflowers allowed to take over without being invited, birds and birdhouses everywhere; several small ponds full of wildlife, including snakes.  Two honeybee hives keep my garden company, and I don't believe in grass. Nothing personal, I just prefer spending my time in the garden doing something other than mowing.

I became a Phelps County Master Gardener in 2010 so I now have more people I can share my passion for gardening and ask for help!

In this blog, I also share personal gardening experience focused on USDA Zone 5, recently-changed to zone 6; Missouri nature adventures;  occasional trips to area gardens, as well as my adventure with a Missouri traditional - I call it a toy - vegetable garden.  

Why yes, I do like to garden!

Charlotte

Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill

 

Here's a wonderful way to get ready for spring, pick up gardening tips and skills, and get ideas for making wonderful personalized gifts out of your garden.

Phelps County Master Gardeners will be conducting a series of three free short courses March 2011. These free courses will be held Thursdays evenings at 6:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 801 N. Cedar Street, Rolla, Missouri.

There may be a small fee to cover cost of materials.

Master Gardeners are trained community volunteers who help with a variety of community projects, including giving free gardening classes.

I'm excited about the three upcoming class topics:

March 10, 2011: Lasagna gardening and raised bed gardening.
 
Both techniques should help our mid-Missouri gardens fare better since good soil around here is so scarce. There's a good reason they first wanted to call Rolla "Hardscrabble."

This free class will show us how to best set up vegetable gardens for best production, including layering soil amendments (lasagna) and raised bed gardening, which I started to do in 2010 (photo).
                                                                            

March 17, 2011: Photography of flowers and gardens.
 
Great free course to get you inspired to take your camera into your garden, (and someone else's garden.) Taking photos is a great way to later remind yourself of something you saw and liked.

Besides enjoying the views, you can take pictures and develop a library of beautiful photographs you can use to make your own personalized cards, boxes, quilts and more.
                                                                           

March 24, 2011: Edible flowers, herbs and edible landscaping.
 
I love having fresh fruits like pears (photo) as part of my landscaping, as well as fresh herbs and flowers for my home-cooked dishes.

If my mother were still here, she would be suspicious that I started the edible landscaping trend all by myself.

When she would visit, one of her jobs was to walk through my garden to find tomatoes, peppers, onions, sometimes beans, strawberries - all growing in the middle of swaths of flowers.

We would walk through the garden together. I couldn't necessarily remember where I planted things so it was more like a treasure hunt. Nothing like finding a ripe tomato or strawberry that went straight to the table, literally in minutes.

We would also debate whether or not to put a rose in the salad, or a flower vase...

See you in class!

Charlotte

Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill

 

Rolla, Missouri Truman Elementary School students voted to call property behind their Rolla school "Truman's Backyard" and I'll bet Harry Truman would have loved it!

The fenced, 3-acre tract has become an outdoor classroom where kids can learn about the environment and how they fit into various ecosystems.

Founded by Chris Schmidgall and developed through devoted Master Gardener volunteers like Judy Tharpe, 2nd, 3rd and 4rth graders were part of the welcoming committee when visitors toured the area in Phelps County Master Gardener's 9th Annual Garden Tour June 13, 2010.

One of my favorite parts - besides the large woodchuck who greeted us as we rounded the school house corner - was this concrete bridge art students painted to look like a turtle back.

 

To the left of the turtle back bridge, kids can collect treasures and look at them under magnifying glasses.

Every "street" is named after something that represents Missouri. "Bluebird Circle" honors Missouri's state bird, bluebird. The roads each lead to something of interest.

 

After 5 tries, one of Chris Smidgall's classes was responsible for successfully getting blue stemmed grass designated Missouri's state grass, a great exercise in learning about how state government works.

Truman's Back Yard outdoor classroom also has a charming literary flavor. Laura Ingells Wilder inspired one class to write summaries about a story and have them posted under plastic in "books" along the road.

Proceeds from box tops for education fund this outdoor classroom; each box top is worth 10 cents.

Next and last on our virtual garden tour, a visit to a private garden full of whimsy.

Charlotte

Gardening to Distraction on a MO Hill