January 2016

Issue 44

Upcoming Meetings 2

Events of Interest 3

Youth MG Articles 4

Youth MG Articles 5

DCMGA Scholarship 5

Project Snapshots 6

Garden Trivia 7

Newsletter Reminder 7

Inside this issue:

A Note from our President

Dodge County Master Gardener Association

Digging in Dodge

January is a time to start anew; a new year, new resolutions, new gardens to plan. However I recently read an article that encouraged the readers to look back and reflect on your first garden. As I pondered this concept, I realized I had no clue what my “first garden” would have been. I literally grew up in a gar-den, and like to refer to myself as the original Cabbage Patch Kid. My family grew pretty much everything we ate and that necessitated a great deal of time in the garden. My mother didn’t believe in the concept of giving each child their own “patch” to tend. We all had the whole shebang and she did not tolerate slackers. The garden was huge…and there were two of them. I often have thought I would like to go back and look at the area to see if it really is as large as I think it was. To children things often seem larger than reality. But, I am still betting I will consider it a big garden even at my age.

It was from that early beginning that I developed a desire to work the soil and grow things. There is such a sense of satisfaction when those baby plants break the surface of the soil and unfurl the new leaves. Things are right in the world when the sun shines on the blush of a ripening tomato. And, there is noth-ing like passing that passion along to the next generation.

With that in mind, we are growing a new crop of gardeners. In 2015 Dodge Coun-ty Master Gardener Association launched the Dodge County Youth Mas-ter Gardener Association. In Mayville, we started this past summer with a gar-den located at the Mayville Community Garden and introduced the kids to new

foods, taught them to plant, water, weed, mulch, and harvest. My co-teacher and I have the privilege of working with a group of kindergarten through sixth grade students in an after-school pro-gram now that will continue on into the next summer program. We have taught the kids about plant biology, soil struc-ture, insects, and more. We have sent home experiments for them to conduct, lead them on learning adventures, and had guest speakers. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will be able to read what some of them have written about their experiences.

These young gardeners have to do a learning activity (usually a take-home experiment of some sort) each month, write a 50-100 word article, and do 5 hours of community service in order to be certified. The students in our class are well on their way to getting their certi-fication. You can plan on reading more about them in upcoming newsletters.

Above all, these youngsters give me great confidence in the future. The say-ing: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” could easily be adapted to teaching kids to garden. If these kids are any indication of the gar-dening future, we are in good hands.

Carol

Master Gardeners will be working on various projects in Dodge County this year. Projects are underway in Beaver Dam, Columbus, Fox Lake, Horicon, Hustisford, Juneau, Mayville, Reeseville, Watertown, and Wau-pun. Each project has a Master Gardener who coordinates the work. A complete and updated list of projects with contact person information is available from our website or from Carol Shirk (920) 387-5105.

2016 Projects

Upcoming Meetings

Anyone with an interest in gardening is welcome to attend the following free programs. Master Gardener meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of the month. Unless otherwise noted, the meetings are at 6:30 p.m. in the Administration Building, 127 E. Oak Street, Juneau.

Page 2 Digging in Dodge Issue 44

January 28 – Project Year-in-Review by Master Gardener Volunteers of projects participated in during

2015, complete with photos and discussion.

Master Gardener Websites

http://www.wimastergardener.org/

http://dodge.uwex.edu/master-gardener/

Master Gardener E-mail askamastergardener@att.net

February 25 – Windy Drumlins Aquaponics by Mark Krause. Mark Krause will present an overview of

his new business, Windy Drumlins and how it all started. The focus will be a discussion of a relatively new

agricultural technique – Aquaponics. A simple explanation of what aquaponics is, how it works, and some of

its key characteristics as well as “seeing what matters” relative to activities that impact our environment. Inte-

gral to the presentation will be suggestions to each participant for a more “sustainable” lifestyle.

March 24 – Growing Sweet Potatoes in a Northern Climate by Noel Valdes . Noel Valdes is a long time

hobby gardener living in Cambridge. He grows a significant amount of food using a system of open raised

beds which offers the home gardener an opportunity to grow a lot of food in a relatively small space. Sweet

potatoes are considered one of the most all-around nutritious foods that can be grown in the home garden.

Plants can produce large yields, store very well, and can be used in a wide variety of recipes. Propagation of

starts, culture from start to harvest, tips for soil preparation, protection from pests, and storage will be dis-

cussed. Noel has been growing sweet potatoes for almost 30 years in southern Wisconsin and he will show

you that it is pretty easy to achieve success.

April 28 – Annual Business Meeting. Association business, including presentation of certification cards, updates on all projects, the annual potluck plus finalizing plans for the annual plant sale.

Events of Interest

Page 3 Digging in Dodge Issue 44

For more events, visit the Wisconsin Master Gardener website at http://wimastergardener.org/?q=EventsList

Beekeeping for Beginners

Saturday, January 16 @ 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Dane Co. Extension Building – Madison WI

Beginners Classes will repeat on Jan 16 & 30, Feb 20, Mar 19, Apr 9 and May 7, 2016. Second Step Class is

Mar 5, 2016. All classes run from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.. The fee of $50 covers coffee, handouts, free sample jour-

nals and catalogues, and props galore for you to handle. Individual, hands-on Mentoring is also available, $20

for 2 hours in the apiary. To register, contact Jeanne Hansen at 608-244-5094. 50. Dane Co Extension Build-

ing, 5201 Fen Oak Drive, Madison, WI,

Creating Wire Turtle Topiaries for Your Garden

Saturday, February 6 @ 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Boerner Botanical Gardens – Hales Corners, WI

It’s time to start thinking about your garden! Whether it’s a small urban patio, a backyard container, or a large

raised garden plot, it’s never too early to start designing your greenspace! Join us as we go through the fun

and interactive steps of making a one-of-a-kind garden turtle topiary that will add life to your garden! Cost:

$20 members / $25 general public (admission price covers up to five family members) For more info, contact

Monica at (414) 525-5659, email: mjeske@fbbg.org, website: http://boernerbotanicalgardens.org/

Woody Plant Propagation

Wednesday, March 16 @ 7 p.m.

Room UC114 UW-FDL – Fond du Lac, WI

There’s a lot of work and knowledge behind each and every plant you buy. That plant has an origin, and that

origin starts in propagation. Propagators bring plants into this world with an intimate knowledge of how that

plant lives and functions. Each plant is different and there are a lot of plants out there. Ben will discuss the

methods used at Johnson’s Nursery Inc. to produce plants, focusing on seed, cutting and grafting propaga-

tion. Ben French is the propagator for Johnson’s Nursery Inc. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Forestry

at the University of Wisconsin – Steven’s Point, Ben decided that his favorite part of the tree world was in the

propagation aspect. After working for the city of Green Bay’s Forestry Department, his boss recommended

that he seek to do an Internship at Johnson’s Nursery, and he’s been there ever since.

http://gottfriedprairiearboretum.org/classes/

Plants, Emotions, and Your Nose

Thursday, February 25 @ 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens – Madison WI

Do you long for the smell of tomato plants or lilacs during the winter months? Have you ever wondered why

there is such a strong connection between your nose and plants? Join Amy Freidig, a certified master garden-

er and recent UW-Madison graduate with a master's degree in plant sciences, and learn why all those great

garden scents are tied so closely to vivid memories. She will discuss some fascinating science behind scent

in the garden and share some tips for gardening with scent in mind. Sample bottled plant aromas available to

experiment with during the class. Limited space; register early. http://www.olbrich.org/

Registration Deadline: February 18 Cost: $15/$12 member | Course Number: 10-11

Page 4 Digging in Dodge Issue 44

Youth Master Gardeners

Gardening plants by Keagen Fleischer

My favorite project in gardening class was where we did the experiment with which beans would grow the best. We used sand, rocks, and soil. I thought that soil was going to grow the best, and I thought rocks were going to grow the worst. I was almost correct, except sand grew the best.

We let the plants grow for two weeks. It was fun and kind of a chal-lenge. We had to water it and give them sunlight every day. The sand ones grew huge. The soil ones grew big. The rock ones didn't even grow at all.

What I liked best about this project was seeing which one would grow the best.

Page 5 Digging in Dodge Issue 44

Youth Master Gardeners

Dodge County Master Gardener Association Scholarship The Dodge County Master Gardener Association will award a $1000.00 scholarship to a high school senior who is planning a career in some area of horticulture.

The recipient must be a graduating senior from any public, parochial high school or home school in Dodge County.

The student must have applied to a two or four year accredited college or technical school that has a pro-gram leading to a degree or certification in the horti-cultural area. Careers may include, but are not lim-ited to, teaching, plant pathology, agronomy, agricul-tural engineer, landscape contractor, or landscape architect.

As part of the scholarship application, the student will be required to write a statement of 300 or fewer

words that his/her chosen career will meet the re-quirement of horticultural or related studies. Addition-ally, the student will need to provide two letters of rec-ommendation. The specifics are detailed on the ap-plication form.

The completed 5-page scholarship form must be sub-mitted or postmarked no later than March 1, 2016 to the scholarship committee chairperson whose ad-dress is on the application form.

Application forms are available at the UW-Extension office in Juneau and in the guidance offices of Dodge County area high schools. They include Beaver Dam High School, Dodgeland High School, Horicon High School, Hustisford High School, Lomira High School, Mayville High School, Randolph High School, Water-town High School, and Waupun High School.

Page 6 Digging in Dodge Issue 44

Project Snapshots

Dodge County Master Gardeners volunteered a total of 3,203

hours in 2015.

Administrative Building

Education Garden

Compost presentation at SAGES

Seippel Art Center Gardens

Highway Department

Education Garden

Container Garden Class

Rainbow Hospice

Downtown Mayville

Gardening for Gold Committee

Downtown Beaver Dam

Page 7 Digging in Dodge Issue 44

Reminder! If you receive Digging in Dodge via the United States Postal service and are not a member of the Dodge

County Master Gardener Association it is time to submit your $5 to continue to receive the newsletter. If you

would like to switch to email, the newsletter would be free. Remove the tear strip below and send it to Deb

Weber at the UW-Extension, Administration Building, 127 E. Oak Street, Juneau, WI 53039. Make checks

payable to: Dodge County Master Gardener Association or DCMGA

PLEASE NOTE: You need to respond, or you WILL be deleted from the mailing list and will NOT re-

ceive future issues of this newsletter. Again this is for non members only. Members receive the newsletter as

part of their membership dues.

Name:_______________________________ Phone Number____________________________

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Garden Trivia 1. From which continent does the spider plant originate?

2. Name the only plant native to the US which contains caffeine?

3. How many different kinds of potatoes are there in the world?

4. Bamboo is the fastest-growing woody plant in the world—how many inches can it grow in a single day?

5. Vanilla beans come from what plant?

6. A white dusty coating on a lilac leaf is a fungus disease. What is it?

7. Ligularias have big, bold leaves that often look like wilted lettuce in the garden. Where would this plant

be happiest?

8. What is the toxic substance in the roots of Black Walnut trees that keeps other broad leaved plants from

growing nearby?

9. Iris is the Greek word meaning what?

10. Apples are a member of which family?

1. Africa 2. Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) contains caffeine and is in the Holly family 3. 5,000 varieties of potatoes 4. 35 inch-

es in a single day 5. Vanilla flavoring comes from the pod of an orchid, Vanilla planifolia. 6. Powdery mildew 7. Cool

moist location 8. Juglone 9. Rainbow 10. Rose Answers to Garden Trivia

Board of Directors

Crops and Soils Agent

UW-Extension Office

(920) 386-3790

Carol Shirk

President

(920) 387-5105

Terry Zimmerlee

Vice President

(920) 885-2137

Jan Krause

Secretary

(920) 261-7939

Claudia Mielke

Treasurer

(608) 575-3577

Lois Livens

Local Record Keeper

(817) 939-8534

Al Krause

Local Representative to

the WIMGA

(920) 261-7939

Dodge County Master Gardener Association

UW-Extension, Administration

Building 127 E. Oak Street,

Juneau, WI 53039

Phone: (920) 386-3790

Photo by Carol Shirk